Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

Try to keep it clean, fellows.

Andre Jute

Andre Jute wrote:

Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

Try to keep it clean, fellows.

Andre Jute

Okay, I'll go first.

My favourite speakers in all the world are first series Quad
electrostats, retroactively known as ESL57. The best amp to drive them
is my own T113 Triple Threat, which is a trioded EL34 Class A push pull
amp which can be operated with zero negative feedback; it has a switch
for triode, ultralinear and pentode operation.

The question will arise: Why does a guy with all kinds of exotic SET
amps and fancy PP tube amps choose the humble T113 Triple Threat? The
answer is really simple. It is the best sounding amp I ever designed
and built. It is a bonus that it also has enough power to be really
impressive (24W with the ultralinear mode switch turned) on any
conceivable speaker, and it has the delicacy in the triode mode to
bring out the best in the ESL57 with my favourite early music and
particularly vocals. In addition it has a quality that I prize very
highly in amps, and rarely find: it is not forward, not pushy, not
bright, not boomy--it is an amp you can listen to all day without
fatigue. My second and third choices would both be Quad amps, and
equally modest, the Quad II (PP KT66) and the Quad 405 Mk II (current
dumping solid state), and for precisely the same reason, that if a
single amp will have to see out the rest of my life, I don't want a
rude, forward, impertinent, opinionated amp, but a cultured bringer of
unadorned music.

Incidentally, my second choice for speakers would also be Quad, the
ESL63, and my third choice would be my own Lowther driven
Fidelio-adaptation bicor horns. For both speakers the amp choices would
be the same as for the ESL57, in the same order.

Andre Jute
Visit Jute on Amps at http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/
"wonderfully well written and reasoned information
for the tube audio constructor"
John Broskie TubeCAD & GlassWare
"an unbelievably comprehensive web site
containing vital gems of wisdom"
Stuart Perry Hi-Fi News & Record Review

"Andre Jute" wrote in message
oups.com...

Andre Jute wrote:

Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

Try to keep it clean, fellows.

Andre Jute

Okay, I'll go first.

My favourite speakers in all the world are first series Quad
electrostats, retroactively known as ESL57. The best amp to drive them
is my own T113 Triple Threat, which is a trioded EL34 Class A push pull
amp which can be operated with zero negative feedback; it has a switch
for triode, ultralinear and pentode operation.



OK, that's better - if you can take speakers of your choice as well, then I
would take my newly-acquired Chinese 300B SET badged 'JA Audio' (actually
not badged at all, but that's what it was called on the eBay auction)
because with an 'all good' valve line-up (currently Mullard ECC81s, EH
6V6GTs and the excellent Shuguang 300B-98s from another Chinese amp) it is
proving to be a *killer combination* with the 'still new and raw' Jericho
horns I've just built.

The 'sound quality' is so *poised* and so *arresting* a pendulum clock would
stop to listen - see them both here, ignore the claptrap, just look at the
pix:

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/jaau...aaudio300b.htm

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/fostexfe206e/fostex.htm

(I would need a dispensation though to allow me to possibly substitute my
2A3 SET when I've had a chance to check it again with the rapidly-evolving
Jerichos - it's been a few days since I heard them together....)

Andre Jute wrote:

Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

Try to keep it clean, fellows.

I'd take a simple 25watt PP triode amp along.

I'd also take Kylie and Nicole, because the island I have in mind
has only solar power, so the girls have to do the washing by hand
because it takes all day to charge up
the batteries to run the amp for an hour, and then
I can sit back with some Mozart.

I am trying to dream up some way I can do without a frig and a stove;
the girls are already wingeing about that and asking if there is any air
conditioning
where we are going ....

Well, I said to them, I think I may be able to connect a dynamo to their
exercize bikes, and that could power the washing machine.....
Kylie warmed to that idea....really cu-el, she said...

Nicole hates smoke getting in her eyes at BBQs, but
she will get used to collecting firewood for cooking
like 2 billion other women I heard about.

I hope she likes Mozart.


Patrick Turner.








Andre Jute

"Andre Jute" wrote in message
oups.com...
Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

**Halcro. When I get tired of listening to it, I can just admire the
excellent (internal and external) visuals. Even better, my choice of
speakers will be virtually unrestricted.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

Scott LK-150 6550 PP-based amp.
AR-9 speakers
Revox B790TT
Ortophon MC30 Cartridge & active head-amp
Revox A77 Dolby 1/4-track deck
Dynaco PAS-3/WIMA pre-amp equipped w/Sylvania mil.spec. 5751 tubes.

_OR_

Revox A720 Tuner/Pre-amp assuming an FM signal from somewhere.
Revox B725 CD player

If the choice must be from existing inventory, substitute my
substantially rebuilt & tweaked AR3a speakers for the AR9s. All other
item are 'stock' at present amongst other things.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

Andre Jute wrote:

Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

Try to keep it clean, fellows.

You seem to be presuming that an amplifier is such a key component in terms
of how it sounds. Of course certain amplifers ( mentioning no names or
topologies ) are so coloured in their performance that this becomes true
but a decent modern solid state amplifier can be as close to technically
faultless as makes no difference and hence the choice of brand A over
brand B *if both are equally well designed* becomes somewhat irrelevant.
I'd tend to favour a mosfet output amplifer myself.

I'd concentrate more on speakers though.

Graham

"Andre Jute"


** One that has been fully "tropicalised" and built to military specs.

That darn salt air is an amp killer !



.......... Phil

Pooh Bear wrote:
Andre Jute wrote:

Most posters on these two conferences are senior audiophiles; almost by
definition they have more than one amp, and sweet memories of perhaps
many more they have parted from. Here's a tough question:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? (To make it easy, we'll assume your record collection, a
source and speakers are waiting for you, and the island is plugged in
to the universal mains electricity.) Why would it be that particular
amp?

Try to keep it clean, fellows.

You seem to be presuming that an amplifier is such a key component in terms
of how it sounds.

Rubbish. In my own choice of amp, in another post in this thread,
repeated below, I made it quite clear that I match amps to speakers,
not the other way round:

******

Okay, I'll go first.

My favourite speakers in all the world are first series Quad
electrostats, retroactively known as ESL57. The best amp to drive them
is my own T113 Triple Threat, which is a trioded EL34 Class A push pull
amp which can be operated with zero negative feedback; it has a switch
for triode, ultralinear and pentode operation.

The question will arise: Why does a guy with all kinds of exotic SET
amps and fancy PP tube amps choose the humble T113 Triple Threat? The
answer is really simple. It is the best sounding amp I ever designed
and built. It is a bonus that it also has enough power to be really
impressive (24W with the ultralinear mode switch turned) on any
conceivable speaker, and it has the delicacy in the triode mode to
bring out the best in the ESL57 with my favourite early music and
particularly vocals. In addition it has a quality that I prize very
highly in amps, and rarely find: it is not forward, not pushy, not
bright, not boomy--it is an amp you can listen to all day without
fatigue. My second and third choices would both be Quad amps, and
equally modest, the Quad II (PP KT66) and the Quad 405 Mk II (current
dumping solid state), and for precisely the same reason, that if a
single amp will have to see out the rest of my life, I don't want a
rude, forward, impertinent, opinionated amp, but a cultured bringer of
unadorned music.

Incidentally, my second choice for speakers would also be Quad, the
ESL63, and my third choice would be my own Lowther driven
Fidelio-adaptation bicor horns. For both speakers the amp choices would
be the same as for the ESL57, in the same order.

Andre Jute
Visit Jute on Amps at http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/
"wonderfully well written and reasoned information
for the tube audio constructor"
John Broskie TubeCAD & GlassWare
"an unbelievably comprehensive web site
containing vital gems of wisdom"
Stuart Perry Hi-Fi News & Record Review

On 27 Jan 2006 17:49:18 -0800, "Andre Jute" wrote:

Suppose you can take only one amp with you to a desert island, which
would it be? snip

Dave Hafler's DH-220. Tubes to too impractical to use in such a
setting and are energy hogs.

dB