[dmhenley]

I'm planning to have an amp built - 45's!
Matt Formanek builds tube amps by hand. ToolShed Amps is the name. He does the wood working for the base, and the metal work on the base plates, etc. 
I dig the vintage look, and the circuits are point to point wired, low watt amps.
 
 
Some photos of his work here.

 

[joespride]

SE-84, Re-visiting an old friend. What can I say I love the EL-84 its like a cozy couch or chair you can never

quite get rid of. It does not matter how nice the newer stuff looks feels old comfy stays around. I have recently

switched up my system again ( its a never ending process ) I am back to the basics "shortest chain theory".

Source to upgraded MHDT Havanna DAC, to Ampandsound SE-84 Integrated AMP, And finally Ampandsound Cornscala Speakers.

In the past the SE-84 had duty mainly as a headphone rig where it stood tall and made me take notice of its

musicality, Detail retrieval,& Prat.


Today on speaker duty I have had occasion to re think its abilities. You could call me a soundstage whore

I absolutely love a huge soundstage, I go through large amounts of time and effort to set up speakers in a manner

that provides me as much detail in a soundstage as I feel humanly possible. Just occasionally I get a reward, the SE84

has SURPRISED the hell outta me with its ability to throw a HUGE stage and stay MUSICAL, with PRAT to spare. It is eerily

Realistic when you find yourself looking behind you for someone who is not there. (this on music you have had for years)


I honestly dont know why more people have not climbed aboard the Ampsandsound band wagon, Of the 1/2 dozen or so I know

that have auditioned there wares, Not one of those have had a bad experience, moreover they have been inclined to buy.

If you are looking for a very nicely built Amp with Great Customer service I urge you to give Justin Weber (Ampsandsound)

a try. I guarantee you will not be disappointed

 

[Astral Abyss]

Is the Leeloo similar to the SE-84? On the ampsandsound webpage it mentions the SE-84 on the Leeloo product description.

Wondering if it's safe to assume that the tube compatibilities are the same for both? I'll be receiving a Leeloo tomorrow that I bought from another forum member. He's including a number of excellent tubes, but I have a number of 12at7 tubes, including a couple 12at7 French made Philips tubes that I like a lot and just wanted to verify that they will work in Leeloo...

 

[joespride]

The Leeloo is the updated version of the SE84, Not sure of all the improvements Justin could surely answer. I know the Choke was improved and it is supposed to be quieter (although I am not sure it means much as I find the SE84 virtually dead quiet)

I found the vintage RCA 6bq5 / EL84 to be a superb tube...............I compared it to many of the supposed greats like mullard and amperex. I much preferred the RCA. (More Musical less analytical)

I am sure you will love Leeloo, Do post your impressions

 

[Astral Abyss]

The Leeloo is the updated version of the SE84, Not sure of all the improvements Justin could surely answer. I know the Choke was improved and it is supposed to be quieter (although I am not sure it means much as I find the SE84 virtually dead quiet)

I found the vintage RCA 6bq5 / EL84 to be a superb tube...............I compared it to many of the supposed greats like mullard and amperex. I much preferred the RCA. (More Musical less analytical)

I am sure you will love Leeloo, Do post your impressions

This is great information @joespride . Thank you, and now you've got me curious about those RCAs.

 

[hemtmaker]

I am really impressed with how the mogwai with upgraded caps pairs with HE1000V2. The sound is dynamic, balanced and extended. Thanks to Justin for building this gem for me, also thanks to Darren for the SE KT88-ST and SE 6SL7 tubes recommendation

 

[mithrandir38]

I took custody of the first production Kenzie Encore yesterday, and am thoroughly enjoying it.
I ordered mine with the input transformer option and upgraded Auricap capacitors. Surprisingly, I'm enjoying it most with a Sovtek 12ax7 tube rather than any of my NOS 12SL7 OR 12at7 tubes.

 

[Astral Abyss]

I've just got to say, Leeloo is one amazing woman, I mean amp! She sings with any tube combo I've tried so far. So nice and quiet with my Grados. Such a great combo. More punch and dynamics then I've ever gotten out of my Grados before. Although, I do have to say that the Ember II as a preamp into a Schiit Asgard 2 is a close 2nd to Leeloo, if you want a cheap date.

I've been doing some serious tube rolling, trying out EL84s from Amperex (Bugle Boy), Tungsram, Mullard (Blackburn), and most recently, some 7189 Tung-Sol's. Yep, someone on ebay was selling a sleeve of 7189s for $50/tube so I bought two tubes. They are legit, NIB, 104%/103%. On the 12ax7 side I've tried a Raytheon 5751 windmill getter, Mullard CV4004, and Telefunken ribbed plate. Also tried a French made Philips 12at7, very nice and clear sounding. Got a '49 Ken-Rad 12ax7 on the way that I'm dying to try with these Tung-Sol's.

I really don't think it gets any better than this. Fairly inexpensive tube rolling and wonderful, clean sound. I just wanted to thank Justin for such an amazing amp. I love the design and woodwork almost as much as the sound.

 

[buke9]

I've just got to say, Leeloo is one amazing woman, I mean amp! She sings with any tube combo I've tried so far. So nice and quiet with my Grados. Such a great combo. More punch and dynamics then I've ever gotten out of my Grados before. Although, I do have to say that the Ember II as a preamp into a Schiit Asgard 2 is a close 2nd to Leeloo, if you want a cheap date.

I've been doing some serious tube rolling, trying out EL84s from Amperex (Bugle Boy), Tungsram, Mullard (Blackburn), and most recently, some 7189 Tung-Sol's. Yep, someone on ebay was selling a sleeve of 7189s for $50/tube so I bought two tubes. They are legit, NIB, 104%/103%. On the 12ax7 side I've tried a Raytheon 5751 windmill getter, Mullard CV4004, and Telefunken ribbed plate. Also tried a French made Philips 12at7, very nice and clear sounding. Got a '49 Ken-Rad 12ax7 on the way that I'm dying to try with these Tung-Sol's.

I really don't think it gets any better than this. Fairly inexpensive tube rolling and wonderful, clean sound. I just wanted to thank Justin for such an amazing amp. I love the design and woodwork almost as much as the sound.

Yes Leeloo is hot . The amp is also very good. Still loving my Kenzie and even more after Justin sent the new tube and adapter he spoke of at CanJam. I got to roll back some more but the 5755 seems like is a keeper. My modded HE-400's are just too much fun now.

 

[dpump]

Justin,

Can you comment on using other tubes in place of the 12SL7 on the Kenzie? I noticed the 5755 mentioned above and wonder if there are others that can be used? I know an adaptor is needed. I have purchased a number of other adaptors from eBay for different tubes but I don't presently have one for the 5755.

You stated recently that you use the RCA 1626 and the Raytheon 2C52 in your Kenzie and wondered what other people were using or had tried. I tried a number of 12SL7's before settling on the Raytheon 2C52. 12SL7's tend to be microphonic and also added a bit of background noise. The 2C52 has less microphonics than 12SL7's and also almost eliminated background noise. I also think the 2C52 sounds a little better than the 12SL7's I tried. I'm also using RCA 1626. I tried one other brand of 1626 but couldn't tell much if any difference between it and the RCA. Interested to see if another tube used in place of the 2C52 can improve the sound and/or reduce the gain somewhat to allow more range on the volume control.

 

[buke9]

I just got back from a meet and haven't had the time to set everything back up as I'm very busy at work but I think the the 5755 is very good have not tried it against my 2C52 but will this weekend . I think both are better than the 12sl7. Well doing a mini shoot out right now. It takes a bit to let tubes warm up. OK I think I can so for sure for me the 5755 is the winner. The 2C52 was a close second as it had a bit more bass and still wasn't bad in the rest but not to be . The 12sl7gt just fell behind on all of it. It is fairly decent but with the other two can't keep up in my opinion. This was out of my MacBook Pro into the QP1R in dac mode to the Kenzie. Listening was done from the HD-700's too much maligned.

 

[mithrandir38]

Justin,

Can you comment on using other tubes in place of the 12SL7 on the Kenzie? I noticed the 5755 mentioned above and wonder if there are others that can be used? I know an adaptor is needed. I have purchased a number of other adaptors from eBay for different tubes but I don't presently have one for the 5755.

You stated recently that you use the RCA 1626 and the Raytheon 2C52 in your Kenzie and wondered what other people were using or had tried. I tried a number of 12SL7's before settling on the Raytheon 2C52. 12SL7's tend to be microphonic and also added a bit of background noise. The 2C52 has less microphonics than 12SL7's and also almost eliminated background noise. I also think the 2C52 sounds a little better than the 12SL7's I tried. I'm also using RCA 1626. I tried one other brand of 1626 but couldn't tell much if any difference between it and the RCA. Interested to see if another tube used in place of the 2C52 can improve the sound and/or reduce the gain somewhat to allow more range on the volume control.

Speaking of lowering the gain a little bit, I use a NOS Siemens 12AT7. It is essentially the same tube has a 12AX7,with lower gain, so you can use the same adapter. It is my tube of choice, most often

 

[dpump]

Thanks for the responses on using alternate tubes to the 12SL7 on the Kenzie. I see an adaptor on eBay to use the 5755 in place of the 12SL7. Are you using this same adaptor to use a 12AX7,12AU7, 12AT7, or is a different adaptor needed for these tubes?

 

[mithrandir38]

Thanks for the responses on using alternate tubes to the 12SL7 on the Kenzie. I see an adaptor on eBay to use the 5755 in place of the 12SL7. Are you using this same adaptor to use a 12AX7,12AU7, 12AT7, or is a different adaptor needed for these tubes?

Those are different adapters. You need separate adapters for 5755 and 12ax7 types

 

[JoeDoe]

Those are different adapters. You need separate adapters for 5755 and 12ax7 types

So how does the Encore compare to the original?