DIY 2A3 or 300b kit

[tmazz]

You can always upgrade components later if (actually 'when') the urge gets ahold of you.

Bill you know us too well. 

[Brap]

Seadogs - I too have (will get them tonight) Zu's -- Druid version (101dB) and will be auditioning 3 different tube amps.  Prior speakers are Klipsch Fortes 98dB.  FYI - have been building kits for many years so I fully understand the complexity of tight tolerance components and solder technique.

1) Older 2A3 PP I build in 2005 from DIF Hi-Fi Supply. It is the Joplin amp with Alps volume option. Rigged it with Mundorf coupling caps. Roughly 9 watts.  2A3 not the best sounding tube and there was a bit of clipping at higher volumes.
2) Bob Latino ST-70 from tubesforhi-fi. VERY nice kit and easy to build. Also did Mundorf's. Wired for Pentode and Triode. 35w and 18W. Pretty much quiet unless I place my ear right up to the horn.
3) Transcendent Audio Son of Beast OTL.  Approx 20W with the Druids, 15 with the Fortes. DEAD quiet.  A bit more complex kit to build but I am hoping this will be the flavor of choice.  GREAT low end for an OTL amp.

All will be passed through a Parasound Halo P5 Oppo 105 source and vinyl.  I will try and post a decent review for all the above with the Druids after the Holidays.

[seadogs]

Brap,

    Please keep informed on how the Druid's auditioning goes,  I think the druid's and essence's are close in sound.  I have the upgraded kits as well, so im at 101dB's  thanks

[Brap]

Yes...........................................

[seadogs]

The 2A3 is a PP or S.E.T?  an SET would have a more polished overall sound  VS the PP   yes?

[Brap]

2A3 is PP and yes the SET is better sounding IMHO with Klipsch Fortes.  To the point I probably will not even try the 2A3 with my new babies (Druids  ).  I'll save the 2A3 for the Paradigm Studio V10's as a decent small system.  However, if you are local (Chgo) and are interested I would part with the 2A3 for a reasonable price

[richidoo]

Here's another 300B for you to consider, seadog. "Damn Good 300B," by Tom Christiansen, neurochrome.com.  I'm putting this one on my toodoo list. 
10Wpc, 6922 input and driver, solid design by professional engineer employed as analog audio design engineer at TI, PCBs and support available.

Homepage:
http://www.neurochrome.com/audio/?page_id=543

Development thread:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/218217-deathtrap400-pretty-damn-good-300b-amp.html

[Triode Pete]

I personally would not get any 2A3 or 300B SET that has circuit boards, especially with the tube sockets soldered onto a PCB... that's just looking for trouble...

I would find a real nice "point to point" wired design, since most SET's are relatively simple (remember the "KISS" principle; it really holds true here).

Also, don't get a cheap power supply, invest the money in the power supply, the more & bigger trannies (chokes, OPT's, filament, etc.) the better...

My $0.02,
Pete

[Response Audio]

I am curious how hard they are running the 300Bs to get 10 watts with a 5k primary output transformer.As Pete mentioned, SET amps are relatively simple in regards to parts count so a hardwired setup would be recommended. Output transformers are crutial so dont skimp here. Same for the power supply.

Doing things right the first time around will make your life a lot easier when you are ready for a more complex design.