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my stupid ass asymmetrical room... of course it's a living room where I can't really do a ton of sound treatment, but even if I could, it wouldn't help too much. Strangely vocals are always panned a little to the left, there's like a whole parasitic left shift in frequencies from like 200-1000...

would love a pic of the equipment you used to wind the transfos too!

I used a few text books I had around, worked out pretty well to bend em into shape. Snipped with metal cutters

I have a voltage divider that reduces the main B+ voltage down to 4-5V so that I can measure it with an arduino which then actuates a variac. By measuring this, I can keep the wall voltage going to the amp 116-118V at all time. As the amp warms out, B+ voltage drops just a tiny bit (~5v) over...

you can just make your own cage, and then make whatever amp you want! https://www.metalsdepot.com/aluminum-products/aluminum-perforated-sheet Buy a metal perforated sheet at whatever dimensions you want and bend it into place... I made a great one for my HK a300 Happy hunting!

Special audiophile kitty turntable dampener

More years later. I got EML mesh plates, which sound unreal. I finally did some distortion/power measurements. At this point, I've swapped out the D3a for E280Fs that just sounded so right. 10M45S CCS chip. Thd = 0.325% at 1W, 1khz +/-0.5db 30hz - 18khz Develops 2.5W into 16ohm load ** I use 16...

here's the "hood" solution :) https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/auto-regulating-wall-voltage-via-variac.1018631/ Mine swings between 116-130 VAC depending on if everyone in the neighborhood has AC on. I've had my thing up and running for about 6 mo and it works great!

tears work well, if that doesn't work, send to me and I will dispose

Get those smokey mullards. So good. But it's fun looking at this thread. There are tons of great sounding el84/6bq5's.

find some altec 604/5s!!!

I run my 605a's in 620 cabs that I made from 3/4 inch MDF. Hard not to love 'em!

I ran into the same dilemma at some point, and started to get ultra-choosey with my used purchases. Ultra sonic cleaning turned it around for me. The US bath doesn't do anything about bad scratches, but things with light hairlines tend to clean up really nice. For ~$100 bucks, I have to say it...

I think for 12au7 phase splitter I tried a new issue mullard, and an old GE. Once I put the old mullard it just was so right it never moved.

For what its worth: On my HK A300, I tried the russian 6v6 replacements, didn't sound much different from GEs. I found a lot of differences on that amp depending on the preamp tubes. I loved an old mullard in the phase splitter spot, just sounded huge. I had either Teles or JJ E83CCs in the...

Ohh include me! I can bring 2a3 amp if we do any high sensitivity stuff. The altecs are not super mobile.

If you're near anaheim, speaker repair pro's work directly with Bill to source the cones and get them from him. I got my 605's reconed by them with GPA cones and they did an excellent job.

Yeah, with a bit of googling (the right search term is voltage stabilizer -- didn't know this prior), this is not a new idea: https://www.electricaltechnology.org/2016/11/what-is-voltage-stabilizer-how-it-works.html. The second example (not the relay driven one) is essentially what I produced...

Excellent point. I think I'm going to buy a 5 buck transformer and put that in a case with this, then i can monitor the wall voltage directly. May not be a mansion, but not the 'hood :)

This is a great suggestion. I thought about this and didn't have a quick way of doing it. I'd probably have to put a blocker in the way of the armature of the variac itself that's strong enough to overcome the force of the motor. Alternatively, I thought about doing this full analog using a...

Yeah that's probably the right way to do it. You can order boards off DIY audio store, and the cost of the boards is just over 60$. https://diyaudiostore.com/collections/kits/products/linear-audio-t-reg. Saving $10 FTW lol

So, I have my 2a3 amp plugged in via a variac because my wall voltage can vary from 116-128 VAC and I'm anal about keeping my EML meshies in their happy place. Sometimes during listening sessions, I could observe drift of >3 VAC. I got tired of getting off my ass and twisting the variac myself /...

I second THD+N on capability to build something yourself - you'll save >50% and have fun at the same time. The circuits are very basic and well understood. Gives the flexibility to also explore different circuits / topologies / strategies down the road. Some examples: messing around with...

I use a SE 2a3 homebrew on altec 605a's. Get's plenty loud :). The 604s are a touch more efficient so a really nice low powered SET will make them shine.

If you're cheap like me, I get a st3p switch and make it such that it's off - heaters on - HV applied. Just have to flip the switch after 10 or so seconds to also turn on the plates.