No- the Simul/Class uses the same speaker output. It's the transformer itself that's doing the summing from what I've read.

ew

The 290 and 295s are stereo amps. They use Simul/Class power sections on both sides; two tubes in Class AB and two in Class A per channel- eight power tubes total. I owned a 295 for a few years back when I was gigging a lot...

ew

ORIGINAL: ew

The 290 and 295s are stereo amps. They use Simul/Class power sections on both sides; two tubes in Class AB and two in Class A per channel- eight power tubes total. I owned a 295 for a few years back when I was gigging a lot...

ew

Ok then so it's official... I never knew how a SimulClass works. Now that I am re-viewing the schematic I see that the layout is the same but the component values are way different for each of the pairs. NOW I get it. Thanks for sticking with me and continuing to explain.

Also I found an example of a single ended multiple tube design that also "sums" at the transformer:



I guess it's not revolutionary... but it's the first I've ever heard of this type of design.

Cool stuff.



Dean, are you getting the impression you should just build what you want?

Also Dean, I'm such a speaker nut... I'm having a hard time imagining a *caged* speaker getting a full range of tones... I guess thats what you have too do... but :-(

best regards,
mike

I do reasonable well currently with DI'ing through a Great River and using Amplitube. So I'd want to take a significant step forward for it to be worthing do anything at all. So it has to be a real amp. Though I'm not that concerned about the iso cab. I've heard a fair amount of stuff done with them and I don't think it's that big a compromise, and perhaps it's even less so with a low wattage amp because it's not moving the speaker as much anyway.

The Grendel has like 6" of absorption in the lid, way more than would seem to be the case in your pictured one above. I've heard some samples and it seems mostly to just reduce the low end a bit, not something all that scary for studio purposes since they end up high passed so much anyway. And, as mentioned, sometimes I'll be able to keep the lid open. It's just there as an option when I need it and want to crank it up. If there's some boxiness it can be adjusted for with EQ if necessary.

So it seems like a reasonable compromise for my needs, and enough of a substantial step up from my current scenario to be worth it. This all assumes I can come up with the funds to do it anyway of course.

BTW, you'll find some different opinions on what works best. I've read a good number of opinions that a low wattage amp works far better because the close up mic isn't just being brutally abused by sheer SPL, and that it actually allows for better capture of a good close mic'd tone.

The speaker I was looking at is the Vintage 30. It has enough handling power for all of the lower wattage heads that I'd likely be interested in for studio work, and it's reasonable priced. The Grendel with a V30 is like $490'ish, probably $550 with the shipping and taxes. The RM4 will end up about $650. A couple modules to start will be about $400. An SM57 and Senn e609 will be another couple hundred.

So not cheap, but a good start and with the ability to add lots of other modules, from Randall or Egnator, there probably isn't any more flexible scenario. And I still need to figure out a power amp scenario.

The 30 is just the maximum capacity of the speaker, it doesn't just work with 30 watt speakers, unless I'm missing something very obvious. Even the 1/2 watt Nanohead will drive a 4x12 cabinet just fine, though obviously not at concert levels but definitely at close mic'ing levels. And I won't necessarly only be using it with a really low wattage head all the time. I may get others down the line, though I'm happy to stick with 30 watts or below. So I'm not sure why I'd need to get a special specifically for the wattage?

I'm not sure if you guys are aware of this or not...but the Celestion Vintage30 is not a 30 watt speaker, rather it is a 60 watter.

You'd think they'd make things less confusing, and just call it the Vintage60 instead?

Given that it looks like I won't find any low wattage power amp, it seems like either the iso cab (which doesn't require a low wattage amp necessarliy since since it is an iso cab), or the Webber thing plus a regular cab. So any good 50 wattish tube based power amps that aren't like $1000 like the Randal? If you do a search for Power Amp of course what you get is really powerful amps, not power stage amps. So they are all really powerful ones, not what I need. The Boogie 20/20 would be an option there, but it's probably way more expensive than desired as well, and stereo which I don't need.

It just seems like no one is really addressing this market at all.

While it is important consideration on matching an amps output to to a particular speakers wattage, IMHO I would select a speaker based on the tone I was after first and foremost.

Swapping out you favorite sounding type of speaker for one based on wattage alone could be disappointing. Then again it may just work out fine.

But what it comes down to, if your not happy with the tone, either choice may be unsuitable.

I would prefer something similar to what's in the power amp section of a guitar amp, since that is an important component of the sound, as you push it harder. So something that uses 6L6 or EL34s and sounds like a guitar amp power amp section, not just something that'll make it louder really. That's why it's seemingly very difficult to find something. As I said, the Randall seems like it would be great, since it has both and you can mix and match easily. But it's way overkill for my needs and the cost is way too high.

It just seems that somebody out there would provide a nice little widget that is effectively a guitar amp power amp section.

Yeh, I've heard it's a great amp, but it's just one sound. The point of the Randall is variety. I'm trying to get Amplitube but with real tubes basically, or something close to that. Since I just write and record my own stuff, and I have no fixed style, I need enough flexibility to really get a lot of different tones from squeaky clean to high gain. I don't do too bad with Amplitube, and I keep getting suprisingly better results out of it over time, but it's never quite that real world sound.

Well, the Randall company isn't giving me a lot of confidence. I sent them an e-mail to their support addres and it failed. So I tried to sign up on their forum, but it requires a VIP code from another site which doesn't work. Oh well... It never ceases to amaze me how badly so many companies screw themselves in terms of perception when they try to have a presence on the web but don't bother to actually make sure it works.

I feel like I'm being ignored :-) :-)

http://www.marchandelec.com/mb26.html




a bit larger:

http://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/50_99.html




a bunch larger:

http://www.grandcanyontuberadio.com/fisher/fisher_4_tube_monoblock_amp_chassis%2030-A.htm






That's it..... I'm spent.

best,
mike

Thanks Eric, I figured you knew what I was babbling about.

I wish I could find a single ended triode mono block to show Dean. I know they are out there... the low watt retro movement with folded horn speakers made a splash on the audiophile scene a few years ago... I think that would be ideal for his intended use.

I'm not really an audiophile any longer but sorta keep track of my other friends' hi fi interests in that sort of thing.

best regards,
mike

I wish I could find a single ended triode mono block to show Dean.

It's not cheap, but then again, it's from the high-end audio industry. This is an industry that does not have the economics of scale in its favor -- part of the reason for the prices. The good news is that the prices have left room for kit manufacturers, and people selling schematics, to come in and offer a chance at a similar design for a lot less money. Last time I looked, there were all kinds of resources on the web for kits and schematics for rolling your own low-power tube amp, including SET headphone amps.

but the Celestion Vintage30 is not a 30 watt speaker, rather it is a 60 watter.

that is correct.

i hate the sound of the v30.

i have one...

tried it in every cabinet i own, sounds harsh in all of them.

maybe if you're into metal.....




check out this:
http://www.emerysound.com/


http://www.ceriatone.com/


http://fab.stuff.home.comcast.net/index.html


http://www.ax84.com/home.html


http://www.zvexamps.com/amp_view.html