ST35

ST35

Postby Raf » Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:58 pm

I am hoping to read reviews and comments on the Dynaco St35...both stock and modified.

I am currently enjoying a Hypertriode Modified ST 70 and a bone stock St35. It is easy to notice that there is a rather distinct quality to each amplifier and they sound quite different form each other.

Having said this, I am rather new to audio and would very much like to learn what more experienced listeners have to say about the St35....
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Re: ST35

Postby tenderobject » Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:37 pm

ser raf, are you happy with st-70? nagbabalak kase ko mag tube for next year. di ko nga lang alam kung san ako maguumpisa. since mas gusto ko pa den magumpisa sa vintage. siguro sa st70 na ako. pati wala ako alam sa audio haha.. so kailngan ko pa po ba ng power amp plus phono stage pag bumili ako ng ST70? ano po ok na setup?

sensya medyo OT. eheh

salamat ser
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Re: ST35

Postby setup1 » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:23 pm

Raf wrote:I am hoping to read reviews and comments on the Dynaco St35...both stock and modified.

I am currently enjoying a Hypertriode Modified ST 70 and a bone stock St35. It is easy to notice that there is a rather distinct quality to each amplifier and they sound quite different form each other.

Having said this, I am rather new to audio and would very much like to learn what more experienced listeners have to say about the St35....


Hi Raf,

The Dyna ST35 has the widest high frequency bandwidth of all output transformers made by Dynaco. Granted with the size of the core one should not expect extreme bass, but what's there is pretty good with very natural midrange. The circuit is a classic hi-mu (1/2 12AX7) direct coupled to a med-mu (1/2 12AU7) acting as a cathodyne phase inverter, hence a 7247. Very simple and elegant! If the stock paper caps are not leaky don't replace them if classic sound is what you're after. Of course I'm biased and for years have strayed from plastic caps. The only thing it can benefit from is the elimination of the .01 (or .1uf?) ceramic disc cap in the input which limits the amp's bandwidth slightly. This is protection from preamps that have DC off set. Otherwise if you don't listen loud or have easy load for speakers it is an extremely musical amp, IMHO better than a stock ST70. It sings beautifully with LS3/5As and Quad ESL57s!

Hope this helps!

je
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Re: ST35

Postby Raf » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:42 pm

tenderobject wrote:ser raf, are you happy with st-70? nagbabalak kase ko mag tube for next year. di ko nga lang alam kung san ako maguumpisa. since mas gusto ko pa den magumpisa sa vintage. siguro sa st70 na ako. pati wala ako alam sa audio haha.. so kailngan ko pa po ba ng power amp plus phono stage pag bumili ako ng ST70? ano po ok na setup?

sensya medyo OT. eheh

salamat ser


TO, kumusta?

I like the ST-70 a lot. It is a good first introduction into tube amplifiers. It is on the slow, sweet, fat, weighty side in sound characteristics. It uses an el34 therefore midrange is quite rich but the highs are not very detailed. It is known for having a very simple circuitry coupled with extremely well built transformers. During it's day, it was considered good value for money HiFi sound. It was usually sold in kit form, too.

The ST-70 is a power amp and not an integrated amp so you will need a pre-amp. Hopefully, your pre-amp has a built-in phonostage.

Cheers!
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Re: ST35

Postby Raf » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:52 pm

setup1 wrote:
Raf wrote:I am hoping to read reviews and comments on the Dynaco St35...both stock and modified.

I am currently enjoying a Hypertriode Modified ST 70 and a bone stock St35. It is easy to notice that there is a rather distinct quality to each amplifier and they sound quite different form each other.

Having said this, I am rather new to audio and would very much like to learn what more experienced listeners have to say about the St35....


Hi Raf,

The Dyna ST35 has the widest high frequency bandwidth of all output transformers made by Dynaco. Granted with the size of the core one should not expect extreme bass, but what's there is pretty good with very natural midrange. The circuit is a classic hi-mu (1/2 12AX7) direct coupled to a med-mu (1/2 12AU7) acting as a cathodyne phase inverter, hence a 7247. Very simple and elegant! If the stock paper caps are not leaky don't replace them if classic sound is what you're after. Of course I'm biased and for years have strayed from plastic caps. The only thing it can benefit from is the elimination of the .01 (or .1uf?) ceramic disc cap in the input which limits the amp's bandwidth slightly. This is protection from preamps that have DC off set. Otherwise if you don't listen loud or have easy load for speakers it is an extremely musical amp, IMHO better than a stock ST70. It sings beautifully with LS3/5As and Quad ESL57s!

Hope this helps!

je


Thank you very much for all the info on the circuitry and for the tips, Senor! I posted this thread years ago....finally!! :D :D

Yes, IMO, the st35 has some clear advantages over the st70. Extremely musical with well represented low end and very delicate and agile high end. Lots of, air, speed, and detail. The midrange is by no means lacking either:) I really enjoy this particular amp a lot and I often use it with doc rodney's harbeth LS3/5As and the Spendor SP3/1Ps. Glad to know that there are others (setup1, no less, and Oldfogey, too) who like it.

Thanks again, JE!!
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Re: ST35

Postby tenderobject » Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:16 pm

Raf wrote:
TO, kumusta?

I like the ST-70 a lot. It is a good first introduction into tube amplifiers. It is on the slow, sweet, fat, weighty side in sound characteristics. It uses an el34 therefore midrange is quite rich but the highs are not very detailed. It is known for having a very simple circuitry coupled with extremely well built transformers. During it's day, it was considered good value for money HiFi sound. It was usually sold in kit form, too.

The ST-70 is a power amp and not an integrated amp so you will need a pre-amp. Hopefully, your pre-amp has a built-in phonostage.

Cheers!



ok naman ser! medyo busy lang lately. di na nakakapitik. medyo madami pang film na nakatimbre na idevelop. hehe

salamat ser. medyo nalilito kase ko sa mga tawag eh mahina ako sa audio hardwares mostly software ako. siguro nga maghintay hintay ako ng maayos at murang st-70. date may nagooffer saken eh kaya lang walang funds. ipon muna ako para nextyear pure tube na. so kailngan ko pa pala ng preamp na meorn phono if wala kailngan ko den ng phonostage right? may mga preamp at phono na may tube den diba? ahay sana nga nextyear makapag tube na! :)
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Re: ST35

Postby Raf » Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:15 pm

tenderobject wrote:
Raf wrote:
TO, kumusta?

I like the ST-70 a lot. It is a good first introduction into tube amplifiers. It is on the slow, sweet, fat, weighty side in sound characteristics. It uses an el34 therefore midrange is quite rich but the highs are not very detailed. It is known for having a very simple circuitry coupled with extremely well built transformers. During it's day, it was considered good value for money HiFi sound. It was usually sold in kit form, too.

The ST-70 is a power amp and not an integrated amp so you will need a pre-amp. Hopefully, your pre-amp has a built-in phonostage.

Cheers!



ok naman ser! medyo busy lang lately. di na nakakapitik. medyo madami pang film na nakatimbre na idevelop. hehe

salamat ser. medyo nalilito kase ko sa mga tawag eh mahina ako sa audio hardwares mostly software ako. siguro nga maghintay hintay ako ng maayos at murang st-70. date may nagooffer saken eh kaya lang walang funds. ipon muna ako para nextyear pure tube na. so kailngan ko pa pala ng preamp na meorn phono if wala kailngan ko den ng phonostage right? may mga preamp at phono na may tube den diba? ahay sana nga nextyear makapag tube na! :)


TO, Ako rin, medyo na isangtabi muna ang Photography...very busy!!

Regarding vintage and tube equipment, pls contact hypertriode...expert siya dito sa topic na ito. Usually, may st-70 na nirerestore doon sa kanyang lugar. marami ring mga tube pre-amp at phonostage doon. :D :D :D Happy Hunting!
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Re: ST35

Postby pigdog » Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:12 pm

hey raf, i understand you are into vintage gears, so what are you using these days? i beleive raffy occampo or was it mike arcenas, bought the leak tl10s from rene. those were my amps and these were very musical having seen the wonderful job rene did on these pair, i really regretted selling them even though i am now into Single ended amps, there are still some inherent beauty with push pulls
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Re: ST35

Postby Raf » Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:40 pm

HI PD,

Yes all my amps and turntables are vintage category. in relation to SET, the st35 (push-pull) uses el84s which are apparently the closest sounding to SET...

Lucky new owner of the Leak:) :)

5 stock vintage amps:

Harman Kardon Citation II
Eico HF60
Dynaco Mark IVs
Fisher 300B
Dynaco st35

TTs- Thorens td127/SME 3012 and Thorens td124/FR64 and SME 3102

Babysitting a pair of LS3/5As, too:)
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Re: ST35

Postby pigdog » Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:28 am

ah so you also got the Harman Kardan Citation amp! you really must consider the Matching preamp. I sold a nice one to rene and he is restoring it. if i were you, better grab it as it is very reasonable, and a lot of people say this preamp is the closest sounding to the Marantz 7 for less than a 10th of the price!
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Re: ST35

Postby qguy » Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:39 am

Several years ago, when one wants to go tubes, either you go vintage or break the bank with new gear. Today theres is a lot of brand new tube gears from China which is available in the market at bargain prices.


tenderobject wrote:ser raf, are you happy with st-70? nagbabalak kase ko mag tube for next year. di ko nga lang alam kung san ako maguumpisa. since mas gusto ko pa den magumpisa sa vintage. siguro sa st70 na ako. pati wala ako alam sa audio haha.. so kailngan ko pa po ba ng power amp plus phono stage pag bumili ako ng ST70? ano po ok na setup?

sensya medyo OT. eheh

salamat ser
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Re: ST35

Postby Raf » Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:11 am

pigdog wrote:ah so you also got the Harman Kardan Citation amp! you really must consider the Matching preamp. I sold a nice one to rene and he is restoring it. if i were you, better grab it as it is very reasonable, and a lot of people say this preamp is the closest sounding to the Marantz 7 for less than a 10th of the price!


I'll check it out. Thanks PD
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Re: ST35

Postby Fourplay » Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:07 am

Hi guys!

For further reading on the Dynaco ST-35, please click on http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/dynaco-st35_e.html

I have both the ST-70 and ST-35 linked to my PAS 3. The two have different sonic flavors. But for me, the ST-35 is better.
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
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Re: ST35

Postby dannyb » Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:35 am

how about the sca35 which is an integrated & usually sells for a lot cheaper

it also uses el84s if i'm not mistaken

does it sound similar to the st35 & could it have the same irons :)
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Re: ST35

Postby Fourplay » Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:45 am

On the SCA 35, I lifted this quote from http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/dynaco-sca35_e.html to summarize how it performs:

It sounds very good for its size and simple preamp design. It is perfect as a bookshelf unit driving small bookshelf speakers. Like the ST-35, it can drive larger speakers in a living room, but only if the speakers are high sensitivity. The SCA-35 does not sound quite as good as a PAS3 preamp coupled with a ST-35 amp. It is thiner in bass response compared to a PAS3 with a ST-35, although a ST-35 is thinner in bass response to a ST-70. The difference is that the SCA-35 is even thinner in bass response than a PAS3/ST-35 or a PAS3/ST-70. Overall, the SCA-35 is a wonderful integrated amplifier and can be listened to for hours and hours.

;)
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Re: ST35

Postby setup1 » Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:06 am

dannyb wrote:how about the sca35 which is an integrated & usually sells for a lot cheaper
it also uses el84s if i'm not mistaken does it sound similar to the st35 & could it have the same irons :)


Slightly different circuit but same transformers. Great integrated amp! Last summer while vacationing in Toronto I went to a used LP store which had LS3/5As driven by an SCA35 with a Technics SL1200/DL103/Tango MCT999 step up in the front end, very musical!

pigdog wrote:ah so you also got the Harman Kardan Citation amp! you really must consider the Matching preamp. I sold a nice one to rene and he is restoring it. if i were you, better grab it as it is very reasonable, and a lot of people say this preamp is the closest sounding to the Marantz 7 for less than a 10th of the price!


Another classic Stewart Hegeman design aside from the Lafayette KT600/KT550 preamp/amp combo. However I beg to differ regarding its sound vis a vis Marantz 7 - to my ears the Citation I has a darker timbre. The Marantz 7 has 12AX7s all the way while the Citation is a mixture of 12AX7s/12AT7s. The Citation I and II were designed to be ultra wide bandwidth so the circuit is quite complicated. Tip for collectors - the sonic nature of a classic preamp or amp is usually dictated by the tubes used and then circuit topology.

My personal preference in a preamp is the sonic combination of 12AX7/12AU7 along the lines of the Eico ST84, the earlier mono Marantz 1 consolette, FIsher 50C

je
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Re: ST35

Postby dannyb » Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:54 am

setup1 wrote:
dannyb wrote:how about the sca35 which is an integrated & usually sells for a lot cheaper
it also uses el84s if i'm not mistaken does it sound similar to the st35 & could it have the same irons :)


Slightly different circuit but same transformers. Great integrated amp! Last summer while vacationing in Toronto I went to a used LP store which had LS3/5As driven by an SCA35 with a Technics SL1200/DL103/Tango MCT999 step up in the front end, very musical!

je

ok now that the info is out better get 1 before prices start going up :D
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Re: ST35

Postby hypertriode » Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:11 pm

dannyb wrote:
setup1 wrote:
dannyb wrote:how about the sca35 which is an integrated & usually sells for a lot cheaper
it also uses el84s if i'm not mistaken does it sound similar to the st35 & could it have the same irons :)


Slightly different circuit but same transformers. Great integrated amp! Last summer while vacationing in Toronto I went to a used LP store which had LS3/5As driven by an SCA35 with a Technics SL1200/DL103/Tango MCT999 step up in the front end, very musical!

je

ok now that the info is out better get 1 before prices start going up :D


you bet dannyb! i just got a call from a WS lurker to snatch the one at Balikbayan Handicrafts for him :)
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Re: ST35

Postby Raf » Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:06 pm

Fourplay wrote:Hi guys!

For further reading on the Dynaco ST-35, please click on http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/dynaco-st35_e.html

I have both the ST-70 and ST-35 linked to my PAS 3. The two have different sonic flavors. But for me, the ST-35 is better.
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)


Great read, 4play. thank you. I am inclined to agree with you about the st35 vs the st70..a matter of taste for us, of course :)

Quoting Harvey A Kader "The frequency response of the ST-35 is rated at +-1 dB 10Hz to 40kHz. The frequency response of the ST-70 is rated at +-0.5 dB 10Hz to 40kHz. In listening tests, it became obvious that the ST-35 produces less bass than the ST-70. The EL84 output tubes in the ST-35 are smaller in size than the EL34 tubes found in the ST-70. They characteristically do not have the bass response of the EL34 tube. So, although bass is present in the sound produced by the ST-35, it just can’t compare to the thunder of the ST-70. This in spite of the fact that the ST-35 has solid state rectification. Solid state rectification by its nature tends to yield more bass than the vacuum tube counterpart. For example, the bass response of the ST-70 can be made greater by the switch to solid state rectification as in the Dynaco ST-70 Series II(see previous articles on original Dynaco ST-70 versus Dynaco ST-70 Series II in TNT Audio).

The ST-35 has a wonderful sound with fantastic midrange response. The human voice in singing comes through very smoothly. The ST-35 really shines in the midrange. The midrange is exactly where the human voice is positioned on the frequency scale. So although bass response is subdued, midrange come through almost lifelike. Even more so than in the ST-70. The sound of the ST-35 is sweet and smooth. It is mellow and laid back. "Easy listening" are two words which aptly describe the personality of this amplifier The volume capability was less than the ST-70, but this was expected since the ST-35 is rated at one-half the wattage of the ST-70. Nonetheless, there was sufficient volume to fill a medium size living room, and even then the volume control was set at only the twelve o’clock position.

Although the ST-35 has the power to fill a living room, it is best at home in a smaller room. In such an environment, it can produce ear splitting volume if needed, especially with CDs which have a relatively large dynamic range.

The Dynaco ST-35 is rare and difficult to find. Demand has outstripped supply, so when an excellent to mint example is offered for sale, the price escalates on internet auction sites. If you come across one that meets your approval, it is probably a good time to purchase it. You will be rewarded with a sweet pure sound like none other, and you will have the satisfaction that you are listening to the rarest of the Dynaco amplifiers. Good things do come in small packages."
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Re: ST35

Postby Fourplay » Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:14 pm

You're welcome, Raf :)
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