Same here! I also use regulated supplies in my amps. UTs Odyssey will be an exemption. He wants a contrast to his Oblivion so I recommended we go 100% old school with this build!
I don't mind at all! The more the merrier!
Can use a voltage doubler circuit with a switch to use 12.6V tubes, this is how it was done in the GOTL, 6.3VAC, then 12.6VDC / 25.2VDC from a voltage doubler. But of course that means more work, more chassis space, and that is up to Ultrasonic if he recommends it. I personally like to narrow the scope of tubes used to optimize the design, just my preference. Jack of all trades vs. master of one sort of thing.
Here is my favorite rectifier
I have gone for a minimalist "sleek" sort of look for most designs up until now, but my next amp will have an old school aesthetic, NOS bakelite knobs, NOS Amphenol sockets, stuff like that.
My previous Glenn OTL has the switch for 6/12/25v. I went nuts with tube rolling on that amp. I've tone down on my tube rolling a lot now. In fact, after I got Oblivion, I thought I had given up tubes. That's why I gave away my fav drivers with Studio Six. For Odyssey, I told myself to keep it simple and somehow still manage to add a few more drivers option. Most were suggested by Tomas. I had even given up thinking of using EL11 as one of the drivers but he suggested using it as I have so many of them. The one thing I did not do was to sell of my EL** tubes. Somehow I just wanted to hold on to them because in the back of my mind, there is always Berlin. You even did a mock up for me and that image is unforgettable.
Then the winds of change happen after I managed to snag a cheap TU-8200. If that didn't happen then I wouldn't have thought of buying NOS GEC KT66 and Philips Miniwatt and using my EL12 spez for the first time in an amp that can exploit it. This DIY amp sound so good with a pair of 12au7 and those power tubes that it make me want to have custom amp build for it. Started talking here about the 8200 and eventually went into a private conversation with Tomas about a possible amp. Our PMs went up to more than 200 posts and I decided to name this amp Odyssey, my call sign on Stereonet. With the support of Tomas, I decided to go for it, telling myself that this is the last amp because 6 intense years of this hobby has to have a climax.
Tomas has been invaluable in his enthusiasm and helpfulness. Everyday for the last month or so, I log on to see a reply from him to my questions, endless questions from a non technical guy like me. Like any young man embarking on buying his first car, I wanted this amp to be powerful. I will go for a v8 instead of the 4 cylinders. It has to be turbo charged. 10w in triode mode is a lot even for my ambition. Tomas said a few more watts in UL and I have no idea what a few more watts is.
However power without refinement is no good and I know Tomas will put quality watts before power. If I wanted pure power I would have suggested push pull but I'm primarily driving headphones first and secondarily speakers. I have no doubt Odyssey will drive my Axis Voicebox S at 5 ohms and 83 dB. John Reilly the speaker designer will raise his eyebrows because he got me the Redgum Rgi120enr at 175w 8 ohms, 265w 4 ohms and 500w 2 ohms to drive it and drive it, it did. I realised by now that at 1 metre away from the speakers in nearfield listening, I only need 4 watts or less to get it to sing.
NOS knobs and sockets. Pity they don't have NOS Y8A sockets. There must be. Those sockets were from ages ago. Not sure about NOS knobs for the silver chassis. There's a bit of old school and new in Odyssey. It's almost space age !Nice, old school is cool
And wow! Those meters don't realize how good they have it LOL.
The chance encounter with Tomas is golden. Akin to when Glenn pop into Feliks Audio thread to talk to me and offered to make me the Glenn OTL amp. I have been fortunate to run into some of the best custom amp builders on Head-Fi.Well I'm sure you will be happy with the result. I will jump on a soap box for a moment, and maybe I am preaching to the choir, but IMO the finest tube amplifiers being made right now are not being made commercially. They are being made by people like Tomas, individual builders with the DIY spirit. There are still new tube circuit innovations being created on diyAudio, where the technical tube experts reside. With a commercial design, there is always going to be more overhead cost, and the profit margin takes away from the quality. So going with a design from a custom amp builder is the right choice, IMO
NOS knobs and sockets. Pity they don't have NOS Y8A sockets. There must be. Those sockets were from ages ago. Not sure about NOS knobs for the silver chassis. There's a bit of old school and new in Odyssey. It's almost space age !
Now let's talk meters because I would love a nice pair of meters. What would you suggest? Something like this? It even have an arrow head but it has to be silver instead of black.
Come on Yamamoto, I need those sockets.
When they came out with digital readouts, I am shocked.
Not a question of paying but still waiting on a reply from Yamamoto.
Never use vu meters haha. I can't imagine the car dash without them. When pull over by the cops, you would say, sorry officer I don't know how fast I was going because there's no meters on my dash.
have you asked JAC Music of they have them in stock? He is their European supplier.
With an amplifier name of “Odyssey” any VU metres have to feature Ionic or Alexandrian numerals...
...
Unfortunately no answer from Jacmusic either. It seems impossible to get Yamamoto sockets!I reached out to Mr. Yamamoto some months ago to place another order and he never returned my email. Not sure of the issue, but it was probably for the best I used something cheaper
Last time i wanted to get quick reply from JacMusic, I directly called by phone ( ++49-017647291179).
