Home » Audio » General » Why would anyone buy "readi-made"?
Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1768] Mon, 23 May 2005 16:16 Go to next message
BillEpstein is currently offline  BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
Back when I was a wee ladde and fortune (my dad's) found me in Merrie Olde Englande-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-; WTF with all those "E"'s anyhow?
I was touted to Burton Tailors. Tailor-made to the masses. Amellican masses, that is. Who remembers but maybe $100 bucks got me A suit, a Harris Tweed Sportcoat and a Camel Hair overcoat. ca. 1966
It all fit! I looked gorgeous!
In AUDIO, the same bargains abound! (I love abound...)
Out of the box, Ella was kinda top heavy with a flabby bottom. Like the neighbor-woman with the 6 kids.
Ever heard an ARC VT-100. Ears bleed. "Boy-oh-Boy, that's hi-fi"
How about a CJ Premier 11. 4 EL-34's fpr $4000 bucks? Better than the ARC but a lot like the Ella with too much mid-range and easier highs.
Dynaco ST-70. The most over-rated since Leon Spinks!
Ya buy a box, ya buy a kit, ya buy some transformers and caps and ya make MUSIC! Tear it up. Rip it apart. Get a schematic (how I wish I could read a schematic) from the 'Net.
This Norh SE-9 is FAB but has issues I can resolve. Scratch-building very soon................stay tuned.............




Re: Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1769 is a reply to message #1768] Mon, 23 May 2005 17:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18791
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

OK, I was doin' fine until the neighbor woman.

But I take your meaning. Colin, John, Damir and Douglas have some really good stuff going on the Group Build forum, so check it out. I'm wanting to be in there with 'em, but I've been kinda busy and slow to follow. There are a couple new projects brewing too, Howard was teasing us with some cool amps as was Damir and Douglas.

I'm still grooving on my little Stoetkit. I've got a few really good amps right now. I've kinda gotten attached to them. But the Stoetkit just seemed to resonate with me. The kit came with a bad cap, partially shorted and biasing one tube into conduction enough to overheat a resistor. So I swapped out all the caps and resistors with really good stuff. Now it has all the primo parts and it's from Amsterdam too. Gotta love it.


Re: Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1770 is a reply to message #1768] Mon, 23 May 2005 17:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Manualblock is currently offline  Manualblock
Messages: 4973
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (13th Degree)
Can we get an interpreter here? Also your caps lock is stuck.

Re: Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1773 is a reply to message #1769] Mon, 23 May 2005 20:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Manualblock is currently offline  Manualblock
Messages: 4973
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (13th Degree)
Wayne; Please forgive this but how do you feel about that, the amp coming in with bad parts?

Re: Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1774 is a reply to message #1773] Mon, 23 May 2005 21:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18791
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Well, it wasn't great, that's for sure. I was surprised to find a brand new capacitor in that condition. A 25 year old electrolytic, maybe. But this was a premium cap. Still, I made lemonade and got Kimber Kaps for all the medium size caps, Auricaps for small, and Black Gates for the large capacitors. That turned the repair into an upgrade.

The design is good, sounds good, and the chassis looks great too. So I overlooked the bad cap and I'm just glad to have it in tip-top shape now. I bought several brands of NOS and current production tubes, so I have a variety of spares for it. Should keep it going forever.


Because some of us are tweaking speakers instead! [message #1776 is a reply to message #1774] Tue, 24 May 2005 05:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
spkrman57
Messages: 522
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (1st Degree)
Bill,

What a way to wake up in the morning and check the pc before heading to work, but to find another of Bill's (Actually "Till-E" fits better on some of these posts. LOL

I know how you feel though as I feel the same way about speakers. It is all a compromise and if you let get you by the tail you will go in circles eventually.

Tube amps are like people, so many different flavors it can be difficult to decide which best fits ones needs. I get the impression this will be a "life-long" pursuit of yours, so we will all buckle up and enjoy your travels enroute to finding the holy-grail of tube amps.

While the Norh SE-9 is not the last word in tube amps, I find it coming out more often than anything else other than my Yamamoto 45 SET amp. When all my different setups annoy me the Norh is a breath of fresh air with its very basic and nuetral sound.

Just my 2 cents worth of course.

Ron


Re: Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1777 is a reply to message #1774] Tue, 24 May 2005 05:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Manualblock is currently offline  Manualblock
Messages: 4973
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (13th Degree)
Did they offer to compensate you for that?

Re: Why would anyone buy "readi-made"? [message #1778 is a reply to message #1777] Tue, 24 May 2005 05:50 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18791
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Frank Stuppel offered. But I didn't want him to bother with it, because the cost of the capacitor was small. I understand there was one kit shipped with a bad output transformer, and he replaced it with one he had in stock.


Re: Because some of us are tweaking speakers instead! [message #1779 is a reply to message #1776] Tue, 24 May 2005 05:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18791
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Yeah, I dug those little Norh amps too. Good products, great value.


Because, asswhy. [message #1784 is a reply to message #1768] Tue, 24 May 2005 22:39 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Poindexter is currently offline  Poindexter
Messages: 108
Registered: May 2009
Viscount
Nobody can be SOA in every branch of audio execution.  My system 'back end ( line amp, power amp, speakers)' are my own, and in some respects, unconventional.  The 'front' end of the rig, I just haven't had time to explore yet.  So, my CD player (MicroMega Stage2), and tuner (Denon TU460) are commercially sourced (though tweaked with chassis damping and PS cap upgrade) units.

Nobody (unless a fiscally independent European Aristocrat) can build everything.  We build what we think the most important, listen, and build some more.

If you have a better idea, please advise.

Aloha,

Poinz

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