[rayd]

Rayd has very similar gear as me including a Decware Select SET amp. He’s trying Peters SET amp, I can’t wait to hear his impression in comparison to the Decware.

Mine should be shipping hopefully sometime next week (Model SE-32, 15W). I plan on bringing it down to a friends for a friendly amp shoot-out after a little burn-in (he has recently shifted from the Decware monos to the EE PP equipment). Nice stuff. The extra punch on his 8W EE equipment sounded great on my speaks and that's what prompted me to look into a little more power on the SE side of things. The Select is nice, but the speakers take on a whole different character with the extra juice - and they sound really nice. I hope my hunch is right.

- Ray

[Frihed91]

Then that was yours.  I need a preamp primarily.  I have a Mapletree headamp.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I tried some NOS 5751 tubes, but a) I am not sure they actually were what they claimed to be and b) they didn't sound as good as the Sovteks.  I hope there's less cheating with 12SN7s.  The NOS 5751s are really hard to find and there's alot of fakes out there.

I may go with the newer design, instead.  I haven't decided.

Try the new 701's before the AKG 1000s.  Make sure you get a decent cable for it, though.  This has made a huge difference for me on my old 171s and now on the 701s.  I use the moon audio black dragon type cable.

Tell us how it sounds.

[boead]

Then that was yours.  I need a preamp primarily.  I have a Mapletree headamp.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I tried some NOS 5751 tubes, but a) I am not sure they actually were what they claimed to be and b) they didn't sound as good as the Sovteks.  I hope there's less cheating with 12SN7s.  The NOS 5751s are really hard to find and there's alot of fakes out there.

I may go with the newer design, instead.  I haven't decided.

Try the new 701's before the AKG 1000s.  Make sure you get a decent cable for it, though.  This has made a huge difference for me on my old 171s and now on the 701s.  I use the moon audio black dragon type cable.

Tell us how it sounds.

My buddy is an audio nut, worse then us by orders of magnitude.

He’s bought and sold off a dozen or more headphones and amps and I get to hear it all myself.

After owning three different SinglePower MPX3’s, he’s settles on one with Blackgates and giant transformers (about $2000) which he drives with a Meridian CDP.

My favorite headphones and his most of the time are the Sennheiser HD-600’s with the Zu Mobius cable. He had the 650s’ for some time too and prefers the 600’s as do I.

He also has the 701’s with a Black Dragon cable custom made (wired from each can, not down one side) which I like allot too. I got him the 701’s from AKG (they are a client of mine) an early one on the eve of their debut. I like them allot too and have lived with them for many hours. I’m torn between them and the Sennheisers but I think I like the 600’s best.
I’ve heard all the most popular headphones and again, I always choose the 600’s.

Well recently my friend picked up a new (NOS) pair of K-1000, one of the last in the production run. He also picked up a wire tail to add some length and convert to ¼ inch.
The headphones are really very good. Much different then the 701’s or any other conventional headphone for that matter. VERY large soundstage for a headphone and nicely balanced. They don’t have heavy, thick bass but they do have deep tight bass contrary to what I have read. The high end is extended but NOT bright at all. Vocals are its best trait, beautifully detailed and smooth. If your looking for a ‘speaker like’ sound from a headphone this can be it. In comparison, the 701’s sound dark and muddled and they are anything but!

BTW: His SinglePower amp is very, VERY rich and weighty and its character altered significantly with tube rolls. It can be relentlessly revealing.

Also, I’ve bought and sold a hundred tubes of all types and makes. 5751 (12AX7) is likely one of the most popular tubes used. Lots of fakes? I can usually tell a fake these days and I got to say I rarely come across any except for Telefunken copies of 12AX7’s and I’m not all that fond of them anyhow. If you need help identifying tubes just PM me, I’ll be glad to help and if I can’t I know plenty that can.

My favorite 12AX7 are RCA triple mica black plates from the 50’s. I also LOVE the Holland made Amprex long gray plate from the 50’s. And yes, they are expensive these days, $50 to $100 each.

[Normanality]

Greetings.  1st post here at the Circle. 

I've been an owner of the McAlister PP150 for about a year now.  I purchased a second unit about 5 months ago in order to biamp.
The sound is as everyone above has described.  What hasn't been mentioned is the bass output of the PP150 is superb!  It can
go deeper and faster than many SS amps.  A good friend of mine and I did a head to head against a Carver TFM35, TFM 45 and a
Rotel 1090B.   The McAlister outgunned all 3 surprisingly.  There are the pitfals of owning a McAlister and that too has been mentioned.

To reduce the hum, read SCompRacers post on Audiogon  http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1135219195&read&keyw&zzmcalister
You need to replace the transformer bolts with neoprene isolation mounts.  I also packed some acoustic fill that I purchased from
Madisound  http://www.madisound.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cart_id=9267528.22208&pid=964    and this along with the isolation mounts
eliminated 95% of the hum.  This was only needed on the original PP150.  The new design doesn't have any hum at all.

Peter is an amazing person, with a vast knowledge of all circuit designs.  He does need to improve his packaging to prevent shipping damage.
I had to wait almost 10 months for my preamp as he was in the process of designing his new ML-33.  It's an awesome preamp with both
headphone jack and MM phono section.  Dang thing has 8 tubes on the main unit and 2 on the separate PS.  The sound is pristine.
Unfortunately for me, I couldn't wait for Peter, so I went out and purchased a Modwright and couldn't be happier.  Both are great, but
having a volume remote is the deciding factor.  I'll be selling the ML-33 shortly along with the newer of my PP150's as I'm no longer biamping
on my Innersound Eros speakers.  His amps are a real deal if you want great tube sound at a good price!

Hope that helps

[rayd]

Thanks Normanality! Peter's *is* a great guy and his enthusiasm is indeed infectious. It's a blast to talk to him on the phone even though 99.9999% of the technical stuff goes over my head. 

[Frihed91]

I think it is a good thing for Peter and for his customers that so much information aand opinions about his products is being presented. It helps his potential customers to better evaluate all the benefits and costs of buying this equipment and it gives Peter a clear incentive to make improvements.

Markets don't function smoothly when some people are able to withold information from others successfully.  They work better for society as a whole when all the facts and all the opinions are laid out on the table and buyers and sellers can mae their own decisions.

I believe this will help Peter a lot more than it will hurt him.

[bacobits1]

Boead, on some boards everyone is so protective of Decware there won't be any comparisons of any kind. Look around, you know where I'm talking from.

"Markets don't function smoothly when some people are able to withold information from others successfully.  They work better for society as a whole when all the facts and all the opinions are laid out on the table and buyers and sellers can make their own decisions."

Here, here, that is exactly how I feel. Right Ray? LOL!
Looking forward to hearing the McAlister. See you soon.

Den

[rayd]

I agree there's a bit of groupthink and minding going on at times on some forums (don't drink the Kool-Aid)

[boead]

I agree there's a bit of groupthink and minding going on at times on some forums (don't drink the Kool-Aid)

Yeah, and it’s not much different on some ‘other’ sites where ‘like minded artists gather to frolic naked in the grass together” or something like that. 

I’d be cautious about the ‘fun punch’ handed out at that party too 


As much as I like my little Zen amp, I DO want to hear my Parkers with more drive. Allthoguh I did hear them with a Rouge Stereo 90 tubed with Tungsol 6550’s (KT88 varient). In Triode mode it pushes about 45wpc. Driving a nice but horribly inefficient pair of Alons, the amp sounds wonderful but driving my Parkers it wasn’t nearly as nice. There is a synergy with the SET that lets the Parkers exhibit some incredible qualities but they lack weight and authority that I hear in other high powered systems. I want the best of both worlds or at least close to it. 

It sounds like Dens EE ECL82 Amp at 8wpc (4 times that of a Select) has enough additional drive to add more authority. Its something I’ve pondered about but never found an amp I was willing to try or more like, trust. I went through some bouts with EV with my Select. First I destroyed it by dropping the load off the amp while it was running and blew the OPT’s! Second, it came back fixed but with an unacceptable hum. Third and last time it came back with less hum but still it was unacceptable and EV said it was the best he could do. So off to Papa it went where it came back sounding just right and with NO excessive hum or noise.
I wanted to try Decwars Torri but not at $2400. I wanted to try Vaughns new amp but not at 2 wpc. But when I read about McAlisters 15wpc SET my shorts got tight. 

[Frihed91]

"Papa" ? Who would that be?

[boead]

"Papa" ? Who would that be?

Steve Deckert, owner and designer of Decware audio gear.

Note that the hum wasn’t due to Eddie Vaughn or incompetence of any kind. The sockets were over soldered and somewhat damaged. He told me this was likely the culprit and didn’t;’ have the time to tear the amp down to replace the sockets. When Steve D got it, that is exactly what he did, replace the sockets and made some minor changes that reduced the hum to stock levels which is hardly noticeable at a foot or two and entirely inaudible at listening distance.
My point was that it cost me $$, time and it was fairly aggravating. Although in the end I did get a somewhat unique version of the amp, it was labeled as a ‘custom’ by the designer and the lifetime warranty reinstated even though I was like the third owner.

[Frihed91]

Why should it hum at all?  When people say that tubes are "noisy", we are talking noise that is not detectable.  I have heard many tube amps up close and personal.  They do not hum at all.  None of my existing AN or Mapletree equipment has any audible hum in the line at all.

How many others of you hear hums from McAlister amps?

[boead]

Why should it hum at all?  When people say that tubes are "noisy", we are talking noise that is not detectable.  I have heard many tube amps up close and personal.  They do not hum at all.  None of my existing AN or Mapletree equipment has any audible hum in the line at all.

How many others of you hear hums from McAlister amps?

What’s the wattage of the tube amps your have heard and how efficient are the speakers?

Most, if not all tube amps hum to some extent. If the amp is high powered and your speakers have low efficiency then the noise or hum will be lost or eaten up by the speaker. However if your speakers are very efficient then the noise will come through loud and clear! 

1.5 millivolts of noise or hum for a tube amp is considered good. My modified amp is a tiny bit higher then that. When the amp was in need of repair the noise/hum was about 3 millivolts. With a speaker that is 95+ db sensitive at 1w/1m without any crossover even 1.5 millivolts can be heard at a foot or two you can imagine how loud 3mv can be.

[Frihed91]

89 and 90dB.  The Rogue Cronus and Manley Stingray do not hum through my speakers.  They are dead silent!  No different than with my BC SS integrated.  The same with the headamp. 

[Normanality]

Why should it hum at all?  When people say that tubes are "noisy", we are talking noise that is not detectable.  I have heard many tube amps up close and personal.  They do not hum at all.  None of my existing AN or Mapletree equipment has any audible hum in the line at all.

How many others of you hear hums from McAlister amps?

Hi John,

The hum I've experienced as have others  was more of an inductance hum from the large transformer in the separate power supply.
It was more of an issue on the original PP150.  The new design is much improved and almost silent.
Still, the main transformer is hand wound and massive.  Installing the isolation bolts and some fiber fil helps.

[boead]

89 and 90dB.  The Rogue Cronus and Manley Stingray do not hum through my speakers.  They are dead silent!  No different than with my BC SS integrated.  The same with the headamp. 

The Rouge Stereo 90 hummed with my speakers yet is dead quiet with a pair of 86bd 3-way Alon’s. The same amp would hum even louder with a pair of 101db single driver speaker.

What speakers at 89 and 90 db are you referring to? What order crossover? Like I said, the speakers inefficiency AND a complex crossover will eat up any hum so it appears to be silent and in all intent and purpose it is.


Once again synergy comes into play. My buddy’s Stereo 90 through an Alon Model One sound wonderful and in many ways (more ways then not) I like it better then my own system. However, using the same system to drive my speakers (Parker Audio Model 95 Signatures) is not as musical as my speakers with my flea amp ‘and’ my amp can’t drive his speakers, not even the slightest bit.

Low powered SET’s have an inherent sound that is unique and quite musical, its why so many of us struggle to have them. Unfortunately they can only be used with very efficient speakers. Its apart of the ‘first watt’ principle where as it is written (on whatever it is they write it on) that if the first watt sucks, why continue? Many low powered amps deliver 90% of what they have in terms of musicality, within the first watt. If the speaker can deliver 95 to 100 db with just one watt then you will find that the majority of the music is created within that first watt, the second third and maybe even the forth watt is all for dynamic headroom and not really contributing much to the SPL.

I’ve measured the volume at which I listen to and its usually between 75 and 85 db, 85 db is on the verge of my wife asking me to lower it down. Imagine that!

I believe that many higher powered amps don’t come to life in terms of quality till far past the first watt and that being the case, would be WAY TO LOUD to enjoy on my speakers or any efficient, crossover-less design. This is likely the primary reason why the Rogue Stereo 90 sounds less musical on my speakers then my Decware amp. Bad synergy between speaker and amp, simple as that.

There is a character of sound that I really like from my speakers and my tiny amp that I haven’t heard in a larger, louder amp and complex speaker but its a a give and take. Right now I’m grove’ in  with what I( have and I’d like to try some other speakers that can be driven by a few watts. Eds Hornshoppes are definitely on my short list of speakers that I WILL own. And there are plenty of other single driver or coaxial speakers I’d like to own too. My Decware Select likes to run around 4 ohms and my current speakers are 2 ohm and the amp just loves it. But that’s not very normal and before I try an 8 ohm speaker I want a different SET amp better suited for the job – better synergy.

[Frihed91]

Thanks.  I appreciate your helping me.  My speakers are Quad 12Ls (6 ohm 89dB), a 2way monitor, and Audiovector C2MKII (8 ohm 90dB), a 2.5-way floor stander (danish made - not sold in the US).  I have no idea about the cross over design.  I am in the market for Harbeth Compact 7s that are also 2-way monitors at 8 ohms 97dB efficient.  Or since these are so expensive, I might get the Quad 22L (3-way, 6 ohms 89dB)

I listen in the near-field, no more than 6-8 feet from my speakers, at low-moderate volumes and i play "quiet" music - acoustic, vocals, chamber music, jazz, solo cello and the like.  I don't know the noise level.

I am buying a 65Wpc version of the PP 150 and want to drive it with McAlister's PL-10 preamp.  How much hum do you think I will get?

Thanks.

[boead]

Thanks.  I appreciate your helping me.  My speakers are Quad 12Ls (6 ohm 89dB), a 2way monitor, and Audiovector C2MKII (8 ohm 90dB), a 2.5-way floor stander (danish made - not sold in the US).  I have no idea about the cross over design.  I am in the market for Harbeth Compact 7s that are also 2-way monitors at 8 ohms 97dB efficient.  Or since these are so expensive, I might get the Quad 22L (3-way, 6 ohms 89dB)

I listen in the near-field, no more than 6-8 feet from my speakers, at low-moderate volumes and i play "quiet" music - acoustic, vocals, chamber music, jazz, solo cello and the like.  I don't know the noise level.

I am buying a 65Wpc version of the PP 150 and want to drive it with McAlister's PL-10 preamp.  How much hum do you think I will get?

Thanks.

I don’t know but for example, the PP (Push Pull) triode class A amp that Decware makes called the Torii Mk2 is about 26wpc and if I remember correctly is about 0.8 or less total mv of hum. That’s VERY low. My guess is that Peters PP amp is similar and at that level, will hardly be noticeable even on efficient speakers.

However and in my opinion, there is NO reason to get a high efficient speakers with a powerful amp unless you want extremely HIGH SPL for a concert hall or club venue. If anything the results may be a lack of synergy and a decrease in overall fidelity.
97db? That’s extremely efficient and doesn’t require more then a few watts to sound its best. Perfect for SET’s running 300B’s, EL84’s or what have you.

BTW: I just looked up the Harbeth Compact 7 and its 87db 1w/1m. That’s very inefficient and WILL require at least 25wpc to play and will likely sound better with closer to 50 wpc.

Here is an example of a High Efficient Audiophile speaker:
The Zu Definition mk 1.5
http://www.zucable.com/definition/index.html
101db 1w/1m at 4ohms.

Klipsch RF-82
http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=979
98db 1w/1m at 8ohms.

[Frihed91]

Thanks again.  I see I wrote 97dB for the Compact 7 of course I meant 87dB.  It actually has a very flat impedance curve and is the easiest load of all the Harbeth's according to Alan Shaw.  I didn't mean to imply I wanted a high efficiency speaker.  I don't. I just don't want a lot of hum in ´this system.

Peter and I picked 65 watts. I currently have a 50 watt SS and at low volumes it has trouble keeping up with symphonic music on the Harbeth HLP3 and C-7.   While the Quad 22L is pretty efficient with a pretty flat impedance curve, it is a 3-way and the UK distrubutor advised 50 watts +.  I am NOT interested in owning any high efficiency speakers and if i did I would be buying AN equipment or making their kits, not McAlister.

My tastes run to UK monitors and speakers (esp. Harbeth, Spendor, Quad, Proac, Naim)

[Frihed91]

I just ordered a PP 130 power amp and a PL-10 preamp.  Peter feels exactly as I do about people speaking the truth as it is, as this the only way he can correct problems and people can find out how good his equipment really is.  He is aware of, and working on, the mechanical hum issue, packing and "detail" issues, like the transformer covers.  He appreciates honest and direct feedback.  I find him sincere and reasonable.