AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Low Wattage Systems => Topic started by: Tyson on 19 Jan 2020, 05:53 am
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Picked this up from VTA audio (tubes4hifi.com) and gotta say this thing is dead sexy:
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203345)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203346)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203601)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203602)
Sound is shockingly good for an amp under $1k. It reminds me of the see-through clarity of my Korneff Type 45 SET amp, but with more punch and power. Clear, smooth, beautiful, punchy. That pretty much sums it up. Paired with my hotrodded Klipsch Forte III speakers, it's the kind of sound that makes me want to go through ALL my recordings to see how they sound. Because everything sounds so goooooooooood.
Listening to JS Ondara right now and his voice is just heartbreaking.
Edit to add web page link - http://tubes4hifi.com/ST35.htm
EDIT:
With the smaller case that the prototype used, I had to punch some holes in the top to vent the tubes properly. A buddy of mine has a metal shop, and this is what we came up with:
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=217034)
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Nice score, Tyson. :thumb:
The EL84 is easily one of my favorite tubes for audio. They dd many things right.
Looking forward to your more detailed impressions with the amp.
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That's cool. The EL84 is one of my favorite tubes. Best part is you can get a decent sound quad for puny bucks in comparison to the other power tubes. That and there are TONS of vintage tubes to choose from and they aren't much money either.
I still use a hot-rodded HH Scott 299 and a Jolida 102B with some better coupling caps. Love the sound of both.
Nice score :thumb:
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Great LQQking amp!
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Is this essentially your amp without the volume control?
http://www.ankaudiokits.com/2/l3el84pp.html
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Is this essentially your amp without the volume control?
http://www.ankaudiokits.com/2/l3el84pp.html
Looks like the same board, but different power transformer and output transformers as far as I can see. And yes, mine has no volume or input switching (per my request)
The circuit seems to be a modern day take on the old Scott 299 mentioned earlier - it's a 6BL8 tube driving a pair of EL84's for output. The very interesting thing about the 6BL8 is it's a triode and pentode in one. So the triode part of the tube does the phase splitting and the pentode portion drives the EL84's.
Whatever they are doing, it's working! This is a very quick sounding amp, really letting the music boogie, but without losing that amazing midrange that great tube amps are capable of.
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This 6BL8 compactron are great, just 1 dolar in Russia:
https://www.gstube.com/catalog/?key=6%D41%CF&submit=Find
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Love my Quicksilver Integrated that uses four el84 per channel driven by 12dw7 which is a combined 12ax7 and 12au7. Paired with Klipsch Chorus II or Bryston Mini T's it sounds great although a little underpowered for the Bryston speakers.
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Tyson....is that EL84 based amp a custom build? Can't find any info on their (VTA) site :scratch:
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Tyson....is that EL84 based amp a custom build? Can't find any info on their (VTA) site :scratch:
http://tubes4hifi.com/ST35.htm
I'll update my first post to add it.
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Love my Quicksilver Integrated that uses four el84 per channel driven by 12dw7 which is a combined 12ax7 and 12au7. Paired with Klipsch Chorus II or Bryston Mini T's it sounds great although a little underpowered for the Bryston speakers.
Yes the EL84 seems like an awesome tube if used within it's power limitations. Although 17 watts is actually a lot higher than the 8 watt 300B I was using before, haha.
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8)
Picture of the back please.
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http://tubes4hifi.com/ST35.htm
I'll update my first post to add it.
Thx Tyson.
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What are they economizing on to make it half the cost of the Audio Note kit that it's based on? Looks like the board is still the Audio Note kit board?
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What are they economizing on to make it half the cost of the Audio Note kit that it's based on? Looks like the board is still the Audio Note kit board?
Looks to me like the power transformer and output transformers, and likely the output caps too.
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8)
Picture of the back please.
Sure thing, I'll add pics of the amp with the cover on as well as the back panel.
The back panel is just stock parts, I wanted to hear it "stock" for a couple weeks before doing any modding. Even bone stock (and with stock tubes like the Electroharmonix EL84) it sounds incredible.
Pretty soon I'll whip out the soldering gun & put premium parts on it for the RCA connectors, the binding posts, the IEC connector, the coupling caps and the input/output internal wiring.
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First time poster and proud owner of one of Roy’s phono stages (PH-14):
This is a pure power amp or can be configured to as integrated?
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please keep us posted with your experiences on this little amp. I say everyone can use an EL84 tube amp in their stable (:
unfortunately I don't have one ):
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You might be asking, "Did you replace the IEC with a pure copper, gold plated Furutech today?" Why yes, yes I did.
You might also be asking "Did you replace those brass generic binding posts with pure copper ETI Research cable pods today?" Why yes, yes I did:
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203681)
You probably are asking, "Wait, are those pure copper Miflex caps on that board now?" Why yes, yes they are.
And you might want to know "Hey, did you replace the output wire with OCC copper/teflon wire?" Yep.
Finally, "Did you dump the stock EH EL84 and replace them with NOS Russian military tubes?" Oh yeah.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203682)
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Was the Furutech iec inlet a straight swap or do you have to widen the opening at all?
This looks like a great amp to play around with and for the price a no brainer if you got the speakers for it.
Look forward to your thoughts after everything has settled in.
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Was the Furutech iec inlet a straight swap or do you have to widen the opening at all?
This looks like a great amp to play around with and for the price a no brainer if you got the speakers for it.
Look forward to your thoughts after everything has settled in.
IEC was a straight swap. I find that the ones with the integrated fuse are usually an exact match.
Yes, it'll take at least 100 hours from now for everything to settle in, those caps in particular.
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Nice and clean - I want one!
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Hey!
Hmmm... $550 + $25 shipping for kit. That's a very good price. Yes, look like a copy of the Audio Note Kit EL84.
And look like you've managed to fit those big Miflex caps in there :lol: Anyway, EL84 is a great sounding tube even in push pull, as long as ones can live with the low power.
Keep us posted on the result.
Buddy
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Anyway, EL84 is a great sounding tube even in push pull, as long as ones can live with the low power.
EL84 also sounds great in single ended pentode :thumb:
I can't believe I haven't fired up my Almarro A205 II in so long... Here pictured with my Baby Orpheus HE60 electrostat via transformer.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203694)
Beautiful EL84 Glow.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49428132547_23fb69e5e7_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iiN6KR)0122201924 (https://flic.kr/p/2iiN6KR) by drjlo2 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/60017347@N03/), on Flickr
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I can't seem to find the power rating on their website.
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Every EL84/6BQ5 push pull amp I've ever seen using two per channel put out 12-15 watts per channel. They can have wide/deep soundstage and a great musical tone.
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Took it to a friend that has measuring equipment - it's 12 watts.
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I think the Audio Note website has specs for their amp - and this uses the same board. Though I thought the AN website said 17 watts when I looked it up the other day. Oh well - not much difference between 12 and 17 watts in real world conditions - not more than 1.5dB difference in peak headroom, right?
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I think the Audio Note website has specs for their amp - and this uses the same board. Though I thought the AN website said 17 watts when I looked it up the other day. Oh well - not much difference between 12 and 17 watts in real world conditions - not more than 1.5dB difference in peak headroom, right?
That's right.
Sometimes wattage of a design is computed instead of measured. So theoretically this design might reach 17 watts but not in the real world. My suspicion is it might get those extra 5 watts if it had larger output transformers. But maybe not.
Either way, IME the most important thing is that it's at least close to it's stated specs and this one is.
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The exception is the Music Reference RM-10 which puts out 35 wpc out of a pair of EL84's per channel. I've owned one as my primary amp for 10 years now w/exceptional performance, flawless reliability and very very easy on tubes. (RIP Roger)
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IEC was a straight swap. I find that the ones with the integrated fuse are usually an exact match.
Yes, it'll take at least 100 hours from now for everything to settle in, those caps in particular.
What are your long term plans for the 6BL8s; they’re out there, but I can’t see any current manufactures. ie what other tubes could you use, if necessary/desired?
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What are your long term plans for the 6BL8s; they’re out there, but I can’t see any current manufactures. ie what other tubes could you use, if necessary/desired?
I've got a pair of Mullards, a pair of Amperex and a pair of Telefunken already. I might get one more pair soon, and then I should be set pretty much for life.
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I own a Cary SLA-30, which was manufactured back in the 90s. I've owned it for about 20 years now. It uses 4 EL84s per channel to produce 30 wpc I'm running a matched octet of EI EL84/6BQ5 in it. Bought them about 20 years ago too, for just $120. Wish I had bought two sets because they are excellent and now run around $500+.
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I've got a pair of Mullards, a pair of Amperex and a pair of Telefunken already. I might get one more pair soon, and then I should be set pretty much for life.
What’s the expected hours on these tubes? 😀
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Tyson. What made you decide on that particular amp? Given your speakers, that amp configuration would be a good match.
I have owned a pp el84 amp and the sound was wonderful. It just did not image like a SET, or SE amp. Myself, I will try the Musical Paradise 501. While better than their 301, the 301 is no joke at all.
301. http://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=54
501. http://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=55
My old CR Developements Kalypso amp. It drove a pair of NewForm 645s nicely. It was hard to sell as it is unknown.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=41397)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=41391)
Rocket Ronny
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Tyson, how much extra did the upgrades set you back?
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I'm running a matched octet of EI EL84/6BQ5 in it. Bought them about 20 years ago too, for just $120. Wish I had bought two sets because they are excellent and now run around $500+.
Ei EL84 is one of my favorites, but where are you seeing $500 per matched octet? Looks like about half that...
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Ei EL84 is one of my favorites, but where are you seeing $500 per matched octet? Looks like about half that...
I see matched quads going for around $250, sometimes even $350+. Matched octets are harder to find and more expensive. I've seen them up in the $700 range. If you find a matched octet of new, authentic EI EL84 for $250, let me know where.
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The exception is the Music Reference RM-10 which puts out 35 wpc out of a pair of EL84's per channel. I've owned one as my primary amp for 10 years now w/exceptional performance, flawless reliability and very very easy on tubes. (RIP Roger)
Back in the day I owned 2 RM-10's and a couple of EL34 based power amps (CJ and VTL) rated in the 35-40 watt range. Initially, I was very intrigued on how one could get 35 watts out of a pair of EL84's, so I had to hear it for myself. Unfortunately, I found that a single RM-10 could in no way keep up either of the EL 34 based amps in output without clipping severely. (Caveat being I listen fairly loud) Even two of them strapped in mono couldn't match the output of either EL34 based amp. From my listening tests alone, I found that the 35 watt rating of the RM-10 way beyond optimistic. Honestly I would have estimated the RM-10 might be putting out 12-15 watts per channel. In other words, putting out no more than any other EL84 based amp using 2 output tubes per channel. Plus it had the smallest transformers I've ever seen in a tube power amplifier. Now with this all said, it might have been a superb and reliable choice for a speaker 95db or above in efficiency. Unfortunately, all of speakers I had at that time were 89db in efficiency at best.(Spendor 2/3 and AC Sapphire 3) As always YMMV based based on listening habits and speaker being used.
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=41391)
Hi,
How sound this Newform Reaserch speaker?
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With the very narrow baffle of the ribbon section - 1.2 kHz up, it is one of the best imaging speakers I have heard, due to almost 0 refraction. Bass section could be better, but was good. Overall, I enjoyed them a lot and the el84 amp drove them well.
Rocket Ronny
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What’s the expected hours on these tubes? 😀
Well the 6BL8 is certainly loafing along in this circuit so it should last a long time (thousands of hours). If it doesn't, I'll report back. I have my tube amps on pretty much 24/7 nowadays, especially early on during burn in process.
Tyson. What made you decide on that particular amp? Given your speakers, that amp configuration would be a good match.
I have owned a pp el84 amp and the sound was wonderful. It just did not image like a SET, or SE amp. Myself, I will try the Musical Paradise 501. While better than their 301, the 301 is no joke at all.
Rocket Ronny
I'd never heard/owned an EL84 and I wanted something that was a modern take on the circuit. It was either this, or the fixed bias implementation that you can get from Dynakitparts.com. I was leaning strongly toward the Dynakitsparts option but liked that the VTA ST35 used an unusual driver stage (the 6BL8). So that was the main factor. Plus I like that all the boards and bits are hidden away.
PS your tube amps look very cool :thumb:
Tyson, how much extra did the upgrades set you back?
Furutech IEC, Miflex Copper output caps, WBT RCA posts, ETI binding posts, premium input wiring... probably about $250 all together.
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=204188)What I thought of when I read this post.
You might be asking, "Did you replace the IEC with a pure copper, gold plated Furutech today?" Why yes, yes I did.
You might also be asking "Did you replace those brass generic binding posts with pure copper ETI Research cable pods today?" Why yes, yes I did:
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203681)
You probably are asking, "Wait, are those pure copper Miflex caps on that board now?" Why yes, yes they are.
And you might want to know "Hey, did you replace the output wire with OCC copper/teflon wire?" Yep.
Finally, "Did you dump the stock EH EL84 and replace them with NOS Russian military tubes?" Oh yeah.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=203682)
Thanks for the info. This may be exactly what I have been looking for.
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=204188)What I thought of when I read this post.
Stop making sense.
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Hm nice, thanks Ronny :thumb:
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Tyson-
Any follow up thoughts on this amp after putting in new caps and wire?
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Tyson-
Any follow up thoughts on this amp after putting in new caps and wire?
Absolutely. A couple other changes. When I put in the MiFlex caps, the leads got pretty long because the caps are so big, and they started picking up ground noise from the power supply wires running underneath the signal board. So I had my tech tightly twist all wires coming to/from the power transformer. The output transformers already had twisted wires so those were fine.
Also, when I put on the WBT RCA inputs, I had my tech remove the ground connection that tied them to the chassis and wired all signal ground to connect to a single point on the chassis. He also had some super cool input wire that allowed us to run signal wire, chassis ground and signal ground all on different wires. Normally I just use twisted pair for input wiring, but this amp has a very large amount of gain, so the wire he used is a better choice for keeping the input signal super clean.
Before I put in the Miflex caps, the amp was actually pretty quiet. But the Miflex caused the noise to increase due to their long leads. After the additional changes above, it's even quieter now than when I first got it. So I am VERY happy about that.
It sounds so good, I can't seem to get the damn thing out of my system. Yesterday I got some Sophia Princess 300b mesh plate tubes in the mail and I really should drop my 300b amp into my system & give them a listen. But I just don't want to. And I'm a huge SET fan.
Oh, I did source some Tung Sol 6BL8s and Tung Sol EL84s from the 50's and 60's and they have certainly helped bring the sound up to the level it's at.
Ah, one other thing - I think the amp runs a bit too hot with the cover on. Just not quite enough ventilation, especially for those oil-filled Miflex caps. I'm going to punch a couple more holes in the top near the EL84's to give them some more breathing room.
Does that help?
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Sweet! Thank you for the update.
I was looking at the Tubes 4 hifi site the other day and noticed they're all sold out of these amps so word must be getting around.
Does it compare at all to your First Watt amp?
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Sweet! Thank you for the update.
I was looking at the Tubes 4 hifi site the other day and noticed they're all sold out of these amps so word must be getting around.
Does it compare at all to your First Watt amp?
Yes word is getting around!
Just from memory I'd say it's every bit as good as my hotrodded BA3 First Watt amp. I really should pull the BA3 into the living room for some comparisons, but I'm just having too much fun listening w/the VTA ST35.
I will also say this - I recently made some massive changes to the front end in my living room. Buh-bye to the Chromecast Audio streamer and the iFi iOne DAC. And hello to the Auralic Aries femto streamer and the new iFi Zen DAC. To say it's a massive improvement is an understatement. The cool thing is the amp is NOT a bottleneck at all, you hear these types of changes very clearly and the amp keeps up perfectly with it.
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Yes word is getting around!
Just from memory I'd say it's every bit as good as my hotrodded BA3 First Watt amp. I really should pull the BA3 into the living room for some comparisons, but I'm just having too much fun listening w/the VTA ST35.
I will also say this - I recently made some massive changes to the front end in my living room. Buh-bye to the Chromecast Audio streamer and the iFi iOne DAC. And hello to the Auralic Aries femto streamer and the new iFi Zen DAC. To say it's a massive improvement is an understatement. The cool thing is the amp is NOT a bottleneck at all, you hear these types of changes very clearly and the amp keeps up perfectly with it.
Awesome, thanks again for the update!
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Yes word is getting around!
Just from memory I'd say it's every bit as good as my hotrodded BA3 First Watt amp. I really should pull the BA3 into the living room for some comparisons, but I'm just having too much fun listening w/the VTA ST35.
I will also say this - I recently made some massive changes to the front end in my living room. Buh-bye to the Chromecast Audio streamer and the iFi iOne DAC. And hello to the Auralic Aries femto streamer and the new iFi Zen DAC. To say it's a massive improvement is an understatement. The cool thing is the amp is NOT a bottleneck at all, you hear these types of changes very clearly and the amp keeps up perfectly with it.
Tyson, great update.
The new iFi One Dac - that is in their lower range but sounds like it must be really good if you are using in your living room system?
Do you run the modded Klipsch Forte III's with this set up?
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Tyson, great update.
The new iFi One Dac - that is in their lower range but sounds like it must be really good if you are using in your living room system?
Do you run the modded Klipsch Forte III's with this set up?
The iOne is not bad, but the new iFi Zen DAC is much better. Which is not surprising since they brought on John Curl to design the analog stages. Thorsten Loesch still does the digital design, of course (and he's a genius at it). And I know I shouldn't care about looks that much, but the full-metal brushed aluminum design of the Zen DAC looks so much nicer than the iOne's partial plastic design.
Yep, running this with the modded Forte IIIs in the living room area.
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Tyson,
Looking good! One of my first loves was an Eico tube amp which was famous for the EL84 output tubes.
Have fun!
Best,
Anand.
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The iOne is not bad, but the new iFi Zen DAC is much better. Which is not surprising since they brought on John Curl to design the analog stages. Thorsten Loesch still does the digital design, of course (and he's a genius at it). And I know I shouldn't care about looks that much, but the full-metal brushed aluminum design of the Zen DAC looks so much nicer than the iOne's partial plastic design.
Yep, running this with the modded Forte IIIs in the living room area.
My bad - I meant Zen! Thanks Tyson for your comments.
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Tyson,
Looking good! One of my first loves was an Eico tube amp which was famous for the EL84 output tubes.
Have fun!
Best,
Anand.
Thanks man! After my love affair with SET amps, I never thought I'd find a push-pull amp that I enjoyed, but you are right, the EL84 is a very nice tube.
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My bad - I meant Zen! Thanks Tyson for your comments.
For $130 delivered from Amazon, maybe the bargain of the century (so far).
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For $130 delivered from Amazon, maybe the bargain of the century (so far).
You had the iFi micro iDsd before if I remember correctly? so that would be a good comparison,
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You had the iFi micro iDsd before if I remember correctly? so that would be a good comparison,
Better than the iDSD Micro silver and black both. Those were both great, beautiful to listen to. But the Zen DAC has a definitely step up in clarity and punch. And never ever tips over to any type of cold or analytical sound. Probably because those Bur Brown chips just sound less analytical than the more common ESS Sabre chips.
The Zen DAC keeps the nice tonality of the earlier iFi designs but adds quite a bit more control and jump factor. It's really good. The only downside, IMO, is it only has USB input. I guess they did that to keep costs down. But not an issue for most people I would imagine.
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Came back to the EL84, I always wondered how EL84 compares to the 45 and 2A3 in SE use, any info on this subject ?
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Absolutely. A couple other changes. When I put in the MiFlex caps, the leads got pretty long because the caps are so big, and they started picking up ground noise from the power supply wires running underneath the signal board. So I had my tech tightly twist all wires coming to/from the power transformer. The output transformers already had twisted wires so those were fine.
Also, when I put on the WBT RCA inputs, I had my tech remove the ground connection that tied them to the chassis and wired all signal ground to connect to a single point on the chassis. He also had some super cool input wire that allowed us to run signal wire, chassis ground and signal ground all on different wires. Normally I just use twisted pair for input wiring, but this amp has a very large amount of gain, so the wire he used is a better choice for keeping the input signal super clean.
Before I put in the Miflex caps, the amp was actually pretty quiet. But the Miflex caused the noise to increase due to their long leads. After the additional changes above, it's even quieter now than when I first got it. So I am VERY happy about that.
It sounds so good, I can't seem to get the damn thing out of my system. Yesterday I got some Sophia Princess 300b mesh plate tubes in the mail and I really should drop my 300b amp into my system & give them a listen. But I just don't want to. And I'm a huge SET fan.
Oh, I did source some Tung Sol 6BL8s and Tung Sol EL84s from the 50's and 60's and they have certainly helped bring the sound up to the level it's at.
Ah, one other thing - I think the amp runs a bit too hot with the cover on. Just not quite enough ventilation, especially for those oil-filled Miflex caps. I'm going to punch a couple more holes in the top near the EL84's to give them some more breathing room.
Does that help?
Hey!
Yes, those Miflex caps sure have very long leads indeed, which I do like. Anyway, good to know you got the noise problem solved.
Still, have you check the direction of those caps? I see in your pic that you have those caps with the line marked the outer foil toward the output tubes. This should be connected to the other way around and connected to the plate or the output of the driver tubes.
I know these caps are non-polarized but it can make a big difference in some application. I have Jensen copper PIO aluminum case caps in my amps and I can hear the difference in hum... well, I installed one cap backward in one of my monoblock and I noticed that side was a bit noisier and picks up hum.
Anyway, many people overlooked this. Some caps companies like Miflex went through trouble marking their caps and some don't.
Buddy
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Better than the iDSD Micro silver and black both. Those were both great, beautiful to listen to. But the Zen DAC has a definitely step up in clarity and punch. And never ever tips over to any type of cold or analytical sound. Probably because those Bur Brown chips just sound less analytical than the more common ESS Sabre chips.
The Zen DAC keeps the nice tonality of the earlier iFi designs but adds quite a bit more control and jump factor. It's really good. The only downside, IMO, is it only has USB input. I guess they did that to keep costs down. But not an issue for most people I would imagine.
Hi Tyson, in your living room system how do you power your Zen Dac? Are you using a computer as a server to power it or did you buy a 5V power supply?
also, do you use the Zen volume control to drive amp?
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Tyson,
Dumb question: is this amp sufficiently “old school” sounding? What I mean is that companies like PrimaLuna get reviews on having a “new” tube sound; ie leaning towards solid state - and I definitely don’t want that. :)
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Hi Tyson, in your living room system how do you power your Zen Dac? Are you using a computer as a server to power it or did you buy a 5V power supply?
also, do you use the Zen volume control to drive amp?
I take the USB power off the Auralic Aries via an Audioquest carbon USB cable. The Aries is actually an ultra-clean power source. If I didn't have the Aries, I would definitely use an external linear 5v power supply for the Zen DAC. On the Zen DAC I bypass the volume pot and use it as a DAC only. I control volume from my Roon remote app. Before I had Roon I was using the Qobuz app. Both worked great.
Tyson,
Dumb question: is this amp sufficiently “old school” sounding? What I mean is that companies like PrimaLuna get reviews on having a “new” tube sound; ie leaning towards solid state - and I definitely don’t want that. :)
I have a bunch of amps that are SET, from a Type 45 to a 2a3 and 300b. This EL84 amp fits right in with them, sound wise.
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I take the USB power off the Auralic Aries via an Audioquest carbon USB cable. The Aries is actually an ultra-clean power source. If I didn't have the Aries, I would definitely use an external linear 5v power supply for the Zen DAC.
I have a bunch of amps that are SET, from a Type 45 to a 2a3 and 300b. This EL84 amp fits right in with them, sound wise.
Very interesting. Thank you.
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Very interesting. Thank you.
I should point out that the output caps you use and the tubes you use will affect the final sound you get. I'm using old stock Tung Sols from the 50's and 60's for my tubes.
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Roy is finishing up the ST35 amp and shipping mine soon. Here’s some pics with a little larger chassis.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=206383)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=206384)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=206385)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=206386)
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Looking good :thumb:
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I should point out that the output caps you use and the tubes you use will affect the final sound you get. I'm using old stock Tung Sols from the 50's and 60's for my tubes.
I like Tung Sols in my EL84 amp that Gary Dodd built for me...those and Austrian Valvos
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Anybody got any recommendations on where and what specific type of el84 tube to look for? Been a while since I’ve been tube shopping and have never looked for el84’s. There’s a local outfit that has quad Tung Sol reissues for about $65 for the set.
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I like to buy from Andreiy in Russia, he have Reflector 6n14n-EP matched 5000 hours military version at $8 each:
https://www.gstube.com/catalog/?key=el84&submit=Find
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I'd be careful with Russian tubes. Some can have larger pins than the old stock, screwing up the sockets. And the new Tung Sols are Russian.
Find out which sockets are in the amp before buying tubes.
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much nicer in the larger chassis, more room and more ventilation for the tubes.
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Been a few months. Anyone have further listening impressions? Any drastic changes? Tyson, do you still rank this up there with your Korneff 45? Looks like you guys aren't doing the output transformer upgrades; is there a reason why? I'm really curious about those custom toroidal outputs he offers.
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I like to buy from vivatubes they will answer any questions and have a great selection
rmlowz
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Tyson how does the EL84 amp compare to your 300b?
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Tyson how does the EL84 amp compare to your 300b?
My 300b sits in the closet since I got the EL84 amp...
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Also I've been swapping tubes between vintage Tung Sol EL84 and the new Psvane EL34PH. I have to say the new production Psvanes are every bit as good as the vintage Tung Sols that I have.
Ah and I should mention that I upgraded my DAC from the Zen DAC to the iDSD Pro DAC w/external linear power supply using R-Core inductors. The system is really singing now.
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Tyson,
Do you have the standard OPTs or the upgraded ones that Roy offers with the kit?
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Tyson,
Do you have the standard OPTs or the upgraded ones that Roy offers with the kit?
Mine has the two Dyna Z565 OPTs and toroid power transformer upgrade he offers. If he'd offered the toroidal output transformers when I bought this I would have gotten them. I have those on a different amp and they are amazing.
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With the smaller case that the prototype used, I had to punch some holes in the top to vent the tubes properly. A buddy of mine has a metal shop, and this is what we came up with:
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=217034)
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Looks really cool.
I have not had a tube amp for a couple of years and thinking about getting a one again and the ST35 looks like a nice option. I did have a Decware ZenKit that used EL83’s and liked the sound. The midrange was great, but the bass was rolled off. I’m sure this was due to the limitations of the Edcor OPTs.
I’m running a Mac Air w/Audirvana, iFi DAC2, Roy’s SP14, and a SissySIT and love the combination.
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Looks to me like the power transformer and output transformers, and likely the output caps too.
I would agree. When you compare the two kits, the VTA and ANK kits cost about the same when similarly equipped. The base transformers on the ANK look equivalent to the upgrade Z656 iron. When you add the front and rear panels and the integrated connections they cost the same.
I look at this as a lower price alternative to a Leben CS300.
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Understand this is an old thread and not sure if it's okay to post this [I'll take down, if not]; but I have an ST35 for sale here on Audiocircle and US Audio Mart: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649943703-st35-el84-based-tube-amplifier/
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I pulled a little Champion stereo amp out of an old console probably built around 1960 . Recapped the bad decoupling caps and hooked it up . This is a class A single end, my Tannoy 12” monitor gold would serve this amp well great sound and imaging very impressive