[tubegarden]

Hi RATs!

Since our resident trolls like to attack from positions of
unquestionable power (tee hee) I am going to attempt to clearly
express myself about the joy of life as a drugged out, disabled,
unempowered DIY solder slinger.

I solder stuff together and then listen to music using them in the
playback process. Yes, there was much more stuff used getting it on to
the record or CD than even my miserly collecting has accumulated, but,
I don't care.

To start: my Sony 400 DVD changer has not been opened up, much less
mod-o-fied. It has played, often 24/7 for a long time. It seems to
work. I suspect having to at least try to drive the ten audio outputs
may account for it driving two outputs fairly well. Or, more to the
real deal, since TV sets are the real hot item, I figure the engineers
were just given a free hand to do whatever they coud with the cheapest
parts and least manufacturing labor possible. Without constant
coaching from the real experts, in marketing and the executive suite,
it sounds just fine One of the CDs in the changer is a head
cleaner. It says, every time, to clean the heads every ten hours or
so. Every 400 hours, or so, seems to work just fine. Sometimes I just
hit "NEXT" on the remote, my moods are not interesting, but, they are
twitchy. The Sony is a DVP-CX985V. They probably don't have one for
sale at the Audio retailer near you. Relax, all Sony's sound the
same I do not know if it has any vacuum tubes in it. but it just
keeps playing ...

I use the factory fixed power cord to the outlet strip. And AR
interconnects, the blue ones, from Best Buy. I clean the RCA
connectors, once in a blue moon. If I feel good enough to get out of
bed to clean something, I usually unload and load the dishwasher. If I
really feel up, I take the car to the car wash. Both seem more
existentially fulfilling Only when energy strikes in the wee hours,
do I get some fresh Q-Tips and my bottle of magic audio juice and do
the connector deal. OK, I just did all the RCA connectors, no Q-Tips,
just a generous bath of "Stabilant 22A" from Canada. I bought half of
it some twenty years or so ago, with a fellow home audio guy at work.
He used it first and gave the rest to me. He said it is only 80%
Isopropyl Alcohol. He has and probably still uing 97% I.A., without
the fancy bottle and shipping tube. Listening to my system after
bathing in the glorious potion does not seem any different, but, the
50 ml bottle is still way over half full. Waste not, want not.

Afterwards, I did thoroughly wash my hands, to reduce any possible
contamination, even though nothing on the bottle or package mentions
any other ingredient than isopropyl alcohol. Canada is pretty far
North ...

So, the cables go to: the Sub-woofer, which has the PS filters pumped
up to rated values, and balanced on both rails of the SS amp. And a
new driver, the PBS15 from Nick McKinney, founder of Lambda Audio.
Nick ran off to an insurance company job, years ago. The drivers all
still work


And, to: the Coronation 100, my 'center channel' amp, mono P-P EL-37
tubes.

And, to: the Ella, stereo P-P EL-34 tubes.

The amps and speakers are where I do my damage, more or less.

All in all, a joyous hobby.

Get something and do something to it. You might enjoy it!

Happy Ears!
Al

[Peter Wieck]

On Jan 3, 1:13*pm, tubegarden wrote:
Hi RATs!

Lots - O - Stuff clipped

Al, for the most part I agree with most of your position. Writing for
myself even if heretical:

a) there is very little new under the sun. Certainly about everything
in tube-craft was pretty much put to bed by 1963 or so, perhaps 1970
at a stretch. Sure one or two variations on tubes since then but
little of substance. Mostly what happens today on the various amateur
benches around the world is cook-book creations based on established
recipes with at-most small variations in details. Individuals such as
Patrick who are both professional and proficient enough to make
critical parts 'from scratch' are the exceptions - and very, very
few.

b) back in the day, even mass-produced items were reasonably well made
and performed in a reasonably predictable manner. Some were better
than others but pretty much at the margins.

c) the great advances in audio have been in speakers and other
transducers, signal sources and tuners, largely not in amplification.

d) for the most part, most amplification equipment is better than the
ears listening to it. This is not necessarily true of transducers and
various signal sources.

e) with all that in mind, there is no reason why we should not admit
to ourselves that the wheel has already been invented - we *might* be
given the opportunity to make some small improvements or adaptations
to it for our own pleasure but little more than that. This frees us
from the general need to **** further and higher than the next one and
get back to enjoying what comes from our hands to our ears.

So, yeah, I have just finished breadboarding a nice little tube amp. I
used vintage Fisher Iron, and I used a modified circuit that I
observed in play ("cheap Chinese amp" that didn't sound half-bad but
got MIGHTY hot), and it plays very nicely and appears to be very well
behaved, making about 25 wpc or so from PP 6L6s. All I have to do now
is get it off the wood-and-masonite into acceptable sheet metal.

BUT: It ain't nohow anything new, earth-shattering, or really more
than the aggregation of some years of kit-making, more years of
repairs, and yet more years of diagnostic trouble-shooting and
observations. In my opinion, about anyone who can read, use a VOM, and
solder could have done it. And, comes to it, using vintage iron is no
different than purchasing new iron off the shelf. I guess I did it
less to prove anything but that I could. Funny thing, I get as much
pleasure bringing a 1930s vintage radio back from the dead, or even a
60s/70s/80s tube or solid-state item back in the same way. Or winding
a new voice-coil for a field-coil speaker that got smoked.

Further, working with existing/vintage equipment of known history, one
may benefit from many years of accumulated wisdom. Picking the
venerable Dynaco ST-70 at random, there are at least a dozen well-
documented modifications available for this amp all of which could be
of interest and educational as well as possibly decent sounding. So,
there is lots of scope for experimentation without pretending to re-
invent anything.

As to my general listening, as long as I choose to listen to fully
orchestrated music with a wide peak-to-average and on relatively
inefficient speakers so I might be able to achieve both reasonable
treble *and* reasonable bass out of the same box, I will be using
relatively powerful amps requiring a certain amount of headroom. The
Saint-Saens Organ Symphony is pretty unforgiving if it is not to sound
like mud in a plastic bag or glass in a blender - pick one.

So, again, writing for myself, I tinker. A lot. At this moment and
other than the little monster I built, there are no less than four
systems in operation, two are tube-based, one hybrid, one all-solid-
state. My most powerful amp at this moment is a Citation 16 (SS), my
least a Dynaco ST-35. There are three other tube amps available. But
for the "three immutables" (Scott LK150, Dynaco 70 & 35) amps come and
go on a regular basis. As do speakers, tuners, pre-amps, receivers and
integrated amps, tube & SS. And speakers. That is a constant flow but
for the two immutables (AR3a & AR Athena sub-sat) There are two
immutables otherwise, the Revox A720, permissable here on the strength
of its Nixie Tube display, and the Rabco turntable... although the
latter is threatened by a Revox.

More is most definitely better - and funner. Not all in one place at
one time - but the experience of enjoying them for a time of greater
or lesser length and then trying something else. Or not. If it is
really nice, it sticks around. If not-so-nice, it moves on. It's a
hobby, not a disease or a life.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[West]

"Peter Wieck" wrote in message
...
On Jan 3, 1:13 pm, tubegarden wrote:
Hi RATs!

Lots - O - Stuff clipped

Al, for the most part I agree with most of your position. Writing for
myself even if heretical:

a) there is very little new under the sun. Certainly about everything
in tube-craft was pretty much put to bed by 1963 or so, perhaps 1970
at a stretch. Sure one or two variations on tubes since then but
little of substance. Mostly what happens today on the various amateur
benches around the world is cook-book creations based on established
recipes with at-most small variations in details. Individuals such as
Patrick who are both professional and proficient enough to make
critical parts 'from scratch' are the exceptions - and very, very
few.

b) back in the day, even mass-produced items were reasonably well made
and performed in a reasonably predictable manner. Some were better
than others but pretty much at the margins.

c) the great advances in audio have been in speakers and other
transducers, signal sources and tuners, largely not in amplification.

d) for the most part, most amplification equipment is better than the
ears listening to it. This is not necessarily true of transducers and
various signal sources.

e) with all that in mind, there is no reason why we should not admit
to ourselves that the wheel has already been invented - we *might* be
given the opportunity to make some small improvements or adaptations
to it for our own pleasure but little more than that. This frees us
from the general need to **** further and higher than the next one and
get back to enjoying what comes from our hands to our ears.

So, yeah, I have just finished breadboarding a nice little tube amp. I
used vintage Fisher Iron, and I used a modified circuit that I
observed in play ("cheap Chinese amp" that didn't sound half-bad but
got MIGHTY hot), and it plays very nicely and appears to be very well
behaved, making about 25 wpc or so from PP 6L6s. All I have to do now
is get it off the wood-and-masonite into acceptable sheet metal.

The speed in which you finished your breadboard amp project is stunning.
Just a couple of days ago Patrick asked if you have any tube projects and to
show him. You were attacking another soul as usual and sounding like you
were a top tube amp guru so Patrick grabbed a hold of your ear and took you
to the shed with that question. You sheepishly answered that I don't work on
any tube projects just restoring old radios like refinishing this tired
looking cabinet. You can't fool the Professor when it comes to tubes so you
were caught in a moment of candor.
Now you're telling someone else that you just finished a nice little tube
amp. I know you will come up with something clever to CYA, but for the
record... did you lie to Al or Patrick? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Cordially,
west

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Peter Wieck]

On Jan 9, 11:19*am, "West" wrote:

The speed in which you finished your breadboard amp project is stunning.
Just a couple of days ago Patrick asked if you have any tube projects and to
show him. You were attacking another soul as usual and sounding like you
were a top tube amp guru so Patrick grabbed a hold of your ear and took you
to the shed with that question. You sheepishly answered that I don't work on
any tube projects just restoring old radios like refinishing this tired
looking cabinet. You can't fool the Professor when it comes to tubes so you
were caught in a moment of candor.
Now you're telling someone else that you just finished a nice little tube
amp. I know you will come up with something clever to CYA, but for the
record... did you lie to Al or Patrick? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Pillock:

This project has been in-the-works for close on a year now, and fully
breadboarded well before Patrick's question. He asked "lately" and
there was no "lately". All I did over my Christmas Break is finalize
the circuit choices and tweak some caps here-and-there for better
behavior. Hardly "lately" or "earth-shattering", the functional
equivalent of checking bias, and perhaps the work of 30 minutes. If
you wish to check the archives, you will see various progress notes -
but then, you were always one to chew on the nearest foot not
realizing it was your own before the pain set in.

As you have done nothing at all towards the hobby other than change
your identity more often than your shorts, you should be the last to
criticize those who actually have their hands on the iron and actually
make things work - even if they are not necessarily "new", "different"
or "special" in any meaningful way. That would be my point, by the
way. We each pursue the hobby in our own way. Mostly, I bring things
back from the dead and learn a little bit each time. From what I have
learned from various ruins and damaged goods, I am able to do the
occasional improvement so as to prevent repeats of such failure. It is
quiet work, little fanfare attached to it although I do take a certain
amount of pride in the results. And I am constantly amazed at the
pretzels I have to unravel - but you wouldn't know anything about that
at all, would you?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[West]

I rest my case.

west

"Peter Wieck" wrote in message
...
On Jan 9, 11:19 am, "West" wrote:

The speed in which you finished your breadboard amp project is stunning.
Just a couple of days ago Patrick asked if you have any tube projects and
to
show him. You were attacking another soul as usual and sounding like you
were a top tube amp guru so Patrick grabbed a hold of your ear and took
you
to the shed with that question. You sheepishly answered that I don't work
on
any tube projects just restoring old radios like refinishing this tired
looking cabinet. You can't fool the Professor when it comes to tubes so
you
were caught in a moment of candor.
Now you're telling someone else that you just finished a nice little tube
amp. I know you will come up with something clever to CYA, but for the
record... did you lie to Al or Patrick? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Pillock:

This project has been in-the-works for close on a year now, and fully
breadboarded well before Patrick's question. He asked "lately" and
there was no "lately". All I did over my Christmas Break is finalize
the circuit choices and tweak some caps here-and-there for better
behavior. Hardly "lately" or "earth-shattering", the functional
equivalent of checking bias, and perhaps the work of 30 minutes. If
you wish to check the archives, you will see various progress notes -
but then, you were always one to chew on the nearest foot not
realizing it was your own before the pain set in.

As you have done nothing at all towards the hobby other than change
your identity more often than your shorts, you should be the last to
criticize those who actually have their hands on the iron and actually
make things work - even if they are not necessarily "new", "different"
or "special" in any meaningful way. That would be my point, by the
way. We each pursue the hobby in our own way. Mostly, I bring things
back from the dead and learn a little bit each time. From what I have
learned from various ruins and damaged goods, I am able to do the
occasional improvement so as to prevent repeats of such failure. It is
quiet work, little fanfare attached to it although I do take a certain
amount of pride in the results. And I am constantly amazed at the
pretzels I have to unravel - but you wouldn't know anything about that
at all, would you?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA