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In Reply to: RE: Got my Cy Brenneman Cavalier Plus a few days ago...Thoughts and Pics....and a tweak for it. posted by 2chJunkie on March 29, 2008 at 16:54:47
A while back I had one of Cy Brenneman’s Cavalier amps. It differs from the Cavalier Plus in that it is set up for EL34 output tubes and uses different a different rectifier and driver tube, and, of course, has a lower power output. I had Cy modify my amp so that I could adjust the bias from pots on the top of the amp, a feature which I believe you have on your Plus amp. That bias adjustment allows you to use different output tubes, which in my opinion makes a big difference in the sound. Here are my notes on the various output tubes I tried:EL34 Mullard XF1 - Rich and warm sounding. Good rounded bass, rich mids, clear and rich highs. Imaging solid, but not the best detail. (slightly warmer and fuller sounding at .35V than .6V)
KT88 Golden Lion - Fast and detailed, but cooler sounding than Mullard EL34's. Bass slightly lighter but fast. Mids have great detail but cool. Highs clear but cool. (not as good at .65V, better at .85V)
6550 NOS Tungsol - Warmer and richer sounding than Kt88's. Imaging more solid. Not quite as fast sounding as KT88's. (at .85V)
You should verify with Cy the range of bias adjustments to use with various tubes. I don’t think the numbers I am showing above should be used, as Cy made some modifications to my amp, and your Plus is different in many ways. Cy thought I might also be able to use KT66 or 6L6G output tubes, but I could not get the bias level low enough.
The difference between these output tubes was very obvious and it changed the sound signature enough to make it almost sound like three different amps. I thought this was a really unique and useful feature. I preferred the warm and gutsy sound of the 6550 Tungsol’s, but I am sure that others with different tastes, system components and room acoustics might prefer one of the others. I will also say that NOS Tungsol’s sound way better that the new “reproductions”.
You should definitely get in touch with Cy and get the proper settings for the various tubes he suggests you could use. I think Cy’s amps are outstanding in build quality and the ability to use different output tubes is totally cool.
Edits: 03/30/08Follow Ups:
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