going to look at a rogue audio cronus and possibly a cayin a 70 T. I'll likely get the rogue if I can gat it for $1650 cash. The website says $1795. Am I being cheap or sheisty or do you think that's a fair price?

Also here is a comparision of the two units:

Cayin
Can use just about any power tube
SET/Ultralinear switch
Can be used with a pre
point to point wired

Rogue

EL34 only (therefore optimized)
Two preouts
Internal bias meter
Made in the USA
may be used with a pre ?
circuit board

Both put out out nearly identical power. I am also not sure if it's a big deal to be able to switch btwn output circuits or if it's just a gimmick. Whaddya think?

I really don´t know what to say.

Using tetrode / pentode output tubes in the power amp stages, and inserting a switch mode to choose between Ultralinear ( read Williamson ) or PP pseudo Triode is quite common.

What I don´t get is how you can run a switch between SET and Ultralinear. Even if it were parallel feed SET and Ultralinear, therefore using 2 output tubes per channel, the output trannies for SE and PP/ Ultralinear have very different kinds of windings, air gaps, etc.

Then again, who would have dreamed of the ELP TT just a few years ago, where a Laser beam reads the grooves in an LP?

I think it's the more common switch and I mispoke.

From acoustic sounds, which sells an autobias variant that produces half the power:

Remote control; ultralinear and triode select

Right, so the world is still round, after all.

I am a tube lover, but I am no expert, far from it, so you´ll have to take what I say with a grain of salt. I really hope other, more knowledgeable ST members will chime in here.

The famous Williamson circuit, as used in the Dyna ST-70, was a major "breakthrough", when it first came out, because it made possible for tube amps to claim distortion figures almost as low as the best SS gear of the time, but to achieve that, the design rellyed on big amounts of negative feedback on the output circuit, therefore robbing some of that glorious tube sound, particularly in the midrange. The biggest improvement was in the bass department, where, by comparison, the triode was rather more "sluggish".

This was the time when high power, and comparatively cheap beam tetrodes ( KT88 ) and pentodes ( 6550 ) allowed for much higher power output ratings, along with much lower distortion figures than the poor old 45´s, 2A3´s and 300B´s family of triode tubes of the time could claim.

In many people´s opinions, ( count me in those ), however, the beauty of the triode, be it in PP or Se mode, was never really matched by the Williamson design, despite all its merits.

Now, for a lot of people ( again myself included ), a properly designed Williamson tube amp, was, and still is, more than a match for most SS amps.

The beauty of those switcheable ultralinear / pseudo triode type of current amps, is that at the flick of a switch you can choose whichever you want to listen to, at any given time, depending on mood, type of speakers, and even type of music.

Me? I´m using SS for low bass, beam tetrodes ( KT88´s ) for upper bass / lower midrange and pentodes ( 6550´s ) for upper mids / tweeters - soon to be replaced by SET in the form of the big 805´s - actually my current avatar.

Ain´t life great?

Enjoy your new amp, whichever you choose, and please keep us posted.

I finally pulled the trigger. I got an Almarro 318B. The price was right. Really right. I wanted to check this out for a long time and it has high WAF. On the bad side, my NAD amp died. It's kinda funny that the amp died and the almarro came to my attention at the same time.

Unlike people, most dead amps can be ressurrected.

I´ve heard very good things about Almarro in general.

When can we expect your listening impressions?

Jorge

I waited so many years to pull the trigger on this. Just look at when the thread started. I am not one to just rush in even out of necessity. I do have a technics backup. I hope it's hot a let down. Up until a few days ago, I was contemplating blowing over 3Gs for what I thought I needed. I've been scouting their stuff out from the get go.

I actually should be getting it no later than wednesday. I have a DIY cable post to start up too. No time for the moment but when the dust settles I'll provide some brief comments.

At the price I paid, I have enough left over for odds and ends too!!!!! Not cheap but I save and scrimp. The tubes it comes with are already NOS co I'll likely invest in some tube dampers and perhaps even a sub (if it needs it). I may want one of the SVS contraptions. If I don't need to augment the sound, I'll get a new CDP in December. I've been eyeing the Raysonic and got a really interesting price quote. Almost pulled the trigger on both but wife definitely would have shot me. I also want to do my upgrades in incriments.

Anthony,

I hope you don´t mind me sharing your la-*test*-('") acquisition with our fellow members here.

That is one sweet looking tube amp. Because there´s only one 6C33 output tube per channel, I figure that is a Single Ended amp.

I have never heard a 6C33 amp. That is one serious flaw in my education.
I understand this Russian tube is one of the best tubes available for OTL configurations, since it is capable of driving fairly low impedance loads.

I got the pic and specs from Almarro´s site.

Specification
Tube components: 6C33C x2, 6SL7 x1, 6SN8 x1
Output Power: 18W x 2ch
3 RCA inputs
Output: 4, 8 ohms
Frequency response: 10-30KHz
Dimension: W14h x H7.2h x D13.2h
Weight: 43 lb

Jorge

You are my new hero, XXX.

I don't understand about 95 percent of what you guys are discussing, but I got this much out of it: You spent about $1,600 to get what you REALLY wanted.
And it sounds like the timing couldn't be better.

Will look forward to hearing your impressions.

Yep, it's single ended, puts out decent power and best of all affordable. I had a ten year plan for audio nirvana that may have just got crushed to three. Unfortunately and this is a very tiny wrinkle, i had to settle for the white ash version. I really couldn't care less right with respect to this. I will post a full system review with pics hopefully sometime this weekend. I may even try and do it in my living room for the special occassion. I normally keep my system in the bedroom, wwhich is actually the largest room in the house. It is however, not the most attractive, with its multiple laundry piles err...room correction devices.

You might be on to something really interesting here.

Tweaks on the cheap.

Jorge

How could I have missed this link?

A review of said amp in Positive Feedback.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue24/almarro_318B.htm

Jorge

Just got it and could not resist opening it, even at work. It arrived in excellent condition, especially considering its halfway around the world trip. I will say the 6c33c tubes are HUGE; the same diameter as soda can at their widest. The amp is a very attractive piece of gear.

Great news.

Can you give us a run down of your rig?

Better still, there´s a sub-forum in "General" for members systems. I´d like to see you start your own thread there describing your system.

Oh, don´t forget pics.

Jorge

congrats on your new tube amp xxxrv!!