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kor952
14-12-2011, 01:32
Hi all, I am new here. I live in the South East of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
As far as I know I always have been interested in everything that is producing sound since my youngest childhood (I once broke the tonearm of my fathers TT at the age of 2 or 3). I got my first TT with speaker in the lid at my 11th birthday, made my first speaker cabinet when I was 14 (I mounted the speaker from the lid of my TT into this cab). At the age of 16 I used my old Märklin train transformer in reverse (to have more gain) between a phono preamp and a Geloso EL34 poweramp, so we could have 'rough' youth-parties at saterdaynights in Church. After my youth follow lots of years I only did buy stuf such as a DUAL 701 wich I still like to play.
Since 1992 I do build my own tube amps. I did built a lot of them, I still got a Reichert 300B, a AN Kassai clone, a Shishido 805 and a Wavac 300B clone (wich at the end was transformed into a Komuro (fully direct coupled) style amp, cause I couldn't obtain the right IT's).
I also did built some preamps but I do not like the use of a preamp, all my power amps have enough gain and I install an att. at the frontend of each amp I built.
The only preamp still in active duty is an AN M7-Phono clone. My TT is a Scheu premier, wich I upgraded fom a 5 cm platter into a 8 cm platter a few years ago. I mostly use a Denon DL-103R in a Scheu Classic tonearm. I also do have a MC Scheu highoutput in fact this is a Benz Micro Glider. But for some reason it does not perform well in my setup. Maybe the arm/cart does not not match I realy have no idea. I also still play the Dual 701 with a Shure M75 with HE replacement needle and a Shure V15 III with replacement elliptical needle, the M75 outperforms the V15 III at the moment, that's why I also ordered a HE needle for the V15 III.
Further on I use a TEAC P-700 CD drive unit with an AN DAC 4 Sig (wich started it's live in '96 as a DAC 3).
To complete I use a pair of AN-E speakers, the original internal copper L cabling has been replaced with silver SPx). Interlinks are all AN-Vx, speaker wire is either AN SPx or L (the Spx sounds a bit thin but nicely detailed the L has a fuller warmer sound).
My latest project was a VSPS of RJM audio. VSPS = Very Simple Phono Stage, I did finish it last weekend. The total costs for the VSPS incl. supply are only 1/10th of the parts of my M7-Phono clone but it sounds great. My next project is to replace the Scheu Classic arm with a Jelco SA-750 LB. I get a little nervous each time I use the unipivot arm and would like to change my cartridge in a quicker and simpler way.

What can I say about my music.....I started with the first 3 (mono) albums of the Rolling Stones and at this moment it ends with Diana Krall 'Live in Paris' at 45rpm I do not dare to turn it often because.... I fear for wear..... it sounds so GOOD!! In between all kind of music, Bach, Vivaldi, War of the Worlds, Doe Maar (Dutch Ska and Raggae band from the '80), Eva Cassidy, Four Play.........

A little about my Username it is a combination of the first three letters of my last name (Koridon) and the month and year of birth.

Pictures can be found here.....http://www.jogis-roehrenbude.de/Leserbriefe/RKoridon-Amp/805-Story.htm
It is in German but it are the pictures that count or try Google translate....

Please forgive me for any errors made, English is not my native language..........:rolleyes:

John
14-12-2011, 06:12
Welcome to AOS
Great intro and nice amp
I hope you enjoy your stay

Thing Fish
14-12-2011, 06:42
Hi Ronald, Welcome to the forum...:wave:

I've been toying with buying the Diana Krall 45rpm for a while now. Its just a bit expensive for me at the moment. That said I know i'll regret not buying it when it sells out...:(

MartinT
14-12-2011, 06:59
Hi Ronald and welcome to AoS. You have some interesting equipment and it would be good to see some photos.

I too am thinking about the Diana Krall - I have pretty much everything else of hers and have seen her live twice.

morris_minor
14-12-2011, 08:33
Hi Ronald, and a welcome from me also.

I love the pictures on your web page. That amp is stunning! The case looks like slate . . . (?)

Cheers,
Bob

kor952
14-12-2011, 09:41
Hi Ronald, Welcome to the forum...:wave:

I've been toying with buying the Diana Krall 45rpm for a while now. Its just a bit expensive for me at the moment. That said I know i'll regret not buying it when it sells out...:(

Thanks,

I also thought it was expensive, mean price here is 80 Euro, but found one who did sell it for 54 Euro.

Ronald.

kor952
14-12-2011, 09:45
Hi Ronald and welcome to AoS. You have some interesting equipment and it would be good to see some photos.

I too am thinking about the Diana Krall - I have pretty much everything else of hers and have seen her live twice.

Thanks,

For photos, please check the URL, the photos are taken in 2003 but more or less everything still looks the same exept the Scheu has a 8 cm high platter now.

kor952
14-12-2011, 09:55
Hi Ronald, and a welcome from me also.

I love the pictures on your web page. That amp is stunning! The case looks like slate . . . (?)

Cheers,
Bob

Thanks,

The cases are built with a steel (805) or stainless steel (300B) bottom and sides and copper tops. The Belgian nature-stone (that's how it is called here) is glued and bolted to the sides of the chassis. The cutting and bending is done for me by a workshop, the rest like making the holes is done by me. For the stone sides, I make MDF panels and the stone shop copies these panels.

Ronald.

snapper
14-12-2011, 10:51
Please forgive me for any errors made, English is not my native language..........:rolleyes:



Hi Ronald, welcome to the forum. Please don't worry about any errors, you're English is certainly better than my Dutch.

:cool:

kor952
14-12-2011, 10:54
Hi Ronald, welcome to the forum. Please don't worry about any errors, you're English is certainly better than my Dutch.

:cool:

Have one on my account to.....:cool:

Ronald

Jonboy
14-12-2011, 21:48
Hello Ronald and welcome, my friend owns a Wavac 300b amp and is the best 300b amp i've heard he has now bought the matching pre as well, your amp looks very nice, Tango transformers are ment to be the best you can get :)

Alex_UK
14-12-2011, 21:51
Hi Ronald - welcome from me too. :)

kor952
14-12-2011, 23:37
@ Jonboy and Alex_UK thank you both for your welcome,

@ Jonboy, I heard more than once that people consider the Wavac EC-300B one of the best 300B amps around, I do not have heard an original yet. My amp is a kind of clone, I used the same tubes, the same resistor values but not the same interstage transformer and not the same output transformer because they are not general available from Tango (they are so called special wounds). The primary impedance of the IT is not known, the primary impedance of the OPT is rather low with 2K. At the moment I use a choke as a coupling device between driver and 300B just like Komuro did in his amp, the choke is both used as an anode load for the 6L6 and a grid choke for the 300B. Therefore it is nessesary to make two different PSUs, one for the WE435A + 6L6 (frontend + driver stage) and one for the 300B's. So on this point my amp also differs from the original. It took me some time, just as with my 805 amp, to make it a good sounding amp but at the moment I am rather content with it.

Ronald.

valves
14-12-2011, 23:42
Hi,

I to am new to the forum, I would love to build a valve amp, monoblocks but really have no idea.

Are you an engineer?

What's a good place to start?

Carl.

kor952
15-12-2011, 00:06
Hi,

I to am new to the forum, I would love to build a valve amp, monoblocks but really have no idea.

Are you an engineer?

What's a good place to start?

Carl.

Welcome to you too...

I have a fine machanic education, but after school never worked as a fine mechanic but in the IT business, I am retired now.
There are so much amps you can built. Roughly said: First decide wich speakers you want to use because they decide wich amp you can use and wich amp you can't use. In general they have to be an easy load for a valve amp. I know for sure that Audio Note speakers will do well both with PP and SE amps. Simple said realy simple loads are OK with SE a bit more difficult load needs a PP amp. At the very moment my Wavac 300B clone is driving a pair of Tannoy M2 playing Dire Straits Brothers in Arms.....without any trouble although their rather low efficiency of 87 dB/W/m.

Ronald.

Reid Malenfant
15-12-2011, 20:47
Hi Ronald, I only got to visit your most pleasant city the once which is a bit of a shame in all honesty as it was very pleasurable indeed (no red light before any smart alec says anything :eyebrows:), the local herbs certainly had something going for them ;) Welcome to AoS from me to, I hope you enjoy your stay here :)


All the best to you!

kor952
15-12-2011, 21:31
Hi Ronald, I only got to visit your most pleasant city the once which is a bit of a shame in all honesty as it was very pleasurable indeed (no red light before any smart alec says anything :eyebrows:), the local herbs certainly had something going for them ;) Welcome to AoS from me to, I hope you enjoy your stay here :)


All the best to you!

Thank you Mark.

Ronald.

Fi-Wi
16-12-2011, 11:47
Welcome, from a fellow lowlander!

kor952
16-12-2011, 11:57
Welcome, from a fellow lowlander!

Thank you Steven, what are the weather forecasts....:lol:

Fi-Wi
16-12-2011, 20:46
Haha, that will raise most eyebrows here! :)

kor952
16-12-2011, 22:05
Haha, that will raise most eyebrows here! :)

Do you tell them ........... or shall I.

Ronald.