SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream.

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RE: Just one example:

Posted by tube wrangler (M) on December 11, 2014 at 09:48:54

In Reply to: Just one example: posted by gusser on December 11, 2014 at 06:49:53:

We're both good guys. Jeff is the dreamer who loves people and interacts with them, he's not an engineer, but show him some ideas or theory and he'll go right to work on it-- he may accidentally lose a few details---.

It won't be perfect, in fact some of it will get left out, but none of us are perfect anyway.

I'm the engineer, but through experience I'm also able to cut through all of that RED TAPE when I want to or need to, so I can think or operate in either camp and that makes me a Maverick in BOTH religion's camps-- tweakers OR engineers-- neither is going to understand me.

I may choose to ignore some engineering theory that is true and dear to formally trained engineers who are religiously trained in that particular discipline. I may need something different or want something done better than what I can buy or build with their engineering.

Make no mistake-- if I can BUY something already engineered right for my job, I WILL NOT waste time building it, I'll save my time, buy it and go Swimming at the Hot Spring or drag out my MX bike and have a Ball. Maybe go Jet Skiing or whatever.

But I do love to listen to music-- I always have, and I know what it should sound like.

I don't listen formally. I listen indirectly-- like when doing dishes, etc. That gives me a realistic perspective on music. Either it's real or it's not-- either it talks to me or it doesn't. I don't study it or study the performance unless something is wrong. Then, I have to figure out what to do about it. Most equipment is always very wrong in many ways...

At this time my home system consists of a Pioneer BDP-09FD Blu-Ray transport (I use the SPDIF digital-out for audio), A P.C. using Windows 7 with a Berkeley Audio Designs Alpha-DAC2, which I use their external USB link for-- this actually makes USB Hi-Fi instead of just USB)-- my own 12 VDC 3 separate power supplies for the computer/MusicServer, one for the processor, one for the Motherboard, one for the SoundCard. Why did I build this? I needed it because my Turntable for L.P.'s sounds better if I don't build the "triple-12" P.S., for the computer so I had to build it. NOW, for the first time, the computer is better than the VINYL-- much better.

Then a VPI turntable, with an old GRADO "lab Standard" tone arm with a ClearAudio cartridge that is High_output because I prefer to leave out as many preamp stages as possible, since I am hooked on both big time dynamics and pristine audio details-- yes, I operate in both camps on those things also.

These components drive my 2A3 amps and those drive my MLTL GPA-604 speakers. 11+ cubic feet. Why so big? Music simply sounds better with them than without them. Why did I build them? I couldn't buy anything that was good enough for the amps...

Well, that's silly! What! Was I married to the little amps-- why not just get higher-powered amps?

Well, I studied that beforehand-- Amps.

Studying amps became a mental exercise into what it would take to get played back correctly everything that was on a commercial recording. What could do it all-- day-in and day-out, never need servicing or adjustment and be reliable-- and always sound great-- really right EVERYTIME?

The more I studied it, the more obvious it became that the number of amp stages had to be cut back, coupling caps had to be eliminated, and the power levels had to be cut back to what tubes can do better than solid-state-- operate primarily as voltage amps at low currents.

This translates into low-wattage, or why not just get into solid-state. So, I simply built what was best-- for tubes. Why not just buy a low-wattage tube amp? Nobody ever sold one that worked right for music-- they were all full of compromises and sounded wrong to me.

Would I do all of this over again? ONLY WHEN I HAVE TO.

There are two areas that I am interested in right now because they are potential improvements: (1) Better digital. This will be handled by Berkeley's New Alpha-DAC Reference series DAC. It's a 10-year thing-- get one and you won't need to replace It-- you'll have music and that is what it's for.

The other area is in the DHT tube's filament structures. (2A3, 300B etc.). DHT output stages sound more true-to-life when they are operated on balanced A.C.

The problem is the BALANCE. If the filament in one of these tubes is slightly off-center, we will get A.C. hum from that tube. We always do. EML is looking at this problem, and is marketing some DHT triodes that have the center-tap (of the filament) brought out so you can hook-up balanced, and get the cathode signal out without going thru the filament transformer. . Is this an advance? It is if they get the center-tap centered!

Then, there's the filament transformer itself. Is it's center-tap really centered? Physically, magnetically, and capacitatively? Let's see if someone will build one.... then you could use other tubes (than EML).

NO! I don't want to build it, but I WILL if I can't buy one!

I don't give out free schematics because I won't spend time on anything mediocre. I want anything I build to outperform and outlast the best that I can buy, so I go straight to the best thing possible that is out there--and try to buy it. ONLY if you have to, should you build it. If I build it, it's because it gets the job done better that way-- I'd much rather BUY it if I can.

Since I won't bother to build it unless it can outperform, I have to spend a lot of time researching, engineering, and then building it. Anything that can help out other builders out there I'll give them if I CAN, but I'm not going to give out the whole Farm for free-- but you do get some very useful advances that you can use..

Jeff is wonderful to me. He and some others talked me into posting. I would never do it for years for obvious reasons, but I did finally cave and started making technical posts, which caused a storm of super-religious engineers to laugh me out of town!

So what? It was all given honestly, and every word of it was very good engineering.

Then, there's the Tweaker camp where a Pin-Head, added to your Bedframe, will give you better music-- maybe. These people seriously need some formal engineering study.

But most engineers seriously need to do more than just calculate mathematics. After all, if you're going to design a superior DogHouse, where do you go?

To DogHouse Engineering? No, you go to the Dogs and Observe THEM. DOGS are your best source for DogHouse Engineering.

That way you can get a GOOD DogHouse.

---Dennis---





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