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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
lous's avatar
lous
207 posts
 

@aldnorab

Yes, if you have 2 outputs, you should probably put .5uf on one output for the 47K amp, and 1.33uf for the 130K amp, and mark them. You may wantto check with Don, but I believe that those values will give you better impedance matching, and minimize frequency roll off.

 

BTW, the old tubes you were using are okay for an older Freya preamp, due to its issues that need compensation. The tubes on the right are buffers and are less critical, the ones on the left should ideally be E-6SN7s and second to them, in current production tubes would, would be one of the various Treasure tubes. The E-6SN7s are going to just barely fit. The latest preamp addresses that.

 

Best Regards,

 

Lou

bugredmachine's avatar
bugredmachine
453 posts
 

I threw out this question on the Linlai thread. Has anyone tried the non-Elite versions? I ordered set anyways to "have". 😎

aldnorab OP
174 posts
 

@lous thanks. Wouldn't the cap values be reversed? Lower input impedance needs higher cap value?

Thanks,

aldnorab

lous's avatar
lous
207 posts
 

@aldnorab I really have forgotten my formulas, but no, Don installed .47uf caps for a 50ohm load, and 1uf for a 100k ohm input amp. Then there's this;

 

 

The chart they show shows increased impedance with increased capacitance. 

bugredmachine's avatar
bugredmachine
453 posts
 

Jumping the shark to a new topic, I did add a Purple fuse in the spring and it made a very nice improvement. Even more so when I added the contact treatment from High Fidelity.

I keep squeezing this preamp and it keeps giving me more. 

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