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Your journey with lower-watt tube amps -- Can a kit be good enough?

Looking for stories about your low-watt amp journeys.

Here's the situation: I have new speakers, 97 db. Trying them with lower watt tube amps (45/211, 300b, etc) seems generally wise. I am attempting to borrow some from audiophiles in the area. 

The horizon beyond trying these things involves actually buying some. I'm looking at a budget limit of about $5k.

Curious as to folks' experience with lower-watt amp kits vs. those of good makers (e.g. Dennis Had, etc.).

If you have any thoughts about the following, I'd be interested:

Did you start out with a kit and then get dissatisfied? Why?

Did you compare kits vs. pre-made and find big differences?

Did you find you could get the equivalent level of quality in a kit for much less than the same pre-made version? How about kit vs. used?

Also: did you find there was a difference between "point to point wiring" vs. "PCB" in these various permutations?

I realize that there are good kits and bad ones, good pre-made amps and bad ones. I'm hoping you'll be comparing units which seem at comparable levels of quality and price-points.

Thanks.

128x128hilde45
pickindoug
60 posts
 

A bit late to the party here, but it's a topic near and dear.  I've had Altec 604-8G in one of my systems for many years.  One day a friend and I did some trading, and I wound up with an Alan Eaton SE45 stereo amp.  It was quite pleasant and I enjoyed listening.  He had also brought over a 300B amp made by BEZ.  It was not impressive, very veiled, mushy, etc.  I kept the Eaton amp until I decided to make my own SE45 amp from vintage parts.  Output trannies are Triad HSM-79.  Borrowed and merged bits of circuit design from various sources, and the result was an amp that outperformed the Eaton amp, both on the bench (output at clipping and sq waveform) as well as sonically.  If you're wondering, I listen first, then measure.  I don't recommend scratch building unless you enjoy the journey, but the point of this comment is buy a kit with the best output transformers you can afford, as they are the heart of any single ended amplifier.  As for wattage concerns, 1.6 wpc does seem a bit lean, but if you're speakers are 95 db at 1 watt, they'll be 85 db at 1/10 watt.  Distance from speakers matters, room sound absorption matters, but unless you're looking for slam at disco levels, SE is a fun part of the audiophile journey.  Life is short, build the kit, savor the results.  I also have one of Dennis Had's KT88 Inspire amps, and it brings a little more punch, with up to 6x more wattage on tap.  All good fun.

larryi
4,061 posts
 

The mention of a directly coupled cathode follower by atmasphere is interesting.  Today, I just happen to be looking at the schematic for an old Wyetech SET amp and noticed it had a directly coupled cathode follower to the grid of the output tube.  

kennyc
1,561 posts
 

Looking for stories about your low-watt amp journeys.

Using 100db Volti Rival for investigation tube sonics, chosen for its neutrality and affordability - I want to hear tube differences starting with flea at SET amplification.

Started with 300b because it’s the most notable SET. Purchased a used Coincedent Frankenstein 300b v2 because of its high performance/price sold directly.

Debating purchasing a TEKTRON TK TWO 2A3/50S-I VACUUM TUBE - 2a3, 45, 50, 300b - to investigate other flea watt SET tube types

Also debating DECWARE Model SE84UFO25 - long wait but great sonics and can tube roll

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