WOOLCOT AMPS - Anybody heard these?

Wolcott amps The best tube amps? Is the original posting by Snook2, on 01-27-00. To get there you must click the "next 50" postings button three times. The last posting was on 09-03-00. Hope this helps.

Here's a direct link so you don't have to go through all those pages. http://audiogo1.iserver.net/cgi-bin/forum5.pl?asund&948998560&read&openall&4&& Also if you Search the Archives for Wolcott, I think you will find it too. Cheers, Dan

Thanks alot for all the info. Very useful.

Albert, thanks for your post. I've been preoccupied with non audio elements lately. I would be very interested in your appraisal of the Wolcotts with the Vandersteen 5s. Despite what you might think I am seriously interested in these amps. Truth be told, the Wolcotts I heard had NEW tubes in them, not even burned in. Indeed that is not a fair comparison with well burned-in and seasoned gear. Your point is well taken. Nonetheless, my experience with the Wolcotts and point source speakers was not transcendent. I am told that they are indeed magic with the Soundlabs, which are probably my favorite speaker of all time(if only they would work in my room!). Which EL34 tubes are you using in the amps? Can you use other octal-based tubes since the amp auto biases?

I already asked Hank about other octal based tubes, such as the 6L6 and KT88, and he said that he was uncertain that the auto bias circuit would accommodate these tubes. I have a friend who is an amp designer, who said that there was an old military Bendix tube that would work in this circuit, near identical bias and drive character, and would match the output transformer as well. He is uncertain as to if it would work without a slight circuit mod, and requires me to ship the Wolcotts for inspection before this test. This engineer also said that the circuit with the Bendix tubes could be capable of 400 watts per channel with this mod, provided the power supply will handle it. I like the amps a lot even as they are, but the 6922 driver tube that comes in them is TERRIBLE! Not just poor, or undesirable, but just plain awful. The Siemens CCA 6922 was a major improvement, and I am still going to try the Mullard 6922 as well. I have Telefunken AEG EL-34 tubes in there right now, and they are much better than the Sovtec tubes supplied from the factory. I have a complete set of Mullard Dual Getter EL-34 tubes from the 1960's coming from a tube dealer, and will try the test with them next. I hope my friend with the Vandersteen 5's will run these amps to death for the next two weeks, it will be nice to try them (more) broken in as the next test, then with the Mullard tubes in the outputs. I am supposed to get Telefunken and Amperex 6GW8 drivers for the Wolcott, to replace the nice (but not ultimate) Tungsram that came with this unit. I hope in the end, that they will perform to a level that I will not concern myself with anything except listening to the music they make. Until then, lots of homework to do.