Thinking of building a tube amp

[Billboard]

I was looking at the ST120. I gather this is an amp based on the Dynaco amps. Tubes4hifi.com

I will pair the amp with my JBL 4311 speakers.

I will need a pre amp, looking at the Eico ST84, or perhaps a Dynaco PAS preamp.

Does it matter? Should I just go with a modern preamp?

Don’t want to spend more than $500 for a preamp.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

The schematic is available for Carvers Tube Amp (The Crimson 275).....


https://www.bobcarvercorp.com/products

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Oh, and if you read enough of Buffalo Bob's writings..... You can hear about his ADAMANTIUM steel core transformer.



This brute delivers enormous power through an increased turns ratio, with two extra interleaved windings, each bifilar wound on a core of adamantine steel with a pure nickel center section. The transformer secondaries are wound with oxygen-free copper wire for critical internal interconnections. Power bandwidth is 24 Hz to 45 kHz; frequency response from 2 Hz to 85 kHz!

 

[FredR]

Adamantium is great stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamantium

 

[FredR]

Are those transformers generally available?

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Are those transformers generally available?

Probably.... I worked with the 275 amps. ALL those parts are available for sure

 

[wattsabundant]

I had a mod guide by Tube God around 1984 that I used to rebuild a PAS2. Actually the preamp was on a 5 space rack chassis. I had regulated plate and heater power supplies along with power supply meters on the front. I think If I was going to tube a tube preamp today I'd buy the present day phono and line level boards and build the rest from scratch. The only thing worth using in a PAS these days would be the chassis. Switches and pots have to be toast.