What would you most like to see for new products? Choose one

[elcraigo]

There is one tube synth that I know of. It's very expensive, but it sounds great and looks great.
Yep, you are right the old school synths are SS.
I think it's great this is not off topic on the Bottlehead board.
Here's a photo of my old school synth, can you image if this was tube based?

[Doc B.]

Man I'm old. I learned about synths on one of these -

[johnsonad]

Dan, I would love an analog synth!  A Moog Mini new or used is silly expensive and I can't imagine something like this would be cheap even as a kit.  What are you thinking?  I still am unsure of what you would offer as a synth? 

[jgarr4714]

I vote for synth modules.  Back in the late 70’s a company called PAIA electronics put out SS synth modules, lots of fun to build, and play with, I built a number of them.  But the down side for those was monophonic only.  Polyphonic capability would be advantageous.

[mightygrey]

I'd be super-keen for a 300b tube buffer.

[elcraigo]

I vote for synth modules.  ... PAIA electronics put out SS synth modules, lots of fun to build, and play with, I built a number of them. 

PAIA is still in business.
I think providing mono modules, that you could build one at a time, and then add, maybe up to 8 voices would be nice.
My Oberheim Dual Manual (pictured above) is an 8 voice, and that's always been enough for me. I usually split the voices 2 and 6 between the keyboard.
The analog module would likely be CV/Gate control I would think. A MIDI to CV/Gate converter, is an easy thing to buy. Using it without a controller for sound effects would be nice.

[elcraigo]

Dan, that is a good one to learn on. Really allows getting the basics down

[Pfenning]

I voted for a mic preamp kit, I bet you guys could build something killer. Given the chance to vote for more than one, a tube DI would be cool, the idea of a modular mixer that I could add onto as needed is very interesting, and a ribbon mic would be cool too. I also love the thought of a 50 watt amp, but my pockets are way too shallow. 

[Paul Birkeland]

I'd be super-keen for a 300b tube buffer.

We have one, called the BeePre.

[Thoburn]

Definitely the 50+ SE amp. But, if that is the price each for a mono amp then it will be priced out of my reach. Ideally for me, it would be an integrated amp with selector switch and volume control like my Stereomour. And 60 watts would be even better!

[Sugar Man]

Have you guys ever thought of selling Bottlehead-approved component upgrade kits for your current products? Like a base Stereomour II, but then a Stereomour II+ with better trannies, capacitors, resistors, tubes, etc. Of course many of us do this on our own, but to have the designer(s) offer a package that adds sonic benefits, albeit at extra cost, would be a way to keep the price competitive on the base kit, but also allow better performance for those willing to spend more.

[Doc B.]

I get what you're saying here, and I'll offer that where "better" is in terms of parts swapping is quite personal. IMO boutique caps and the like are pretty easy for anyone to do on their own. That is why we have always focused on actual circuit design changes that are more difficult for the end user to do on their own, like the shunt regulator, DC filament supply and stepped attenuator upgrades we offer for Stereomour II.

I am really digging all of the input we are getting with this poll. This really gets into a whole different subject of the basic premise behind basic kits and upgrades and what we consider to be improvements. I think maybe these kinds of ideas might be better presented in a separate thread so we can keep the focus here on the original topic.

[autoformer]

The choices in the poll span markets.

For the commercial hi-fi market, I think the preamp with integrated phono stage has the most potential. What would be great is to offer an option for a small Class D module to be integrated into the build. Something like a B&O ICEPower 125ASX2. Heresy, I know, but that is exactly what I’m planning to do with an old Foreplay kit that I’m building. There are so many user applications where a one-box solution makes sense. My own family room the adjoins our kitchen is a good example. It’s where we mostly hang out, but there is just enough room for a single Bottlehead chassis, and a turntable. And also, apart from the Jaegers, the speaker choices that are efficient enough to work well with single ended amps are few, esoteric and costly. It would be very nice to have a hybrid Bottlehead integrated that had the power to drive the inefficient speakers you see everywhere. I’d be surprised if such a thing didn’t become Bottlehead’s best seller.

For the pro market, no doubt that a tube mic pre would generate a lot of interest, particularly if the kit had some interesting build options, for example:
— For condensers, ~1.5k input impedance and P48
— For passive ribbons, ~65k input impedance with 70dB+ gain.

It would be nice to just have some sort of “ribbon mode” switch that would disable P48 and raise the input impedance. Bonus if it could have a variable input impedance control. Also, I would suggest that it should be in a 3U steel rack-mount chassis.

[Frank Mena]

I'll add my two cents (really 1.5 cents in CND currency).... how about a really nice (gasp) push pull  amp or perhaps differential topology? .. say approx 20W or there abouts??  ....a DHT headphone amp would be cool..... the 2p29l might fit the bill...

Cheers
FM

[Natural Sound]

Man I'm old. I learned about synths on one of these -

Are you Keith Emerson? Wait, never-mind.