[Ultralight]

I'm in the Orient on a trip.  Found a guy in my travels who make custom tube amps - mostly SET.  He has about six standard design but make many customs for decades.  I think he started in the military.  I have never owned a tube amp and would be grateful for a bit of help....  He makes stuff from 3.5 watts SET to a custom 1000 watts in a unit that is a large five foot tall rack on wheels.

Locally, his best seller is an integrated SET based with a GU50 tube accurately rated to produce 15 watts - not a typical tube apparently as I don't read much about it.   Apparently he likes the tone and say the tubes are very durable.   Of course, I'd love to get one of his 50 watt SET using 805 tubes but at over 100 lbs, that's just too hard to bring home. 

Currently, I'm asking him to:

1. Use point to point build. He thinks with an extra heavy duty board, the performance is the same as a point to point but does build quite a bit of point to points as most seem to want that.
2. Use silver wiring that he use for his higher end builds.
3. Build using better parts - but there's a limit to what he can get locally.  A lot of the foreign 'brand names' could be fakes so he tends to be conservative.
4. I am asking him to have an additional left and right RCA output to route to my subwoofer.
5. Have some kind of fuse to protect the setup if a tube shorts.

Questions for you pros:

1. Would having a RCA signal output negatively impact the performance of the tone?  I assume not.

2. Is it possible to have the power output from this amp with a high pass filter above 80 hz (or 60 hz) to match small speakers with the subwoofer?   Someone told me somewhere that its as simple as soldering a small capacitor or resistor or something - don't remember. 

3. Do you think its worth my asking for a list of the capacitors and resistors (and whatever else) needed and purchase top end parts here in the US, and then mail it?  I've never done anything like this.

4. Is there anything else I should consider?  Perhaps a different type of tube?

Thanks,
UL

ps: In my travel, I handled and listened to a prototype that is coming out in July that is absolutely fascinating - being able to use a wide range of tubes and have selectable headphone impedence for an exact match.   I'll post photos when I get back.

[JohnR]

4. Is there anything else I should consider?

Shipping, warrantee, and repairs?

I mean, seriously, if you've never owned a tube amp why are getting a custom unit made? Get a used stock unit with some resale value until you figure out what suits your needs. Otherwise there's a very good chance you will end up with a nice-looking amp that you don't use.

[rollo]

   Blair over at Nightshade or another respected builder could possibly make what you desire. Maybe you can purchase the wiring scheme from China and have it made here.
  As John stated, without warranty and repair available its a gamble, stuff happens in shipping.

charles

[HT cOz]

Ok I agree with what the others are saying however I will also take the other side of this decision.

Sometimes it is very cool to have something to remember your trip. For an audio nut what is more fun than traveling around the world and buying a custom tube amp and what a conversation piece.

Spend your money on the transformers and if it goes south you could always send the amp to someone like Blair and salvage the chassis and trafos.

Now if the guy is as good as you think just trust his judgment he should know what works and what doesn't?

Have fun enjoy your trip and don't spend all your time obsessing about audio. Harder said than done. Lol.

Cheers
Robert   

[JohnR]

I don't mean to be negative, but if you (OP) trust the builder enough to buy an amp unseen and unheard, you may as well just take his recommendations instead of asking us.

[Ultralight]

Thanks everyone.  Clarification - I actually spoke to the person and listened to his amps.  Also, it won't be shipped to the USA - I'll be picking this up here and then repack it and take it with me on return.  As having one done in the USA, one compelling reason to have it done here in the Orient is cost obviously.    I'm not that worried about resale value.   I'm not at liberty to mention a brand but a apparently he makes a unit for a company in the west that sells for over $10K so I assume he's pretty good at what he does.   

I needed something that would output to a subwoofer also which is how this conversation started.

As to asking for advice, the better informed I am, the better off I am in explaining what I'd like done - in case I overlook something.  For example, he doesn't really think point to point makes much difference tonally but I asked for that.

Would love to hear any further suggestions.

Thanks,
UL

[HT cOz]

I don't think point to point has any advantage to a well done board. In fact a lot time it's the point to point wiring that comes loose and causes problems. 

What kind of speakers do you have? 

I find HT bypass really helpful and I like the idea of rca outs! 

[JohnR]

apparently he makes a unit for a company in the west that sells for over $10K so I assume he's pretty good at what he does.   

Right. Better at it than you or any of us. Yet you want to second-guess his choice of parts. Makes no sense to me....

[Nels Ferre]

Ultralight,

You said in your post that this is your first tube amp???

Run, do not walk away. Buy from someone here in the States when you return. I would not recommend anyone new to tubes go down the road you are on.

That said, if you feel compelled that you must do this, get an amp with a board. Some manufacturers claim point to point sounds better. I think this is hogwash. Either the amp has good internal connections or it doesn't. PCB construction has the advantage of being more resistant to damage during shipping.

[FullRangeMan]

   Blair over at Nightshade or another respected builder could possibly make what you desire. Maybe you can purchase the wiring scheme from China and have it made here.
  As John stated, without warranty and repair available its a gamble, stuff happens in shipping.

charles

Dear Ultralight:
Rollo say it all, Niteshade is the most friendly tube builder I see to date, just take a look at Niteshade site:
http://sites.google.com/site/niteshadeaudio/Home
For your info these are my partially tube preferences:
1= Point-to-Point, hard wiring. Power=Copper, Signal=Silver.
2= SolidState and Pseudo rectification.
3= Variable NFB.
4= SET, Class A(not Class A2)
5= Output 6C33 or GM70(sheer musical presence).
6= Electrical 220/240V if possible
7= 5mm Aluminium tubes table for heat dissipation.
8= Fancy real wood trim.
9= NO Connectors(power IEC/RCA): Speaker, power cable and interconnect direct solded into the amp
10= Low power to not stress the tubes.
11= Monoblock status with a volume pot to feed a CD player direct(no pre-amp)

[konut]

If you have your heart set on buying one of this gentleman's custom amps, the best thing you can do is get him the set of speakers you intend to use with it. Tube amps are different than solid state in that the electrical parameters of the speaker interact to a much greater degree with the output of the amp. This way he can tailor the output to the best effect. Also, let him know you intend to use a sub so he can take that into account as well. Give him as much info as possible so as to head off any problems. Be thorough and complete, do not assume or take anything for granted. Emphasize that you want a very well regulated power supply. I'm sure others can supply further tips in case I've missed any. Good luck! Sounds like fun!

[Sarchi]

I would not recommend anyone new to tubes go down the road you are on.

I agree.  It generally takes a lot of personal experiences with tube amps and speakers to find a balance of what you really value (what makes your music sound more real to you).  There is no panacea, and if your pallette is broad then you soon face mutually exclusive choices or compromises.  Money doesn't solve it, neither does theory, nor advice from elders and other sages.

Basically what we're saying is, have fun and don't put all your eggs (hopes) into one basket.  Said another way, the journey is the destination. 

[Ultralight]

Thanks everyone.   Well, I decided against doing the custom job here until I understand more about tube amps.  I really do appreciate everyone's input.

Fullrangeman, thanks in particular to your simple and clear list.  I was looking for something like that - though I'm sure some would critique such a list.

By the way, your avatar and photo is hilarious.   What full range speaker do you like?

Thanks,
UL

[FullRangeMan]

Ultralight,
Thanks your kind words.
I like big cones FR as the Nirvana Super15CF for a small tube amp, or the unanimous Visaton B200 paired with one Alpha woofer in the usual OB panel.
For a 100W SolidState amp the Nirvana Super15Alnico is a tasty nice option.
Regards, Gustavo