In the first part about the all silver 45/45 amplifiers I showed the assembly. In this part I will show photos of the finished amplifiers and give some sound impressions.
The complete set of 4 chassis consisting of two independent power supplies and two mono amplifiers:
Front view of one of the power amps:
Side views:
The amps in operation:
So how do these silver 45 amps sound? I have reported about
the impact of silver in transformers in an earlier post. In these power amps
the silver brings the biggest improvement so far. The silver wire transforms
these transformers into something new.
The 45/45 amps shown earlier are already stunning
performers. But the silver 45 amps caught me by surprise. Especially when
equipped with globe tubes the sound becomes frighteningly real. EllaFitzgerald’s Let No Man Write My Epitaph looses it’s vintage character and just
sounds ‘there’. The voice is crystal clear and full of emotional impact.
Also modern electronic records are reproduced at a new
level. When I listened to my favorite track ‘Scandalous’ on the Faithless album
The Dance, I heard sounds which I didn’t hear before. Electronic sounds are
projected into space and seem touchable. Every sound has a shape, surface and
color.
Especially remarkable are the qualities in the bass
department. Lows are extended and extremely well defined showing nuances which
I haven’t heard with other amps before.
These amps are like time machines in several ways. No matter
how old a recording is they just beam it into the present or put you back
there. The combination of the modern silver transformers playing in conjunction with ultra vintage 80+ year old globe tubes brings together the best of the old and new
times.
The previously shown 45 amps with Tango transformers are already on a very high sound quality level. But these silver amps are in another league.
Please forgive me if my enthusiasm seems to be getting out
of hand. I am usually more reluctant with superlative sound descriptions. But
these amps deserve it. Too bad they will be leaving to their new home.
Best regards
Thomas
It must be encouraging to find such a performance level with available iron rather than soon to be unobtanium Tango iron.
ReplyDeleteHow do they compare and differ from your 211/211 amp sonically?
ReplyDeleteWhat does the silver IT and OPT iron cost? Thank You for another great post!
Hi!
DeleteOnly one channel of the 211/211 has been finished so far. So I did not compare them. Contact me by email for prices
Best regards
Thomas
What is gain of the 45/45 amp compared to 801a driving 45 amp before step up transformer is taken into account in both amps?
ReplyDeleteAbout half (6dB less)
DeleteNow I am so sad I was sick and did not pass by just for a short listen of this beauties :( I am so jalous of the future proud owner :)
ReplyDeleteHow much are these amps and where can I buy them ?
ReplyDeleteKind regards
Ronald Neale
Hi Ronald,
Deleteyou can buy them from me directly. Unless you are in the UK, where I have a representative. Drop me an email for details. My address can be found under the Impressum / Contact link on the top left of the blog
Best regards
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteHave you tried 46 as driver tube for 45 or other power tube?
Would it provide enough gain to forgo the input transformer?
Did you try ac filaments with this design prior to settling on DC?
Thanks, Jason
Hi Jason, The answer to all these questions is 'no'...
DeleteThomas