As many here may or may not know, Ive been a Don Allen 300B amp (amongst more Don gear) user/fan for some time now. And will continue being along with this new addition. Fact is I bought this amp many years ago (before even knowing Don) and let the good Doc Edgar use it for shows for some time while my Edgar horns were being built and as I settled into my latest apt. I was in no rush which worked well for me and the Doc.
Being someone who was born into the solid state era of stereo Ive had to get to know tube amps and horns from the ground up. Its been allot of fun, time, experimentation, $, frustration but most of all, its been a learning experience. I was first turned on to this amp after getting to know Bruce and his horn rig. It all began with my finding a pair of Altec Valencias at a thrift store. Well that led to my buying a pair of JBL L300s. While I liked the sound of them I couldnt help noticing the beaming/horny sound. The Doc explained all this to me and the rest is history (for me at least). That was many years ago now which brings me up to the present (leaving out allot of other gear, amps, speakers a foray into HT).
Im still waiting on some parts of the Edgar horn rig so I am still using my trusty Fostex Sigma 168s in Zhorn Heruka cabinets with Visaton TL16H horn tweets along with a powered sub. Thus far my only personal long term experience has been with my Don Allen amps. Longest with my Don 300B amps and preamp. Ive loved the sound and still do. I must say that with my green experience in this game I was anticipating a somewhat similar sound between these two amps. I figured, two amp builders at the top of their game, may result in a similar sound. Well to an extent they both sound similar in that they are both amazing. However the two different topologies do create a different experience. And I love them both.
I really dont want to go off into another rambling on their differences. As I can clearly ramble. In a nutshell all the talk about there being that difference between a true DHT SET and a SET of this nature is, well true. They both have a distinctive sound to themselves. I thought the 300B had that warmer, forgiving, in the smoky club effect and the KT100 has attack, a no note left behind (kind of a joke as it does tend to produce the good and the bad in a recording like it or not), and has an authority to it that just captivates you and gives 100% of what is there for the listening. This colorful description might give someone the idea that they are night and day different. And to the man with the golden ear Im sure they are. However to me they simply are two different takes on the music. I didnt see them as night and day different as I feel both do a simply fantastic job. I honestly like what one does better than the other, vice versa. In a nut shell its kinda re-enforced much of what Ive read here over the years about different topologies. Therein by piquing my curiosity in just what a well done push pull amp sounds like. I had the chance to hear a Don moded little RCA console PP amp. And I liked what I heard.
On the Cavalier Plus, one of things I noticed is it really shows when a tube is new and not broken in yet. When I first received the amp Cy had just put a new JJ 12AT7 input tube in along with new KT100s. I didnt take this into account right away and was left thinking this amp might not be for me. It took about one day of solid use before the input tube/kt100??? settled into itself. Then it all came together and I was again in nirvana. I tried a few different 12AT7s, Telefunken, Mullard, Brimar and American however I ended up taking a different path. I spoke with Cy on the phone quite a bit, as in the past. Cy told me how the amp was compatible with much of the 12XX7 variants. He mention how he designed it with the 12AT7's 60mu rating. I found with allot of my too loudly recorded digital media the amp would sometimes go into overdrive (not clip but OD). I thought what if I took it a step lower on the input. I chose to try the 12AV7/5965 48mu factor, BINGO match made in heaven. If anyone out there is reading this and owns a Cavalier Plus, try it. For me it really made the amp sync perfectly with my digital end of things.
So yes in conclusion. This amp has shown me just how little I know about this hobby in aspects. And that feels great! I want to know more. It was so cool to finally hear the differences in reproduction between topologies. Again I love what Don's and Cy's gear sounds like. Its no wonder why they are both so popular. And again, this really makes me wonder what a well done PP amp sounds like. I wish there was a McShane Citation II near by.
Also I plan to try and make it up to AK fest this May. Hope to see any of you all there.
Dave
