On Dec 17, 6:08�pm, "Iain Churches" wrote:
"Andy Evans" wrote in message

...

For me, I want a couple of really good sounding 1:1 interstages, SE so
gapped, and in nickel and sounding fabulous - to link a 10Y to a 300b.
I haven't found anything better than these two valves, so I just need
the best handshake possible!!!

Speak to Santa Sowter. He and his team of industrious
elves fulfill such wishes on a daily basis:-)

I hear contradictory things about Sowter, except for the universal
fact that his stuff is expensive. There's a cheap nickel Hammond
transformer but it's stepdown - as previously mentioned 1:1
interstages date from the period where DHTs were low mu - up to 15 -
and stepdowns are really only useful for medium and high mu valves,
which ain't my cup of tea. Dave Slagle will build a nickel one, so
that's once possibility. Another is Lundahl amorphous core, like the
LL1660. I'm bracing myself to let go of some money here. I built a 10Y
preamp for a friend, output was the usual LL1660/5mA. Sounded so
utterly wonderful I can't wait to build another!!! But has to be 1:1 -
can't sacrifice any of my hard won gain with these DHTs.