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

In my experience, yes.  The center/input tube seemed to impact the sound as much as the gain tubes on the pre.  I would run the nicest tubes you have in these positions.  

Hi,

New member here so go easy please!

I live in the UK and have just bought a pre-owned Don Sachs line stage 2.

Looking through this thread there seems to be conflicting info on if the 6SN7's are paired front/back or left/right.

 

Can anyone confirm please?

Many thanks

Andy

 

Here is the note that came with mine, from Don:

"The left side pair is the main tube with all the gain, and the pair in the middle of the deck are the buffers, which are unity gain. Front tube in each pair is left ch, and rear tube is right channel. Just think right = rear." 

Hi Andy, left right. Disagreements on tubes are to be expected. Two Ken Rads, Raytheons, etc. from the same batch may sound different as most were largely man made. Worse, Mr. X has amp A, while Mr. Z has amp B. Hot tubes offset crap coupling caps in amp X, but sound horrid in a system with a neutral amp. Same for speakers, sources, etc. Then there are hearing issues. An acquaintance of mine has very damaged high frequency hearing. He loves a Japanese girl band that would send most people running with their shrill music, he loves them. There are too many variables to know that if you buy musical heaven shall be reached. If you have a Schitt Yggdrasil, a very decent midfi DAC, some, a very few, songs may make your ears bleed if the rest of the system is neutral. Some might blame a certain tube in that system because the prior tube had slightly muted highs, and certainly it isn't the Yggdrasil, though it actually is.... People love 2CE Vandersteens, they sound like my speakers with a several layer blanket over them. To them my speakers are hot, and they don't really do much above 15KHz, virtually nothing goes that high unless you do electronic music, yet a Yggdrasil playing Kokomo can drive you nuts with them, or the Thiel CS7's, or B&W 801Ms that preceeded them. So, look for general information and don't necessarily expect even that to apply in your system. The 1964 and before Soviet tubes, by far, sound better in my system, but I have a highly modified Lampizator, a Levinson 27.5, and no crossover to dumb down the music. Oh, my DS2 has the VHAudio caps Don uses bypassed by Chris' best Teflon V-Caps in addition to the great V-Caps Don uses for more accurate highs. The coupling caps in the Lampizator are also double bypassed with CuFT's and the ODAM V-Caps. I love Chris' wire as well as his caps. Anyway, my system is as neutral as I could get it. Still, if you had my system, you may still prefer different tubes than I prefer. Personal biases, like taste in music, is going to vary.