Brief Review: Dynakit Parts ST-35 Kit

My Dynakit Parts ST-35 kit arrived on Wednesday. I completed it yesterday evening, total time spent, about 15 hours. After completion it powered up but with some intermittent static in the right channel. After inspecting it on the bench I discovered a bare ground wire was just barely making contact with an adjacent tube pin. It took a few seconds to fix.

I have it burning in as I type this.

PACKAGING: The kit was very well packed. The components were individually packaged and cushioned with bubble wrap. The heavy transformer boxes at the bottom of the carton were taped securely in place to the inside of the carton.

ASSEMBLY: I took a quick inventory and found the electronic parts, resistors, capacitors PCBs, in individual bags and labeled. This made it easy to find the right part during assembly.

The two manuals, one for stuffing the PCB and one for mechanical assembly and wiring, are well written, clear and accurate. This made the whole process of assembly enjoyable.

FIT AND FINISH: In a word, BEAUTIFUL! Kevin included the stainless steel chassis for the same price as the cadmium steel chassis. (THANKS Kevin!) If you're going to build this kit I highly recommend the SS chassis. It looks awesome. I also opted for the tube cage, which is a bit pricy. But trust me, it's worth it. The HEAVY transformers are nicely finished in a gloss black. After completion the ST-35 is an impressive piece.

As far as I can tell the new ST-35 kit from Dynakit Parts is a very accurate reproduction of the original Dynaco kit from 40+ years ago. It feels hefty and has a classic look to it.

SOUND: I chose JJ 12DW7 and Sovtek EL84M tubes for this kit. The ST-35 sounded great right off the bat. The EL84M are detailed but a bit bright with strong bass. After burn-in they may mellow out. I use a pair of full range DIY speakers, Tang Band W8-1772 drivers in a bass reflex 40 liter cabinet. The W8-1772 SPL are about 94db or 95db. The ST-35 drives these to very loud volumes easily. Bass is strong, deep and clean. Soundstage is holographic.

CONCLUSION: I HIGHLY recommend this kit. It’s a gem.

The ST-35 is an awesome sounding amp and Kevin does a great job reproducing every detail. Just last night I completed a brand new Dynaco ST-70 kit from Dynakit for a customer which included the BBCU-1 Bias Balance upgrade. I will be testing it tonight.

Like you said, packing was top notch, I was wondering why I couldn't lift the transformer boxes from the packing, it was taped down, also the way Kevin packed and labeled the parts, even a novice who can solder can build the amp.

I'll post a few photos in a new topic sometime this weekend.

Again, great job on your amp.

Regards,
Sal

Jim, I recognize you from the PE forum. I also built a ST-35 kit. It is as you describe. I do not have the cover, but I think I will buy one after seeing your picture. I am driving a pair of Curt Campbell and Wayne Wendel design Singularities from the PE forum. A MLTL box with the Dayton 8" full range. The setup sounds very good.

I also bought a SP8 tube preamp from Roy. I made one mistake in the wiring and sent it back to Roy for a fix. I am good at following instruction, but not at troubleshooting electronic circuits. It is on its way back. I look forward to hearing the complete ST-35/ SP8/ Singularities combination.

djg wrote:I also bought a SP8 tube preamp from Roy. I made one mistake in the wiring and sent it back to Roy for a fix. I am good at following instruction, but not at troubleshooting electronic circuits. It is on its way back. I look forward to hearing the complete ST-35/ SP8/ Singularities combination.

I've been drooling over the SP8 myself. Did you get the 12" or 16" chassis?

I got the 12" chassis with no upgrades. I had originally intended to purchase the PAS3 clone in a new chassis, but Roy said the SP8 has the best build documentation, which was important to me, as I am not an electronic expert. I can build and solder fine, just no knowledge of circuits. The build was a bit challenging for me, but except for one jumper wire misplaced, it was fine. I probably could have found the error myself if I had tried, but I lacked confidence.

The 12" x 12" x 4" par metal chassis was very nicely engraved. The kit came with a small toroid transformer already mounted, all the holes were drilled. The only real complaint was that the holes in the front panel for the volume and balance controls were too big. I fixed with some spacers I made.

All in all, a very nice kit.