Bonky
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Post by Bonky on Mar 26, 2018 7:13:47 GMT
Mmmm...interesting. Thanks.
I have just built the WD KEL 84 so will be interested in how it sounds with my Living Voice speakers.
The owner of LV always reckoned that they sounded better with valve amps (and the Sugden A21).
I have seen a 2nd hand PrimaLuna for sale and was just contemplating a comparison.
Thanks again.
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Bonky
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Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Mar 25, 2018 20:05:26 GMT
Very high output impedance on some models according to Stereophile - and what that does to conventional two way speakers with crossovers has to be seen to be believed... Not sure I want fixed, built in unadjustable tone controls though... Hi, thanks, but please could you explain a little more re the impedance issues?
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Bonky
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Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Mar 25, 2018 16:57:28 GMT
I am surprised that no-one has mentioned the Latest Primaluna amps. The amplification section may be old hat to some but the complementary circuitry seems,to my naive eyes, to be very advanced (auto bias etc).
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Bonky
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Post by Bonky on Mar 14, 2018 8:42:37 GMT
Hi Greg,
Very many thanks for that full answer. I'll report back when I've made it and it has 'burned-in'.
Matthew (Snell) is a very nice person to deal with and I can recommend him and his company based on my limited experience.
The 2 year cycle of valve replacement is obviously a disadvantage - but one that I was aware of. Your £400 'bill' every two years is/was a bit of an eye-opener (obviously mine would be less).
It will be interesting to see how the KEL compares with my DADA-modded Quad 306 (and 99).
BW
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Bonky
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Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Mar 12, 2018 19:41:00 GMT
Thanks Chris,
I'm not going to modify the KEL84 in any way - if ever- for some time, but I always like to keep an open door - just in case something 'better' comes along.
R
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Bonky
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Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Mar 12, 2018 12:39:25 GMT
Just seen this thread...very interesting .
I would start (as indeed I did) with the Sinclair Pro60, not because of its technical expertise but because it got so many of us interested in DIY (soldering those damm DIN plugs and sockets) and was a useful 'first step'. I agree that the Sinclair Neoteric was a much better amp and still lauded today. (I never realised it was Class'D').
The NAD 3020 and the Audiolab 8000A would also get a mention in my book as would the Sugden A21.
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Mar 12, 2018 10:22:55 GMT
(OP here...)
Well, tomorrow I shall be the proud owner of a WD KEL84XL valve kit amp.
My 'concern' is...what if I like it too much...do I 'tweak' it (see the WD forum) or upgrade to a more powerful valve amp. What have others done? What valve amps do they/you upgrade to?
bw
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Mar 6, 2018 20:00:24 GMT
I would agree with all that's been said so far.
Having said that I'd say go to some concerts/gigs and TRY to recall the sound. What did you like/dislike? Were the voices too sibilant? Too much bass etc?
Then try to get as near as possible to the sounds you liked (It could be that Classical music and 'Pop' music need slightly different equipment to achieve that aim).
Examine the room your stuff is going to be situated in. Is it well damped?(Curtains, carpets etc. Concrete or wooden-suspended floor? All can have bearing). Size?
Budget? What is your ideal split? (eg 'speakers 50%; amp 25% sources 20% Connects 5% etc. Please note I am NOT advocating this split necessarily) If your main source is to be a turntable then obviously sources may go up to 40-50%; the excellent Raspberry Pi (digital) would be one hell of a lot lower, so more could be spent on the other items etc.
Are looks important?
Can you DIY?
By all means look at What HiFi - but use it only as a guide.
Hear as much stuff as you can... draw up some lists and then get back to us!
Best of luck. (it's not really a minefield ... more a smorgasbord.. when you don't know what the dishes are - or how they are going to interact!)
BW
Bonky
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 25, 2018 16:45:00 GMT
Mike, Martin and Spica...as useful and informative as ever.
Many thanks, R
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 25, 2018 16:00:50 GMT
I can't believe the cost of these! (Yes, I know It's all relative). If I just wanted mechanical decoupling what's the cheapest way of doing this (besides squash balls cut in half)? Thanks.
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 24, 2018 11:38:53 GMT
What's the conclusion here then? From what I can read then it appears no,they've not. New types of valve,new,better components,much more information available to DIYers and guys like Colin who are full of ideas certainly give me the impression tubes are going to move on. Hi, OP here. yes Chris, that's the conclusion I've come to as well. I asked partly because I'm thinking of experimenting with a WD KEL84 valve amp and needed to know if I was wasting my money on an 'old' design (albeit with modern components). Were there other - better - valve amps for approx the same money? (I need a power amp as I already have a Shiit saga preamp and my Living Voice speakers are efficient) Thanks everyone...
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 24, 2018 7:29:42 GMT
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 23, 2018 20:54:42 GMT
...lifting and separating...? Playtex?
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 23, 2018 19:49:37 GMT
With respect to all the posters so far, (and I must apologise as it's obviously my fault in that I haven't made by question abundantly clear), my question is: why should so many people in the thread I read (and lost) believe that SQ is improved if external x-overs are positioned close to the amp rather than the speakers?
Has anyone switched their X-overs being nearer to the amp rather than the speakers? Also, (supplementary)... Do different cables before and after the X-over box make difference?
Thanks.R
PS. Spica- thanks for the above pics; very, very interesting!
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 23, 2018 16:44:43 GMT
Spica (of this parish) spiked (apologies) my interest in DIY builds - especially of omni-cubes - and in doing so have spent many 'happy' hours trawling the www.
However, I came across something unconventional; something to almost match the debates re mains cables, fuses etc that appear to fly in the face of common sense/science...that of crossover placement.
My LV speakers have the option of external x-overs (mine are inside), but if I were to build some DIY speakers I would certainly place them externally (if only so I could experiment with them). Now, I would have thought that the obvious place to put them was near to the rear of the speakers (well away from magnets and vacuum cleaners etc), but there seems to be a lot of opinion (sorry, lost the links), that the best placement is near to the amp (about 30cm). Potential reasons seemed to include: 1) further away from the magnets,2) better separation of bass and treble.
Has anyone done the experiment? Can anyone here give any explanation?
Yours, somewhat perplexed...
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Bonky
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Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 18, 2018 9:46:47 GMT
Wonderful Steve; thanks for that. Way beyond my capabilities...I'll stick with WD KEL84 kits I think
BW.
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 18, 2018 9:15:00 GMT
Steve, You can't leave us all hanging in the air...
Is the 'Stateside' valve amp your own design? What are the specs? Valves? Did you build it all yourself?
Thanks
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 17, 2018 18:02:01 GMT
Here is my example of what can be done with valve amps if you put your mind to it: Cheap, fun, educational, rewarding and no need for expensive racks, cables or magic crystals. You know it makes sense.
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 16, 2018 16:31:18 GMT
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Bonky
Rank: Trio
Posts: 156
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Post by Bonky on Feb 11, 2018 14:42:10 GMT
That's very kind...thank you!
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