Check all your grounds first. GTA pres' were know to have a problem
Golden Tube Audio SEP-1
I had picked up a GTA SEP-1 used from a dealer about 5 months ago. For the most part it was my play into the world of tube pre's as I used to be an all HT person and then made a starter 2 channel system using all solid state.
I do enjoy this pre, however it does lack in bass to me. I have to question though, what are some peoples opinions on getting this piece modded?
I know of a place that has done mods on this same pre before, such as placing a battery on the tube for bias, PS caps were changed, the volume control was changed to a stepped att. type. ect ect.
Would it even be worth the time to mod a piece like this? It was fairly cheap IMO and the mods supposedly do help the bass issue, however I didn't know if it would be better just to scrap that and buy a better tubed pre.
In the future this pre would then go into a 2nd system or serve as a back up as I have plans for a better 2 channel system in the spring time. I currently enjoy it now for the most part, but didn't want to waste money doing mods that I would be better served with a different piece.
I do enjoy this pre, however it does lack in bass to me. I have to question though, what are some peoples opinions on getting this piece modded?
I know of a place that has done mods on this same pre before, such as placing a battery on the tube for bias, PS caps were changed, the volume control was changed to a stepped att. type. ect ect.
Would it even be worth the time to mod a piece like this? It was fairly cheap IMO and the mods supposedly do help the bass issue, however I didn't know if it would be better just to scrap that and buy a better tubed pre.
In the future this pre would then go into a 2nd system or serve as a back up as I have plans for a better 2 channel system in the spring time. I currently enjoy it now for the most part, but didn't want to waste money doing mods that I would be better served with a different piece.
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My suggestion is that before you call Soniccraft you see look at the Yahoo Group golden_tube http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/golden_tube/ You will probably have to join first. Look at all of the messages from a guy named Loc Vu - he's a Golden Tube guru and will either help you to upgrade the unit or you can ship the box to him for work. To answer your second question - is the SEP-1 worth it? Golden Tube Audio products have an almost cult-like following. It seems that the company had pretty good designs that were compramised by less-than-stellar parts and spotty build quality. I own an SE-40 SET amp that I use in my office. Is it the best amp I own? No. But it is very enjoyable nonetheless and was a great value for the money I paid for it. I have performed some minor upgrades as described by Loc Vu and others, and there has been a remarkable improvement over the stock sound. |