Beautiful Amplifiers? Exploring Art and Audio...

[computer-audiophile]

Transistors don't need super complication either, as long as you're satisfied with moderate output:

Products – www.firstwatt.com

Note the mu-follower at the output

I know this circuit of course

BTW: When the first affordable power transistors became available in the sixties, 2N3055 or so, I built a heavy CLASS-A transistor amplifier the size of a beer crate with large heat sinks together with an older colleague at the Physics Institute in Heidelberg. We had an experimental workshop where all kinds of devices were built. Such an amp was not available at that time.

 

[fpitas]

I know this circuit of course

BTW: When the first affordable power transistors became available in the sixties, 2N3055 or so, I built a heavy CLASS-A transistor amplifier the size of a beer crate with large heat sinks together with an older colleague at the Physics Institute in Heidelberg. We had an experimental workshop where all kinds of devices were built. Such an amp was not available at that time.

The newer MOSFETs are great for circuits of that sort. Pretty cheap, too.

 

[mhardy6647]

Do people on this forum even like tube amps?

some've us do.

We had a tube amp when I was a kid back in the 60's.

I had no complaints.

Even "helped" put it together on the dining room table.

They work.

I have (like most everyone else on the planet) no tubes in operation anywhere in the house, now.

That HF-81 is much prettier than is mine.



(although, admittedly, I am using "prettier" in a somewhat nonstandard way when applying it to an HF-81)

 

[computer-audiophile]

Own photo:

 

[Xulonn]

Kelly Holsten's restored HF-81 looks great.

 

[computer-audiophile]

Another own photo of a BRAUN tube receiver:

 

[computer-audiophile]

My BRAUN Turntable (Design by Dieter Rams)

 

[Koeitje]

Transistors don't need super complication either, as long as you're satisfied with moderate output:

Products – www.firstwatt.com

Note the mu-follower at the output

25W, that will clip pretty fast at decent listening levels with most consumer loudspeakers.

 

[Rosenbloom]

I once had this Leben tube amp, made in Japan. Very beautiful I musy say.
Its headphone output is excellent too, particularly with Denon D7xxx and AudioTechnica wood headphones

 

[egellings]

Honestly, I like the home-brewed tube amp look more than 99% of the boutique tube amps. Trying too hard.

Here's a picture of Earl Gellings: His Reference preamp and his buddies that go out and electrocute any speaker that looks threatening.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

We had a tube amp when I was a kid back in the 60's.

I had no complaints.

Even "helped" put it together on the dining room table.

They work.

I have (like most everyone else on the planet) no tubes in operation anywhere in the house, now.

First kit I ever built and the first stereo amp I ever had.

 

[mhardy6647]

Kelly Holsten's restored HF-81 looks great.

View attachment 263170

Indeed it is, inside and out.
Kelly Holsten, in those days a fixture on the Klipsch forums, started the big run-up on cost for these nice stereo pp EL84 integrated amplifiers (essentially two EICO HF-12 mono integrateds in one box) with his beautifully-done website chockablock with sexy photos of his well-restored HF81.
The Stereophile review of a restored (somewhat resto-modded, as I recall) HF-81 by the late Peter Brueninger finished the job.

EICO HF-81 integrated amplifier

If you spotted an EICO HF-81 at the local Goodwill, you'd think nothing of this plain-Jane integrated amplifier in its nondescript gray case. But if you kept on walking, you would have passed up one of the best-kept audio secrets of all time. The HF-81 hails from hi-fi's pioneer days, before...

www.stereophile.com

Kelly was/is a good guy. I have totally lost track of him, though.

25W, that will clip pretty fast at decent listening levels with most consumer loudspeakers.

Key word there being most.



We could strip wallpaper with 25 watts at my house.
That's why I (usually) only use about 3 watts (per channel) -- although, in fairness, we don't have any wallpaper.

 

[SIY]

Do people on this forum even like tube amps?

/raises hand

 

[Inner Space]

I once had this Leben tube amp, made in Japan. Very beautiful I musy say.

I have one of those somewhere. It's the best-smelling amp I ever had - whatever kind of linseed oil he uses on the wood cheeks is lovely. And I like the bass shelf switch for headphone listening - really helps the HD800s, for instance.

 

[DonH56]

It's always cool to see what folk like, knowing one man's swan is another's ugly duckling.

My old ARC SP3a1 in black and gold had a vintage look (not mine, pulled from the 'net, mine's in a box):

Paired to a newer (but very old now, and sold some years ago) D-79 (picture from the 'net again):

 

[computer-audiophile]

I just found a picture of a Tonkunst performance with my old DIY 300B amplifiers. It was a so called concert for loudspeakers. Musique concrète was played from a REVOX Tape recorder. This is a concept that I had taken over from Susumu Sakuma 'the king of DHT triodes' (R.I.P.) from Japan, who has inspired me in the past. I always loved to instrumentalize my audio stuff for art.

 

[computer-audiophile]

Another day with my 'Heinzelmann' Amp:

 

[egellings]

/raises hand

I have my home brewed mono-block tube power amps and preamp done with tubes and enjoy the sound. The key thing is that I enjoy the sound, even if there is not a string of zeroes to the right of the dismal point before the first non-zero digit is encountered in the distortion readings.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

That's Ghent's case for the stereo version of Hypex NC400 stereo amp! I bought that very case a few years ago intending to build a stereo NC 400 amp. Meanwhile Purifi came out with the Eval 1, and I decided I wanted to do it instead, so I had a local company fabricate (laser cut) a new back to accommodate the very different mount required for the Eval 1, as well as drill some holes for the Eval 1 board. I was going to get the board annodized black, but the cost of that would have been as much as the initial fabrication, so I just painted it black with Krylon. It looks awful, but who looks at the back of their amp?

And it works! It's an Eval 1 though it says Ncore on the front of the case. Works perfectly. I also opted for an orange light instead because if I saw another blue light on a piece of audio gear, I would prolly need to kill everyone in the room.

 

[kongwee]

It is just me, beautiful inside and outside.