Magnavox 8802 visits Kegger
- Thread starter Andyman
- Start date
This amp sounds way better than you might expect it to. The Kegster has convinced me that the humble 6BL8 is a killer sounding tube when properly utilized, especially when you rummage through your tube bins and find some nice Phillips/Valvo versions....:thmbsp:
dread31
Addicted Member
Brought it by my buddy's shop for a little tweaking, and now she's running the Khorns beautifully. He said she's putting out 5 clean watts out of the 6K6's. Stuffed 4 matched frosted glass RCA's and a couple of Dutch 6BL8's in the sockets, and we're off to the races....:thmbsp:
Thanks for all the help everyone, especially the Kegmeister.....:thmbsp:
That's purdy. Love the metalflake.
Regards,
Dave
Looks like You have Had a Bit of -TIME- even if by now it is just a memory - Do you still think this a worthwhile project ?I stopped by yesterday to pick up my Maggie 8802 PP 6V6 console amp that I gave to Kegger to "have a look at" a while ago because it seemed a bit lacking. I just expected it to have more substance than it did and be a bit ballsier than my 5 watt Almarro EL84 amp.
Well, this ain't your Daddy's Maggie anymore
Keg says there's 2 resistors in it that are the same and that's it, iron aside. The 6EU7s are now 6GH8As, the 6V6 outputs are 6K6s, and the power supply has been totally reworked.
I just plugged it in and began playing it and it's pretty amazing. First there seems to be much more gain overall and more midrange than the DIY ST35 clone I've been playing; I'm playing it lower off my preamp. It also seems a bit sharper, but that could be from the higher gain.
It's only been on about 20 minutes though and sounding really nice. I'll get Kegger over for a listen soon and see what he thinks and I'm pretty sure he'll be chiming in with the tech side of what happened here.
Thanks Buddy!! :thmbsp:
How did the a300 transformers turn out ?- Harmon,s ?
Context Matters -I think there was mention of cheap - easily available tubes - ( Cast off's ? )
In the context of "see what you can do " as a starting point - (SEE 1st post ) The result - at least I think-- was well received - The best that could result from a Blank page ? -- probably not even close -- As a project though - why not ? especially if you have on hand NOS 6k6 tubes ! and new 6BL8's -- and a left over pair of output transformers..
Kegger was a special guy and my best friend; too bad he passed before your time here and you didn't get to see him in action. His designs and input were close to legendary here and I can't remember anyone bad mouthing his gear. As to this build, I sold it to another local mutual friend after Keg passed as I got several of his original designs as well as the last iteration of his avatar amp. Had they not become available, I would have been fine with it and my Almarro 205 amp.
BTW the tubes he used were not "cast offs" but tubesthat tested well that he felt presented better performance than the 12A?7 tubes. He wasn't fond of the postion that the 12AX7 holds in the audio world, but understood, it was the tube expected by so many these days, so better options are passed by for marketing reasons.. He chose the 6K6s as he felt they fit the demands of the stock Maggie caps better than the native 6V6 with the added benefit of being less expensive.
So yeah, it's probably is a worthwhile project, just like his contributions to the KT88 SEUL amps were.
BTW, check out my signature if you want more kudos to his works...
BTW the tubes he used were not "cast offs" but tubesthat tested well that he felt presented better performance than the 12A?7 tubes. He wasn't fond of the postion that the 12AX7 holds in the audio world, but understood, it was the tube expected by so many these days, so better options are passed by for marketing reasons.. He chose the 6K6s as he felt they fit the demands of the stock Maggie caps better than the native 6V6 with the added benefit of being less expensive.
So yeah, it's probably is a worthwhile project, just like his contributions to the KT88 SEUL amps were.
BTW, check out my signature if you want more kudos to his works...
Thank you for the comments -- I am of course --sorry for your loss - A real friend is indeed a treasure ---- and it goes without saying that - A EARNED LEGACY - as his-- is - was - has lasting value .
I had hoped that my comments about his choice of tubes - was thought of as --thinking outside the box- and a positive.
Was his intent to appeal to - Some like Me -that is frugal ? I certainly do not know .-
Clearly - He was working with the constraints that he chose to accept -- No denigration - was intended -- rather the opposite -- Creative minds can soar ---
Keg seemed comfortable building with unusual tubes. There was more than one time he’d spoke to me about some new tube or circuit he’d encountered and I could see the sparkle in his eyes and imagined the wheels turning in his head. He thrived on building amps from unusual tubes and many online here and locally would eager await his new projects.
If you have some time to kill, burrow back in this forum and follow some of his adventures building with tubes like these 6K6s, or EL500s, 6AV5s, 6LU8 Compactrons and the 6BG6Gs in 6L6 applications. It’s interesting stuff. One of the biggest missed opportunities in my life was not building with him, and many of the others in the strong tube fraternity we had here in SE MI 10 to 20 years ago,
If you have some time to kill, burrow back in this forum and follow some of his adventures building with tubes like these 6K6s, or EL500s, 6AV5s, 6LU8 Compactrons and the 6BG6Gs in 6L6 applications. It’s interesting stuff. One of the biggest missed opportunities in my life was not building with him, and many of the others in the strong tube fraternity we had here in SE MI 10 to 20 years ago,