Not as strong as the VTL Seigfried or Wotan, but significantly more aesthetically pleasing is the VAC Statement 450s.
Capable of 900 watts peak output, and 450 watts continuously, they are no slouches in the power department.
http://www.vac-amps.com/homepage.htm
When I hit the lottery, these will sure be in the running for my new amplifier. :lol:
Hi all Audio Circle members.A video also worth a thousand words if it is a vintage Philips 1kW amp playing Bach Tocatta 565:
I am curious to know what is the most powerful stereo tube amplifier that is available or that was ever made, that can be call audiophile amplifier?
Picture(s) please.
A picture is worth a thousand words !
Guy 13
I can't find the link. Someone developed a push-pull 500 or 1KW amp (can't remember!) using 572B's. You definitely want high power triodes for this job or else the amp will look like a pinball machine or an OTL.This GI-7B is really low priced, just 11 euros/each:
Being practical, the most pentodes I like to use per channel are 4 and to keep the power rating between 100 & 200 watts per side for big amps. Using any more is asking for trouble for various reasons:
1) Tubes can age at different rates
2) Heat generation
3) Cost of tubes
4) Higher probability of circuit failure due to electrical failures in regards to multiple connections.
A high power push-pull 572B amp can use as few as two tubes per side and provide 500 watts. There are other tubes as well that would be interesting to try such as the Russian GI-7B and variations of that tube.
Does it really take 15 hours to approve a post?
Let me try again...Any idea what the btu/hr output is with these?
I never measured the BTU rating of a large tube amp- but it is significant! I have a Henry 2KD that uses two 3-500Z's for 1.5KW+ out and it runs HOT! The tubes have glass chimneys around them and a hefty blower that pressurizes the lower RF deck & pushes air through the sockets. My estimate on this 90lb monster is about 900BTU's during heavy use.Could you inform anything about the 572 line sound quality??
Using a pair of 572B's per channel in Class AB1 for audio will dish out allot of heat. It would be beneficial to make such an amp in a pressurized enclosure to enhance tube life and the owner's life since the anode voltage would be around 2KV.
I never measured the BTU rating of a large tube amp- but it is significant! I have a Henry 2KD that uses two 3-500Z's for 1.5KW+ out and it runs HOT! The tubes have glass chimneys around them and a hefty blower that pressurizes the lower RF deck & pushes air through the sockets. My estimate on this 90lb monster is about 900BTU's during heavy use.
Using a pair of 572B's per channel in Class AB1 for audio will dish out allot of heat. It would be beneficial to make such an amp in a pressurized enclosure to enhance tube life and the owner's life since the anode voltage would be around 2KV.
Here is a english datasheet from the GI-7B, the T version is tropical, for hot areas:
http://www.qro-parts.com/images/pdf_files/GI7BT.pdf
Seems it is a very reliable Triode, and it even not use socket, the supply and signal wiring must be solded direct in the tube metal body.
I'm not sure if these have entered production yet or not but here's the new 900W monoblocks from Bob Carver.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=67121)
[/quote
Hi Steve and all Audio Circle members.
Have a look at Bob Carver's website. (Link below)
http://bobcarver.com/default.asp]
Guy 13
I'd rather use a tube socket. Interesting fact: The GI-7B is used in grounded-grid configuration 99% of the time. The 'fingers' which hold the tube in rest on the grid contact (a circle of metal) and go directly to ground through the chassis. Grounded grid configurations like this are always cathode biased.Cathode biased is bad?? or something unsual?
For audio: The socket could be insulated from the chassis then it could be grid biased and modulated.
I would most likely use 572B's for my first attempt at a push-pull high power amp.
I'm not sure if these have entered production yet or not but here's the new 900W monoblocks from Bob Carver.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=67121)
Building humongous tube amps seems crazy, at least to me. There just isn't any real life application for them. If you own a speaker that requires really large amounts of power, something is really flawed in its design. Use smaller amps in multiple with dedicated crossovers. Solid state amps, either dual differential AB or perhaps ICE D units, can be used on woofers, saving tubes for the mid and high frequencies. I guess I don't appreciate being so wasteful of expensive tubes.
The new Carver is basically a design exercise. Bob is a brilliant guy, with a bit of PT Barnum showmanship thrown in. I would like to know what the heck his 'restorer' circuit is though.
Steve
Building humongous tube amps seems crazy, at least to me. There just isn't any real life application for them. If you own a speaker that requires really large amounts of power, something is really flawed in its design. Use smaller amps in multiple with dedicated crossovers. Solid state amps, either dual differential AB or perhaps ICE D units, can be used on woofers, saving tubes for the mid and high frequencies. I guess I don't appreciate being so wasteful of expensive tubes.Quote: There just isn't any real life application for them.
The new Carver is basically a design exercise. Bob is a brilliant guy, with a bit of PT Barnum showmanship thrown in. I would like to know what the heck his 'restorer' circuit is though.
Steve
Building humongous tube amps seems crazy, at least to me. There just isn't any real life application for them. If you own a speaker that requires really large amounts of power, something is really flawed in its design. Use smaller amps in multiple with dedicated crossovers. Solid state amps, either dual differential AB or perhaps ICE D units, can be used on woofers, saving tubes for the mid and high frequencies. I guess I don't appreciate being so wasteful of expensive tubes.
The new Carver is basically a design exercise. Bob is a brilliant guy, with a bit of PT Barnum showmanship thrown in. I would like to know what the heck his 'restorer' circuit is though.
Steve
Cathode biased is bad?? or something unsual?
The Russian QRO site suggest use the GI-7B without socket, the socket creates interferences, a bare wire connection can be seen in the ham radio video:
http://qro-parts.com/product_info.php?products_id=94
These are coaxial microwave tubes are capable to generate on VHF. Any spurious capacitances, inductances and resistances imported Socket can cause it. Russian electronic industry interposed these tubes directly into devices. And it was the best solution!
The english text above is some clumsy, but I undestand the socket is not recommended.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=67159)
I guess tube rolling won't be happening much with those amps, with 40 output tubes to replace in a stereo pair. Wonder what THAT costs. As they say, since I have to ask, you know I can't afford it :duh:
Solder the leads to a new tube is annoying indeed, but this GI-7B Triode should last a long time, the plate can handle 350W in micro-wave range, then in audio frequency must withstand a 200W as maximum, so using it with 100W plate dissipation, it may delivery around 30 healthy W and last forever.
Really strange that this new ''Amazing'' are using lots of the Carver small ribbon tweeter and Gilmore Audio continues using the wonderful Carver planar fullrange driver in glorious 60 inches... I do not understand this move of Bob.
Gilmore even cut the price +50% for the big Model 2, from $12,950/pair to now $6,000/pair.
The sesitivity of these new Amazing are now more tube friendly with 96dB, my model is 89dB, but minimum power was 200W for a small room, the manual state minimum 30W which make almost no sound.
The new driver group can handle a lot more power. The tweeter isn't a ribbon, but a planar magnetic made by HiVi. Carver says he is the original designer, and I'll take his word on that one. I've been using that same tweeter for years. I once used a group of four with Eminence mid-woofers and a 6DB crossover. I also remember trying a 24DB acoustic crossover, but it didn't blend as well. A LOUDspeaker any amp could drive. Carver's flock of mini-woofers probably sound very nice. You would need a pair of subs, but I'm sure he has a couple of deluxe models ready to go.
Steve
Quote: Have you noticed that many hi-end audio web sites, never mention the prices for their equipment.
Guy,
For factories that had dealers this is a bit usual, but for factories that sells direct this is strange indeed, but what annoys me most are the manufacturers that do not inform the data sheet of technical equipment.
I'm not sure if these have entered production yet or not but here's the new 900W monoblocks from Bob Carver.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=67121)
If a tube amp site not show underside images, the amp do not use hand wiring, it use PCB for mass production.
I also have see it.
Not necessarily. I have seen hand wired tube amps with messy looking wiring, sloppy solder joints, wires passing through tight clearance drilled holes without grommets and cheap capacitors. If that were my mess, I wouldn't want to show photos of it either.
Steve
I think the problem with high non-OTL tube powered amps is the output transformer. Pretty hard to find that large of OPT that doesn't have tons of parasitics leading to rolled off highs. A whole lot easier to make a OPT for 50-100w then 500w. There are companies like McIntosh that do a whole lot of trickery to get around such issues, but that gets complicated and those special transformers are going to be quite expensive in small quantities.
Wow impressive amps.No. 1 is for musicians, a vocal PA Amp with good smooth but mighty sound for voices. The SE130 double core makes 25hz at 300watts. The 6159 tubes work at 680volts
In what application you use these amps?