Lovely Big Bottles

PACPAC
edited December 2012 in Amplifiers
As per the title,

the amp now driving the Tannoys:

image

Mastersound 845 Compact.

30 watts of pure Class A single ended loveliness...

as for "compact", well that's a joke!

The RFC plinth it's sat on is 660mm wide to give an idea of scale.  the amp is about 300mm or thereabouts high and weights in at 5 1/2 stone.  Lightweight it isn't.

How does it sound?   I'll let you know when it's had a few more hours on the bottles ;)

1200 volts across those big triodes which is frightening.  That's one of the reasons it's sat up high on its perch away from little fingers.  The living room lights dim when the amp is switched on :-O

Comments

  • DocfosterDocfoster
    I love that last sentence...!
  • AlanAlan
    You've got some bottle...

    That's one amp I have heard only good things about. I certainly approve of the styling!
  • IslandPinkIslandPink
    A good 845 amp is a useful thing ;o)
    However it's one of the hardest valves to drive ( needs a high-current driver valve that can swing a lot of volts cleanly ) so hopefully this one is a good design .
    They can be quite disappointing if not engineered right .
  • PACPAC
    Mastersound know what they're doing and yes, this one is both engineered properly and sounds very good :D .  The driver valves (if you;d care to look at their website) are capable of supplying more than enough voltage. They use 6sn7 valves as drivers.  If it had been some little cottage industry affair with no heritage I would have been hesitant, however Mastersound are one of a handful of companies (along with AN Japan) who know what they're about when it comes to this valve circuit. It's a powerful and very clean sounding amp.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    What a gorgeous looking thing, Paul.
  • Brain_DeadBrain_Dead
    Lovely.
  • jandl100jandl100

    Cor.

    I'll be seeing/hearing this tomorrow!

    \:D/
  • AlanAlan

    Cor.

    I'll be seeing/hearing this tomorrow!

    \:D/
    You mean this is one you haven't heard already?? :-O
  • PACPAC
    I've been leant some very nice RCA valves for the amp by a very kind fellow enthusiast (thank you Alan B) but will give it a few weeks I think before swapping out the valves as I'd like to hear what the amp is like properly settled in.  Bias has been checked and adjusted slightly to get it closer to the 15volts it should be but other than that it's going to stay standard.

    Really enjoying this amp, especially as our central heating packed up last week and this little fella seems to kick out as much heat as one of our stand-in convector heaters!
  • IslandPinkIslandPink
    RCA 845's are as rare as hen's teeth these days - that will be a treat to hear .
    I'd be expecting to see something like 120V bias on an 845 with 1250v supply, so maybe that 15 is somewhere else in the circuit.
  • PACPAC
    RCA 845's are as rare as hen's teeth these days - that will be a treat to hear .
    I'd be expecting to see something like 120V bias on an 845 with 1250v supply, so maybe that 15 is somewhere else in the circuit.
    The RCA's were for the ECC82 positions; the standard 845' are Shuguang valves and at £90 a pop are the cheapest available, but have a name for sounding pretty reasonable and for being reasonably reliable.

    The 15 volts is the stated DC heater voltage. The HT supply is I think closer to 1000 volts for the 845, but still pretty high.  I don't think I'd ever be tempted to mess about with the internals whether or not it is plugged in!
  • jandl100jandl100

    Cor.

    I'll be seeing/hearing this tomorrow!

    \:D/
    You mean this is one you haven't heard already?? :-O




    ha ha! - yep, there's loads of stuff I haven't yet had a gander at, Alan!  :-<

    Well, my visit to Paul's has been and gawn.

    Great to meet up with you again, Paul. :)

    That amp is a thing of genuine beauty.

    Although if you kinda squint at it from peripheral vision, we agreed that it can seem to look like a block of upmarket flats!  ;)

    With the Tannoys in place, Paul's living room looks much more of a family space than it used to.  They really are attractive bits of furniture, enhanced with stands of his own design - I am sure that his wife is very pleased with the upgrade!

  • DocfosterDocfoster
    On my visit to Paul's, the room was great. But, with all the kit, music, acoustic absorbing panels, etc.,.. there wasn't really room for a family in there. His wife and little lad could just fit in behind the sofa (literally).
    Paul is a Hifi enthusiast of great integrity.
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    Doesn't the amp look more like a car park FOR a posh block of flats?
  • PACPAC
    Good to see you again Jerry and you were very polite about the Tannoys!  It's all a compromise and I'm happy that there's more room for the kids (rather it has been restored from listening room to living room) hence partly why the Harbeths had to go (they needed to be 2m into the room).

    Yes, I can see why the amp might look like a Costa-Del-Sol beach-front hotel if you squint!  I like to think of it more like the front of a luxury cruise liner!    Whatever, its very art-deco and sounds very good.   

    You'll have to come over for a repeat visit Doc if you can put up with that old fangled way of playing music involving Ceedees and black vinyl things that go "snap crackle pop" 
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    Thanks Paul. Will make a date. I'm fine with those breakfast cereal formats. It's just that I don't talk openly about them.

    (It upsets Dave, see.)
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    GRRR!
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