In praise of ... Loftin White

[andrew Ivimey]

Quiet here innit!

After all the razzamatazz of Steve's PX25 project it roused me from my dogmatic slumbers, this afternoon, to dust down an old chassis and knock up a Loftin White (Shishido / Bluebell model).

Why oh why does all that voltage under the output valve have such a good effect?

It really is a very musical 'rocking' amplifier and I used junk box components used but no better than Mr Ramsey would sell you (hammond trafos and JJ electrolytics). This is an amp that I have used Mullards, silver wound amorphic transformers, blackgates and kiwames in the dim and distant past.

This one is none of that and it sounds wonderful. This kind of amp we should all keep on the shelf to remind us how good and how easy this valve stuff can be.

[Cressy Snr]

Hi Andrew

You've just gotta love direct-coupling
It's the most musical sound I've heard from valves. Hard to beat IMHO
unless you are prepared to spend big bucks on transmitter triodes and
the stuff you need to get the best out of them.

Next thing, you'll be building DRDs

Steve

[pre65]

Interesting comments Steve !

How about transmitter triodes (845) driven by 300b DRD ?

[andrew Ivimey]

maybe, maybe, maybeee, Philp.

Many have remarked that it is the driver valve that fashions the sound of the amplifier, not the output pair!

[Cressy Snr]

Interesting comments Steve !

How about transmitter triodes (845) driven by 300b DRD ?

Well maybe it would work Philip.

I'm sure your 845 amps sound great and you have clearly put in a great deal of work on them, but I would first try the 300B as a DRD amp on its own, before running it through the 845s. You might find it's all you'll need.

Of course you might have been intending to do that anyway, in which case forget what I said

Andrew is spot on with the driver assertion. It was ultimately the work I put into the driver stage of my DRD amp that brought the biggest rewards in terms of the sound I achieved in the end. The TJ PX25 is a stunning valve but will only show its true capabilities with appropriate effort put into driving it. The 300B is more difficult to drive so drivers are doubly important for that valve.

Steve

[pre65]

Hi Steve-yes the plan is to make the 300b DRD amp as an amp in its own right but have the facility to bypass the output transformers when driving 845.

My current 300b amp has had the output transformers removed to make space for the DC heater supply,so can only function as the 845 driver at the moment.

Must say that with the new CD reader and new DAC the 845 is sounding even better now using the VoFos.

So much so that i think KLS3 and Adire speakers will be for sale soon !!