sghound 0 Report post Posted October 7, 2009 is this B22 supposed to be like the ultimate amp? itchy liao. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eric Chia 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2009 will be a monster amp when finish.... now i wondered how it's performance with RSA B52 side by side? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neutralzz 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2009 is this B22 supposed to be like the ultimate amp? itchy liao. unfortunately there's no ultimate amp.. as technology progresses and better designs surface.. and our increased fickleness with sound overtime Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2009 the current champ maybe? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neutralzz 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2009 (edited) current head-fi rig, still sub-optimal sound.. still having fun tweaking signal path's generally some diy-shielded mundorf 1% gold in silver wire, ground's all copper. cathode bypass cap for 2a3 is mundorf silver/gold in oil.. cathode bypass is jenson paper in oil, hermetic vishay angstrohm cathode resistor decent power regulation via choke & mundorf m-cap, amp still gives sound for 20-25 seconds when power switch is flicked off.. filament is still running on AC.. will probably try to regulate it to DC to make amp quieter output in dual tap, 8 ohm to speaker, and 300 ohm to headphone via custom permalloy transformers. continuously running for the past 100+ hours.. hopefully my shuguang treasure tubes will be shipped tomorrow.. have a pair of 6sj7 mesh plates on the way.. ' next project will probably be single ended single stage design Edited October 8, 2009 by neutralzz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-in-the-Box 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2009 the design looks very simple. but looks nice on the outside. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neutralzz 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2009 the design looks very simple. but looks nice on the outside. tube amps are actually very easy to build because the principle behind tube amplification is pretty straight forward. the only complicated part is the power supply to me. i still feel for a good headphone amp the best is still to use a single tube, single stage, else there are too many variables right now to change the sound of my 2a3 amp, i can change 1) cathode resistor permutations (2 possible resistors to change per channel resulting in many combinations) 2) coupling caps permutations (2 possible caps to change per channel resulting in many combinations) 3) roll pre-tubes to overcome short comings in power tubes which is highly permutative 4) roll power tubes 5) interstage coupling with a transformer instead (expensive option) 6) other output transformers (although i'm using permalloy which is one of the best winding materials) etc etc.. with a single tube/single stage with a pair of big good bandwidth output trans which will never reach saturation, you have 1) one tube to roll 2) 1 resistor to roll 3) 1 capacitor to roll Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ical 0 Report post Posted October 10, 2009 Wow! It looks fun to diy your own amp and to your own preference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neutralzz 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2009 finally here!! shuguang treasure tubes.. 300BZ mesh plate and 2A3Z tubes were factory matched and shipped straight from factory... sound straight out of box is so superb that... my pair of TJ mesh plates are getting shelved.. the shuguang treasure series.. is indeed the pinnacle of 300B tubes.. best of the very best i've ever came across... i think the only possible rival is tj carbon plate but the carbon plate is not a fair comparison.. (its like a jumbo 300B.. more like 350B) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jig_sg 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2009 finally here!! shuguang treasure tubes.. 300BZ mesh plate and 2A3Z tubes were factory matched and shipped straight from factory... sound straight out of box is so superb that... my pair of TJ mesh plates are getting shelved.. the shuguang treasure series.. is indeed the pinnacle of 300B tubes.. best of the very best i've ever came across... i think the only possible rival is tj carbon plate but the carbon plate is not a fair comparison.. (its like a jumbo 300B.. more like 350B) Wow. Was curious to try the Treasure's EL34s to hear how different they are compared to Mullard NOS tubes. If the differences aren't big then I'd save a load of cash! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
neutralzz 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2009 Wow. Was curious to try the Treasure's EL34s to hear how different they are compared to Mullard NOS tubes. If the differences aren't big then I'd save a load of cash! i get my tubes straight from source as my gf is schooling TCM in beijing and she helps me get stuff straight from factory.. the Treasure EL34 comes as two grades, normal and superior matched, but even for their normal quad grade, transconductance and plate current is very well matched already, identical plate currents usually. the superior matched grade is typically exported to the US.. i.e. to grant fidelity.. but there are backdoor 国内 sales at very good prices.. prices that i might not want to comment publicly.. i've tested both the 2A3 and 300Bs using two different amplifiers but on the same speakers with several pairs of ears listening, the treasure tube triodes promise superbly dark backgrounds. in our opinions, these triode tubes are one of the best we've ever heard, transparency without losing a touch of air & warmth, very musical indeed. with burn other improvements will come. i cant speak for the pentodes though, but there's talk that either the GE or RCA 6SN7 has warmer vocals than the Treasure tube 6SN7, which is quite a pricey tube in my opinion.. unless you have direct sources in china. ymmv~ for me what i might just do if i have an el34 amp is just to buy the tubes to try, but if dont like, will just let go for a little discount. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jojo_b2 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 Waah! someone has now totally given up dynamics. Another victim of SE...ehem STaXXX. Anyway, decided to try my old IMOD. It really sounds good as a unbalanced source. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ical 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 (edited) You're most welcome to join the club if you want. The dark side is strong. For the price of iMod, it better be good. Btw, I seem to spot something new in the pic. Edited October 19, 2009 by ical Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jojo_b2 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 What was that?.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sep90 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 ahem Bluenote koala cdp? a very good cdp with tube output.... u must be in audio heaven rite now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
