| Akhilesh, you gotta tell 'em... [message #8067] |
Thu, 05 February 2004 17:40  |
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Wayne Parham
Messages: 18786
Registered: January 2001
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Illuminati (33rd Degree) |
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...about your Antique Electronics K502 tube amp kit. It's the best value I've seen out there. $140.00 and no hum at all, none, not even on 105dB Klipschorns. Sounds as sweet as the high dollar rigs too. Some might think I jest or exaggerate, but I'm not kidding - These are the best kept secret in the DIY tube hobby. Note 1. Don't read into this that I'm discounting my Bottlehead stuff or the Zen's or anything else. The good comments about the Antique Electronics kit are not meant as a comparison, even if I did mention "high dollar rigs" and "best kept secrets." I just think that the little Antique Electronics kit is a good value, that's all. Note 2. Sorry to Akhilesh to jump in there and make a mention of your stuff before you did. Didn't mean to steal your fire. It's just that I was very impressed with that little kit.
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| Re: Akhilesh, you gotta tell 'em... [message #8069 is a reply to message #8067] |
Fri, 06 February 2004 19:29  |
akhilesh
Messages: 1275
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (3rd Degree) |
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HI Wayne,
Thanx for mentioning the amp. Well, I like it a lot! It compares to the Zen, thought the ZEN is a little bit mellower. ALso, the K502 amp is a bit more sensitive to loads, and is at its best at loads of 8 ohms or less. It is a push-pull.
In terms of clarity, resolution, it compares to the zen and that is saying something. Of course, right now I am using a mid fi source (Sony xa20ES) with highend cables (transparent plus) , so maybe I can;t really tell yet. I'll wait till I upgrade my source and then let you know. Some folks may prefer the softer SETs like the 45, but i tend to prefer a slightly more "analytical tube" (there's an oxymoron for you!).
For those who think low priced tube amps don't sound good, I would suggest you listen to them and compare for yourself. Often times the hum in low priced amps is just construction errors...in the K502 case i believe the filament is on DC so the hum is nonexistent, unless there is poor grounding.
I would say for $140 the K502 is an amazing bang for the buck deal, and I frankly don't dislike its sound one bit. ALso, it;s a great way to learn....it's my first amp, and has given me confidence.
Also, thanx to Wayne for his encouragement and advice along the way...he is a good friend and a great source of experience.
-akhilesh
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| Re: Korneff 45 [message #8074 is a reply to message #8070] |
Sat, 07 February 2004 13:39 |
akhilesh
Messages: 1275
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (3rd Degree) |
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I haven;t heard any real high end tube amps myself (wel lexcept for a really expensive mcintosh in a hi fi store). SO i am extremely curious also to know of people's opinions regarding the higher cost tube amps, and how they compare to the lower priced amps like the zen.
I heard a home brewed 2a3 loftin white setup recenlty by some one local here in tulsa, and i liked it, though its treble was a bit mellow. SO far, the $499 zen se84C is still my "reference" amp if you will. Once finances permit, I will build a 300B amp i think, but that is probably a year or so away. In the meantime, if anyone has heard a zen se84C and can compare it to some other amps I wold be interested. I talked at length with Steve Deckert (the main guy at decware that make the zen amps) and he has heard pretty much everything out there. He sells a version of the zen called the zen select with premium parts. He didn;t think there was that much of a difference between the select and the regular. A lot of the older more experienced folk i talk to don;t really buy the lien that all the high end components will get you better sound ...they say it will get you different sound, but not necessarily more detailed or better. ANyway, i am interested to read of people's informed opinions on different amps.
-akhilesh
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| Re: Korneff 45 [message #8075 is a reply to message #8074] |
Sun, 08 February 2004 03:53 |
Manualblock
Messages: 4973
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (13th Degree) |
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Akhilesh; boutique parts don't really seem to add unless the circuit is properly designed in the first place. I personally and this is only one mans opinion believe that many are stuck in a rut with circuit design, 20db neg feedbak,cathode follower, large coupling caps etc. I think you only really have a hand full of realisable designs being promoted and as such the defining factor becomes transformer quality tube type, good execution so within those paremeters there really isn't huge differences between amps. When designers who have a different vision, run tubes outside the established safe zones, change plate loads run them hot, transformer coupling, I am not an engineer so leave it up to the talented ones but I do remmember an article in sound practices written by Frank Reps where he builds a copy of the Audio Note Ongaku using all silver wound transformers, That is the only difference with the design yet he claims without it the amp sounds just like every other SE amp using 300b's. I have extensively modded a stereo 70 over the years and to be truthful the original sounds as good in many ways as the modded version. So I think unless you are willing to try 211's or other radical tubes and new topologies, you probably won't be impressed. As far as the Korneff I don't know much about the circuit but it really does sound different than the norm. There is something there because the Pi4's became a different sounding speaker. And my E.A.R is no slouch. . What I hear between the E.A.R. and Paramours is a depth and authority in the music and with the paras, what I can only term "artifacts" which is a term I made up but it seems to describe what I hear. The big amp seems uncluttered compared to the Paramours and remmember this is an unfair comparison since the E.A.R. runs 3700$ to 500$ for Paras. The output trannies on the E are huge maybe that is it. The quality is there;Yoshino custom wound, I have never heard Decs but assume they are detailed but that type of detail seems etched and doesn't flow. Hope this helps at all. I do know that when I get around to building I am convinced to spend most of the budget on trannies and use average decent caps,resistors etc.
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| Re: Korneff 45 [message #8076 is a reply to message #8073] |
Sun, 08 February 2004 10:22 |
Bill Martinelli
Messages: 677
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (1st Degree) |
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I have a Link to a Korneff page at the bottom here. I have heard the 45 amp with a few different speakers and in most cases this is a great amp and sounds wonderful. Very well build. I did here the 45 with a Theater Pi4 and thought the bass was too heavy and unrealistic. Just a bad match in my opinion. I think a premium stage Pi4 would have sounded a little tighter. For high end amps, who knows? Its all about prefferanc since there are so many circuit designs and good parts that need to be configured to a delicate match. I have a Audio Note 300B amp and although I have not listened head to head against a Korneff 45, I am happy with what I have for sure. Jeff does great work and if you have speakers sensitive enough to play modestly with a 45 tube, its a sweet tube to work with. I think I may pick up one of those ASL kits! I love building electronic kits and some day everything in my system will be hand build Bill
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