Swedish VTA ST-70

My first post here!

As the title says i´m from Sweden and a diy newbie. Searching for a tube project i found this forum and site and couldn´t be happier after recommendations from BoB Latino so i would like to share a few pics of my newborn VTA ST-70 if any is interested? From the beginning my intentions was to build my own chassis so i´m not using the stock chassis.
A wooden base to start with!

Looks like you are off to a great start, and welcome to one of the finest forums around.

TM

Thank´s TM!

Inspired by other members here i designed my own top-plate from an Italian workshop! A brushed surface with som specials.

After sanding, painting, sanding etc, etc it was ok. Thinking more than once about the finish. Ended up in shiny black finish.
I choose after ok from Bob to put his name on the alu-plate.




This is how the back-plate looks like

More painting!

A few days later!

Everythings ok at the start up procedure! The last thing was to listen to it!
This was a very fun project and thank´s to Bob for an excellent amp kit! Sounds absolutely fantastic!  

Wow....that's one of the nicest looking VTA amps I've seen here!
Congrats.

Thank you so much for the kind words!

In a word -- STUNNING.
There's just enough room for Mr. Latino to put his signature under his name. Nice touch, which I'm sure will raise a few eyebrows.

Thank´s again!

I´m so impressed about this amp! Have only 20h on the amp and the sound?, absolutly terrific. The Pio´s and the tubes need a few more hours i´ll guess to deliver it´s best? Can it get better than this??

That's a really nice build. I just bought a M125 kit without the stock chassis and am going to design my own enclosure.

I really like the clean and simple chassis. Very elegant in my opinion.

maritan wrote:That's a really nice build. I just bought a M125 kit without the stock chassis and am going to design my own enclosure.

I really like the clean and simple chassis. Very elegant in my opinion.

Thank´s Maritan!

M125, very interesting. Please share pictures when ready.

I really like the look of this build, every thing is clean and very well laid out, backside looks just as good.
Looks like expensive cabling.. Good job.

Very tidy! Excellent craftsmanship!

Maybe post up a link to your machine shop if they have an online presence. Looks like they really know what they're doing. We've got Front Panel Express here in the states, but not sure if they do work across the big water. In any case, CNC is certainly the way to go, adding a whole other level of professionalism.

Couple questions. Your rectifier? Unusual to see one with a nipple on top ... either that or I haven't been paying close enough attention.

Also, the industrial looking clamps on the can cap are nice ... source?

PS ... Everything but the PIOs should be fairly well broken in by now with minor changes as they burn in more. The PIOs can take up to 600 hours to break in completely, but sweeten up considerably at around 100 in my experience. Stock up on popcorn - you've got a whole lotta listening ahead!

Very beautiful work and craftsmanship. I do have a question. Is it preferable to have a ground point for each of the tubes for the biasing? I have seen one or two (one per side), but not often to see four.

Thank you

sKiZo wrote:Very tidy! Excellent craftsmanship!

Maybe post up a link to your machine shop if they have an online presence. Looks like they really know what they're doing. We've got Front Panel Express here in the states, but not sure if they do work across the big water. In any case, CNC is certainly the way to go, adding a whole other level of professionalism.

Couple questions. Your rectifier? Unusual to see one with a nipple on top ... either that or I haven't been paying close enough attention.

Also, the industrial looking clamps on the can cap are nice ... source?

PS ... Everything but the PIOs should be fairly well broken in by now with minor changes as they burn in more. The PIOs can take up to 600 hours to break in completely, but sweeten up considerably at around 100 in my experience. Stock up on popcorn - you've got a whole lotta listening ahead!

Thank´s!

We have front panel express in Germany that serves Europe but i decide to buy from www.modushop.biz or hifi2000 that sell the nice chassis many use.
The recifier is the original from Bob, don´t know anything about it unfortunatellty, have it as spare right know using a JJ instead.
The clamps isn´t that expensive that they might look like, only metal banding with holes that i put shrink tubing on.

BNR_1 wrote:Very beautiful work and craftsmanship.  I do have a question.  Is it preferable to have a ground point for each of the tubes for the biasing?  I have seen one or two (one per side), but not often to see four.

Thank you

Thank´s!

I´ll guess you don´t need a special groundpoint att all if i´m right? I can use ground from the chassis anywhere. However, i´m perhaps little fussy and want it symmetrically

hi warptech. would you be able to provide the drawings for that top plate? if so, could you please im me?
thanks

sorry. i am new here. please email me at fp2000 at
hotmail dot com

Your build looks really nice. The quality of the build is evidence of professional craftsmanship.

Two things though, of which neither has anything to do with the build.

Nothing against Bob Latino but I am perplexed as to why people that design and build there own chassis for the VTA ST series amps feel the need to put only Bob Latino's name on the amp. I would think people should feel proud of the work they put into the amp and put their own names on it. Additionally, didn't Roy Mortran also put time into developing the PC board for these amps? Or is Roy only responsible for the preamps?

Also...even though the basic layout of the amps that Bob Latino sells started out as a Dynaco design is it really right for the amps to have the Dynaco name associated with them?

I'm pretty sure that when Leonardo DaVinci painted the Mona Lisa he wasn't thinking of crediting Bob Latino for painting it (or Michalangelo).

And I guess I can understand why someone would like to let people know it started out as a Latino based kit...but I'd give myself some credit for the build also if I did in fact build it.

hey Dogstar, nice of you to think of me (Roy Mottram) on my birthday when you posted (8-25), thanks
Yes, I designed the VTA70 board as well as all of the circuits used
(except Bob does get credit for adding a couple tubes to make the M125 amp design, which also uses my MK3 board).
I've had a few customers put my name on their preamps, and some that put their own name on their preamps, to each his own!