The "Beast"
All tube MM/MC Phono Amp
I have called this the beast because it must be the biggest phono
stage out there. It uses old school methods for voltage and current
regulation as well as rectification. Carbon composition resistors
in the power supply give it that 50's style richness, but still with
great detail. The sound stage is gigantic with pin point placements of all the
instruments. The tubes are very large, old school style, so I had to
find a way to fit them into the chassis. The chassis is available in two
sizes. 165mm high which will fit a GZ34 or 210 mm which will fit a 274b
rectifier tube. The result of all of this work
is the real sound of the tube era but with modern detail. Unlike most
amplifiers that claim to be all tube, this one really is. It is
not a solid state unit with a tube buffer on the output to make it
sound tube like. It is not a pumped up Mosfet front end so that you can
use a LOMC. It is ALL tube! (OK, I know the 12ax7 power supply has SS
voltage regulation.)
Super quiet is also necessary so a special gas voltage regulating tube is used in the power supply. When using a cartridge of less than .4mV you may need to use a head amp as the tube noise may become too loud. Indeed this is old school. I have been building this amp for over 12 years. I have made this circuit hard wired (no boards) in the past but could not ship as the boxes were dropped too often. The boards are bare when I receive them. They are a very good circuit that meets my design criteria. I use my own specifications for the resistors and caps. As do most manufactures, I use parts from many suppliers around the world. I use a torriod transformer power supply which is fully tube regulated. . I have spent 12 years 24/7 working on this amp. I have put a great deal of time into the sound, quietness, and reliability of this unit. All it takes is one listen to know that this amp is special. It uses RIAA feedback, which neophytes claim is bad. Little do they know that the sound with feedback is so clean that it has that you are there quality. I have literally built hundreds of phono amps. One listen and you will know. Nothing else sounds like this. The power board includes super audiophile parts such as Takman Carbon film, Audiophile resistors, Mundorf Evo Gold oil filled capacitors, Polystyrene capacitors for the RIAA filter. Nichicon Audio Grade electrolytic capacitors, high end red Copper Rca connectors, and a R-Core transformer. The best of everything.
The result is a sound that will bring tears to your eyes. It is old school done right with only the best components. No need for a step up transformer. They can not compare to an all tube unit. A step up transformer increases voltage at the expense of a decrease in current. The sound is wimpy compared to this. The dip switches control three aspects of the amps operation. With them you may need to make additional adjustments for individual cartridges. First is the AC Impedance. The resistors are set at #1, 2.7K ohms. #2, 1.3K ohms, #3 510 ohms, #4 is 200 ohms. I suggest that you use this as a tone control. #1 is + Treble and #4 is + Bass. You can also use the Dip switches to adjust the amount of input signal which is sent to ground. This is useful in matching the output of the pre amp to your amplifier power. You will not find a comparable unit at any price to listen to your priceless vinyl. This is the way records were meant to be played. After listening to this unit you will understand why tubes are still so popular. You will understand why tubes and Vinyl are a match made in Heaven. Standard Tubes included: 5 X12ax7, 2 X NOS 6V6GT, 1 X GZ34, 1 NOS OB2 Gas Tube.
ABOUT THE DESIGN! I built this amp because I was not happy with the sound of a step up transformer. It colored things too much. From hard wired to fully regulated I have designed this amp by ear. I know what each circuit adds to the sound. I know what each part sounds like. I studied music at a college that made Zoltan Kodaly ear training mandatory. You learned how to listen by being locked in a closet size room with a piano listening to chords, scales, modes, all the different sounds. You were also taught tonal memory and the ability to listen to music and transcribe it directly onto paper. A test would include such things as identifying chord qualities when played on a piano, singing notes twenty minutes after hearing them, notating songs as they were played on a piano. This was the hardest course that I ever took. The result of all this is the ability to hear every part of my amplifier's sound and be able to identify it. I have meticulously listened to different resistors, capacitors, wire, etc. to come up with the perfect "you are there" kind of sound.
Super quiet is also necessary so a special gas voltage regulating tube is used in the power supply. When using a cartridge of less than .4mV you may need to use a head amp as the tube noise may become too loud. Indeed this is old school. I have been building this amp for over 12 years. I have made this circuit hard wired (no boards) in the past but could not ship as the boxes were dropped too often. The boards are bare when I receive them. They are a very good circuit that meets my design criteria. I use my own specifications for the resistors and caps. As do most manufactures, I use parts from many suppliers around the world. I use a torriod transformer power supply which is fully tube regulated. . I have spent 12 years 24/7 working on this amp. I have put a great deal of time into the sound, quietness, and reliability of this unit. All it takes is one listen to know that this amp is special. It uses RIAA feedback, which neophytes claim is bad. Little do they know that the sound with feedback is so clean that it has that you are there quality. I have literally built hundreds of phono amps. One listen and you will know. Nothing else sounds like this. The power board includes super audiophile parts such as Takman Carbon film, Audiophile resistors, Mundorf Evo Gold oil filled capacitors, Polystyrene capacitors for the RIAA filter. Nichicon Audio Grade electrolytic capacitors, high end red Copper Rca connectors, and a R-Core transformer. The best of everything.
The result is a sound that will bring tears to your eyes. It is old school done right with only the best components. No need for a step up transformer. They can not compare to an all tube unit. A step up transformer increases voltage at the expense of a decrease in current. The sound is wimpy compared to this. The dip switches control three aspects of the amps operation. With them you may need to make additional adjustments for individual cartridges. First is the AC Impedance. The resistors are set at #1, 2.7K ohms. #2, 1.3K ohms, #3 510 ohms, #4 is 200 ohms. I suggest that you use this as a tone control. #1 is + Treble and #4 is + Bass. You can also use the Dip switches to adjust the amount of input signal which is sent to ground. This is useful in matching the output of the pre amp to your amplifier power. You will not find a comparable unit at any price to listen to your priceless vinyl. This is the way records were meant to be played. After listening to this unit you will understand why tubes are still so popular. You will understand why tubes and Vinyl are a match made in Heaven. Standard Tubes included: 5 X12ax7, 2 X NOS 6V6GT, 1 X GZ34, 1 NOS OB2 Gas Tube.
ABOUT THE DESIGN! I built this amp because I was not happy with the sound of a step up transformer. It colored things too much. From hard wired to fully regulated I have designed this amp by ear. I know what each circuit adds to the sound. I know what each part sounds like. I studied music at a college that made Zoltan Kodaly ear training mandatory. You learned how to listen by being locked in a closet size room with a piano listening to chords, scales, modes, all the different sounds. You were also taught tonal memory and the ability to listen to music and transcribe it directly onto paper. A test would include such things as identifying chord qualities when played on a piano, singing notes twenty minutes after hearing them, notating songs as they were played on a piano. This was the hardest course that I ever took. The result of all this is the ability to hear every part of my amplifier's sound and be able to identify it. I have meticulously listened to different resistors, capacitors, wire, etc. to come up with the perfect "you are there" kind of sound.