dsavitsk

I used an L-2 on the high Z setting with a 600R resistor in parallel to the output. Similar arrangements on a number of other amps did not fair as well.

Only bizarre in that the audiophile world won't buy anything that isn't a 6SN7. It's a nice tube for the rest of us.

The T1's actually sounded great with just the right amplification, but "just the right amplification" required a lot of tweaking. With any other amp, they were pretty blah.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/arts/music/lou-reed-dies-at-71.html

Or the input jacks.

\x160\xc5\x86\xfb\x1b\x1f\xc8\xfa\x9d\xcf2s\x01\x8eH

There are tube shields, but I can't say that I've ever seen them for octals. However, you can make a shield out of aluminum foil -- just wrap the tube, ground the foil, and make sure that the foil does not touch the pins. Does it change in different rooms?

Happy continuing birthday!

I am rescinding this recommendation due to the network falling apart, and Samsung being very unhelpful. Amazon has agreed to take it back, and we are deciding whether to keep it (the TV part works fine, and it is still price competitive) or get something else instead. The 50" ST60 is looking pretty good -- depends on whether to go better, or go cheaper as it isn't like AT&T or Netflix deliver content worthy of anything that good. Nate, what did you decide?

We just got a 46" Samsung (UN46F6300) which we like. It has Netflix, HBOGo, Plex, and Amazon Prime built in (among other stuff) so we were able to do away with a separate Roku. Wifi seems a bit spotty, but running an ethernet cord works fine (and we had to run one to the AT&T box anyway). It was well under your budget, too.

It can drive it, and it will probably work fine. But since when is fine good enough? I'd actually be inclined to use it in pentode mode ...

FTFY

300B is hard to drive well. How about putting a follower between the driver and the 300B. Jack has done such things. I think you can do a better circuit than the opamp as driver, but it is a quick and easy solution. The biggest hurdle is the step up transformer as it will need a sizable core (or a ton of windings) to deal with the voltage swing. Something like a Lundahl LL1689 would work. The 119DA might. If Hammond's rating is to be believed it should swing 80V or so. The voltage gain is low, so maybe pair it with a 1:4 step up before the driver circuit.

+1

I have no idea what's going on here, but I miss Chicago

For people who like OTL amps: http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/440/WIMA_DC_Link_MKP_5-1184.pdf

Happy Birthday!

Sorry I missed this, and very sorry to hear about your kitty. A good resource for all things CKD http://www.felinecrf.org/

Indeed! At least for now, the plan is to do a small run of Black Diamonds. I am just investigating some machining issues right now, so hopefully they'll be ready this fall. Work has also started on a DSHA-2, but I haven't even prototyped it yet, so it is probably a winter or spring thing, if it works at all.

Depending on the material, you can get a pack of 100 of these from McMaster for as low as $1.49. Unless I am missing something. I am sure I have piles of them, but they are still in boxes. If nobody else has some, I'll send some in a few days.

It's like telling an F1 driver who has a very small track with insufficient room for an F1 that when he has to practice on that track, to practice driving a Toyota Yaris. As an alternative, our house has 8" thick plaster walls and cement layers in the floors and ceilings. It blocks sound really well, so you could do that.

Practice with one of these

Are you sure that it isn't one side of the amp that's noisy?

The Cinemags are very nice, but you'll lose a little resolution. The Jensens are essentially identical but they cost more. The Lundahl LL1592s are a little more expensive, but resolve enough better to make them worth the difference to me. The Lundahl LL1690s are more expensive still, but are absolutely transparent. They are what I used in the L-2 by default.

Input transformer is never overkill ...