Re: Cheap Valve Amps?


"Fleetie" <fleetie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:L_AUe.3300$Q%2.1761@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Various sellers still sell them. Search eBay for *Dynavox* (the model is
>> VR-70E) also the Affordable Valve Nutter sells them under the Audio
>> Institute name. Prices from Europe start at 200 Euros (gotta try the
>> symbol to see if it comes out - ? ..??) with about 20-25 quid carriage
>> and they usually arrive in a couple of days. The Affordable Valve Nutter
>> (in the UK) is asking £250 with, er, 30 quid postage.
>>
>> Be advised they are fixed bias though, not that they ever need
>> adjusting.....
>
> Hi.
>
> Have you got an email address for one of the cheap sellers? I found the
> Ebay
> guy doing them for 250 + 30, and I sent him a question via Ebay to see how
> responsive he is, before I was gonna buy from him (yes, I'm growing wily
> in
> my old age), and I've had nothing back, which makes me wary of doing
> business
> with him, unless maybe he's on holiday or something, but then, why does he
> have auctions going if he's on holiday? Not impressed.
>
> Anyone else sell them, maybe even cheaper?



OK Martin, this will *** you up some: On the 3rd, my friend in Brussels
asks 'What do you think of the Dynavox amps?'

*Yesterday* I got this from him:

---------------------------------------

"3-Hold on, sit down:

I have a Dynavox EL34 amp... yes. I wanted to send you a picture but
it arrived last night, from BRUSSELS! The guy delivered. It came with
Mullards. But "Russian" Mullards...:-) He left and I immediately played
and checked the bias, I set to 36mA. It was awfully badly set (or unset).
IT IS CALLED AUDIO INSTITUTE VR-70E. But it is a Dynavox.
The ECF 82's are Siemens. I wil try to get some Russians for EL34's.
I think the tubes, though new, may not be the ideal ones,
they are not the "real" things.
(speaking about Mullards that guy Wilson responded saying he would do what
he can...)

I got it for 200 Euros, including some spare tubes. The guy is also
engineer, electronic,"
---------------------------------------------


What's 200 Euros - 150 quid?? (He's modding it already - ripping out the
input caps as I type!! :-)

Now, I see Rob has answered you and I agree with him entirely about
Dynaudios - they like raw meat, lots of it!! But I don't see why a Dynavox
wouldn't satisfy them up to certain levels. The eBay seller I got mine from
was Herr Peter Nagel und his missus Frau Nagel who trade as ProElektra in
Munching Gladrags (pnagel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx). He speaks a little English only,
she speaks fluent American.

They have a website (mit fon number) which works in places:

http://www.proelektra.de/Statement.htm

....where you will see that they trade in audiopoop and gadgets. (But don't
knock it 'til you worked the prices out.....!!)

Nice people to deal with.


All this modology (and finally getting my hands on the circuit diag -
courtesy of above friend) has got me thinking to mod one of mine up now!!
(Although I'm not big on buying ultra-cheap kit and pouring big money into
it - a bit too much like 'turd polishing' to my mind!! ;-)

Another 'efriend' who has one (and is very happy with it) says this:

"The major thing to do with the dynavox is remove cap C0 (the first two
after the 'pot), from memory I think its 0.47uF, all it does is kill the
sound. Its there to smooth the signal from source but seriously, its way
better without it. The 'pot is also another problem, a cheapo omeg with a
shunt mod is much better. Further to that Ive done the obvious re-capping,
changed it to triode connection, changed rca's etc. Another area that costs
have been cut is the omission of a heater-bias circuit. I have recently had
a schematic drawn for me so I'll do that over the weekend. At some time
I'll change the EL34's for KT88's. For the purchase price and the cost of
the parts its a seriously good amp."

(It's all fekkin' *go* innit??!!)

:-)










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