[JDUBS]

Guys

Any idea how these would fair with a pair of VR-4jr.'s?  I'd imagine pretty well.  

These look like an incredible bargain!

-Jim

[ehider]

One of the best bargains I've seen in audiophile electronics in a long time! In all actuality though, the Dodd 120 watt monoblock tube amplifiers were a STUPID bargain at $2600 a pair !  

IMHO the Dodd amplifier design easily compares to many "cost no object" amplifiers. I can seriously say that I've never heard another amplifier anywhere near this price point that is better to my ears either (and I've heard my share) . When I bought my Dodd monos I compared them to all sorts of serious amplifiers between the $5,000 to $8,000 range (transistor, digital and tube designs). IMHO the Dodd's won the contest hands down in terms of overall musicality - top to bottom!   It was really surprising for me to hear a tube amplifier that has decent bass definition and tightness that in only typically found in audiophile transisitor amplifiers. That's always been the "weak link" of virtually every tube amplifier that I could ever afford. I can't stand the loose floppy bass that most other tube designs portray for their bass regions. I have been exposed to a couple esoteric tube amps that do have the bass control of the Dodds, but those cost between $15,000 to $35,000!

I have no doubt that this amp will sell like hotcakes once it is priced over $5,000. For some reason there are just too damn many audiophiles who don't take a product seriously until the price is jacked up with the other rediculously overpriced amplifiers!  In all actuality though, the upcoming new $5,000 price tag may still be too low as compared to what is offered at that price point.

[DTB300]

For some reason there are just too damn many audiophiles who don't take a product seriously until the price is jacked up with the other rediculously overpriced amplifiers!

For some of us, including me, having $2000 at hand NOW is a problem or I would jump in and do it too.  I could do the Credit Card path, but that just adds on extra money for the CC companies outrageous interest rates.

I would love to find a way to be able to jump in on this deal with folks...

Dan

[gld]

Ok guys, it seems like there are several of you out there who would love to have these amps at this stupid price, but just cannot afford them right now, well niether can I, and I build them. This really is truly the deal of a lifetime on these amps at this price or any other for that matter! Since I have signed  the deal to go mainstream I will obvisously not be able to offer these or any thing similar to these at the price point I'm offering now.This is due to the fact that I will have to sell my own products at the retail cost of this other gear so theres no conflict. I am running this special deal until the last day of this month (April). I am fixin to make it easier for those who want them , but cannot afford them right now. If you really want them and can put $200.00 down, I will put your name on a list for these amps at the special pricing still with free packaging and shipping. I will put this money in an account of it's own, and I will not touch it. I will add to it when you can pay and I will keep accurate records of who paid how much. I will give you 4 months from reciept of your down payment. If after that time you cannot pay and we cannot work some kind of reasonable deal, the the money you have paid in will be fully refunded. Now come on guys it will never get any easier anywhere on this planet than here to get these amps!!! You still have 15 days on this offer. Now, heres what you will have to do for me. More than likely at the time you finished paying for the amps I will be very busy. You will have to be willing to wait a little while to get the amps. Normally I will tell everyone around 40 days for delivery, but I could really get swamped and it could take more time. I never know. I f you all are willing to do this then you are definately in for a treat. Lets get going buy some amps!!
Gary

[wshuff]

I have never really heard a tube amp.  The only really "high end" amps I've ever heard are the Pass X600 and some Krell monoblocks.  I've always considered the Pass to be one of the coolest looking pieces of gear out there.  I think Gary's amp is the most beautiful.  I wish I had the money to buy one because I would be happy with it strictly as a piece of art.  The fact that it might make my speakers sound exceptionally good would just be icing.

Gary, best of luck going mainstream.  How crazy is it that you may end up selling far more by raising the price.  I'm almost tempted to buy one simply as speculation, but I'd be spending money I don't have, and I fear that I wouldn't be able to part with it after I got my grubby little hands on it.

So, whatever happened to that monster 380 watt amp you were building for Danny a few years ago?

[gld]

It's still being worked on a little at a time. May be ready for CES 2006
Gary

[KKM]

Gary,
How about more info and spec? I think there are a lot of interest but most people, myself included, don't know much about these amps. I've done a search and found a few comments on AA and AC but nothing in detail about the amp itself. Looked through your website and could only find a photo and brief paragraph. Thanks.

[gld]

I have had several questions on these amps such as some specs and description.  Lets start with bandwidth, it measures 14hz-55khz @ -1db, I never looked at the -3db points. This bandwidth carries all the way thru it's useful power range. The input impedance is 100k ohms, and it takes 1.5 volts in to drive it to full output. Tube compliment is 1 matched quad of El-34's for the output stage and 3, 5687"s for the driver stages. The amplifier is designed for the 5687"s, but you can use 7044"s, 7119's, E182CC's and there are many brands of all these different tubes available. I usually ship the amps with 7044's as these are my personal favorites. The amplifiers are user adjustable bias. It is very simple as the meter is built into the amps. Just flip a switch and adjust bias for each bank and your done. The amps have detachable power cords for those who want to  try different power cords. Inputs and outputs are all Cardas. The output post will accept either spades or bananna's. The sound of these amps will boggle your mind, they are truly awsome! The amps run very hot, therefore I will supply  a set of fans for every pair of amps for a cost to you of only $40.00/Pair. They are very quiet and small , and actually will drop around 100 degree's off the amps. These amps run quite hot because they are physically small for 120 watt amps. They draw 130 watts at idle and 270 watts while operating, so they are not power hungry. Some day I will get around to actually measuring all the parameters of the amps ( I am equipped to do so), but until then this is what I have on these wonderful amps.

[mca]

Have you ever tried getting a set of these out for review? I would think these would be great for 6Moons or Positive Feedback to get their hands on  

[gld]

Actually, Positive feedback has been begging for months. I just don't have the funds to build a pair and let them go. He wants to keep them for 3-4 months and pair them with all kinds of speakers and other gear so he can give a very wide range review. I just can't do it right now.
Gary

[gld]

Hey everyone. I have been overwhelmed with questions about this deal with the 120 watt amps. Since the post started I have had a couple of guys say that they thought I was begging for sales. I am not begging for anything or hurting for things to do, In reality I am swamped with work. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine started a thread on the polk forum offering the ELP for a special deal. Well the response to this was great and it kept going and going. Finally I posted there explaining how I had signed a deal to go mainstream with these very products and that I was offering them at a special price with free shipping. My intent here is to let everyone who would like them at a hard to pass up price be able to get them. I started offering the ELP and quickly extended that offer for the midline preamp. The responce has been great.  My good friend Danny of GR Research contacted me and suggested that I offer the 120 watt mono's for a real good deal. I have posted and done just that. The responce has also been great. A lot of folks said hey just could not afford these amps even at the price of $2K/pair. I understood this and made the offer as it stands now. I am here to offer to all AC members the same deals as are available to the club polk folks. So the ELP can be had for $400.00, you get a free set of output jacks and free shipping. Regular price for the ELP is $450.00 You can get the midline preamp for $1300.00 plus free packaging and shipping, normally it is $1400.00. Thes deals are good until the last day of this month (April). These will never be offered at these prices again!
Gary

[gld]

This is in response to an earlier post about how these amps would fair with Vr4jr's. They will be wonderful, I used them with some 2nd gen VR-4's and it was awsome!
Gary

[NealH]

What is the basic difference sonically between the mid-line preamp and the Ref preamp?  

What is the "special" price on the Ref preamp?

Those 120 mono's are giving me a headache.  I am on the fence on these.   I have  been planning on buying a set of M60 Atmasphere mono's.  Can anyone tell me the basic sonic differences between these two amplifiers?  I have heard the Atmasphere but, not the Dodd's.  The Atmasphere is not the most transparent amplifier on the market but, it's musicality and ebb flow are second to none that I have heard.  But, they are a bit limited with only 60 watts and, needing 8 ohms or more for best results.

[doug s.]

I have had several questions on these amps such as some specs and description.  Lets start with bandwidth, it measures 14hz-55khz @ -1db, I never looked at the -3db points. This bandwidth carries all the way thru it's useful power range. The input impedance is 100k ohms, and it takes 1.5 volts in to drive it to full output. Tube compliment is 1 matched quad of El-34's for the output stage and 3, 5687"s for the driver stages. The amplifier is designed for the 5687"s, but you can use 7044"s, 7119's, E182CC's  ...

one more question, gary - can these amps be switched to run in triode?

thanks,

doug s.

[jonwb]

Wow Gary, that is a fantastic deal you are offering.   I just bought a pair of (used) solid state amps and they do a very good job driving my Alphas (see avatar).  One of the primary reasons I went SS is because I think the Alphas sound best when driven w/ a decent high(er) powered amp.  And frankly good high powered tube amplification was out of my price range.  This deal though... man I'll bet the Alphas would sound GREAT w/ these puppies!  Plenty of power I'm sure....     oh, the agony...

Couple easy questions:

Where does the optional fan go?  Is it in the chassis?

Normal being relative, how frequently would one need to replace any/all of the tubes during "normal" use?  Are we generally talking every year... every 5 years?

[DTB300]

I am fairly new to the "Tube Amp" world as I run a Solid State Amp with Tube Pre.  The only Tube Amps that I have heard are the VTL and CJ line for comparison in my current setup.  Demo models brought home for a day or two.

Can anyone share their expericnes with Dodd and the VTL and CJ?

Currently working with the Accountant (wife) on the ability to meet the new deal presented by GRD.  Regardless if I can join in or not, I must give a great THANKS to GRD for making such an offer possible to us less than "money liquid" individuals.

Thanks...Dan

[gld]

here are the answers to all questions . There are no deals on the ref pre, I have to build 10 of them at a time in order to meet minimum on some of the parts. I do not build many of them. No, the amps can not run in triode. The fans are external and sit on the floor beside the amps within 5"-6". really quiet and very effective. Myself personally, I get 2-3 years pretty easily, I run my system around 12-14 hours every day, but I keep the amps cool with fans.
Gary

[ehider]

Here is my experience on how the Dodd 120 watt monos compare to some other amplifiers which some posters have asked about:

- The Dodd amps have the bass control of the HUGE VTL's that cost upwards of $15,000. (One of the few "mainstream" tube amps in which I like the bass presentation they portray).

- The Dodd monos soundly tromped a pair of the Pass monoblock amplifiers in virtually every sonic category making the Pass' sound sort of sterile, dull and lifeless in comparison.

- As for CJ amps versus the Dodds; the Dodd monos have much better bass control and swing without the wooly midbass of CJ's. The Dodd's don't have the purposfull euphonic colorations/voicing that CJ's are known for but they do have more "life" in the midrange than any transistor amplifier I have compared them against.  (Note: Based on my listening experiences with most every piece of CJ gear I've heard I consider CJ to be "purposely voiced with euphonic colorations" but not very accurate. Pleasing yes. An accurate representation of the input signal, no. )

In a nutshell the Dodd monoblcoks don't necessarily reviel themselves as a colored or voiced amplifier in which the designer used some sort of specific gain topology for the sake of a "type of sound". The Dodd's just sound very musical with excellent harmonics and overtones with a beautiful soundstage. They also have excellent extension from top to bottom (which is VERY rare for ANY tube amp regardless of cost).  What the Dodd's don't have is the typical sonic compromises that plague most other tube amplifiers such as wooly loose bass or rolled off highs. That is my absolute pet peeve with damn near every other tube amp I've ever heard! I can't stand wooly bass  

[DTB300]

They also have excellent extension from top to bottom (which is VERY rare for ANY tube amp regardless of cost).  What the Dodd's don't have is the typical sonic compromises that plague most other tube amplifiers such as wooly loose bass or rolled off highs.

"Ehider"...thanks for the reply...

Right now, along with the wife money decision/acceptance issues (#1 issue), I am at a hard place deciding on the purchase of these amps, without first hearing them on my system - this is based solely on previous experience with some tube amps that I mentioned.  Right now I run Tube Pre with Solid State Amps driving planars (Full range ML's).  The couple of demo tube amps that I have brought home, have been very dissapointing in their performance.  The very large Tube Amps are just not in my reach for money..  Heck I am just having trouble with the wife getting her to agree on GRD's new deal.

For your bass description, so far this is exactly my experience with the VTL and CJ amps.  "Wooly" bass as you call it...I tend to call it loose and uncontrolled    For both amps, the low end was unacceptable for me.

The high end also sounds rolled off with drum cymbals, and sticks hitting sides of drum appearing to sound WAY WAY back.   The mids on the VTL sounded good, but was that because of the rolled off highs causing the mids to stand out more?

Maybe I should fly down to the Big D to see if I can listen to these amp....Or maybe there is someone around the Maryland area that already has these?    Heck I would drive a few hours just to hear them....

Thanks...Dan

[srclose]

I've been using the Dodd 120W monos since February, and I've been breaking in front end equipment for the last month.  This weekend I spent several hours listening.  There was a very tight presentation for the Jesse Cook - Gravity and Bela Fleck - UFO TOFU albums.  I really had things cranked up and never had a problem with loose bass, but I haven't made a direct comparison with good solid state yet.  There is better bass control than with a BAT VK-60 I was running before.  Highs are very clean and distinct.  

SRC