Pristine Pair Vintage Altec 1570B Tube Monoblocks, Super Clean, Rare Chance | eBay
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Really pretty. That's a lot of triode power.
Very,Very,Clean,the only dust I can see on it is in the back were the tubes are. Saaweet !
I brushed up on tube amps last night, not sure I'm ready to take the jump.
I think the cheapest way into tube amps is probably a console pull. Magnavox console amps are popular in particular.Quote:
Originally Posted by cradeldorf
Hmm never thought of that, you are saying find an old magnavox console and just yank the amp/tuner part out and run that out in the open? providing it has tubes and isn't SS.
Many of them have amps that are separate from the tuner. People modify them all the time to be stand alone. Basically you need to jump a couple of contacts to get it to turn on, since that's normally in the tunner that is no longer connected. People usually install a switch, and add biding posts........ and change caps like you might have to do on any old tube amp. Many people insist that some balance circuit needs to be modified, too....... not sure why.Quote:
Originally Posted by cradeldorf
If you find something called a "Concert Grand" re-sell that one whole......... that's the Holy Grail for many Magnavox Console affeciandos.
Important to note what speaker load was originally in the console. Most console OPT's only have 1 secondary winding. Some Magnavox's had 4 ohm secondaries. I'm not aware of any that had OPT's approaching the full 20-20k hifi bandwidth.
Beef up the P/S and add a pair of Lundahl OPT's and you can have a pretty serious hifi amp. Of course you now have 700-800 invested in your 20 dollar console pull. But, it will sound mighty fine.
There's a 1950's Voice of music console that has a dual 6V6 per channel amp for 50 asking in Columbus...the amp is actually a reciever with a 12" tall faceplate, nice and funky. I already bought a circa 1968 Harmon Kardon for the barn though.
Well, note I spoke of these as being an easy entry in tube........ which I'm sure will be fine for me. I've got one that I'd like to use. I really need a pre-amp for it, Though. Eventually, I'd like to use it for just the highs, and use my 9444A for the lows.Quote:
Originally Posted by bowtie427ss
Also, they're not $20 pulls....... Magnavox's regularly hit $100 or more on ebay. Whole consoles are even going up in price........ but that's your best chance of finding an amp cheap.
Yes, there is the impedance issue...... which I typically ignore. Maybe that's not good? I should have check to see what the speakers were that were powered by my little amp. I tossed the speakers they were so corroded, and I didn't really need 12" CTS's any how.Quote:
Originally Posted by bowtie427ss
I've got a Fisher pull that actually has multiple taps........ 4, 8, and 16, I think. That's a more expensive amp, Though. It's mono..... wish I had another.
Aren't those console amps under powered, and will only power only the most efficient small speakers ? In the consoles the speakers usually found in them aren't they usually 10" or smaller full ranger's ? And if your trying to drive large Altecs,subs,2 pair etc, be an issue with lack of power especially in the low frequencies ? Dunno ? Never had one of those old Magnavox's.
I think that depends a LOT on the kind of music you listen to and your listening preferences. Take something like Pano's A5's or similar large format system that are particularly sensitive and a source like vintage big band or jazz, a few good watts can be hugely satisfying, and as far as some folks ever need to go with a system.Quote:
Originally Posted by Altec Best
There is always that one compromise in hifi that can only be appreciated on an individual basis, that is when a component does "what it does" so well that the caveats or shortcomings become irrelevant to the listener. I've been there, and absolutely respect each individual listener's ability to choose his own compromises.
I have been finding my tone preferences have changed over the past 25-30 years.When I was younger I liked more treble tones.Now I'm more partial to the lower frequencies.So I need an amp that can drive the big woofers ! ;)
Strange Huh ? I never thought that would happen.I guess maybe it has something to do with our hearing as we age our HF hearing rolls off much more than the lower freq. I dunno but this is what has seemed to happen to me WRT my tone preferences.
Good bass is addictive, Altecs can bump you with a good fix.Quote:
Strange Huh ? I never thought that would happen.I guess maybe it has something to do with our hearing as we age our HF hearing rolls off much more than the lower freq. I dunno but this is what has seemed to happen to me WRT my tone preferences.
The drivers depend on the console. The amp I plan on using was driving a 12" woofer with 2 smaller speakers per channel. The other amp I have was driving a Magnavox 15" woofer with three other drivers. I don't think it's typical to be driving subs with any tube amp, is it? Our horns are effiecent, so I don't see a problem there...... of course I'm not running a horn with my amp at the moment, either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Altec Best
Remember chaps, don't fall into the trap of thinking that bigger speakers need more power. It's usually the other way 'round. Bigger means more efficient.
You could drive a pair of Model 19s to respectable levels off the output of a portable radio. Try it, you might be surprised.
Nothing wrong with a good power in the bass tho. Even at the same level, it can sound better.