Impressions of the Dynaco MK III Tube Monoblock amps

kcoc321

Had a pair of Tube monoblocks come up for sale on CL here.

Dynaco MK III Tube Monoblock amps. He is asking $750, which is alittle more than the ones I found on eBay selling for $650. But his also have upgraded speaker terminals and ? other upgrades, unknown at this time.
They are listed as 60wpc continuous

Link to the specs
http://home.indy.net/~gregdunn/dynaco/components/MkIII/index.html


What are people's impressions? Are they worth that? Good deal? Great Deal?
Please PM me as I would hate to miss them.
Thanks



http://images.craigslist.org/5O25Q45P53kc3oc3p5ba6f84d1c7b631b19d5.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/5V65P35R13n63m63obba670663ce3e5231df8.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/5Q25U45X43k63m03oeba6ea545b9473601ba3.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/5Q25T25P03n23p03l5ba6ec2acf99403c1f60.jpg

heiney9

What are you running with them and what pre-amp will you be using, just curious?

H9

Joe08867

I am more of an EL34 fan than the 6550 when this much power is being produced. That being said these are pretty basic power amps and look good for there age.

Do you know what upgrades and when they were done? It looks like circuit boards and terminals.

Like H9 said, What are you going to be running with them?

kcoc321

Right now my "primary" speakers are DQ-10's..I am working on getting a Pair of LSi9's) I also have Rt-55's I throw in when I want the HT experience. I also have Mon 10's w/ Peerless, Mon 7's w/ Peerless....standing ready and available.

For Pre's, right now I am using the Pre-outs on my B&K AVR307. I also have a B&K PT-3 and Carver CT-6 as well. Am also willing looking for something else eventually.

This would be a substantal investment, for me, but I do not see these come up very often out here, so that is why I am doing this research.

Joe08867

Not sure about the DQ10's. I thought they were pretty power hungry? Although anything with a super tweeter usually like tubes.

I would match the pt-3 with them and see what that gets you. I am not a huge fan of that Carver although I think some guys around here are. I wouldn't use the AVR307 with it personally. Might make it sound brittle or harsh but trying new things is the name of the game.

PS the Monitor 10's would love these amps.

heiney9

Both the DQ10's and LSi 9's are power hogs, but I know a lot of people here have had good luck with moderately powered tube gear on the LSi's as long as you don't expect rock concert volumes.

The DQ10's??? Not sure that will be enough power, but they can't play loudly anyway.

Those Dynaco's, if you get them, deserve a real nice dedicated pre-amp eventually.

H9

kcoc321

thanks guys...I have read about ppl on the Dahlquest forum using 'smaller' tube amps an enjoying the sound. THe DQ10's do love their power. Right now I have a Carver TFM35 running them (and a second if I want to Bi-amp) and it made a difference over my B&K ST1400II (150wpc @4ohm) I am also looking at a B&K ref 2202 (if the guy ever writes me back)

I am not sure I would characterize the B&K AVR307 as "brittle or harsh" quite the opposite, IMHO, but i have not heard alot of others YET. I am mostly using it right now as a Pre because of simplcity and space constraints. I only have so much room...LOL

I have the Super tweeters disconnected...

And yes I am sure the Monitors will love both the TFM's and these tube amps, if I get them..have not had time to rotate them in yet...their are on standby though...haha

So what about "Price point" for these/ Are they a good value vs cost? Or are there better ones that have more "Bang for the Buck"?

kcoc321

Just for Reference, and future searching, I alos found these guys who are doing Upgrades to the Dyna amps

http://www.enter.net/~cae/mk3des_3.htm

TroyD

As long as you aren't playing at ear traumatizing levels, I think that 60wpc will do fine with the DQ-10's.....

BDT

reeltrouble1

as always...my advice is to go large or go home...but then I am a larger kind of guy.

you cannot rely upon reviews of a tube, they are like women...short, tall, skinny, thick,,,..they are all good on the inside.

Tubes Rule.

RT1

TroyD

Good thing that Mrs RT1 doesn't subscribe to that philosophy. :cheesygrin:

BDT

kcoc321

HI RT,
Sorry I am not exactly sure how to apply your comment "go large or stay home"
Regarding these Tube monoamps's I was asking about.

For me, and my relative cost investment, this would be a BIG investment compared to what I have spent, per item, to date. The next most expensive item would be my AVR307, which I got for $400 or my CA DVD99 which was about the same.

I am trying to compare how "wonder-ful" an investment these would be. I like what my tube buffer added....and I have always heard about the accolades of tube amps...have not got my ears on one yet.

I won't be able to make any other 'major' investments in the near future, if I was to buy them, that would 'tap out' any/ the rest of the disposable income I have, unless or until I sell off some stuff.

But I did not want to pass up a good thing.

IF I did not get them, I could get:
another LSi9 to complete my pair or
I could get a pair of LSi9's and keep the one I have as the Center.
Or I could get the B&K Ref 2202 that is for sale locally or
I could get the CSR+'s for sale locally or
Upgrade my speaker cables and interconnects or
Get a stand alone DAC
Or upgrade the Xovers in my DQ10's
and/ or upgrade the Xovers in my Mon 7's & Mon 10
or ??
or ??

You see my delima

kcoc321

I got a reply back from the seller regarding the upgrades


Hi KC, here are some photos. The upgrade was a new Poseidon board using 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes instead of the original design using 6AN8. To me, it's got more punch in the bass and more detailed high end. Also got new caps and resistors to withstand higher voltage as well as new sockets. Also new 5-way gold plated binding posts.

Here are some better pictures he sent me.

reeltrouble1

TroyD wrote: »

Good thing that Mrs RT1 doesn't subscribe to that philosophy. :cheesygrin:

BDT

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa lol.

kcoc...the DQ are great speakers....I am sure the Dynaco will bring you sonic pleasure, I am pretty sure though it will not be your last tube amp, we are all dealing with budget and such..there are two ways to go....highly effecieint speakers which require flea power just a few watts, then those which require more power to make them shine...as had been stated the DQ and the Polk Lsi9 like lots of power for a bit different reasons still they do. Some of this comes down to personal listening habits...Polk Audio voices there speakers to play rock and roll...they always have...and rock sounds best when its thumping...the best I ever heard the Lsi9 sound was (herasey) with 1000 watt sand-amps...Thresholds. The DQ-9 will play nicely with the Dynaco, until/unless you want to rock them..then I suspect you will run out of gas, clip and have some nasty sounding distortion or smoke something in a circuit/driver and so on.

So its all up to you, just do your best to make an informed decision and understand we have all been there, making good calls and bad calls for our rigs, its just part of the path.

RT1

kcoc321

Thanks...After talking to him, and looking at the pictures, they look to be in fabulous shape. His dad, a retired EE from Boeig, did the work, and he has had them spec'd at a dealer here in town. Plus they look brand new...About the only thing I don't like is thet circuit board on the top, but I think I could make or have something made that would cover that...
I am going to pick them up tomorrow.
They have been totally gone over with new caps ect as well as the upgrades listed above. He said they come with a pair of JJ KT88's...Are those any good?

reeltrouble1

they are fine...I would not go all crazy with tube rolling to begin with...play with them a bit, this is a nice jump for you, uhmmm....dont be suprised if you find yourself wanting to change somethings upstream...stay with your speaker...your amps, learn their sound with different material...how is the soundstage, the imaging, the clarity, the seperation, the tonal characteristics with genre, how is the bass, then all the "connecting" with the music, I might of said a couple times, "you gotta have stuff to try stuff", well, your getting some nice stuff...enjoy and congrats on your pick.

RT1

kcoc321

Thanks RT I am excited.

reeltrouble1

No doubt!!! Looking forward to reading about your fortunes with this gear....as you step into Tube Corridors of the Rabbit Hole...beware the ipod people voices!!!

hehehehe.

RT1

dorokusai

Tube rolling is something you do far after you actually own tube equipment. You need to own and really get to know it, the sonics, the characteristics, the shortcomings and it's freefall of everything you know before rolling tubes should even be a thought. It's easy to get lost in the what should I do now camp...just relax, enjoy, don't worry so much about what you need to do next unless it's to simply reach for the volume dial.

Cayuga

I think you can't go wrong given the updates for that price. I have a pair that I'm going to sell and I would be asking more than you're paying.

kcoc321

I know ..I know.....sigh...I'll wait to start tube rolling ..for a while......

Here are the KT88 tubes that are in it right now...
http://thetubestore.com/teslakt88.html

iPod People...we have no stinkin iPod..LOL

reeltrouble1

tell you what, remind me if I don't recall, but in about 4-6 months shoot me a pm and I will send you some tubes to roll, after you really get to know your gear...you got to kick its tires and maybe even put a scratch on something!!!!......I always have various tubes I can lend out so you dont have to spend dough for tube rolling/searching.....it is mostly subtle differences in them.

Making changes slowly is nearly always best...just advice but if you get all willy-nilly with many changes in short intervals you can easily end up chasing your tail....now if you add a piece and it instantly sounds awful...well awful is as awful does and that is no box of cherry chocalates...the whole system synergy thing is the goal to work for. You already have some great speakers so your set their.

I did get to hear the Polk LsiM 703 at Polkfest Orlando and although they cost more than a few dollars, I really liked them...now remember I a big speaker..big power...go large or go home kind of guy...so that bookshelf was really good to get my attention like it did...just info for the future.

RT1

kcoc321

Very Cool, thanks Man...I will take you up on that .:cheesygrin:

Joe08867

Those JJ's will not have the bottom end of some others out there. That said they are very smooth and should be a good point of reference when you start rolling.

Congrats on your buy. I am sure you will enjoy them..

heiney9

Joe08867 wrote: »

Those JJ's will not have the bottom end of some others out there. That said they are very smooth and should be a good point of reference when you start rolling.

Congrats on your buy. I am sure you will enjoy them..

Do you know this from experience? Only reason I ask is because I have a pair of JJ EL34S that are an EL34 on steroids and very similar to the KT88 construction. The bottom end is huge and controlled. I normally don't care too much for current production tubes, but I do like the JJ EL34S, it has some good qualities. The bass is phenomenal. I have not heard the "actual" JJ KT88, but many say the JJ EL34S is strikingly similar.

Just wondering

H9

kcoc321

Thank you Joe and Heiney for you input. I will let yo uknow what y impressions are, once I get them settled into my system.

kcoc321

Well, I have been enjoying putting my new amps thru their paces. At first, they actually sounded alittle "Bass bloated" but after an half n hour or so, they balanced out. One issue then was the left amp was not putting out as much as the right/ about 4dB (via ear..I know. I know..need a meter..) I balanced them out with the speaker settings.

Last night I went thru all the tubes and tested them. the Chinese 12AX7B's tested low (90 & 92) but the 21AU7 where good and so where the KT88's. (116, 117, 118, & 118 I put the 2 118 back together) I was not able to test the 5AR4's....I need to know what is the best seeing to use for the 5AR4 rectifier tubes? My Tester does not list them. I found these substitutions: 5AR4: 5AW4, 5AQ4, GZ34 online....I do have settings for the 5AW4, is that close enough? What are the differences?

After I re-installed all the tubes, I noticed a slight buzzing (no connection to AVR or other source, dummy connection). This morning, I noticed it again, so I ran a biasing test. The left amp was reading 0.55 while the right is reading 1.54. The manual says it should be 1.56, so I adjusted the right one to 1.56, but when I tried to adjust the left one, the max I could get it up to, cranking the potentialometer all the way, was 1.43...This has me worried because it does not seem right (duh) so I turned it down to 1.00 but IDK what to check next. I am hoping I just have a bad Rectifier tube, hense the need to get the settings.

As far as first impressions, I definitively am enjoying the "sweetness" of the tube sound, and the increased depth of the Soundstage. I can tell that the Chinese preamp tubes are holding it back, since I heard a similiar "restrained sound" when I first got my GF B-283 and used the stock chinese tubes. Once I changed out those for NOS Tung-sol's the depth of the soundstage increased dramatically.
Thanks

kcoc321

I am still TRYING to research to diagnose what exactly is wrong with the left amp (C0001) as I said in my last post about the problem, I first noticed it was playing quite a bit lower than the right one, and has a buzzing that does not increase with volume, but is always there. I have swapped the 5AR4's from one amp to the other and it is the same, so a least it is not a bad rectifier tube. It is there with a dummy input, so it is not that, and I switched the outlets to the same as the other one, so it isn't a ground loop issue.

Anyone have any ideas?

Joe08867

heiney9 wrote: »

Do you know this from experience? Only reason I ask is because I have a pair of JJ EL34S that are an EL34 on steroids and very similar to the KT88 construction. The bottom end is huge and controlled. I normally don't care too much for current production tubes, but I do like the JJ EL34S, it has some good qualities. The bass is phenomenal. I have not heard the "actual" JJ KT88, but many say the JJ EL34S is strikingly similar.

Just wondering

H9

It was from experience, The JJ's I had were matched and all but for some reason they didn't have the same bottom end as the Siemens(Way Expensive) Mullard's or Tung-Sol's I had tried. I did continue to use them because they had such clarity and definition everywhere else. Let me also say that the bottom end wasn't as pronounce as in the other tubes but like you say the control they had was wonderful and made up for some of those issues.

I am a bigger fan of Mullard or Tung-Sol for the price. If he's willing to spend the bread Siemens or Black Sable are absolutely awesome new tubes.

heiney9

Joe08867 wrote: »

It was from experience, The JJ's I had were matched and all but for some reason they didn't have the same bottom end as the Siemens(Way Expensive) Mullard's or Tung-Sol's I had tried. I did continue to use them because they had such clarity and definition everywhere else. Let me also say that the bottom end wasn't as pronounce as in the other tubes but like you say the control they had was wonderful and made up for some of those issues.

I am a bigger fan of Mullard or Tung-Sol for the price. If he's willing to spend the bread Siemens or Black Sable are absolutely awesome new tubes.

When you say Mullard or Tung-Sol are you talking current Russian production or NOS? Because NOS Mullards are very, very pricey. Siemens never made their own EL34 they just rebranded other tube makers, most notably tubes from Eastern Germany made by RFT are by far the most common Siemens tubes. The JJ's I have are actually marked as Siemens, came in a Siemens box from the early 80's. The structure is unique and after painstaking research they are the very last generation of Tesla production at or right before the time JJ took over. The glass envelope is about twice as thick as a std current production EL34, it's very slightly fatter and can handle 30% more plate current. Like I said, the construction is very similar to the KT88.

Now if are talking about the JJ EL34, then perhaps I can agree. It's a different animal than the JJ EL34S.

kcoc321

Cayuga wrote: »

I think you can't go wrong given the updates for that price. I have a pair that I'm going to sell and I would be asking more than you're paying.

Cayuga, What Upgraded input boards does your have? I see that your bias knob and rectifier have been removed. I am assuming they are now on the new boards, since you have two PCB's on each, were as mine only having one.

As far as tubes go, I am not going to be getting any new ones for a while, and definitely not until I get the issues worked out.

When I do, I have been considering the TS KT-120's since they have about 8-10% more power output and are supposed to run "Deeper" bass and clearer...Least that is what the 'Dynaco boys" have been saying on the Dyna Forum.

But you never know, If I can find some "sleeper" mullard KT-88's on eBay, then why not.