Thanks Chrisby,  I knew many people used SS sub amps with their Tube main amps but I had never heard whether it sounded good or bad.  I am glad to hear I was wrong to assume it must sound bad.  I always like to save money.  

chrisby,
 The signal only passes through one wire at a time.  There are multiple wires because the transformer volume controls "autoformers" are basically just multi-tapped transformers - one wire per tap.  When adjusting the volume know you are basically just switching from one set of input taps to another.
The desing is quite simplistic, though building it looks not to be - that's allot of soldering!  

In total the signal passes through connectors, the volume switch, some wire, and from the input to output tap of the autoformer.  No resistors, no capacitors, no tubes.

Btw, besides S&B, Sowter seems like a mfg'er making good attenuation transformers (TVC's), though like S&B they are not cheap (~$150ea) ...

http://www.sowter.co.uk/attens.htm

... and another rave review thereof ...
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/tubediy/messages/18762.html

Ya know what I think would be really really cool for us tinkerers.  What if you made plates for various stages of an amp, say a input, a driver, then an output, and a separate power supply plate.  What a guy could do is sub values of resistors and caps for various tubes used, say you like a 6SN7 as an input tube better than the 6922, change a few components to make it work, and you have it mated to a SV83 SET output.  Or say you wanted a push pull output for more power, you could connect this to the existing stages and have a drop in output replacement.

Another plate amp I would like to see happen is a active crossover, of two and three way.

I have seen amps build to where you could change out tubes and set switches and your off, what I am proposing is more like a plate set where you switch out plates and hardware it together.  Like one chassic three plates.

One think I like about separate power supplies is that you can mod it to death and make it as beefy as you want.

TG

Found another source for DIY TVC's ... Wish I could pull all these TVC msg's to their own discussion thread.

http://www.audio-consulting.ch/DIYPot.htm



btw, forget the Antique Sound Labs Passive Ti (tvc based) preamp, at least for your MAIN system.  While it's good sounding for the money, and would be good for an intro or budget system or for a second/bedroom system, it DOES NOT sound better than the ZTPRE - which is probably no surprise. I've been listening to one I picked up on Audiogon with my Sony DVP-NS999ES SACD player and the SV83M amps.  

Hovever, I don't think the ASL Ti is necessarily indicative of the TVC idea/technology, and it's potential, on the whole.

-How about amps using 845, 572, or 833A, tubes? Muscle madness.

-A tubed output stage for the the Behringer:
 -ULTRACURVE PRO DEQ2496  This would make the ultimate DAC, allowing digital room correction and e.q. I am buying one of these one day, tube output stage or no tube utput stage. Read about it here: http://www.behringer.ca/02_products/prodindex.cfm?id=DEQ2496&lang=eng
-ULTRADRIVE PRO DCX2496  For those who want to bi, or triamplify.
http://www.behringer.ca/02_products/prodindex.cfm?id=dcx2496&lang=eng

How about a simple Push Pull amp based on the SV83?  Or a SET amp using the Svetlana 6AS7?  I have often wondered what this tube would sound like in a SET amp, no one is using this tube like this that I am aware of.

TG

Please Please build a kit for a headphone amp. or a version of the zsp1 that has a headphone out also. I would love to get some of that zen decware sound in my bedroom, (where there is no hope of decent sound with conventional speakers.)

Steve's principles on product development appears to be quite simple: He'll only market it if he thinks he has a chance of it being the best at that price point. It's a very reasonable and admirable one I guess and it's demonstrated by the absence of a Zen turntable. Another example is in the ZSLA1 instruction manual regarding line conditioners:

"To date the only line conditioners we know of that make a profound difference are made by PS Audio." My guess is that if he were to develop a line conditioner the PS Audio would be his performance aim point. My hope is that he'll be able to achieve that at half the price...

How about a tube amp that matches the zen but has a high dampening factor so it can be used on the woofer section in a biamp setup.

I am not so worried about the zen magic below 300hz.

A phono stage, a phono stage, and a phono stage .  Not necessarily a plate kit but a kit none the less.

What about the no brainer phono stage? I've not forgotten.

(I second the idea of MM is fine)

Think, phono stage, phono stage, phono stage 8)

Karl

Hello from Albuquerque NM....just joined and this is my first post.  I am anxiously waiting for my SE84C kits to arrive.  But, to the point of this thread, I vote for a 2 or 3 way crossover.

3141

I'm new here, so maybe I'm off base, but a phono amp w/ standard mm 47k input; required gain (40db?- probably requires 12AX7's?); 2v output; optional volume control for those who want to drive an amp directly.

2nd choice (while I'm at it  ;D) a tube dac; 2v output; again- optional volume control for CD-only guys.

Make 'em look just like Plates (and/or CSP's).

3rd choice (hell, I'm on a roll here  :P) a line router with 4 inputs and 2 outputs (MAD has one). Imagine: Phono on input #1; Tuner on input#2; Tape Deck on input #3 (yeah, tape deck  :o); and CD (or dac) on input #4. Then on output #1: your Plate pre or CSP); and on output #2: your headphone amp or a line to your tape deck. (output switchable)

What about it?  

(this is fun..)

WEEZ

I wish the plate had not increased in price so much. $250 is much less of a DIY venture than $380.  But I guess good sound is for the well funded. I'm wondering what part(s) experienced that dramatic of an increase.

A dac that accepts a usb input would be great.  Hook the computer straight to the dac and on to the radials.

craig

[quote author=WEEZ  link=1061610565/75#76 date=1105062527]I'm new here, so maybe I'm off base, but a phono amp w/ standard mm 47k input; required gain (40db?- probably requires 12AX7's?); 2v output; optional volume control for those who want to drive an amp directly.

WEEZ [/quote]

Weez,

At one point there was a "no brainer phono preamp" on the bleeding edge of release along the lines of your wish list, which is along the lines of my wish list, also. ¡Yo quiero!

I'm not sure if it was a plate project or not, but the idea vanished, like a midsummer night's dream.

I hereby revive that dream.

Karl

Weez,

My understanding was that the "no brainer phono preamp" was very near release, but that there was a hum problem that plagued the final design.

Karl

I wish for a ZenMic pre kit.  Because of budget constraints many people who have project studios at home use one of the many cheap ($40-$200) micpre's that are out there.  A lot of these units that do have a tube in them often sound like crap when the gain is turned up or they add a bunch of noise (or both).  A single channel, balanced (XLR) ZenMic kit would be a big hit with both home and pro recordists.  Phantom power would be nice, a good VU meter would be useful, and a unity setting could be helpful for inserting into effects loops.  With such a huge market in the recording business I can see this unit easily becoming Decware's primary product if it is as high quality as everything else that you guys make.  I'm sure that once word got out professional studios would buy them up like hotcakes.  Such a product could put Decware on the radars of a lot more people out there.

Hey, so WHAT ever DID happen to that no brainer phono pre? that was several months ago...  ???

[quote author=slappomatt  link=1061610565/75#88 date=1142546266]Hey, so WHAT ever DID happen to that no brainer phono pre? that was several months ago...  ??? [/quote]

Ditto!

as I am currently wraping up my ZKIT1 I will probably move onto the ZSP1 so I have something to compare to my current setup.

I am seriously looking for a DAC, I don't care either way if it has a tube output stage or not as price would be the biggest concern. Inputs would need optical and digital, usb would be a bonus but not required as I rarely have a pc in my listening area. I've been digging through the DAC kits that I've found online and they are all over the place price wise, more research is needed I think.

Phono stage, I'm very interested in this, I've been looking at tables lately as the wife has a rather large collection that is just collecting dust in her parents attic. So this is almost definitely on the list most likely around the end of the year.

My ZKIT1 is finished an OMFG is it awesome, I've been thinking about it, ZSP1 is most likely next, but truth be told a ZSP1+ that had 1 aux input and a phono stage... I'd be through trying to decide if I will take the plunge. If That became a reality, you would have to sign me up.