Have You Listened to a High Power Amp?
dcmeigs
Posts: 708
Zingo has the very cool "low power" thread going now that has some great DIY and vintage tube gear. Let's see some photos of of the big iron here. I'll start with the badass Altec 1569A.
This is Altec was used in theaters and sports stadiums back in the day. It uses four EL34s in parallel push pull. It has two rectifiers, not because you need two, but for added reliability. One fails and nobody even notices until it's serviced. Check out the size of those transformers. Sexy.
Audio historians will someday recognize the 1569A as having the lowest WAF since man began keeping records. A pair of these rack mounted are absolutely perfect for serious the man cave.
It's roomy and comfortable to work in there. Look at the low parts count. The average talking beer opener has more parts. The EL34 is a 25 watt tube so this baby idles at 70 watts (per channel- it's mono) and should approach 90 watts at mid volume. With a pair of Voice of the Theater speakers, you could rock that man cave.
This is Altec was used in theaters and sports stadiums back in the day. It uses four EL34s in parallel push pull. It has two rectifiers, not because you need two, but for added reliability. One fails and nobody even notices until it's serviced. Check out the size of those transformers. Sexy.
Audio historians will someday recognize the 1569A as having the lowest WAF since man began keeping records. A pair of these rack mounted are absolutely perfect for serious the man cave.
It's roomy and comfortable to work in there. Look at the low parts count. The average talking beer opener has more parts. The EL34 is a 25 watt tube so this baby idles at 70 watts (per channel- it's mono) and should approach 90 watts at mid volume. With a pair of Voice of the Theater speakers, you could rock that man cave.
The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young
Post edited by dcmeigs on
Comments
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Wow! Would be awesome listening to metal with those powering some big horns. Thanks for sharing.
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Is that thing for audio or reviving Frankenstein?
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Is that thing for audio or reviving Frankenstein?
In the second photo, do you see the black box with two gauges behind the Altec? That's for kick-starting Frank.:biggrin:The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young -
But the Volume scale doesn't go to 11...
Doesn't make it any less sexy, but one of the transformers (the smaller one most likely) is an output trannie, not an installed spare.It has two rectifiers, not because you need two, but for added reliability. One fails and nobody even notices until it's serviced. Check out the size of those transformers. Sexy.
Check out the schematic here...More later,
Tour...
Vox Copuli
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb
"Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
"It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
"There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD -
Funny you should say that. I almost made a Spinal Tap remark when I saw the pot at 10. I did't play it that way (it's not even my amp), I had just sprayed deoxit and left it in that position.Doesn't make it any less sexy, but one of the transformers (the smaller one most likely) is an output trannie, not an installed spare.
here...
It is the rectifiers that I referred to. Note that there are two 5U4s, the tubes with the largest envelopes. One would do the job nicely, but the second was installed for added reliability. You are correct about the transfos, the smaller is the OT.The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young -
Oops... The old, eye-sees-"rectifier"-brain-reads-"transformer" trick... :redface:... Sorry 'bout that.More later,
Tour...
Vox Copuli
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb
"Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
"It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
"There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD -
Here is the highest power tube amp I've heard. It will handle any speaker with ease.
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The Carver Silver 9's are the biggest amps I have ever heard also.Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t
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As far as high power I listend to a Nakamich PA7-II when I worked in a high end audio store in the mid 80's as well as Adcom GFA 555 and various Yamaha's.
The Nak was the sweetest all around with excellent, silky smooth highs and a very good midrange. Never sounded harsh even when you'd push it to edge of clipping. One thing it lacked was that last bit of low end "slam" the Adcom was good for.
The Adcom 555, was a powerhouse, very detailed on top. Picky about the pre-amp used and I never used an Adcom pre-amp with it (they weren't the best choice back in the day.....the GFP-750 wasn't around then) nice midrange, not as warm as the Nakamichi but it had such great low end bass. Not overdone of sloppy just very deep and with the right amount of texture.
The Yamaha amps never impressed me, they had more "rated" wpc than the Nak or Adcom, but they always shut down early when driving moderate loads like the original Mirage M1 or the larger A/D/S floor standers and the SDA SRS or KEF 107's. They were very blah sounding, never did anything really well other than look pretty. I still don't get why the "M" series amp like the M80 or M85 get so much love. They never impressed me at all, still don't.
Kenwood M2 Basic line, a capable amp but unimpressive overall, very bland and just not enough bass extension. Could get a little harsh when pushed.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
thuffman03 wrote: »The Carver Silver 9's are the biggest amps I have ever heard also.
Holy Moley! I don't suppose you'd need to heat that room in the winter! What speakers are they driving. (I know, any speakers they want! :biggrin:)The world is full of answers, some are right and some are wrong. - Neil Young -
I had to 2 Soundcraftsmen PM-840's bridged for 600 watts/rms @ 8ohms, and over 1200 watts peak. The Bose 901 series VI that were connected to this setup for many years, never distorted, nor were they ever able to make the clipping LED's light. It was woodieville, USA with power chord ROCK.
I know it's audiophile blasphemy, but that system was FUN jack.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
I've listened to other high power amps, but just listened for a short time. The models I posted are those I lived with for awhile or had a lot of experience with. I'm sure there have been others but those are off the top
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
