[kallitype]

    Need more power for my Magnepans, thinking about monoblocks.  This amp has brilliant clarity and detail, 2 years old, fully modded. Checked out by Bill Baker last year with flying colors.
   Comes with new matched quad of Sovtek 6550 (55 watt), low hour matched ShuGuang KT-88 (60w), and matched quad EH EL-34's (50W).  Pix on request.  Pristine condition with 3 aluminum cone feet.
   $1350-OBO or  ??trade on 100-120W/ch tube amp.

Ideas???   

[Nels Ferre]

You can actually bridge your amp for mono operation, which doubles the output power. Tie the 8 ohm hot taps together with some speaker cable, do the same on the negative side, then hook your Maggies to the 8 ohm tap. Use a Y rca cable (1 in from preamplifier- 2 outs to the amplifer.)

Do the same thing on the other (matching) amplifier that you haven't bought yet, and you now have a great pair of 120 watt tube monoblocks.

This works, and is factory approved. Mike Allen at JoLida told me the trick.  It's also much less expensive overall than anything else I suspect you were considering.

[Bill Baker]

You can actually bridge your amp for mono operation,

 This is how I will be running one of my Signature 3205 amps for my forthcoming GR Research OB-7C (center channel)
 The difference is my amp will be converted internally as a mono bloc.

[jeffreybehr]

Nels: "You can actually bridge your amp for mono operation..."

Nels, this is NOT 'bridging', this is paralleling, and the 2 have MUCH-different results.  The method you describe is accurate.  This will give one the power of the combined channels (ie if the amp is 55WPC, one now has 110 Watts) but into HALF the indicated impedance.  In your example of using the 8-Ohm taps, one now has ONE 4-Ohm tap.

[Bill Baker]

Hi Jeffrey,
 You are correct and it should be noted that 'paralleling' the 4 ohm taps is not recommended. Thank you for bringing this information forward.
By the way, nice to hear from you! Hope things are going well.

 I am currenty working on a mono bloc version of the MKII 3205 circuit but it will be only the 50/60 watt version and not 100W. I only mention this as there are some here that are aware of this and I don't want any confusion about the design should they come across this thread.

[jeffreybehr]

kallitype, since you asked for ideas, here's one.  A pair of ASL Hurricanes, the most-recent ones without balanced inputs, highly improved by me.  200 Watts into 4, 8, or 16 Ohms.  Excellent-qaulity PS, decoupling, and coupling caps, etc.  VERY clean, nongrainy, tonally beautiful sound.  NOT cheap but not nearly as expensive as Bill Baker's excellent-sounding versions.  SIX deciBels more power will really make your Maggies come alive.





E-mail me at jeffreybehr@cox.net if you're at all interested.  I'll include the 2"-thick solid-laminated-maple platforms if the price is right.

[kallitype]

I would love a pair of those ASL roomheaters...er, hurricanes, but I'm afraid it comes in too $$$ for my budget.

Thanks for the offer!

PS---I used my old Amber 70 SS, and a Butler hybrid for awhile with my Maggies, it did not have the same audio magic I experience with Bill Baker's designs (modded ASL1003 and the 3205), guess TUBES RULE!!

[kallitype]

Local Maggie guru says keep the Manley Shrimp, sell the tube amp, and get a 200-300 watt SS amp, the maggies love current--he also recommended a used DK Designs integrated. My wife says keep the Bella and sell the maggies and get some efficient speakers.
   Now I'm back to square zero!