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Dynaco ST70

guitarman50

guitarman50

Super Member
I don't know much about the different stereo tube amps available out there. I know all kinds about guitar tube amps.
I've got a pair of 1974 Klipsch Cornwall Verticals that I'd love to try through a tube amp. So I've noticed that the Dynaco ST70 doesn't seem to be too expensive of a venture in to tube audio by the prices I've seen on line.
Right now I'm listening to my Cornwalls through a Pioneer 5580 (1050) and they sound great but I keep hearing reviews that say these cornwalls really shine through a tube amp.
So can anyone tell me more about the ST70? Do I still need a preamp with this amp? If so, what are the recomendations for a preamp with this amp?
 
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Yes you need a preamp. Your Pioneer 1050 has preamp to amp jumpers on back. You could remove them and run interconnects between the 1050 pre and ST70 amp.

I have a ST70 driving Klipsch KLF-20s. Good match to my ears.
 
BmWr75 said:
Yes you need a preamp. Your Pioneer 1050 has preamp to amp jumpers on back. You could remove them and run interconnects between the 1050 pre and ST70 amp.

I have a ST70 driving Klipsch KLF-20s. Good match to my ears.
Click to expand...

Yes I thought about the possibility of using my Pioneer as I know it has the capability. But I'm wondering if I'm better off with some kind of tube preamp or is just having the power section tube going to be enough. I know with guitar amps I only prefer an amp with both the power and pre being tube.
 
I have 1980 Cornwalls and an ST70 that I just rebuilt and installed a VTA Low/Gain board in. I am very happy with this combo.
 
my ST70 is driving a pair of Klipsch Forte" s and they sound
amazing. My CD goes thru a upsampling DAC(24/96) thru a preamp
into the ST70.
 
In the end the results of the combination will be dictated by the combination of preamp and amplifier. The Marantz might work/sound great or ? it wasn't really designed to be a preamplifier so your in uncharted water to some degree. But why not dive in and see if the waters just right!
 
I'll chime in here, I've run my st off of a Marantz 2240, 2245, 3250b, self built Ken Stapleton Marantz 8B board, sae pa-10 and now a pas2. Maybe i'm deaf, i'm only 36, but I couldn't hear one bit of difference between any of them. I think because the final stage is tube there isn't much of a variable. Maybe i'm wrong. I find with this stuff alot of it is hype, you don't need a tube preamp to run the st-70, just use what you have. The only variable I can see is gain perhaps.
 
bktheking said:
I'll chime in here, I've run my st off of a Marantz 2240, 2245, 3250b, self built Ken Stapleton Marantz 8B board, sae pa-10 and now a pas2. Maybe i'm deaf, i'm only 36, but I couldn't hear one bit of difference between any of them. I think because the final stage is tube there isn't much of a variable. Maybe i'm wrong. I find with this stuff alot of it is hype, you don't need a tube preamp to run the st-70, just use what you have. The only variable I can see is gain perhaps.
Click to expand...

Well I'm sure I'm the only one silly enough to comment. But if you could hear absolutely no difference between any of those options you are deaf :music: Honestly what he has may work and may sound great. But just about every thing in the audio chain sounds at least a little bit different. Did you ever think the ST70 you're using was the limiting factor......or maybe go get a hearing test.
 
Maybe, maybe not, maybe i'm deaf, maybe my st-70 sucks :D I can however hear the difference between my st-70 and my 250, does that count? I guess the question is, can the human ear which has limited frequency ability really hear that much difference or is this all based on testing equipment to hear the difference? I'm really curious about this stuff.
 
NOSValves said:
Well I'm sure I'm the only one silly enough to comment. But if you could hear absolutely no difference between any of those options you are deaf :music: Honestly what he has may work and may sound great. But just about every thing in the audio chain sounds at least a little bit different. Did you ever think the ST70 you're using was the limiting factor......or maybe go get a hearing test.
Click to expand...

I would tend to agree that it would make a difference. It certainly does with my guitar amps.
 
I gotta take that back after remembering something- the damn PAT-4 I just sold. It DID sounds much different hooked up to the ST-70, it was much more harsher, more edge, it didn't sound like crap just different. Maybe it's the fact that i've run mostly marantz pre's/receivers through this thing. That pas I have now isn't perfect, I have to change some switches in it, it's doing strange things.
 
I was for the most part ribbing you. Honestly if it sounds good to YOU then it is good. Your not listening to your audio system to please no one other then yourself. So you can't be wrong.

How's that I just professed you as infallible :thmbsp:
 
Almost everything sounds good to me, if it plays music and stuff isn't blown up like speakers it's all good! I've listened to that blaupunkt in my avatar at work every day for the last 2 weeks, so many people comment on how nice it sounds.
 
To me, every time I eliminated a ss device in favor of tubes it sounded better. I may be delusional, but it is my delusion I live with. I was lucky to get a nice ST 70 the first time around ( and the second and third for that matter) and have had a great time modding them to various degrees. I also had the good fortune to have a friend sell me a Quicksilver line stage and help me build a tube phono stage.

I will grant you the power amp is what sucked me in. I too am a tube guitar amp freak. I think many of the tube guitar sonic footprints will translate to audio. Do you like to solder? If you don't, look for something that has been rebuilt to some extent.

ST 70s can be modded to a very high level. Jump in.
 
Br1ck said:
To me, every time I eliminated a ss device in favor of tubes it sounded better. I may be delusional, but it is my delusion I live with. I was lucky to get a nice ST 70 the first time around ( and the second and third for that matter) and have had a great time modding them to various degrees. I also had the good fortune to have a friend sell me a Quicksilver line stage and help me build a tube phono stage.

I will grant you the power amp is what sucked me in. I too am a tube guitar amp freak. I think many of the tube guitar sonic footprints will translate to audio. Do you like to solder? If you don't, look for something that has been rebuilt to some extent.

ST 70s can be modded to a very high level. Jump in.
Click to expand...

Great post!
 
Br1ck said:
To me, every time I eliminated a ss device in favor of tubes it sounded better. I may be delusional, but it is my delusion I live with. I was lucky to get a nice ST 70 the first time around ( and the second and third for that matter) and have had a great time modding them to various degrees. I also had the good fortune to have a friend sell me a Quicksilver line stage and help me build a tube phono stage.

I will grant you the power amp is what sucked me in. I too am a tube guitar amp freak. I think many of the tube guitar sonic footprints will translate to audio. Do you like to solder? If you don't, look for something that has been rebuilt to some extent.

ST 70s can be modded to a very high level. Jump in.
Click to expand...

No I don't like to solder and don't maintain my tube amps other than tube changes. I don't even rebias. I have an amazing amp tech and he does all my work. I'll have to ask him if he'll do audio tube stereos as well. If not no big deal because I can probably take it to where I had refurbed a couple of solid stage pieces (Marantz 2275, Pioneer SX828) They do tube audio gear as well.
 
ferninando said:
my ST70 is driving a pair of Klipsch Forte" s and they sound
amazing. My CD goes thru a upsampling DAC(24/96) thru a preamp
into the ST70.
Click to expand...

I'm close to this setup. ST-70 into Forte II's, Rotel preamp (while I decide what to with my Mac pre), squeezebox receiver and AR AX. What I've noticed is how much rolling tubes through the ST-70 changes things. I didn't think my ear was very critical until I started trying other EL-34 and different 12bh7/12au7's in the VTA board. The 50 year old Mullard xf-2 seems to sound (to me) the best (I wanted to like something else so I could sell them to add funds to my audio addiction). I also hear that some EL variation (63p something) is supposed to sound really good or is it just another thing to throw money at?

The RCA cleartop 12au7 in the center position also seems the best (for me), but I just bought a 1950's RCA triple mica blackplate 6189 that I'm anxiously waiting for to try in that center position.

What a crazy hobby...always chasing.
 
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