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#1 EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 6:08 pm
by Cressy Snr
Today, on a whim, I built this:
EL34Nostalgia.png
EL34Nostalgia.png (66.62 KiB) Viewed 3487 times
I filled it with carbon composition resistors, Sprague and old Elna cathode bypasses and Mallory metallised polyester coupling caps
Been listening to it all afternoon and it speaks to me, of something long, long ago, as I sat, aged around four, on geordie granny's knee whilst The Shadows and Elvis played on the radiogram. Totally evocative, nostalgic, warm, full-bodied and comforting. It's truly a Werther's Original of an amplifier. Absolutely lovely.

It gave shivers down the backbone, shakes in the knee bone, tremors in the thigh bone and a lump in the old throat. Utterly nostalgic. The sound it makes brings back happy times and wonderful memories of those I loved, and who are now long gone. I've honestly never heard anything in my 45 year hi-fi career that has had that kind of effect on me. :D :) :( :cry: :( :) :D
I really don't know what to make of it, but am not going to analyse or intellectualise it.

#2 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 6:59 pm
by Nick
Are you intentionally feeding the first stage from the second stage anode?

#3 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 7:07 pm
by Cressy Snr
Oh FFS!
I’ve drawn another bloody schematic wrong. Jeez.
Note to self,
Put a new line in. Don’t extend an existing one! And don’t draw diagrams when emotionally charged up. :lol: :oops:
I’ll put it right later. Cheers Nick.

#4 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 7:24 pm
by Cressy Snr
Corrected:
EL34NostalgaCorrected.png
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#5 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 7:27 pm
by Nick
I guessed that was what you intended :-)

#6 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 7:33 pm
by IslandPink
I've yet to post a schematic that was correct first time !

#7 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 7:44 pm
by ed
he's deffo redefined giving up.
muttley.jpg
muttley.jpg (40.36 KiB) Viewed 3440 times

#8 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 7:53 pm
by Cressy Snr
ed wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 7:44 pm he's deffo redefined giving up…
Trouble is you get bored of a cold soldering iron. Now the NVA based amp is a steady and known quantity in the system, I can mess about with the valve amps for a bit of fun.
It’s interesting what you can build when not taking it overly serious.

#9 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:05 pm
by andrew Ivimey
A radiogram with el34s eh, rock on! Our Dassette something had one ecl82. You were lucky.... smirks

#10 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:45 pm
by IslandPink
Luxury !! We only had a diode !

#11 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:53 pm
by pre65
IslandPink wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 8:45 pm Luxury !! We only had a diode !
A diode ?

Pure luxury. :lol:

#12 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:10 pm
by Dave the bass
Luxury.

We just used to listen to 50hz hum.

Still do actually, their 1st 8 albums were ace.

#13 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:14 pm
by Ant
50hz hum?

Luxury

I used to have to listen to the neighbours through the open window and they only played des o'connor

#14 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:26 pm
by andrew Ivimey
I dreeeeeeeeeamed of a 50 Hz hum. 'Aving thrashed us to an inch of our lives me mam might let us 'ave 20 or so Herz but 50... could as well as lived in a brown paper bag!

#15 Re: EL34 Nostalgia

Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:37 pm
by pre65
andrew Ivimey wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 9:26 pm I dreeeeeeeeeamed of a 50 Hz hum. 'Aving thrashed us to an inch of our lives me mam might let us 'ave 20 or so Herz but 50... could as well as lived in a brown paper bag!
We used to dream of a brown paper bag. :)