Anyone know history of Sound Amps ? - Warning Amp porn

[chopstuck]

The unlucky name of this amplifier makes Google useless.

I have included a few pics to ID the fantastic sounding little amp. This X-101
has VTB and trem but uses only 4 tubes and sounds better than it looks. It had a crap Fender bass speaker in it when I got it. With a Greenback or modern speaker it trounces most 15 watt amps. I has a SS recto, small filters and just surprises people who hear it. Not tons of gain but good growl from whimpy Princeton class parts. It's similar to my old Plush PA amp in construction and uses the same blue green caps. Connection there ?

Says made in USA and looks about '67/-69 ?

[PCollen]

The unlucky name of this amplifier makes Google useless.

I have included a few pics to ID the fantastic sounding little amp. This X-101
has VTB and trem but uses only 4 tubes and sounds better than it looks. It had a crap Fender bass speaker in it when I got it. With a Greenback or modern speaker it trounces most 15 watt amps. I has a SS recto, small filters and just surprises people who hear it. Not tons of gain but good growl from whimpy Princeton class parts. It's similar to my old Plush PA amp in construction and uses the same blue green caps. Connection there ?

Says made in USA and looks about '67/-69 ?

Where's the pic's ?

[chopstuck]

They come up when I call up the thread. Are you signed in ?

[KellyBass]

The unlucky name of this amplifier makes Google useless.

I have the same problem when searching out info on one of my favorite bass amps...made by the company AMP.

As far as the date of manufacture, It's got to be before standoffs were invented.

I like the amp, though, I'll bet it sounds great. Any chance you'll draw out the circuit?...

[chopstuck]

I did draw out the layout a while back and it is accurate but unchecked.
Maybe someone could draw up the schematic with software to make it look all glossy and purdy.

[selloutrr]

Thanks nothing like waking up with a latte and porn

[chopstuck]

What.... should I have written "photos of intimate amplifier nether-regions and close-ups leaving nothing to the imagination." instead ?

[C Moore]

Where's the pic's ?

I see the pics....
Kind of a low tech method for mounting the circuit board, but I guess it worked in this chassis for a long time.....

[rp]

fantastic sounding little amp.

Dinky tranies and green chicklets that are as cheap as it got - of course it sounds fantastic! The audio gods favor the meek.

[Cliff Schecht]

I just found a decent stockpile of those little green caps. What technology are they and do they sound any good?

[FUCHSAUDIO]

What little I know: Sound was based in Mineola Long Island NY, run by a guy named John Dougherty, who later worked for Marlboro amps, and may have worked for Ampeg and/or Oliver Sound prior to Sound amps.

I asked Jess about him, and he wasn't terribly nice about the subject of Sound and John. Many somewhat AMpeg-like circuits, 7868 and 7591 power tubes, no NFB in some cases, decent sounding, solid builds, loved the twisted chassis shapes !

Most had separate chassis and speaker enclosures (like the Gemini amps).

[chopstuck]

Thanks for the reply Andy !

I thought that my Plush connection to NY was valid. This amp was made cheaply, but so were a lot of good sounding pawnshop prizes like Silvertone, Harmony and later Magnavox / Gibsons. It just seems that nothing was much more robust that it had to be. Isn't that what product engineering is all about - make everything fail at the same time.
Just don't take it on the road.

PS That's tone wood under the circuit board.

[rp]

I just found a decent stockpile of those little green caps. What technology are they and do they sound any good?

I'm betting they are the same as the current cheap dark green mouser ones. Which are also flat. But I haven't look for them in the catalog for some years. I think they just say mylar. I once read something on caps and the flat ones are supposedly a very poor construction style to avoid, maybe that too is in their favor.

I never had the courage of my convictions and actually used those 10 cent mouser caps, but I've seen those bright green chicklets in several cheap amps - certainly Dynaco Hifis, and not one didn't sound less than great. But I think it's the holistic mojo of cheapness that matters: masonite baffle, underrated trannies, lazy wiring, poor grounding, mouse crap... not the individual parts themselves. Bet if you put those greenies in a Soldano SLO it would make you cringe. What usually caused people to write off those old cheap little amps was the after-thought speaker - that does subtract from the mojo. Sometimes they have a bottom of the line Jensen like some Silvertones and then you're golden.

I don't think your stash of chicklets is going to be your secret weapon, and if you actually stuff a build with them you should make it a comprehensively underspec'd (read: unrevealing) build. I also think that chasing magnificent crappiness would be terribly hard. Maybe when Silvertones get to $3000 we will all start on that endeavor.

[FUCHSAUDIO]

Fisher Hi Fi's used those aqua colored caps too. Not horribly bad for the time.

[Cliff Schecht]

I don't necessarily choose my caps for a certain sound. I choose them by the stability of the construction and operation. PIO are really my favorites in this category and polystyrene's rock as well (but they cook easy). I'd be using Teflon caps all over if I could afford it.