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Stereomour II VS TU8900 kits or...

T

theflattire

Super Member
Need some help breaking the tie in my head!

If someone has experience with either or both that would be great!
I built Bottlehead before, Paramours, and like the PTP.
The Elekit looks nice as I only need an amp but no tubes which is ok cause I have my 2A3s from the the Paramours but still...
I don't really want an integrated but the Stereomour II comes with everything and is PTP.

OR, I've been reading that making the jump to 300b is big and maybe I should save up some and go Kaiju or tu8600? Especially since I already have a pre.
 
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Actually I was looking at some PP kits too, but decided to stay with SETs.
Before I got my Fisher X101 I looked at the ST70 too.
Came down to having the least amount of stuff in the signal path.
 
theflattire said:
Need some help breaking the tie in my head!

If someone has experience with either or both that would be great!
I built Bottlehead before, Paramours, and like the PTP.
The Elekit looks nice as I only need an amp but no tubes which is ok cause I have my 2A3s from the the Paramours but still...
I don't really want an integrated but the Stereomour II comes with everything and is PTP.

OR, I've been reading that making the jump to 300b is big and maybe I should save up some and go Kaiju or tu8600? Especially since I already have a pre.
Click to expand...

Isn't the Stereomour circuit pretty much the same as the Paramour? They both use 12AT7 input tubes. Not sure what you would be gaining, especially if you already have the preamp. I'd save up for a jump to 300Bs. And I would choose the Kaiju over the Elekit. As good as the Elekit is, I like the PTP wiring and parafeed design of the Bottlehead.
 
zackthedog said:
Isn't the Stereomour circuit pretty much the same as the Paramour? They both use 12AT7 input tubes. Not sure what you would be gaining, especially if you already have the preamp. I'd save up for a jump to 300Bs. And I would choose the Kaiju over the Elekit. As good as the Elekit is, I like the PTP wiring and parafeed design of the Bottlehead.
Click to expand...
My Paramours are old, like circa 2000, so I think there were some upgrades (I have the C4S, I think). Looks like the iron is different too. The Stereomour is an integrated so I can remove the pre and free up some space.

Based on what I'm reading, kinda leaning toward the Kaiju some, but the Stereomour is still there mainly because I already got the tubes.
Don't know if I'm going to be able to afford rolling 300s.
 
theflattire said:
My Paramours are old, like circa 2000, so I think there were some upgrades (I have the C4S, I think). Looks like the iron is different too. The Stereomour is an integrated so I can remove the pre and free up some space.

Based on what I'm reading, kinda leaning toward the Kaiju some, but the Stereomour is still there mainly because I already got the tubes.
Don't know if I'm going to be able to afford rolling 300s.
Click to expand...

Well, those are good points. 300Bs are expensive, and good ones are really expensive. ;-) Plus you could simplify the system quite bit.
 
zackthedog said:
Well, those are good points. 300Bs are expensive, and good ones are really expensive. ;-) Plus you could simplify the system quite bit.
Click to expand...

Well the cheaper 300s are about the same as 2A3s. You can still find some 2A3 RCAs that are 'reasonable' in price and matched.
I have the old Sovtek 2A3s that came with my Paramours and a bunch of 12AT7s for spares as my pre takes them also. I also got one ValveArt 2A3 (I popped the other one, I forget how) if anyone reading this is interested...
Took a look at some AudioNote stuff. Oh my. Not PTP but I can make an exception!
Right now I'm wishing I had stocked up on 300s way back when!

Seems like no one has done any head to head on these amps.
One site quoted someone from BH saying the Elekits needed some upgrades like the Lundahl iron and caps to be really good so that's an added expense besides the tubes. I like the fact that the 8900 can use both, but not sure how much I would fool with that. Its also wired so that you can add feedback, definitely not using that.
 
Since the output transformers are a huge part of how good an amplifier can sound, buying a new amplifier kit and having to then replace the OPT's can be a huge added cost. Plus the circuit design and componants used in the kit should be worth the swap.
 
I've got the Elekit TU-8900 (2A3) and TU-8600 (300B). To be honest, they both sound quite similar. The TU-8900 is possibly a little more detailed, but they both sound very good. I'd go with the TU-8900 because it can run both 2A3 and 300B tubes. If you do go with Elekit, make sure you order through Victor Kung and get the Lundahl transformers. They are the difference makers.
 
dcgibby said:
I've got the Elekit TU-8900 (2A3) and TU-8600 (300B). To be honest, they both sound quite similar. The TU-8900 is possibly a little more detailed, but they both sound very good. I'd go with the TU-8900 because it can run both 2A3 and 300B tubes. If you do go with Elekit, make sure you order through Victor Kung and get the Lundahl transformers. They are the difference makers.
Click to expand...

thanks!
I was back at the Stereomours but don't really want a integrated.
So I was going to start with the Elekits again and see what all the upgrades are going to add up to.
Did you go with upgraded caps too?

I also went back to look at AudioNote kits, but they are integrated too.
What I really want is a stand alone 2A3 with nice iron so maybe Elekit is the way to go.
 
How about DIY if you like PtoP? I have an Elekit 8600S. Sounds really nice but not tubey. Very clean and quiet. Great instructions. Fired up first time. Bottlehead is also a good choice. Doc is a good guy and the kits are great value. I have a couple of completely rebuilt Heathkit EL84 monos and they sound great.

Just have to choose some poison and then enjoy the music.

Happy hunting,
John
 
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