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I recently put together Audio Electronics AE-3 preamp kit - The following is a very short synopsis of some thoughts and opinions about the kit ..Positives ..
1. The kit contains high quality parts - gold plated jacks, Kimber coupling caps an oversized power transformer, Teflon coated-silver plated OFC wire throughout .
2. Great sound - big sound stage - clean and quick sounding ..
3. One page in the manual gave suggested tweaks to improve sound quality ..
4. Good value ($399) for a line stage preamp kit ..Negatives ..
1. In my opinion this is an intermediate level kit - Instructions are generally good but because of the somewhat cramped inside dimensions and the bottom cover lip which overhangs - parts placement is difficult in some areas ..
2. The instruction manual contained one error but the parts placement diagram was correct ..
3. The instruction manual had a list of instructions on one page but you had to TURN THE PAGE to see the parts diagram for that list of instructions - the list of instructions should have been on the LEFT side of the booklet and its accompanying parts placement diagram on the RIGHT ..Bob L. Bob01605@aol.com
nt
Have you heard anything about the Ae-2 single ended solid state pre-amp?? Thanks.
Just start to built this kit but I need 220V main AC. Do you know how to connect it ?
I am not sure how to make it operate on 220 - You should contact Audio Electronic Supply directly and ask them - 1-919-460-6461Bob L.
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Are you using the stock Chinese tubes?
Yes - presently using stock Chinese tubes but considering an upgrade to 5692 tubes and changing the coupling caps - unit is still new and I want to break it in a little more and get a feel for the sound in its stock condition ..
Tweaks for the AE-# listed in the manual ..1.Oil filled coupling caps - 4 of them
(2) 2.0 microfarad 600 v - $119 a pair !!
(2) .22 microfarad 600 v - $60 a pair
2.Use of 5692 tubes in place of the 6SN7..
Jan 5692 - $100 a pair
3.Kimber RCA jacks ..
$30 a pair
4.Kimber power cord
$154 for a 4 foot lengthBob L.
Well I have spent the entire weekend listening to music… so much for putting in a little overtime at work… I couldn't pull myself away from the stereo yesterday…. Or today for that matter… have been doing a whole lot of listening and tube rolling…. Discovered a few things that were surprising…..I have the AE-3 preamp. I agree with you on it being an intermediate kit… I have posted on this in the past. What I have failed to do (at least I believe that I haven't done this adequately) is tout the preamp for how good it is for the money. In it's stock form it is average (but above average for the money invested)... I have had the oil cap upgrade done, eliminated the selector switch, done the shunt volume mod. As I spend more time with it after the mods, I am discovering that it's a great sounding little preamp… warm rich, refined, great detail and soundstage, and greatly sensitive to tube rolling. It can be amazing at vocals (which is why I tried out tubes to begin with). It can also change character rather easily depending on the tubes used. You really need to try some different tubes besides just the 5692. There are some great ones out there in the 6sn7 family. Here are a few I have tried over the weekend and in the recent past (besides the chinese, crappy phillips and GE.. please don't go down that road… they are terrible by comparison… if you want to try, post and I will send you mine):
Sylvania 6sn7wgt - brown base short bottle, 50's version - the 50's version is definitely linear in the bass and lower mids… but the upper mids are hard and treble is stepped up a couple of notches… vocals are kind of hollow and tinny… decent focus, but if I had to characterize them in one word, it would be bright.. truth be told, I didn't like them at all…I actually like the chinese over these.. that isn't a good thing…..
Sylvania 6sn7wgt - brown base, short bottle, yellow label, mid to late '60s version. The 60's version of the sylvania, compared to the 50's version of same type is linear, but still very inviting in the middle… deeeeep soundstage with excellent focus, great inner detail… The only fault I can find with them is in the upper mids and lower treble. There they are just a touch "boxed in" or closed in compared to all the other tubes I have here… it's not really noticeable, but I have to find something to be picky about don't I? A definite high recommendation for these…
Sylvania 6sn7WGTA - brown base, short bottle, 50's version. These are similar sounding to the 60's 6sn7wgt…. It is still a little stepped up in the treble, but a whole lot smoother than the 50's wgt… vocals still aren't quite right (still a bit hollow and lost in the soundstage when things get excited.. kind of gets congested a bit), but I can definitely live with them… they will work well for playing background music when I am doing work around the apartment…. and when all my good tubes wear out, I will still be able to listen to them critically and not be too disappointed…
Sylvania 6sn7gtb - black base, black plates, short bottle ~late 70's vintage???? These are the most solid state sounding of the tubes that I have… do I need to comment further??
Sylvania 6sn7gt/vt-231- black base, tall bottle, 40's version. The Sylvania vt-231s are amazing…. Definitely the new reference tube in my growing collection…. Exceptionally well balanced right out of the box, amazing amount of inner detail retrieval, GREAT focus, huge DEEP soundstage, all the while having a perfect middle and being slightly laid back in a good way…just a slight touch softer in the bass than all my other good tubes…. Actually I think it is that my other tubes are overly done in the base, whereas the vt-231s are more natural, quicker and tighter. … Some have said they can be microphonic… they were anything but in my setup… I was preparing for the worst and was pleasantly surprised… a very slight touch with a couple of them, but nothing to get up in arms about….
Sylvania 6sn7w - black base, short bottle, mid '40s version. The 6sn7W is a whole different animal. It is forward sounding, a very BIG sounding tube. Soundstage isn't deep at all. Nothing seems to get behind the speakers… doesn't make the front wall disappear like other tubes I have on hand. But it more than makes up for it. the images, vocalists, and instruments are huge, soundstage is super wide… tonal balance is excellent, focus is a bit diffuse compared to others ( I attribute this more to the fact that I already listen in the nearfield, with my speakers being setup essentially by the audio physic method. So having something a bit forward sounding just gets all the more emphasized in my setup). The cumulative effect though is that this tube gives sound that is totally enveloping. You are sitting front row, or even in the band sometimes. I actually like the effect. It really works with a lot of my jazz recordings… it works wonderfully well with most of my female vocal recordings. It makes me smile when I listen…. That's about all I need to know in determining whether it is a good tube or not….
Mullard CV1988/6sn7gty - brown base, black coated glass (I think tubeworld is the only place selling these). Harmonically rich, warm, refined.. nice round bass, lush vocals, a bit soft on top… great soundstage balance, a bit less inner detail when compared with vt-231s or tungsols… they work well with female vocals, jazz and small ensemble recordings, but they aren't dynamic enough for more complex stuff… they seem to be a bit compressed, at least with my setup… but that's only with really really dynamic stuff. Great tube overall though….
Tungsol 6sn7gt - '42-'45 black base coated glass, round plates. These are amazing tubes…. Exceptional balance, clarity, phenomenal at resolving inner detail, huge soundstage and focus. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally rare and hard to find. The pair that I happened upon were too microphonic in my setup, so I sent them back. If you can find a good set of these, BUY THEM!!!!!
i have tried a few other vintages, but truth be told, i think if you start with the ones listed, it should keep you busy for a while.... it sures has done that for me..... hope some of this will help you out....Shane
Shane I have 6SN7WGTA JAN Phillips/Sylvania (1980's) on order fom Angela Instruments. Are these the ones that sound like crap.If you want to send me some freebees I don't mind.
hi there....I thought that I had the 6sn7gt phillips..... but to be totally honest, I am really not sure at the moment.... i bought them right at the same time I bought my preamp kit last june or july.... I knew that they were horrible right out of the box, and they, along with the equally terrible and horribly microphonic GE tubes, got put aside.... I could very well have tossed them in the garbage, but I think they might be in the preamp box out in storage... the only reason I held onto the chinese stock tubes was in the event that I chose to sell the preamp down the road, I would have the original tubes to send along with it..... I'll check on it... but jack could very well be right and they are wgta's.... i'm really not sure.... one thing I do know... you can do a whole lot better for only a little bit more money.... just my opinion though.... they may be perfect for your setup.... i'm discovering that tubes are very system dependant as far as their characteristics are concerned....
and as the saying goes : nothing in life is free!!!
Shane
Yes, those are the ones He is speaking of. I'm not all that fond of them either.There are many, MANY different 6SN7 types out there.some are good some are not. listen for yourself.:-)
enjoy,
Jack
Shane = Gangsta,The JAN 5692 Phillips did not work for you? Please reply
as I am beginning to realize that tube rolling is VERY
system and equipment dependent. There may be no bad tubes,
only ones that do not work for you. Sort of........Maybe silence is the order of the day on tube rolling unless systems
are identical.Gangsta, please don't do a drive by on me!
Hi....I went over to the angela site looking for the 5692 phillips you mentionned for cheap.... there are no 5692 phillips listed.... he does list some 5691/6sL7gt phillips for cheap.... were these the tubes you were referring to??? if so, they don't work with the ae-3 preamp, which uses 5692 or 6sN7 tubes... am I confusing the issue or have we miscommunicated???
shane
Duh...I was referring to the 6SN7wgta...a good tube for the money. But I think I am going to stop getting in the tube rolling threads unless I have the same gear/equipment. The above are good but they may not be best for the AE3...better than Chinoise though. Neural Flatulence AKA Brain Fart.
I THINK he meant the phillips 6SN7WGTA(or whatever) that angela has.
Jack
oops.... guess I wasn't specific in my post... I tend to cause confusion with my writing, moreso than clearing things up... the phillips I have tried are the 6sn7gt, late vintage.... I believe jackG said that they came stock with his Wright sound preamp and amp?? I'm not sure of the vintage, but I believe they were late seventies or early eighties... they were terrible compared to the others I have in my collection... I haven't tried a 5692 in my preamp yet....have looked into them, but haven't bit the bullet and picked a set up yet....I don't think I will get the RCA's red base... they sound like a total mismatch for what I want to do with my system and they are ridiculously expensive.... I may have to pick up a set of the phillips from angela if they are that cheap....I can't agree with you more that different tubes do different things in different gear... and it has a lot to do with what is downstream and upstream of the component in question as well.... I can change my perspective of what the 6sn7s are doing by changing the driver and output tubes in my power amp..... I have also been using 6 different types of cables... but most of these impressions are also reinforced by listening with headphones... they seem to carry over a lot of the same characteristics.... so i felt they might be valid, or at least a good starting reference point.... however, i can't agree with you about no tube is bad.... I can't see how the chinese could be considered good in any system... not after having some good vintages in my system..... but let's not even bring up the subject of the ears we use to listen... they are the biggest variable to overcome.... what is well balanced to you is overly bright to me..... viscous downward spiral we don't need to get into....
I promise not to do a drive by on ya... don't own a gun so you are pretty safe in that regard....scares the crap out of me that any moron can get one here in the US though.....but that's a subject not suited to this board.....
what have you tried for 6sn7/5692??? curious of your impressions with your gear....
Shane
The 5692 is the same internal strucutre as the red base. I use the 5691
black base in my 300B amp. I have some RCA reds too, but the black base
sound better. I think the ones Angela has are good.
The phillips 5691s are actually one of the better of the 80s vintage phillips tubes. I've used them in the past. You may wish to try the 6188s that new sensor has. In my cardinals, they were alittle more liniar, and more extended.
enjoy,
jack
Go to www.angela.com tubes for guitar and hi fi nuts. JAN NOS 5692
for $17.00 TEN for $135.00. Same tubes as AES. Which do you want?
Paper in oil caps at same, or www.partsexpress.com or www.welbornelabs.com.No, you do not have to give me a kiss, well O.K. a baseball pat on the butt
will do.
One shold consider the hytron 5692s. they sound ALOT better.
jack
Thanks Les ..
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