Favorite Amps?

[henry]

Oh, the Mini Watt?  I'm not too sure about the tubes, but those things are really nice.  I have a compactron tubed amp that will make you smile from those same folks.  It's small and can drive pretty well.  Compactron was an early '60's TV tube that combined input and output tubes in one glass envelope.  It does okay for what it is and the form is great.

[Capt. Z]

Since I loved that Welborne 45 DRD amp so much, I would love to find maybe a DIY kit and build one myself. Any idea if such Kits exists.

[henry]

Hey D, check out the Elekit stuff.  They offer very nice and easy kits.  Don't get too married to the 45 tubes, the 300B and 2A3s are very nice as well.  And the late production tubes are affordable and robust.   Elekit kits are Japanese made and are very desirable.  If one doesn't make you happy, reselling shouldn't be too painful.

[Capt. Z]

That Elekit 300B 2A3 amp looks interesting. Price puts it into a level, where you can get good used commercial build amps.

Watched one of the assembly videos. Doesn't look too difficult to assemble. Volume pot could be better, but not much room for a better one.

So, how does the 2A3 or 300B differ from the 45 sound wise?

[henry]

300Bs to my old ears are about the same as 45s, but have a bit more power and bottom end.  It really depends on the output and power transformers.  They are all fine tubes and amps.  If you do decide to go to the dark side of DIY, pay for the best transformers and caps.  It does matter.  I like to play rock and blues, so I tend to gravitate toward a few more watts.  Ed's little FU-32 amp board will get you there for much less money.  If we can get together, I'll bring the Ultravalve.  I'd like to see how it stacks up against other amps.  Sometimes, I wonder if I'm just lucky or crazy.  Maybe, we'll see...  At this point, do nothing, that doesn't cost anything.   

[Capt. Z]

I like to do DIY, but I don't have the brains to do a scratch build or even come up with my own design.

However, I can take a kit and with good instructions put it together, like my Transcendent T16. Worked perfect on 1st turn on. And is still working with no problem.

[henry]

Capt, I've tried both ways.  It's a lesson in humility when trying to build things that you can't quite understand.  My journey started when I was in high school building a Dynaco ST120 and a PAT4 preamp.  That was the best thing I've ever done.  Not really the last word in hifi land, but it did the job well and I did learn to solder.

I'm looking to audit a class in electronics at a local college, but I'm not getting any traction.  I hope to arrange something soon.

[Capt. Z]

My hat is off to you Henry. Never stop learning or improving.

I always wanted to know more about electronics. Have done some repairs on my audio stuff, but that was usually something 'obvious'.

Maybe in my upcoming half retirement I could take a class or somehow else study electronics.

[henry]

My hat is off to you Henry. Never stop learning or improving...

Believe me and others, there's lots of room for improvement!

[Capt. Z]

Believe me and others, there's lots of room for improvement!

Exactly. If you don't move forward, your sliding back.