reel to reel tube amp

An added bonus is it looks like there is plenty of room in the right spot under the tape amp chassis to locate some individual caps as an alternative to having to source the correct can cap.
 
That Trio tuner is in very nice shape. Bet it will sound very nice too. Just be careful with tube gear, its like a quicksand pit, once it has ahold of you it will suck you in and there is no getting out of it.:D

LOL! I think it already has. That you all so much for the extremely helpful input. Guess I wanted to be extra cautious, going into unchartered territory. What gave me the tube bug was a pair of Acoustat model x's that I acquired a while back. They both use tube amplification and sound amazing. I've been running them with the aid of a ss preamp and would dearly love to try an all tube set-up.

I think you are right about that tuner. It's built like a tank! And seeing as though I'm already 54, it may very well outlive me.:D
 
Managed to find an rca 2 into 1 adapter for the tuner. Unfortunately My Trio has no plug end for power. I'll have to pick one up tomorrow. I fired up the r2r amp and all went well no problems. I then powered down and hooked it up to a digital tuner from the stash. Powered up again and I have music!! Can't say I think much of the r2r speakers though. I'll cut the the push in connectors off the speaker wires and install better and longer wiring. I'm not sure what this little amp is capable of power wise, but I have an old set of Noresco SP 3037 speakers, that I have read should work well with tubes. This is so cool!! My next to nothing investment has given me more excitement than a high end ss set-up
 
Tom nice equipment!


I like to use a variac as I think the heaters in the tubes will last longer (just like light bulbs turned off and on with a dimmer switch last for many years. , but after initial startup it's handy when testing after replacing parts till your sure everything is correct.

Some say the variac adds more resistance in the PS hurting sonics so I should get some ICL's (In rush current limiters)

Yes as mentioned you can replace the sections in the can cap if it has multiple ones with individuals caps for a lot less money. You can get multi section JJ and clamp them in place up top also. If you put new individual under the chassis you can leave the unhooked old can cap there for looks also.

You can try this later as It also may sound better replacing the ceramic caps used for coupling caps with good film caps.

Anyway SE 6V6 sounds very nice to me on an old late 40's RCA AM/FM table radio with an RCA input it has labeled for TV or record player. It worked nicely with a Y adapter for mono from a CD player.

Also good to Never run a tube amp without speakers or a load of high wattage resistors as you risk the output transformer(s).

You've sure had a warmer winter till lately compared to up here! It's finally supposed to warm this weekend and hopefully it will last!

I wish I had discovered tubes earlier also!
 
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Thanks again for that info. I'll try and store it into my memory banks(or whatever is left of them). I was actually born in Winnipeg, so I am quite familiar with winters there(brrrr!)and the nice humidity in the summer.
Got a plug for the fm tube tuner and fired it up with the variac for a while. Everything seemed to function, so I then hooked it up to both the r2r amp and the noresco speaker. Couldn't believe how well everything sounded, even with no antenna. These are fairly large floor model speakers, but the little amp powered it like it was nothing! About the only thing that needs immediate attention is the pots. Little bit scratchy on both. Also hooked up a tape deck, cd player and turntable just to round out the available equipment. It's truly amazing how much fun you can have for so little investment. I'll now look into the suggestions that were made about cap replacement. There doesn't seem to be too much that will be hard to get at.
Tom
 
Here's a front shot of the amp. The tubes are as follows: 12au7a, 12ax7, 6x5gt and 6v6gt.
23ita4h.jpg
I know this is an old post but I’m looking for some help. I have the complete reel to reel that has this same amp. I recapped and it plays great with a mp3 input. The problem I’m having is recording with it. The recordings are low volume. The heads are clean and polished. Any help would sure be appreciated.
 
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