Sorry this post is arriving so many years after the initial discussion had started. Around 12 years ago, I remember hearing the Wave 8 mono’s crush a brand new out of the box 300 Watt hybrid integrated amp on a pair of Vandersteen Model 1C speakers in my local dealers showroom. The Wave 8’s sounded vastly more musical to both of us during a direct A/B comparison. The dealer later told me that the hybrid integrated amplifier sounded much better once the 6H30 driver tubes got 75+ hours of break in on them. Still, it was a shocking experience to hear the superiority of those ASL Wave 8 tube amps beat up on a $5k integrated amp! Fast forward to March 2021 and I was lucky enough to find a used pair of Wave 8’s on eBay for $450.00. Although this is twice the price they originally cost when new, it was money well spent! I was not even upset when one of the Wave’s arrived with a blown cathode resistor, as I was planning to completely rebuild both amps anyway. I owe a big shout out to PCX in Canada for having 99% of the items I needed in stock for this rebuild project. Both amps were gutted down to the chassis and the circuit boards were stripped bare. Starting this project, I knew that I wanted a robust power supply to be the foundation for these new mods, so I carefully selected the best components that would physically fit into the circuit boards. It became apparent that my capacitor of choice (Audio Note Kaisei) was not going to fit the small eyelets in the circuit boards due their large snap-in lug connectors, so I had to improvise a little. I opted for Audio Note 50uf 350Vdc standard electrolytic capacitors, Amtrans AMRG 2-Watt resistors and Vishay high speed, soft recovery diodes to rebuild the power supply. A large choke was installed directly behind the circuit board in each amplifier (I am proud of my mounting scheme as I pulled it off without having to drill any new holes in the chassis). PRP PR9372 1/2 Watt 1% metal film resistors replaced all of the generic audio resistors in the signal path and Mundorf Evo Silver Gold Oil capacitors replaced the stock Bennic XPP cathode bypass caps. Neotech OCC 6N 14awg copper wire was used to connect new Furutech IEC’s to the circuit boards. DH Labs solid core silver wire was used to connect to KLEI Perfect Harmony silver rca jacks and the stock gold plated brass binding posts were replaced with KLEI Classic Harmony silver binding posts. A NOS quad of 1960’s Telefunken ECL82’s was installed to complete the rebuild. Once rebuilt, these amplifiers have a refined and dynamic presentation that sounds amazing on my new ZU Audio DWII speakers. I can’t imagine a more synergistic match for these 8 watt amplifiers in a medium to large size listening room. I will attach a URL link to the forum that originally turned me onto the idea of taking on this project. I decided to scale my mods back a little, as I did not want to mount new components with sticky tape on the inside walls or drill new holes in the chassis. I wanted a clean look after these mods were completed, so I made up for the difference by doing a complete overhaul of and gutting every single component. Only the chassis, power transformers, bare circuit boards and output transformers were kept from the original amplifiers. I even sourced new power on/off switches as I want complete reliability and trouble free operation for another 15+ years of operation. Anyone looking to have their Wave 8’s modified, feel free to reach out to me for any questions or advice. Bottom line; if you own a pair of Wave 8’s that are in good working condition, hold onto them. If possible, rebuild them yourself or find someone like myself who is comfortable taking on the project on your behalf. These amplifiers are far too special to be forgotten about by us audiophiles. Once these ASL wave 8’s are rebuilt with premium parts and fitted with NOS tubes, they can hold their own against anything made today in the $2k to $5k price range.
https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/modding-antique-sound-labs-wave-8-tube-amp/
https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/asl-wave-8-more-mods/
https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/modding-antique-sound-labs-wave-8-tube-amp/
https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/asl-wave-8-more-mods/