Opinions sought: paramour II 2a3 or Paramount 1.1 2a3?

[Jim R.]

PB,

Yes, I have pt2s for when I get around to the paramours, but also the pts for the paramounts. As I said, I'll eventually build both amps but want to put the all out stuff in the paramounts which will be paired with the custom linestage you built for me, and the eros as well. The paramours, when done, will probably end up in the media room with the Nagas. I've got lots of good iron for these projects and the rebuild of the sr-45, which I'll probably mostly leave alone except for a little reconfiguration of the top plate, a 6dn7 driver and a more appropriate size pf cap (there's a 3.3 uF in there now, which was probably great for it's use as a tweeter amp, but I think it needs some more for handling a full range setup. And I'll probably go for something like an ASC oil can secondary ps cap in the process.

I'm in a good place with parts and projects now, just need to get the remainder of the shop setup so I can fabricate top plates and bases -- that's really what is holding me up right now.

-- Jim

[Paul Joppa]

The main differences (Paramount to Paramour) are three: SR driver, direct coupling, and DC filaments. You already are using the SR driver, and understand the hum tradeoffs for heater power. That leaves direct coupling, a legacy that goes back to the Afterglow and is used in the Eros and the high-end tape preamps. In my experience, a teflon V-cap is nearly as good, though I'm not prepared to say it's entirely as good.

The downside of direct coupling is fussy voltage adjustments to maintain the operating point(s).

For those with an enthusiasm for upgrading, the Paramount uses a 3K transformer, allowing use of the Magnequest TFA-2004 and its variants.