That VAC is a beauty for sure , that is a legendary amp....
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Yes, part of the reason I went SET. Simple , no matching tubes , auto bias is nice too. First amp I’ve owned that I don’t have to bias.
That amp is a mythical beast though. One came up for sale a while back and the first thing I thought of was $$$ to retube.
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About as good of a mix of vintage sound and modern build. Point to point to point wired , fully regulated tube supplies, built like a tank. Overbuilt , heirloom quality that these pics can not fully convey.
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and The 275 is an excellent amp…. Seeing one at Best Buy the other day all dusty , and left on 24/7 was really sad The Magnolia up here does a poor job representing McIntosh. It’s pathetic actually for such an iconic brand
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Thanks! It is candy for the ears too. Check out Matt Formanek's other amazing amps at
www.toolshedamps.com
He is in the process of building me a matching DHT preamp. This is my endgame amplification , it's that good.
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Hi
I promised Matt not to show internal pics, he sent plenty along the build but those are "his" pics. He does have construction photos on his site and on Insta and FB that that speak to the quality of build. It’s first rate inside too.
No zip ties or double face tape holding things. He uses clever use of stand offs to mount all internals. Everything is done on custom made point to point turret boards
It’s as nice on the inside as it is on the outside, built by someone who clearly loves what he does ....
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The photos on the site are a good example of what's inside. Nothing secret in there, just honoring my word not to distribute pics of his work. Which some of is a collaborative effort with Gordon Rankin. That's all. He didn't ask me not to, it was just understood that I wouldn't be posting pics of his design, which is his IP.
Sure these amps share a basic circuit design going way back , but this is his design. You are reading way too deep into it.
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Dekay, the amp is fully point to point . The boards you see are most likely the filament regulation. It is a discrete design. He works with a few people , Gordon being one to make those to ensure ultra quiet operation. A lot of amps that use antique tubes need him pots to make them quiet. This amp doesn’t. You can put your ear next to the tweeter on a 99dB efficient speaker and it is dead quiet.
Matt was great to work with. It was an easy choice to have him build me another unit. The preamp he is building me is even more anticipated because I know the quality and sound first hand. You will never see either one of them for sale, I am sure of that.
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Really doesn’t matter the topology, does it sound good? That’s all that really counts
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He uses that and wavelength too. What ever the parts, they are all good quality .Good execution... my pre will use the wavelength boards as well.
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Thanks Jerry ! I love this thing, definitely the last stop on the amplifier merry go round for me. Only "con" if there is one is that I'm married to high efficiency speakers for life. I doubt I'm using a watt with most listening so the "first watt" school of thought is really at play here.
Matt and I discussed a preamp early into this build. About a month after i got the amp he reached out saying he was moving forward with the project and I said I'm in.
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That Toolshed is full of vintage parts, NOS tubes and new 300b…. This amp isn’t rolled off at either extreme but it does have a beautiful tone and sounds phenomenal, so yeah better than “vintage” I guess
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My Toolshed replaced a pair of Quicksilver Mid Monos.... the best value in audio at $2200 a pair !!! Huge value proposition with these amps. Yeah they are ugly, but they are all about bang for the buck.
I had them seven years, they were / are awesome for a 40 watt amp.... super reliable. Sound exceptional. Still on the fence whether to keep or sell. They are built like tanks, I’m sure I would get a lot of milage out of them in a second system.
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I couldn't even get Decware to pick up the phone or answer an e-mail. Three year plus wait? I definitely made a wise decision buying this amp . I would love to put this thing head to head with their 300b....
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That VAC is desirable…. Expensive to retube , but that’s the only downside to that amp.
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Marantz 8 are costly….. try finding a nice one
They are rare …. I was thinking the Dynaco too but nice ones of those aren’t easy to find and all need work.
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