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A True convert is born

Decided to get into Tiny SET amps and single driver high efficiency speakers as a diy on cabinet aspect. Bought this APPJ PA0901A 6N4+6P14 Mini tube Amplifier Silver on amazon for $230 and upgraded tubes. 7 watts total works great btw! Bought Audio Nirvana Cassic 8 drivers from common sense audio and had a nice small tower ported cabinets made by local car audio shop. Speaker maker recommended simple 16 gage wire which is fine by me. After a short break in period all I can say is STUNNING. I have owned and listened to nice gear for years but the incredible sense of being there has never been this real. They drop off below 55 hz or so quickly as my box is not enormous but I listen to jazz mainly so no big deal at all, Plus I can hear the bassist pluck the string before it even fires they are so fast and sensitive. Vocals are just ridiculous and I tell you this whole system was $850 and that included a $200 black lacquer finish on cabinets. I use an oppo universal player and quality cds and this small elegant system is more pure than most $10,000 systems plus 3 small tubes are cheap to replace or upgrade. Any others out there who did this? btw these in no way sound like boomy hornloaded speakers.
128x128veroman
12 responses Add your response
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Interesting but the Amazon ad says 3.5 watts. How did you get the 7 watts?
uberdine
100 posts
 
The APPJ is very responsive to tube rolling, not only the 12ax7 but the el84s as well. I use it with large two-way speakers (91db) that have simple crossovers and a benign impedance curve: the sound is great but I am tempted to make some single driver boxes at some stage and see what happens. They are technically a single ended pentode design. I read about someone who modified it to run in triode with good results, but then you're looking at 1.75 watts per channel.
seikosha
218 posts
 
I'm right there with you. I downgraded in costs, watts, market cache etc. to a simple SET system with high efficiency single driver speakers. I get the sound that I was always chasing with conventional setups.
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,312 posts
 
3.5 x 2 = 7 TOTAL watts?
hifiharv
351 posts
 
There goes the EL84 again. There goes "the simpler the better" again as well. Lucky you!
veroman's avatar
veroman OP
299 posts
 
i assumed they were set. are you certain of this? either way try the single driver approach, check out common sense site the owner is extremely helpful and they give you free plans and choices of many brands. for the money it is crazy excellent sound. the newer classic 8's are cast aluminum and rate at 95-96 db and i can state they are not highbaling you as the tiny amp is never close to half way up. no whizzer cone in these and you wonder why tweeters were even invented when you hear these drivers. changed my mind about stereos all together and the whole system is so small and elegant i feel like i have a secret almost
uberdine
100 posts
 
Yeah pretty sure it's pentode. Nothing wrong with that in my books, I like the speed/transparency/drama. Those audio nirvana full rangers look really interesting. I know what you mean about being in on a secret. I've only spent $1500 on my current system and it's hitting 90% of what's possible. Went through about six or seven amps over the last seven years and was never happy until the yaqin/appj combo with nos tubes.
uberdine
100 posts
 
How do you find the Classic 8s in terms of smoothness/refinement?
veroman's avatar
veroman OP
299 posts
 
i admit when i saw freq curve i was worried about mids but in playing them i find them very smooth. i know this is subjective but... they are very revealing speakers and any average cd i play is not helped by these drivers but on good ones they are about as 'refined' as i could imagine. in a ported box they are very detailed and not boomy but very real in every way. these things POP! lke no other in this $ range and the 8 delivrs cymbals transients like the finest small tweeters. i love piano jazz and i could not imagine a finer reproduction except when my mom, an excellent pianist with masters from Ind. Uni., sits down at the baby grand in the room and plays along so i get a good a/b comp. in listening to them the real words to describe them are more like 'realistic' than refined or smooth. they reveal sound as it is from an instrument, not coloration or interpretation. i hate using words like this but you aren't here so....
rdiiorio
35 posts
 
There IS a beauty in simplicity that many will not know, glad you found it.
veroman's avatar
veroman OP
299 posts
 
How do you find the Classic 8s in terms of smoothness/refinement?... after a little more breakin i will say this. these spkrs. def push trumpets into room like a force! some might consider this too screachy or overly emphasised but to me it sounds like it should. when i see a gig band and four trumpets belt out some shouts i do jump up a tad. so i guess this would not be how some do not like music on a stereo but i prefer it as to me it sounds more organic like a real performance up close in a small place.not a concert hall 20 rows back or in the mezzanine. my room also is brighter than t should be so this adds to that. hooked up a 10wpc oning t chip amp for kicks..man does that make them dynamic! i think those tri path amps are gonna change stereo amps eventually. jmo
douger
104 posts
 
Congratulations! It is very satisfying to reach such happiness
at a very low cost... Enjoy!
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