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Crate TD 70

Started by mrdirtynasty, August 18, 2009, 09:36:57 PM

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mrdirtynasty

 Hey guys, I own a Crate tube driver 70, not a bad little amp, i just have a couple questions.
What can I do to improve this amp for tone and reliability. I'm replacing the tube with a Electro-Hamonix 12AX7 EH, From what I've reserched that is the best tube for a single tube hybrid. Anything else I can do with the preamp section?
And what about the power amp section? Can I beef up the heat sink? Is there anything you guys can tell me? (aside from bashing Crate, lol)
Thanks.

Brymus

I dont find the EH tubes all that great.IMO unless they are NOS
I like for pre amp the JJ long plate gold pin 12AX7
or the Chinese Tung Sol from MusiciansFiend  suprised me as well.
Does your amp get hot and start to distort? Only reason heat sink would help.
To improve tone otherwise you can replace any carbon film resistors with metal film ones
for less noise.(proly wont notice the difference though unless amp is hissy)
And replace the smaller electrolitics with Nichicon brand UKW pre-fix (UKW line only)
I did this in my little Crate  (all SS not Hybrid) and the difference was so good even the drummer noticed  when I demo it for him :lmao:
I did the same to My multi FX proccesor and now the sound has no HISS and is much more clean and pleasing.Better than when it was new many years ago.

marmora

Where can I find the Nichicon UKW line?

Brymus

Quote from: marmora on September 25, 2009, 10:01:36 AM
Where can I find the Nichicon UKW line?
Try Mouser http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?Keyword=nichicon+ukw
Or if you want the best caps (they wont fit in alot of PCBs) try the UKZ line
http://products.nichicon.co.jp/en/pdf/XJA043/e-kz.pdf
But be warned they are HUGE I have both UKW and UKZ series in my bins the UKZ are 2-4x as big as UKW line.
The UKZ uses the "Muse" logo and an even better dielectric than the UKWs for improved sound.
Hope that helps.

J M Fahey

I absolutely fail to hear even the tiniest difference between *any* kind of capacitors, at least in the guitar amp universe, provided they have the same *capacitance*, which is all I care about.

Brymus

I did some A/B tests with my ears so I know that doesnt hold water for anyone else .
But I know what I like.

Junkmale

I have done a lot of swapping capacitor types in guitars and effects pedals and I can absolutely say there is a discernible difference between cap types to my ears.

g1

  As far as the heatsinking goes, a fan will always help.  Even if there is no exposed heatsink, just pointing a fan at the chassis will help remove heat.  Keeping it cool is never a bad idea, but not really any thing to worry about unless you are noticing heat issues.

As to the age-old capacitor sonic debate, a couple comments.
Changing old caps will often alter the sound.  Is this because of the particular brand/type installed, or just that they are new?
Brymus, when you changed to new caps and your drummer noticed, might he have noticed any brand because they were new?  If you had then removed the new UKW's and replaced them with some other brand of new caps, would he have thought the sound was noticeably worse?
  The arguments are not so much about whether the sound was changed, but whether the change was due to materials (cap type), or capacitance values.
  No one ever seems to go to the trouble of making precise measurements and strict scientific method when comparing cap types.  If people did do this, and a sonic difference was provable, we would see frequency response charts on the manufacturer data.  It would gain them lot's of sales, so obviously they would make a big deal about it, with actual data.  If it can actually be heard, it can be measured.  Why does no one do this?  This controversy is very old, if there was measurable data, it would be everywhere.
  So it comes down to comparing apples to apples, as in the caps to be compared must measure exactly the same capacitance and ESR, not just within some tolerance.  Then precise scientific method must be used, double blind tests with recorded program material re-amped, with frequency response and spectrum analysis plotted as data.
  If there is found to be differences, then us skeptics will acknowledge the differences.
  If not, then it must be psycho-somatic.  And I personally don't have such a big problem with that, if it sounds better to you, you will play better, even if the difference is imaginary.
  But I think in a lot of cases, from the fact that the circuit sounds better, it is assumed it has to do with "brand/type x" caps, when really it has to do with properly working fresh caps, or proper/exact value caps.