I am sick of failing amplifiers

[DasguteOhr]

Heck of a story GodofW. I wish I bought a Cary Sli180 years back. They made good stuff.
Yea, my audion had a garage built enclosure. Its cheap. Unique sound. I need to give it more time.

The Blade amp with the Monolith is a work of art. 78lbs per monoblock. It does eat the mercury vapor rectifiers. But they go slow so you know it. And they cost maybe $40. No problems with the power or drivers.

845 getting worked in.
Blade on my stand. Not a good shot.

When that thing eats the rectifers, mostly are the first charging cap is too big or the resistance value of the transformer winding (mains) is too low. The recommended value (Rt) is given in the data sheet of the tube rectifier. If you do not stick to it, it will usually break very quickly.

Yes the 6SN7 is the driver.
I think the regulator is a OA3. Mine are KT88 or KT120. I need to get a quad of KT120 from Upscale to try some day.

you get more output (watt) if the circuit is adjusted. the monolith outputtransformers are wordclass.

 

[Kingrex]

When that thing eats the rectifers, mostly are the first charging cap is too big or the resistance value of the transformer winding (mains) is too low. The recommended value (Rt) is given in the data sheet of the tube rectifier. If you do not stick to it, it will usually break very quickly.

you get more output (watt) if the circuit is adjusted. the monolith outputtransformers are wordclass.

I think he drives it at the peak of its operating potential. And my wall mount.Torus bucks.the power to about 125 volts. Is that part of the issue.

 

[DasguteOhr]

I think he drives it at the peak of its operating potential. And my wall mount.Torus bucks.the power to about 125 volts. Is that part of the issue.

I'm quoting the "brownbook from 1959" (tube bible of studio technology Germany) tolerances higher than +- 5% are to be avoided. you are a bit out of that range. a higher heating voltage is more tolerable for the tube than too low. this leads to additional load for the circuit and its components which can be critical. try an adjustable transformer (min 500watt)and reduce the voltage to the standard value.
Exsample pay attention to the correct mains frequency.

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[Atmasphere]

I think he drives it at the peak of its operating potential. And my wall mount.Torus bucks.the power to about 125 volts. Is that part of the issue.

@DasguteOhr is right! This tube needs to be run with less current: they are quite fidgety if you run then near max!! They are only used as a Voltage reference so a Zener diode could be used, eliminating the need for this tube altogether. I've heard objections because Zeners 'don't sound as good' but in my experience you can side step that problem by isolating the Zener from the circuit for which it is a reference (or fixed Voltage) with a resistor and a capacitor to ground to bypass the output of the resistor.

 

[Kingrex]

I will leave it direct to the wall with 120 volt.
Thanks. Resolves a question I have had.

 

[analogsa]

When that thing eats the rectifers, mostly are the first charging cap is too big or the resistance value of the transformer winding (mains) is too low. The recommended value (Rt) is given in the data sheet of the tube rectifier. If you do not stick to it, it will usually break very quickly.

you get more output (watt) if the circuit is adjusted. the monolith outputtransformers are wordclass.

Not sure what rectifier are you guys discussing: no mercury in the tube lineup mentioned above. And mercury does not take a first cap, it's strictly choke input. It also needs warm up time, hence delayed B+. Very unusual to see such rectifiers in modern commercial equipment.

Some people seem to like glow tubes like the OD3, but their standard application usually produces very bass light sound. Perhaps because they cannot stand any meaningful bypass capacitance.

 

[Kingrex]

I do like the blue glow in the dark.

 

[Another Johnson]

The original posts and the saga of failed amps reminded me of my long journey with vintage gear, both tube and solid state… primarily Krell and conrad johnson.

I finally got sick of sending gear back for recaps, burned out resistors, failed and noisy switches, pots, and relays. Also got tired of modern CJ and its “quirky charm” which did not deliver the goods at my house.

At this point I’ve been enjoying an extended drama free period with current model Burmester. I do not miss any of my CJ or Krell gear. My system has never sounded as good as it does today.

I’d also consider McIntosh in its current form. McIntosh has always been pretty drama free, but its latest offerings can sound like true high end as well. I have one of their MA9500 integrated amps in a small A/V system, and I love it.

 

[ChasFreeland]

The last 3 amps I bought have all been duds. I bought an Altec Lansing 1570B redone by Tom Tutay with Transition Audio. I had to get into the amp and change out signal caps, input wires and solder a couple loose connections. After that the amps worked fine, but they were not quite what I was looking for.

Round 2 I figure I will get a new amp with a manufacturer warranty. This is maybe the 5th set of amps I'm buying. I buy the Ampsandsound Casablanca. They sound nice but I am plagued with humming I blame on home for years. In the end I have a different manufacturer get into the amps and $1,000 later the faulty internal grounding, incorrectly installed input and some other issues are corrected and the amps are now suppose to be much more quiet. I have not received them back yet.

In the interim I get excited about trying SET due to the long thread here. I buy a used pair of Audion Black Shadow. The sound is pretty good. Its not perfect. I have been struggling to get them to really click in my system. The problem now is in the last 2 weeks (3) three Telefunken E88cc and (1) one Amperex 6922 have all gone microphonic shrieking within days of being installed in the amps. I can blame 1, maybe 2 tubes on my tubes. But 4 is becoming an amp problem in my mind. Seeing how each of these tubes cost me close to $200, and they are dam hard to find good ones, I'm at full halt on music until I either spend thousands with the shipping to get the Black Shadow repaired. Or until my repaired Casablanca are returned. They are on a slight hold as its $200 round trip to ship them so I only sent one to ensure they could actually be repaired. I need to get the other in the mail.

In short, I'm getting pretty sick of audio crap. Crap being the headaches and just Crap gear. I have been wanting to try a SS amp, but honestly, I don't know I want a used one as it may just shit the can any time and be an anchor for my boat. And I'm tired of tubes. I even tried a new tube amp and got a turd. Or at least I had to send it to another shop that could understand why it had such bad humming issues and for the most part repair them. I have been advised, they will never be totally quiet due to the design.

Maybe I am just a snob now, but "new" these days is really out of my grasp as pricing is unreasonably high. I have steep expectations for PRAT. I want a decent amp. For goodness sakes, I cold purchase a darn nice car with the amount of money I have buried in my audio now. And I just keep bleeding, all with issues now. It's actually quite gut wrenching. When I got up today and fired up the system and a brand new set of Amperex 6922 started to squeal. My stomach really dropped out and I have been in a pissed off fog all day. This merry go round of wasted money on audio has to stop. And that is not just me now talking. My wife is really starting to put the screws down. She has had enough of the bleed herself. When I get upset over issues such as this, I'm getting the "dump the stereo if it does not make you happy". She may not be all that far off base. With all the fiddling, pondering, reading, modifying it takes to tune a setup to get the most, at some point, the fun in it starts to run dry. Failing amps is just flat out no fun. Not only do they make the owner mad, but decent relationships with audio members can really go sour when your sitting on used gear that is not working correct. Orrrrrr, is it something else that is really something else. At least when I bough my used CJ and the fuse blew every turn on, I had a real case to take to the seller. I got compensated for repairs there. God only knows why input tubes are going microphonic within days of being installed. Or a darn good tech. Of which am not.

Similar experiences: Krell 600 mono blocks, blew up. Relaced with Spectral 400 monoblocks. They, too, blew up. Four months to repair and a couple thousand bucks. Now I'm on Pass monoblocks. Went with Pass because of the solid reputation. of the company. It helps to have a good company back up the products you purchased from them.. Spectral does not do that.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Not sure what rectifier are you guys discussing: no mercury in the tube lineup mentioned above. And mercury does not take a first cap, it's strictly choke input. It also needs warm up time, hence delayed B+. Very unusual to see such rectifiers in modern commercial equipment.

Some people seem to like glow tubes like the OD3, but their standard application usually produces very bass light sound. Perhaps because they cannot stand any meaningful bypass capacitance.

thank you. I have not yet dealt with mercury rectifiers and assumed the same rules apply there. with a choke input everything changes.
I'm going to go read a book about it before I write any more nonsense.

 

[Charles S]

The original posts and the saga of failed amps reminded me of my long journey with vintage gear, both tube and solid state… primarily Krell and conrad johnson.

I finally got sick of sending gear back for recaps, burned out resistors, failed and noisy switches, pots, and relays. Also got tired of modern CJ and its “quirky charm” which did not deliver the goods at my house.

At this point I’ve been enjoying an extended drama free period with current model Burmester. I do not miss any of my CJ or Krell gear. My system has never sounded as good as it does today.

I’d also consider McIntosh in its current form. McIntosh has always been pretty drama free, but its latest offerings can sound like true high end as well. I have one of their MA9500 integrated amps in a small A/V system, and I love it.

My MC3500's run off the 2-ohm tap easily drive my XVX to life performance levels and with the new green EL509s output tubes have been very reliable. The amps will easily peg to 350 watts continuous and run extremely cool, certainly need no fan. The sonics with them are amazing.

 

[Kingrex]

All this headach is why I got that Dartzeel NHB108. But Scott put that Blade amp in my setup and slaughtered the Dartzeel on so many levels. The Dart was more lush and warm. But I was playing vinyl. A group of Cuban women singing guitars and simple wood percussions. With the Dart you knew someone was hitting something wood. But not sure what. The Blade clearly displayed a wood block being hit with a wood stich. And it was coming from outside my house in the far right corner. Amazing.

I miss the simplicity of the Dartzeel. I dislike tube rolling and tube maintenance. There is something about the way tubes preaent I do like. I have never warmed up to Solid State. I said somewnere else in a thread, sometimes SS is to perfect. That then sounds fake to me.

 

[Kingrex]

thank you. I have not yet dealt with mercury rectifiers and assumed the same rules apply there. with a choke input everything changes.
I'm going to go read a book about it before I write any more nonsense.

All.you need to know is they are pretty.

Scott knows other ways to make the rectifier. He says he finds mercury tubes sonically play best. These amps.were an all out assault. It is possible Ralph or Moricab may kmow how to juice a little more bass by most likely fuddling with the negstive feesback. Maybe something else.

I am thinking of trying the KT120 as I said. I liked them in my CJ. The loss of resolution will probably be acceptable as these amps have so much to start with.

 

[Charles S]

All this headach is why I got that Dartzeel NHB108. But Scott put that Blade amp in my setup and slaughtered the Dartzeel on so many levels. The Dart was more lush and warm. But I was playing vinyl. A group of Cuban women singing guitars and simple wood percussions. With the Dart you knew someone was hitting something wood. But not sure what. The Blade clearly displayed a wood block being hit with a wood stich. And it was coming from outside my house in the far right corner. Amazing.

I miss the simplicity of the Dartzeel. I dislike tube rolling and tube maintenance. There is something about the way tubes preaent I do like. I have never warmed up to Solid State. I said somewnere else in a thread, sometimes SS is to perfect. That then sounds fake to me.

I hear you. It's really difficult to find gear that we are totally satisfied with. After many years of searching and waiting I have finally found my lifetime gear. I was hoping that Mac would solve the reliability issue with the 3500 MKII EL509S output tubes and they have. The amp sounds superb and is extremely powerful. It's a timeless tube amplifier. I was a SS man for years but the new hybrid tube Mac An gear (C-12000 An and MCD12000 An) plus the new MC2.1KW An for my Thor has resulted in totally quenching my thirst. The sonics this gear produces through my XVX satisfies my soul and that's what we are all looking for, unless we just desire to impress, which is not me. Is there better gear out there? Of course there is, but this is not the question to ask because there is always better gear out there. Look at the new Varese or new Momentum C2 pre (just using them as examples). How does this make owners of the Vivaldi or HD feel? There will always be better gear and it will usually be more expensive than the previous gear it replaced. The better question is: Are you 100% satisfied with the sonics of your system so that you are not in the hunt anymore? If you truly are, then you have reached the end of your journey and I have.

 

[Kingrex]

I hear you Charles.
At some time I want to shrink my speakers. I'm probably selling the house we bought and building a new one on a differerent propery. I will have a living room system again. I don’t want that pile of stuff.

As far as new and improved. I don't fully believe top of the line multi hundred thousand gear is always better. I doubt most people have the electrical power or room to really appreciate it. And I wonder, is it really better. Every reviewer will tell you it is. Every forum member that bought it will say so too. But is it????? Better power and a better room with tuning what you have would probably take you further.

I have a past client that has dirty utility power. He bought a Puritan. He still hears the power fluxuate durring the day. He just bought a Goal Zero home back up power supply. Basically a 4kVH lithium battery in a pretty package with a built in charger and a pure sine wave inverter. About $2700. He plugs his putitan into this and has his front end gear powered by Puritan feed by battery. Here is what he says.

I'm pretty good and quickly sizing up sonic differences. I’m less good at being able to tell which I prefer - this can take months. But here’s what I found:

-On the GZ everything is gains a massive transient punch. And I mean punch, like I’ve never heard before (my current system already leans this way and the GZ seems to have let it go even further this way)

-Increase in clarity and all traces of bloom seem to be removed.

-Vocals and mids are moved up more forward and are noticeably clearer and prominent. But somehow it seems at the same time there is no change in tonal balance vs the wall (great!)

-More detail retrieval

-Even though there seems to be no tonal change the sound feels cleaner and a touch lighter - I think this is due to the loss of bloom. Bass is just as present but is more defined and detailed with less bloom.

-Images are rock solid - when connected to the wall I always have the sense that the sweet spot is continually shifting and morphing. Always thought it was my imagination and OCD. With the GX that feeling has totally, utterly vanished.

Why do I bring this up. What he said is the same language use to describe changing your $60,000 DAC into a $300,000 DAC. The guy spent $2700. He is tuning what he has. Yes you can chase your tail buying tweeks.
I have been pondering battery power for some time. I was looking more at large high output inverters. Like 30,000 watt for whole.home. Then a bank of batteries. As much amp hours as you want. Then a Torus attached to the output of the inverter. I figgured I could make something far more robust than 2 x Stomtank S5000 for about $22,000. And it would not be in your room. In a garage somewhere. Anyhow, I never got to it.
I may become a Goal Zero distributor and create a package of GZ plus Torus. It would include a special power cord to attach the 30A output to the 20A IEC of the Torus. There is also a way to open the GZ and access taps that were a future way to chain batteries in parallel. That would provide limitless current. That output could go into a device like a subpanel or one of my integrated power panels that have breakers and duplex all in 1 enclosure. Set it behind your rack.and have massive battey current for whatever gear.

 

[Salectric]

@Kingrex, what is the circuit topology of the Blade? It apparently uses a single 6sn7 per channel. That sounds to me like one half is used as input gain, and the other half is either a split load inverter or a paraphase inverter.

 

[Kingrex]

@Kingrex, what is the circuit topology of the Blade? It apparently uses a single 6sn7 per channel. That sounds to me like one half is used as input gain, and the other half is either a split load inverter or a paraphase inverter.

Wow, way beyond me.
I was told transformer coupled, differential design, PP. Thats all I know.

 

[Zeotrope]

McIntosh has always been pretty drama free, but its latest offerings can sound like true high end as well. I have one of their MA9500 integrated amps in a small A/V system, and I love it.

My one and only experience with McIntosh was the opposite. In 2022 I bought the brand new 4 channel McIntosh MI-1254 amp. One channel started making static noises right away. It was sent back to Binghamton with a clear description of the problem. I also was careful to re-apply the original protective stickers for the meters, to try to ensure they don’t get scratched.

It came back several weeks later with a note: “replaced audio board, cleaned, tested all functions”.
Well, guess what? They did NOT do that - they just moved the defective channel to another output. So now instead of Ch 3 making noise, it was Ch. 1. Not only that, they did not clean it. The protective stickers had been discarded and there were fingerprints all over the meter covers. And, the final icing on the cake?
Many screws were not even fully tightened - a few were sticking out about 1cm, that’s how loose they were!

McIntosh blamed it at first on “shipping”, even though I am ~3 hours from Binghamton and it was very well packaged. They had no excuse lined up for how it arrived after being “repaired” though.

The dealer was great, but I spent about 8 hours of my time driving to and from the dealer, and more time installed, troubleshooting (I initially thought it was the speaker, so I swapped it), and then installing it again…

This experience told me that McIntosh does not care about customer service. The repair process is a complete joke, staffed by people who could care less about their job. I’m sure there are exceptions, but this was my experience, and I’ll never buy McIntosh again.

 

[Another Johnson]

My one and only experience with McIntosh was the opposite. In 2022 I bought the brand new 4 channel McIntosh MI-1254 amp. One channel started making static noises right away. It was sent back to Binghamton with a clear description of the problem. I also was careful to re-apply the original protective stickers for the meters, to try to ensure they don’t get scratched.

It came back several weeks later with a note: “replaced audio board, cleaned, tested all functions”.
Well, guess what? They did NOT do that - they just moved the defective channel to another output. So now instead of Ch 3 making noise, it was Ch. 1. Not only that, they did not clean it. The protective stickers had been discarded and there were fingerprints all over the meter covers. And, the final icing on the cake?
Many screws were not even fully tightened - a few were sticking out about 1cm, that’s how loose they were!

McIntosh blamed it at first on “shipping”, even though I am ~3 hours from Binghamton and it was very well packaged. They had no excuse lined up for how it arrived after being “repaired” though.

The dealer was great, but I spent about 8 hours of my time driving to and from the dealer, and more time installed, troubleshooting (I initially thought it was the speaker, so I swapped it), and then installing it again…

This experience told me that McIntosh does not care about customer service. The repair process is a complete joke, staffed by people who could care less about their job. I’m sure there are exceptions, but this was my experience, and I’ll never buy McIntosh again.

Well, you should definitely not buy any more McIntosh gear.

At least once it’s working again it’s easy to unload … lots of people are willing to pay 75% of retail just to get the chance to take the problem gear off your hands.

You know, every company screws up once in a while. McIntosh did not get where they are by “not caring.” They’ve got far and away the strongest authorized service network, and there are countless stories of their going the second mile.

I was a McIntosh fan in the 60s and 70s. I lost interest in their sound for about 35 years. But now they sound like they’re back in the demos I’ve heard.

Just think how much fun this would have been had you had to send boxes worth six figures to Switzerland … and then no one answered your emails for several weeks. And no one would commit to whether or not the company had a future that included you. Might put a different perspective on McIntosh.

 

[Zeotrope]

Ha, well funny you should mention that: I had issues with both the DartZeel 18NS and 108. Guess what? Herve answered immediately and fixed the issues. I now have about 4000 trouble free hours in over 2 years.

Nothing is perfect. How a company responds is what matters. McIntosh was a disgrace. I guess they must have been better before being acquired by Harmon(?) and going through multiple PE owners.

Herve will always take care of his customers. He has said as much now.