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The Dynaco Tube Audio Forum

Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of all original Dynaco tube audio equipment - Customer support for Tubes4hifi VTA tube amp and preamp kits and all Dynakitparts.com products


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    another SP14 preamp review

    Roy Mottram
    Roy Mottram
    Admin


    Posts : 1840
    Join date : 2008-11-30

    another SP14 preamp review Empty another SP14 preamp review

    Post by Roy Mottram Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:00 pm

    I hope nobody is getting tired of great reviews (I'm not, but if you are, let me know and I won't post any good reviews, but I won't post bad reviews either !! Very Happy )

    AND, I just have to keep saying this, shouting this . . . IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN SP14 PREAMP, ** GET ONE **

    OK, this just in from Mark in Sacramento . . . .

    I have had a lot of fine preamps in my system over the years, including CJ, Klyne, Belles, Modwright, Berning, and of course the C-I (HarmonKardon Citation1),
    and this preamp is hands-down the stellar performer of all of them. It is simply the finest preamp I have ever had in my system, which has evolved over the past 40 years.
    I am eager to compare the sound of this preamp with my San Francisco Audio Society friends to inform them of the performance of a tube preamp based on octal tubes.
    Hats off to you for this stunning achievement that takes the “big boys” out of the loop and permits regular guys like me to enjoy high fidelity music reproduction
    at an affordable price.
    Cheers,

    Mark


    Mark also had this to say about the SP14 when he first got it a week ago . . .

    Moment by moment, the sound of this preamp is revealing its magic with absolutely zero detractions. Among its attributes, I am stunned at the black background
    on silent passages in music. It was no bother with the C-I, but this starts and stops at a black wall of silence. A SS preamp could not be more quiet.
    Roy Mottram
    Roy Mottram
    Admin


    Posts : 1840
    Join date : 2008-11-30

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    Post by Roy Mottram Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:12 pm

    oh yeah, here's another review from Don Sachs, the tech who does most (all?) of the Harmon-Kardon Citation rebuilds and restorations for Jim McShane.
    He bought one of my SP14 kits in January, and when he finished it, he decided he needed to build several for his existing customers,
    because in his own words . . . .
    This is the finest preamp that I have ever heard!

    Here's what Don has to say about the preamp . . . and how he is adding his own knowledge of premium parts to improve it even further . . .

    This is the first preamp I have ever heard that I thought was every bit as good a piece of gear as a fully restored Citation II amplifier.
    Really, this preamp is so good that it is scary. It is based on the 6SN7 tube, which has always been one of my favorites.
    The bigger octal tubes like the 6SN7 have a much more relaxed, fuller, and richer sound than the smaller tubes
    like the 12AX7, 12AU7 or 12AT7 tubes used in many other preamps. You get all of the detail with no brightness.
    The preamp is based on the SP14 board from Roy Mottram. Here is a link to Roy’s SP14 page: http://www.tubes4hifi.com/SP14.htm

    I looked at Roy’s page and decided to build my version because his basic design is absolutely fantastic.
    This is essentially a $3000-$4000+ commercial preamp built for $1600-$1900. It is a cost no object design without
    all the ridiculous markup and hype of the high end industry. I have spent numerous hours experimenting with parts choices
    based on my many years of experience restoring vintage tube gear. I know what parts sound very good in various positions in the circuit.
    This preamp is incredibly good for a number of reasons. First, the audio circuit itself is a wonderful, but simple design that has
    a very short signal path and really only one coupling capacitor per channel at the output. The tubes are direct coupled.
    The 6SN7 is a fantastic audio tube as noted above. If you are used to the sound of small tubes you are in for a treat,
    and you most likely will never go back. Small tubes just aren’t going to cut it for you!

    Second, the power supply is a fully dual-mono design. Each channel has its own B+ (high voltage) and filament supplies.
    This gives amazing stereo separation because each channel is independent. The B+ power supplies are tube rectified
    (the BEST way to go in a tube preamp, none of that solid-state hash) which gives a soft-start and simplifies the design
    compared to a solid-state design, and it also sounds better! Then the B+ is fed to a separate voltage regulator for each channel
    that eliminates all variation in the supply, and reduces the noise by at least 20db, making for a deep, totally dark background.
    The two filament supplies (one for each channel) use ultra-fast schottky diodes, and then the filament voltage is regulated
    by a low-noise, low-impedance device that is completely isolated from the audio signals by floating the 6 volt supply about 70 volts
    above ground so there is no hum whatsoever. The 6 volt DC regulated filament supplies are driven by completely separate transformer windings
    for each channel. In fact there are separate filament and high voltage transformers. The power supply and filament supply design gives
    stunning channel separation and the blackest background that I have ever heard in ANY preamp, tube or SS.

    Alan-14
    Alan-14


    Posts : 46
    Join date : 2012-03-31
    Age : 63
    Location : Melbourne - Australia

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    Post by Alan-14 Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:31 am

    Great review Roy ... definately keep them coming.

    I've had my SP-14 for nearly 2 years now and simply love it!
    deepee99
    deepee99


    Posts : 2244
    Join date : 2012-05-23
    Location : Wallace, Idaho

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    Post by deepee99 Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:32 pm

    Hey, let's not forget the SP-14's red-headed stepchild, the SP-13. Continues to blow my mind. Absolutely black background, just exquisite music.
    Maintarget
    Maintarget


    Posts : 227
    Join date : 2013-02-10

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    Post by Maintarget Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:04 pm

    I would further add that Roy has every right to toot his horn he has made it possible for the average working guy to get into a quality high end audio amp & preamp with out breaking the bank the SP-14 is simply amazing.
    Thank You Roy!

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