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Don Sachs Owners Thread

A place to discuss amps, preamps, and phono stages from Don Sachs. 

 

I just purchased a like new D2 linestage. It has 2 gain controls, 64 step volume control, and digital volume readout. It is set up for the new rectifier. This is my first 6sn7 based linestage. It came with Ken-Rad Vt 231and gray RCA tubes. There are 3 rectifier tubes. A huge Philco 6BY5G, a Tung-Sol 6BY5G, and a Bendix 5852. There is also an Ice Age Audio power cord. With 2 different sounding outputs there are a lot of options. I need to find out what value the output caps are. I have the D2 connected at the moment to a VTL ST150. Input impedance is 125K and 2v in for maximum gain. 

I placed the RCA tubes in left front and rear and Ken-Rad in the right. Used Philco rectifier. Plugged VTL amp into output 1. The brightest sounding preamp I've ever heard. It was comical, bass drums sounded more like cymbals. Output 2 sounds like normal music. This surprises me. With 125K input, I thought there would be no problem getting bass response. 

Some questions.

1. Are the 6Sn7's in the right locations? I guessed by looking at the sellers photograph.

2. Is the Ice Age Audio the AC cord the brand Don offers as an option? 

3. I'll audition all 3 but which rectifier would be considered tops?

The linestage sounds amazing. 

Thanks,

aldnorab

aldnorab
aldnorab OP
138 posts
 

I should have said RCA/Ken-Rad tubes above^. 

Sorry,

aldnorab

bugredmachine's avatar
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bugredmachine
409 posts
 

Question for D2 owners; do you have tube rush at zero throttle? My Wilson's aren't overly sensitive at 91 db and the amp is a Cherry 2. I enjoy the sound but what keeps coming back to me is the Pass XP12 was almost dead quiet as a solid state unit. It wasn't nearly as musical as the tube set I have in the Sachs.

 

I'm going to try cleaning my tube pins and pulling out some tube dampers to try and see if they help. This is 15 inches from the tweeter, a small hisssss.

jackd
1,037 posts
 

Depending on the input sensitivity/gain of the Cherry amps with the 18db gain of the Sachs and the 91db efficiency of your speakers what you are hearing is normal. Especially if the input sensitivity of the amp is under 2 volts.  

bugredmachine's avatar
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bugredmachine
409 posts
 

Okay. The music is sensational. I just want to have a blacker background. I've read elsewhere that the low level hiss is normal for the Wilsons but with my Pass pre I had almost no hiss. Probably half as much.

jackd
1,037 posts
 

And that is the difference between the two combos. When you are matching tube preamps with amps and speakers you have to take into account the total gain of the combo or you will get hiss. If you have to get to that close a distance to hear it then it shouldn’t be a problem since we don’t listen at 15 inches. It’s not just your Wilson’s it would be most any speaker close to or over 90 db. Ran into the same issues with my Sachs matched to certain amps with my 90+db Verity’s. You can always contact Don and see if he can lower the gain.

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