Dynaco SCA - 35 amplifier

[Mark Davis]

What is everyone's thought on this particular amplifier.
I have found one that looks to be in great shape.
What would one expect to pay for this particular amplifier?

 

[JohnT123]

Search online for the asking prices.

Sound wise, they're great amps with a lot of history and available spare parts.

 

[Dave451]

Great little amps with very good output iron and a ton of useful mods available (eg. search on Tronola for Dave Gillespie's mods and printed circuit boards). Fine also 'as is' if some minor restoration is done (power supply caps, etc). Good luck with it!

 

[radioactive]

What is everyone's thought on this particular amplifier.
I have found one that looks to be in great shape.
What would one expect to pay for this particular amplifier?

As has been said they are great amps.As far as value goes we cant discuss that in this forum .Youd have to start a thread in dollars and sense or ask a mod to move this one to that forum.prices could be all over depending on condition ,work done ,or any mods such as different boards etc..

 

[daveshel]

It's the one Dynaco I have never owned and am nit interested in owning. It doesn't have an actual linestage. It is said to be a combination of a ST-35 and a PAS, but half of the PAS circuitry is missing. Also telling is that it is the only Donaco that has/needs hum adjustment pots. I love the ST-35 with the Tronola/DaveG mods and new boards, but the SCA-35 is good amp boards kludged together with phono boards.

 

[Lavane]

It's the one Dynaco I have never owned and am nit interested in owning. It doesn't have an actual linestage. It is said to be a combination of a ST-35 and a PAS, but half of the PAS circuitry is missing. Also telling is that it is the only Donaco that has/needs hum adjustment pots. I love the ST-35 with the Tronola/DaveG mods and new boards, but the ST-35 is good amp boards kludged together with phono boards.

I think you meant SCA-35 at the end of your post. I agree the ST-35 sounds nice.
I really like mine. Does the SCA-35 even have active tone controls?

 

[daveshel]

Thanks, Lavane, I did mean SCA-35. I don't think the tome controls are active. It's been several years since I compared the schematics, and I wasn't specifically looking at the tone controls - I realized that 2 of the PC boards were pretty much the same as the phono boards in the PAS, and the other two were much the same as the PC-13s in the ST-35.

 

[peterh]

What is everyone's thought on this particular amplifier.
I have found one that looks to be in great shape.
What would one expect to pay for this particular amplifier?

It's a really nice integrated tubeamp. As such it has all you would expect, even a decent riaa stage.

The power stage is close to identical with st-35 only other driver tubes (7199) to compensate for the
tonecontrols. Thise tubes usually is ok, if they need replacements i think it's better to use
ecf80 with adapters alternativly get new boards that is redesigned to use ecf80/82/6u8 one source
is http://tronola.com/html/daves_store.html

The amp runs hot, and it is hard on the power tubes ( el84). They must be replaced as a matched quad
( actually no big thing many suppliers sell them for reasonable money).

If the can caps get bad, one alternative is to install an EFB board that replaces the can caps AND
will make the bias adaptive, and it also lessens the load on the tubes. Also found at daves store.

The amp has hum-control pots. If they don't work it might be the 7199 that has developed
filament <> cathode leakage.

 

[Lavane]

The recommended EL84's for the SCA-35 and ST-35 seem to be the Sovtek EL-84M's or JJ EL-84's. Bioth have a higher voltage tolerance. A good thing for these amps. I used the Sovtek EL-84M's. From what I've read the JJ's may have a bit better bottom end? I will say the Sovteks took a few hours to sound good.
It's the only time I ever heard a tube acually "burn in". Everything just suddenly filled out and sounded better over about a 5 second period.

 

[egellings]

Excellent, creamy sounding little amps. They do get hotter 'n a $2 pistol, so good ventilation is needed.

 

[peterh]

The recommended EL84's for the SCA-35 and ST-35 seem to be the Sovtek EL-84M's or JJ EL-84's. Bioth have a higher voltage tolerance. A good thing for these amps. I used the Sovtek EL-84M's. From what I've read the JJ's may have a bit better bottom end? I will say the Sovteks took a few hours to sound good.
It's the only time I ever heard a tube acually "burn in". Everything just suddenly filled out and sounded better over about a 5 second period.

Make sure it is a matched quad, that's more importent then brand.

 

[Lavane]

Make sure it is a matched quad, that's more importent then brand.

Yup.

 

[DonP1]

I love mine. I wish it would quit working so I could upgrade it - I own Dave's boards and all the parts. But it keeps working great.