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B-2 basket case incoming , Rott, might need some parts ;)

Nashou66

Nashou66

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Saw this on the big bad bay site and threw out an offer and it got accepted. :D

Seller stated in add that sound was there when fiddling with volume pots . So I am hoping this
not complete B-2 will work sonically at least .

It has a make shift perforated metal case that might be ok till a proper one is found .
Also its missing its feet and has a cracked aux power socket.

If it is in working order I think I got a pretty good deal.

Here are some pictures

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So I may need a new input board @rottalpha :D

Athanasios
 
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that's fugly! WTF?

I can help you with the cover if you are willing to put in some elbow grease. Not perfect but it beats that by a long margin.
 
rottalpha said:
that's fugly! WTF?

I can help you with the cover if you are willing to put in some elbow grease. Not perfect but it beats that by a long margin.
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Sure I'll let ya know , if you have any extra switch boards I'd need one of those too.

zaibatsu said:
rott is just jealous because the upgraded cover dissipates heat better than his solution :biggrin:

Looks to be in decent enough condition otherwise!
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LOL Yeah dissipation is key. But Not sure if running it with that top would interfere with
any warm up of the driver boards, as one usually runs hotter, meaning not sure how that cover would affect the Bias and DC offset stabilization .

rottalpha said:
aghh you got me Z....I was trying to work that custom cover off of him.
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Ehhh, a little cleaning and paint will make it look like a million...........turds !! lol

;)

Athanasios
 
Nashou66 said:
All three please :beerchug::D
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the bottom one will look a bit different

It will look like this:
upload_2022-10-24_16-49-51.png

primary reason being that the prototypes use a dual diode / rectifier and those parts are becoming even more scarce. The shareable version uses individual rectifiers so that soft recovery SBYV can be fitted.
 
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Love using SBYV diodes when I can.

Ok once I get the amp in I'll let ya know what I need. I should just use all new boards since the outside top is so ugly it deserves some beauty on the inside :D

Athanasios
 
Nashou66 said:
It has a make shift perforated metal case that might be ok till a proper one is found .
Also its missing its feet and has a cracked aux power socket.

If it is in working order I think I got a pretty good deal.
Athanasios
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Nice one Nash … it looks alright, I can’t wait to hear what you think of the sound, that might decide whether I get one here or not … good luck. Oh, and the top actually looks good too from the picture.
 
Sparkplug said:
Nice one Nash … it looks alright, I can’t wait to hear what you think of the sound, that might decide whether I get one here or not … good luck. Oh, and the top actually looks good too from the picture.
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I am sure that with those extra holes in the case cover, it must sound better than the first one, so get the drill machine ready if you want a similar experience
 
rottalpha said:
I am sure that with those extra holes in the case cover, it must sound better than the first one, so get the drill machine ready if you want a similar experience
Click to expand...


LOL, you've been cracking wise lately!! Glad you're in a good mood, it ain't easy these days .

Athanasios
 
Bob Chieldon said:
That’s just greedy… :D
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What I really want is a B-1 . One is not too far from me but it has issues . Might go look at it but to be honest I'm strapped for cash . I could dip into my brokerage account but , you know, diping into savings for our hobbies should be frowned upon. Unless .......... I look at it as an investment ! Prices are bound to go up on these hopefully.

Athanasios
 
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Nashou66 said:
What I really want is a B-1 .

Athanasios
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Me too, but I'm resigned to the fact that I'll never find one locally, and especially at a price that makes sense. I did have someone offer to trade me a B-1 for one of my B-2s. I got really excited until I heard that this B-1 was broken and had previous repair attempts
 
the problem with owning a B-1 which can be close to 50years old now, is that it needs restoration which is involved. Do not think it is anything close to a B-2.
The only thing a B-1 has in common with a B2 is that they are made by Yamaha and that they use vfets....and that they both sound good.

The B1 is one of the most exotic amp designs ever conceived and a statement piece for any time period. Together with the Sony TA-N7 and it's hybrid design, the B1 represents the best to come out of Japan and anywhere else. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of amp designs done in the 70s that are forgotten and most of the amp designs we see today are minor deviations from a few mainstream designs.

When rebuilding a B-1, besides the lack of supporting information and schematic errors, there are parts that must be replaced which are no longer available. The biggest pain is replacing the dual bulk caps. There is very little room to fit anything in that cage the way it is, other than skinny low-grade caps that have no business inside audio gear, let alone inside a B-1. Fitting good quality 50mm caps in there is very difficult, risky and not sustainable.

The reason you do not see a demand for B-1s now, is because there is no viable way to restore them. Amp8 in Japan has repaired more B1s than anyone else, but IMHO, I believe that the solution he has for the bulk caps actually result in a less favorable sounding B-1 than the one with original but still functioning dual filter caps. I have not listened to one of his units, but I am speaking from the perspective that vfet amps form the 70s are very sensitive to the choice of bulk caps and that I personally experimented with similar types of caps as Amp8 uses and they made the amp sound like crap. Crap = crowded, lack of details, boomi bass, etc.
 
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rottalpha said:
the problem with owning a B-1 which can be close to 50years old now, is that it needs restoration which is involved. Do not think it is anything close to a B-2.
The only thing a B-1 has in common with a B2 is that they are made by Yamaha and that they use vfets....and that they both sound good.

The B1 is one of the most exotic amp designs ever conceived and a statement piece for any time period. Together with the Sony TA-N7 and it's hybrid design, the B1 represents the best to come out of Japan and anywhere else. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of amp designs done in the 70s that are forgotten and most of the amp designs we see today are minor deviations from a few mainstream designs.

When rebuilding a B-1, besides the lack of supporting information and schematic errors, there are parts that must be replaced which are no longer available. The biggest pain is replacing the dual bulk caps. There is very little room to fit anything in that cage the way it is, other than skinny low-grade caps that have no business inside audio gear, let alone inside a B-1. Fitting good quality 50mm caps in there is very difficult, risky and not sustainable.

The reason you do not see a demand for B-1s now, is because there is no viable way to restore them. Amp8 in Japan has repaired more B1s than anyone else, but IMHO, I believe that the solution he has for the bulk caps actually result in a less favorable sounding B-1 than the one with original but still functioning dual filter caps. I have not listened to one of his units, but I am speaking from the perspective that vfet amps form the 70s are very sensitive to the choice of bulk caps and that I personally experimented with similar types of caps as Amp8 uses and they made the amp sound like crap. Crap = crowded, lack of details, boomi bass, etc.
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This is quite valuable perspective, thank you. Sometimes the romanticized idea of something and the actual reality of it are not aligned. It sounds like that is the case with the B-1. The Vfet amp fascination is more like an addiction though, so common sense and reality don't always outweigh the desire for wanting more. I still want a B-1. But your perspective is very sobering, so I do very much appreciate it.
 
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