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Tube Amps

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mike j

Tube Amps
« on: 30 Mar 2008, 11:08 pm »
I came across 2 tube amps I salvaged from the trash. They are made by "Voice of Music." One is a model 1540 and the other is a model 1450. Can anyone give me any background on these? Are there any upgrades that are worthwhile and are these amps even worthwhile working with. I'm new to the tube amp thing, so any info will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for looking.



« Last Edit: 31 Mar 2008, 02:52 am by mike j »
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jon_010101

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Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #1 on: 31 Mar 2008, 12:39 am »
Free tube amps are always an exciting find - unfortunately, I don't know much about those particular ones.  They are probably low-powered, but might sound very sweet on some big old efficient speakers.  Please don't try to use them until some special precautions are taken (checking over parts, slow-start on a variac, etc...).

And, you should definitely post this up (perhaps with pictures) on the audiokarma tubes forum, too -- they love this kinda stuff over there!
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JoshK

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #2 on: 31 Mar 2008, 01:39 am »
Can you post pictures?  "Voice of" sounds like Altec marketing.  Are they greenish?  If at worst they turn out to be worthless or not worth the cost of repairs then they are usually always worth something for the iron at least.  Same goes for broken o'scopes from the vacuumtube era (which is up and into the '70s). 
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Freo-1

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #3 on: 31 Mar 2008, 01:41 am »
Quote from: JoshK on 31 Mar 2008, 01:39 am
Can you post pictures?  "Voice of" sounds like Altec marketing.  Are they greenish?  If at worst they turn out to be worthless or not worth the cost of repairs then they are usually always worth something for the iron at least.  Same goes for broken o'scopes from the vacuumtube era (which is up and into the '70s). 

I agree totally. The "iron" alone is always worth saving.
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JoshK

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #4 on: 31 Mar 2008, 01:41 am »
Looks like your got some feedback on audiokarma.  EL84 SET amp is worth repairing IMO.  Takes some higher sensitivity speakers or at least use it for your computer system. 



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SET Man

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #5 on: 31 Mar 2008, 01:52 am »
Quote from: jon_010101 on 31 Mar 2008, 12:39 am
Free tube amps are always an exciting find -....

Hey!

  Yup, I agreed. But sadly this never happen to me :roll:

Take care,
Buddy :thumb:
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mike j

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #6 on: 31 Mar 2008, 02:25 am »
New-guy question... how do I post pictures? Step by step please.
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Gordy

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #7 on: 31 Mar 2008, 02:29 am »
Quote from: mike j on 31 Mar 2008, 02:25 am
New-guy question... how do I post pictures? Step by step please.

Town Square sticky... http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=40968.0  I think Papajin's post is most helpful!

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whubbard

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #8 on: 31 Mar 2008, 03:05 am »
Those amps look pretty old and beat-up.   :roll:
Are those 3 screws on the bottom left input and output...don't even get how that would work...common nuetral?
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mike j

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #9 on: 31 Mar 2008, 03:14 am »
They do show a few miles, but they still work. I'm sure some elbow grease and imagination could get them looking good... if only I knew someone with either!!? The screws are labeled 0, 4, 8. I figure the zero is ground, and the other two are for 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers, respectively.
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lonewolfny42

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  • Speakers....What Speakers ?
Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #10 on: 31 Mar 2008, 03:43 am »
Welcome to AC....
Send a PM to drummerwill...a member here....he's done some nice rebuilding of tube amps.... 8)

Quote
They do show a few miles, but they still work. I'm sure some elbow grease and imagination could get them looking good... if only I knew someone with either!!?

Some of his projects...... :thumb:
« Last Edit: 31 Mar 2008, 03:55 am by lonewolfny42 »
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drummerwill

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #11 on: 1 Apr 2008, 09:59 pm »
 Hi guys

   If Mike J, has 2 of the amps pictured in the first of this thread, then they look to me like a pair of mono EL-84 amps. I can't tell if they are PP or SET.

   I'm not sure if Voice of Music was ever affiliated with Altec or not.

  What is interesting about those amps are the relatively large size of the power transformers. They reflect a quality in an amp that size. If you don't really know a lot about tube circuitry, I would advise you find someone locally to bring them back to life.

   If you would like to learn a great hobby and are willing to invest the time to learn, you've got what appears to be an excellent starting point.

   Have fun
  Willie
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mike j

Re: Tube Amps
« Reply #12 on: 1 Apr 2008, 10:20 pm »
Willie,
Thanks for the info and encouragement :o. I've been in contact with Gary from the Voice of Music website. I can purchase consumer instruction sheets and service manuals from him. He also gave me his phone number so I can directly talk with him and ask questions. I'm looking forward to "pretty-ing" these amps up and seeing what kind of sound I can get from them. I'm also looking into putting together some high-efficiency speakers for them. :thumb: Any other info or words of wisdom...I'm all ears.
Thanks again.
Mike
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