Wow - did you design that amp next to your TT?

Looks absolutely stunning, beautiful piece of 'industrial' looking design.
Love the switches.

Yes I designed it, though I claim no originality for the concept of the constant current sink loaded, power cathode follower output stage it uses. There is nothing new under the sun.

The 6C33C Russian power triode or the EL509 TV sweep tube are the usual suspects when power cathode followers are used as OTL output stages. For example, the Transcendent Sound Mini Beast Ali used to have, uses three paralleled EL509s per channel. Though these are loaded by chokes, the general idea is the same. 

What is reasonably novel is the use of the 13E1 as the output valve in OTL configuration, and I only used it because I had a few knocking around, from a single ended project I built around 12 years ago and thought they would make good OTL contenders. These are the valves Morgan Jones uses in his Crystal Palace push pull amplifier from his book “Valve Amplifiers”

The look came from searching for a good looking method of using  the two large knobs that are the only parts left from a 1956 Ferguson radiogram. 

Yep, the PL509 and EL509 are the same valve, apart from the fact that the PL509 has a 40V heater as opposed to the EL509’s 6.3V.


The JJ version of the EL509 (as used in some of the Transcendent Sound OTLs) is a different pinout on an octal base with no top cap.

First valve amp Audio Innovations Series 500 (a class A design I think), a lovely amplifier with a very open soundstage giving a natural sound, especially good with Snell Type J or K's




Second was a pair of Renaissance RA01 300B push pull mono-blocks, whilst many do not like push pulls it seems Renaissance pulled the rabbit out of these and with their attention to quality and SQ created great sounding amps, very good bass and very detailed IMO. 




My current valve amp is the ALLNIC T1500 MKII, I first heard a MKI that my friend owns and thought is was superb for the cost and also being an integrated amp was quite a space saver. In comparison to the RA01s their are subtle differences as the ALLNIC is a SET design, possibly greater depth of sound stage and at times I feel their is more upper and midrange detail. But this could be a little subjective as I have changed some other components since changing amps. 

So what do I like about valve amps, well I think that if they are pair up sympathetically with speakers that work well with the amp and also are reasonably efficient then you can be rewarded with a smooth, natural and music sound, yes I know this is a poor description. What I mean by this is if for example you put on a well recorded piece of music which use natural instrumentation and vocals which you have heard or are familiar with when performed live you will get a very similar rendition aurally which does not sound like hifi, at least not to me. I know some consider valves do not have the control of the low end as much as good integrated amp or that they can give an overtly warm sound or as much punch. This may technically be true but it is not what I have found with the valve amplifiers I have owned, maybe I have been lucky with amps and speakers. I have had two integrated amps that I could have lived with a Meridian 557, and a Vincent S-234(on loan) both very good but not the same as a valve amp, perhaps I need to hear Krell. Actually I probably shouldn't hear a Krell as I am quite happy with my system as it is.

This might be a bit controversial, but those that know me appreciate that I rather love using valves in stuff.
A little while back I bought a Paradise two box phono stage (I know - what was I thinking) and then set about converting it to a one box solution. Ruffled a couple of feathers in the Paradise appreciation club I think, but to my mind it was too big.



I even fitted a heat baffle to keep things hunky-dory.




Then the madness(?) started when I realised that in place of the Calvin buffers a valve buffer would be a perfect fit. So that's what I did and the Paradise one is now a hybrid.



The result is that some of the solid state 'dryness' of the sound has been ameliorated.
It is still bettered by a first class valve phono stage though.

Yes I did own a Pioneer A400 for about 9 months, it was a temporary backup amp whilst I was going through various changes. The intention was to build up a 2nd system in the small spare room, I even had it set up at one point with CD front end and JBL speakers. However my better half quickly worked out where things were going and put her foot down hard, as far as she was concerned I had invested more than enough in one system and a second in another room was just not happening. 

Whilst not currently set up my main valve rig comprises of an ARC Ref10 pre-amp and a pair of ARC Ref250 mono blocks.
All the ARC supplied factory current production Sovtek 6h30 signal valves Have been replaced with 1980's production NOS Reflector 6h30-DR's and the power regulating current production  Sovtek 6550's have been replaced with 1970's production General Electric 6550's, I have also tube rolled with Tung Sol grey and black plate valves circa 1950's to Early 1960's , the Vintage valves make for a remarkable improvement in tone , texture and liquidity in the ARC's.