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Magnavox 175 Monoblocks

Bill H said:
I see it was a trip to RAT SHACK for resistors......

... I think it's time I invest in one of those magnifiers. The eye's ain't as good as they used to be.....
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The trip to the Shack was an experience. We were looking for resistors and some IEC connectors. No connectors, but they did have a nifty nose hair trimmer, and cell phones out the wazoo.

Those magnifiers are a Godsend, btw. There is no way I could have worked without them.
 
Urizen said:
You're being modest, bro. They really sound nice, with enough guts to push the KG 4 to levels I don't listen at, without overly compressing or becoming flabby.

I would guess we put about 30 hours of work into them. I really learned how to solder. I feel much more confident with an iron now.

Echowars joined us Saturday night for some tasty steaks and gave me some great info and demos on floating old joints, and how the signal path works on these amps.

Here is Jay at bench with EW observing:

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I must be getting old because I'm sitting here thinking that that is a cool way to spend a Saturday evening!!
 
clydeselsor said:
I must be getting old because I'm sitting here thinking that that is a cool way to spend a Saturday evening!!
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We were spinning Donald Fagan "Morph the Cat" on vinyl when that pic was taken, FWIR.

Through an old S/C integrated into JBLs it sounded pretty tasty, to these old ears.:yes:
 
BEAUTIFUL !

those came out SUUUUU-WEEEET :thmbsp:

I've been all nostalgic trying to keep my Magnavox amps as original as possible, but I have one of the PP 6BQ5 amps that needs a PS recap and output tube socket replacement . . .

might be time to REALLY go to town on the little bugger :scratch2:

so if I read correctly, you split the stereo 175 amp into the two monoblocks ? too cool . . .

looks like Voice Of Music 12AX7's . . . any tube rolling planned for the future ?
 
We had planned on rolling AX7s and ran out of time.:thumbsdn: We did however try a pair of NOS Tele's, but strange as it sounds, we both preferred the V/M branded GEs.:dunno: I wanted to try some Mullards too, but the darned old clock just bit us in the butt. We crammed a lot of tube fun into three days though.:thmbsp:
 
jaymanaa said:
We had planned on rolling AX7s and ran out of time.:thumbsdn: We did however try a pair of NOS Tele's, but strange as it sounds, we both preferred the V/M branded GEs.:dunno: I wanted to try some Mullards too, but the darned old clock just bit us in the butt. We crammed a lot of tube fun into three days though.:thmbsp:
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Doesn't sound strange to me at all. Tube rolling is a complete trial and error process. Seems that everyone who does it hears different things with the same tubes.
 
dnewma04 said:
Doesn't sound strange to me at all. Tube rolling is a complete trial and error process. Seems that everyone who does it hears different things with the same tubes.
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Very true:yes: The more tube rolling I do, the more I like GE tubes. I know it's supposed to be circuit dependent and so on, but I haven't found anything yet that I don't like GEs in. On the other side of the coin, Tele's always sound bright to the point of being harsh, and Mullards always seem to be too dark and laid back for my taste. I just find it odd that they are the ones that bring crazy money.:no:
 
Wow, so I'm not the only person who likes GE's!!!! However, of late I've been enjoying some of the last made in USA 12AX7WA's, which are JAN Phillipss from 1987. They are very linear in just about every amp I've tried them in. Telefunken's are supposed to be, but I also find them a bit too revealing in the highs. Mullards can be very nice, but do have a bump in the upper mids to me.

Now, the best all around tube is the venerable Amperex Bugle Boy ECC83 (12AX7)....I only have one nice pair left of them to roll with, but they are so smooth and silky that it hurts and I save them for special occasions.

The funny thing is that I got all of my tubes for use in Guitar and Bass Amps and never got around to using them for that. Recently a friend of mine pushed me into tube stereo gear and I'm just learning where they really shine.
 
OK, this is a little creepy:sigh: Take a look at this tube that was on my desk when I read your post Jim. I was going through AX7s last night and this one caught my eye.:scratch2:
 
jaymanaa said:
OK, this is a little creepy:sigh: Take a look at this tube that was on my desk when I read your post Jim. I was going through AX7s last night and this one caught my eye.:scratch2:
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jaymanaa:

How funny! They are wonderful tubes and after they get some hours on them really blossom. I've got just a handful of NOS left for me, but they are still out there in some supply for around $40 to $50 a tube...just a few years ago they were only in the $20 range.
 
Big Jim 007 said:
Wow, so I'm not the only person who likes GE's!!!!
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My ears have been leaning towards the GE's, also. Last year, when Jay visited Memphis on the way to the Southern Fest, we re-tubed my Almarro A205A with GE blackplate EL-84s with a GE blackplate 5751. It was amazing the overall difference in s/q, and I had rolled a bunch of other tubes prior to that. They are keepers, and quenched my rolling thirst through that amp.

Speaking of Amperex, Jay slipped a pair of these Orange Globes in my pocket as I was leaving, for my Manley Shrimp.:music: It'll be interesting to hear how they compare to the stock 12AT7EH Electro-Harmonix.
 

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Urizen said:
My ears have been leaning towards the GE's, also. Last year, when Jay visited Memphis on the way to the Southern Fest, we re-tubed my Almarro A205A with GE blackplate EL-84s with a GE blackplate 5751. It was amazing the overall difference in s/q, and I had rolled a bunch of other tubes prior to that. They are keepers, and quenched my rolling thirst through that amp.

Speaking of Amperex, Jay slipped a pair of these Orange Globes in my pocket as I was leaving, for my Manley Shrimp.:music: It'll be interesting to hear how they compare to the stock 12AT7EH Electro-Harmonix.
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Got to be a little careful with the Orange Globe era Amperex's as some are great and some just good. The reason for that is that they were made for Amperex from many different vendors during that era. I'm being a bit critical, as I've never had a bad Amperex Orange Globe.

Often the GE EL84's are British Made Mullards, but the Black Plates would indicate USA origin and are very musical with outstanding bloom.

I'm envious of the tube gear you have:thmbsp:
 
Yous guys are real craftsman:tresbon: Those are beautiful amps.:thmbsp:

What tube is that rectifier?
 
I rolled in a matched quad of GE JAN 6V6GTY (clear glass, brown base) this afternoon, replacing the old Maggie tubes. Dayum, it's sounding nice. These tubes have a smoother top and sound more linear throughout the spectrum. Much more dynamic!

Gotta love that blue glow, at least the best I could grab it with my cheap cam.

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That blue glow is the sign of some excellent tubes Ken (ultra hard vacuum).:thmbsp: If the room is somewhat dark, and you fire up the amps from "cold", you should get a nice light show. The blue should move around the glass and increase/decrease in intensisty to the beat of the music:smoke:
 
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