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In the Forum: Melquiades Amplifier
In the Thread: To drive the 6C33C...
Post Subject: Re: Posted by guy sergeant on: 3/21/2006
Romy,
I have several power amplifiers each of which sounds different. I might enjoy some aspects of what one of them does but feel that it could do other things better. Another of the amplifiers might have different strengths and weaknesses. None of them are perfect but each has informed me to a degree about the effects of trying a particular topology, device or power supply type.
If I try to build a Melquiades (it won't be for a while, I have other things to do first) it will be for my own reasons one of which is curiosity. You advise not to make a change until you are sure what needs to be changed. I am sure that none of my power amps are unimproveable. Therefore there is a chance that this amplifier might deliver some improvements as I perceive them. I doubt that it will be unimproveable either but I may learn something from the process of making and listening to it and that is a good enough reason for me to try. I don't really care whether you feel my motivation is correct, in fact I find your concern that it isn't quite amusing. Don't worry, Ive no desire to become an apostle for you, Michael Fremer or anyone else.
My experiences in making amplifiers for myself and to my taste have included listening to the effects of changing the operating conditions of a particular stage and trying to correlate the change in the patterns of distortion (sound they give) with the changes made to the operating condition. Despite other peoples assertions that the curves are 'silly' and that such changes are irrelevant I would beg to differ. I think the sound of a gain stage can and will be modified quite significantly by how it is operated and the effects are quite audible in terms of 'musical involvement' or 'emotional impact' or whatever terms of reference one uses. I also have found that prolonged exposure to rose tinted amplification becomes tedious if a wide variety of types of music are listened to. One becomes more conscious of the medium than the message, (or at least I do) and ultimately this gets in the way.
I have not drawn any conclusions about how this amplifier might sound. I cannot imagine how the input stage you use will behave and how that will impact on what the 6C33 does. As I've said previously the Lamm amplifiers using this valve always left me underwhelmed when I heard them but this seems quite a different design.
My only experience of anything remotely like it was listening to a half watt 6336 (similar type of valve)amplifier many years ago at Tommy Hornings place which was very impressive.
best regds
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