Phase Linear 400

i m into day 3 of running this amp and so far i found the sound far exceeding my expectation.

i have a pair of Fostex 103 SOL (50th Anniv series) which i plunked into JVC Mini compo speaker cabinets
and direct out without any crossovers... hooked it up to the PL400 and the sound was v good especially for vocals,
coming through life like n full.... so tis vintage continues to amaze me n that why i decide to spend some $$
for a makeover as she really deserves it.

 

the amp is now at my technician shop. he opened up the unit on the spot n noted the previous owner
had already done some upgrade, he commented several capacitors had been changed to Nichicon ones which
is not a bad move. guy had also put in a delay circuit but no speaker protecction. so he will put it in and also suggested
changing the 2 big capacitors (slim coke cans in 1/2 height size) as these will have quite a good upgrade in the sound.
but they will come at price, $60/pc. i told him to proceed. along that with new lamps for the VU meters, probably LED bulbs.
he told me, considering the load on his hands, he needs 2 weeks to get the job done and i m fine with that.

from what i heard running the amp over the last 4 days, i think its worth the $$ to bring it up to speed.

 

Then you will have new amp with all problems fixed.
Happy to see that you like that beautiful pice.

 

lol... yes i m quite excited about the make over... like an expecting father.......
infact i think when my 3 children were born i m so not over the hill as this.....haha....

 

Yes on the 4 ohm compatibility. If you run it normally, which to say is not pegging the meters continuously, then a properly working unit will be just fine and not overheat. If you are using most of the wattage then recommend fan cooling the fins and removing the output transistor covers. These have good power as you've discovered so for most people, even with 4 ohm speakers, you will not need cooling on a properly serviced and working unit.

I used a 700 as a sub amp and for most listening needed no fan, but if meters are banging heavily to the right, I would switch on an outboard cooling fan. Never any issues.

I have one 400 today that has all upgrades and is fully complimentary and sounds wonderful. Never use a fan, it never gets hot. They do seem to run cooler in general after a White Oak treatment.

 

tks on the info about the 4 ohms load on the PL400. actually i was having a crazy idea to run 2 pair of 8ohm speakers in parallel to the amp
which will cause the load to drop from 8ohms to 4ohms.

but after some thot, i dropped the idea. so the PL400 will just drive the Dali Ikon6 Mk2. i intend to setup a separate amp to run the other pair of speakers, the DIY Fostex 103s. tmw, a pair 2nd hand Dared VP-300Bs mono blocks will be delivered to me. this setup will be for the softer n vocal type of music. the PL400 will run the head banging mother screaming type of music...which i cannot live without... haha....

 

while the PL400 is with my technician for the next 2 weeks, i went to the used market n chanced upon these -



Dared 300Bs monoblocks with external power supply with a pair of Gold Lion 300B tubes going for $500
and knowing the Gold Lion 300Bs will cost close to $200, i bought it.

set came with 4pcs of RCA 12AU7s, i hooked it up to my setup n the sound was terrible, harsh n like that of an about to malfuction transistor radio.
i have 2pcs of Mullard CV3004s with me n swapped them into the outer sockets (if i m not wrong these are the driver positions while the other are the preamp positions)
and the sound came together nicely.

the last time i did an audition for a 300B amp was in 2005 so in same way its a very new sound for me.

so the plan to have 2 setups in the same space is working out. i now have a full tube setup in the form of a tube pre n Dared 300Bs as power amp
and the eventual tube pre n Phase Linear 400 as power amp. the change over is simple, just move the RCA ICs from the preamp from one power amp to the other.

 

had the 300Bs running fm 9am to 7pm n played mostly Classical music CDs on them n the mono blocks do well for this type of sound.
they also sound nice on slow rock like Bread n Tracy Chapman, the acoustic guitars on the tracks sounded like they have been just
restringed, nice n taut. but the sound fell flat with music from an ABBA CD as the scale of sound cannot be attained by the Dared amps.
most 80s music imo requires some power to produce the intented type of sound and emotions.

 

RE: 4 ohm load...Generally speaking, the PL400 is quite capable of a 4 ohm load. I ran a pair of AR 10pi's for a good while with one of them. Even at somewhat higher spls the Phase did very well. On Advents, it was no problem, either. Yes, some 4 ohm speakers can produce some fierce loads, but generally the Phase is just fine with it. A friend of mine ran four JBL4311's with his for around a year's time without a problem.

 

ok, thanks for affirmation on a 4ohm load of the PL400. when its back in action from the makeover, the amp will just drive a pair of Dali Ikon 6 Mk2s.
they are 90dB sensitivity and specs indicated a loading of 25-180W, so the PL400 will have more than enough juice to run them nicely.
according to my technician, after he has done his work on the amp, i m going to have a sound as if its a brand new PL400... haha.... will see.....

 

the Phase Linear 400 came home after my Technician gone through it with new caps, LED lamps for the VU meters, speaker n RCA terminals, power cord n US plug. hooked up n let it run for a couple of days to "warm up". and then i sat down n had a good listen i was like totally bowed over by what i heard. mental AB against the more pricy Classe CA400 power amp at 2x the output wattage and yet the PL400 did not sound any lack in terms of dynamics n punch. ontop of that its even more analogue sounding than the Classe. i talked to my Tech on it n he laughed and said its not a suprise at all. the amps made made during those times has a very strong character in giving a full body n warm sound. i fell so much into this 1970s amp sound that i let the Classe go with no regrets.

 

ah yes, i forgot, Tech also put in the delay start and speaker protection circuitry. now when i powered on the amp, its just a very soft "tick"... nice... haha...

 

i have a LP album from Marcus Joseph, titled Things I Meant to Say produced in 1978. managed to hunt down the CD version from Japan
in SHM CD format n paid $18.50 with shipping. played this CD on loop n listened to it for half a day... totally unfatigue sound frm the PL400