This is the last time I will be offering this kit on AC. I had a buyer a couple of weeks ago, but that didn't work out.
Final price is $175 shipped to continental U.S. and includes paypal.
This kit is brand new, and in original box. The box was only opened to remove my credit card receipt. My last buyer contacted Jeff at Sonic Craft and Jeff told him that the $200 he was paying was a great deal, so I've dropped it another $25 to sweeten the pot. Original cost was $300.
Here's what's in the kit:
I'm selling this no-longer-available upgrade kit from Sonic Craft which is
for upgrading and improving both the sonics and reliability of the Golden
Tube Audio SE-40 family of amplifiers. The kit works for all versions and
revisions of the amp. The details of what is included and for what
purposes are below.
I'm selling this as a complete kit of the three separate individual kits --
BB, RC, and PS, which is how I bought it. I will not sell the individual
upgrades separately, so please don't ask.
The SE40BB kit contains all the components to assure the long life of your
SE-40 or SE-40-SE. This upgrade kit encompasses all the fixes GTA never had
the chance/budget to address. Several resistors in the SE-40 are operating
at or near their power limit. Some are experiencing voltage exceeding their
max design limit. Thus, the SE40BB contains 19 high-grade resistors more
than suited for the job. This also includes the revised filament resistor
value which will greatly increase the life of your 6SN7s. Most find an
improvement in sound quality with the lower filament voltages. A HD
replacement rectifier is included. The factory rectifier is a ticking time
bomb. This kit comes with six high precision multi-turn bias trimmers which
will allow much greater bias precision with less dwell. You also receive an
option which allows greater bias authority. This means you will be able to
use many different tubes (like the Electro-Harmonix or Svetlana 6L6GC) while
maintaining a 635mV bias. You will also receive a replacement power switch.
The SE-40 was known to have some intermittent noises related to worn power
switches. Last but no least, you receive a purely audible upgrade. This
arrives in the form of eight "world class" coupling capacitors. Each part
will come in a seperate bag labeled with the designator for it's specific
location on the circuit board. The SE40BB is $99.95
The SE40RC is a high performance capacitor replacement upgrade. The
improvements from this upgrade are both audible and preventive maintenance
oriented. The electrolytic capacitors in your SE-40 have a life span which
in most cases is more than half over. These things will age even while not
in use! This kit contains 19 very high quality audio capacitors in values
exceeding those of the factory in most locations. In a few locations, the
SE40RC values are more than three times that of the factory values. In at
least two positions, the factory used substandard capacitors (peak voltage).
The capacitors supplied in the SE40RC will live (20-30 years) three times
plus longer than that of the factory units. This kit also contains Sonicap
bypasses, and the world famous Black Gate NX! With this kit, you will
replace six plastic capacitors and all the electrolytic capacitors in your
amp with the exclusion of the PS capacitors. The SE40RC is $99.95
The SE40PS is a high performance power supply (PS) upgrade. The improvement
from this upgrade is not subtle! This upgrade includes the latest
technology and high-grade parts yielding a faster, deeper, and quieter sound
stage. Besides the audible improvements, the supplied caps will replace
aged PS caps that are more than half way through their life span. This kit
comes with four new state-of-the-art rectifier diodes for the B+. You may
note that the factory did not install centering resisters on the second cap
bank even though there are positions for such. Given the age of these caps
and the startup peak voltage, this is "not good". In this kit you receive
all six new-value centering resistors which will help critically tune this
new PS. You will receive six large high-grade Panasonic capacitors which
will more than double the factory PS capacitance! Also, you receive two
large Sonicap bypasses which mount out on the board right at the base of the
output tubes where you would want them! The factory supplied these
locations but opted not to use them (probably due to the increased cost).
The SE40PS is $99.95
I'll be posting this on agon this weekend, so if you're interested, don't delay. Would rather it go to an AC'er.
Thanks for looking,
Jim
