2. amps-preamps
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What's your OTL tube amp experience and suggestion?

Are OTL amps in general much less reliable due to their nature, or due to the implementation quality, or both?

Perhaps this has been discussed a zillion times in the past.   Perhaps, however, makers have now improve on past experience?  So it could be worth re-visiting.

My past encounters with OTL tube amps are among the most negative: Wonderful (but never great) sound during the brief period that they work.  Otherwise, major fire hazard.  Overheating, red hot plates, sparks, consistently toasted fuses, burning smell, you name it.  My past OTL amps are like crying babies on an changing table - don't you ever walk away from an arm's distance.   The used market seem to reflect such as well --- way more 'as-is for parts' or 'totally refurbished' units than reliable 'used' units that rarely need service.

Beg your pardon if it's just my poor judgement that keep getting the lemons.   What's your experience, and tips to keep OTL amps up and running happily?


bsimpson

Showing 1 response by rdiiorio

rdiiorio
35 posts
 

After scanning all of the prior posts all i can say is my experience with an original Julius Futterman designed H3 amp purchased in 1972  using  6KG6A tubes has been going strong powering my KLH model Nines. I have had the output caps doubled by Julius himself in 1981 and  actually replaced in 2021 along with other aged capacitors by Mark Weiss of Amplifier experts in Ct. Never had problems with this amp driving  KLH Model Nine, Martin-Logans CLSIIZ, Soundlab A-3, KLH model 5, Janszen ZlA2.1. I am using using it currently driving a refurbished pair by David Janszen of my orig Model Nines purchased 1971. I still find this extremely lifelike in musical reproduction of music no matter the style played.

 

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