#Dynacord eminent ii manual full#

#Dynacord eminent ii manual full#

I'd go with this solution, as it also leaves you with the possiblity to use the full amp as well.Īfter using it as a bass amp, I now use it as a 'mixer' amp to run (and mix) different stuff (synths, vocals, drone boxes) through the channels. When I had it serviced a few years ago, I got a power amp input installed (at the back).

I have one of those, in a wooden enclosure. Having it all in one box would be convenient and less work, but a standalone preamp could be a bit more versatile. I'd like to make a dedicated bass preamp for it, but I could either take out two of the input channels and build it inside the box, or I could make a standalone preamp and add a power-amp input to the back of the Dynacord. At the moment it's essentially a solid-state mixer amp in front of a valve power stage, so isn't as much fun as it could be as a bass amp. Next I need to decide whether I will leave the preamp side of the amp as stock or modify it. I've put it all back together, though I still need to check it over, set the bias and check voltages before I give it a try. While it was working OK with the original parts and I might have got away without touching it, I want to make it as dependable as possible. I've also replaced the bias capacitors and trimmers on the power amp board (as apparently the trimmers failing is a common fault on these) and a couple of drifted resistors. Since the original style screw-mount filter caps are hard to get and pricey, I've made up an eyelet board to take modern axial caps. The cab in the photo is a small DIY 1x10' which I use for quieter settings, though the Dynacord will mostly be used with the pair of 1x12' cabs I am building at the moment.Īfter leaving it sitting for a few weeks, I've got round to doing some work on this. I might add a direct input to the power amp section so that I can build a B15n style preamp in a small box to use with it - this feels less invasive than replacing the preamp section of the Dynacord (which I've heard of other people doing). The input impedance is low by modern standards so it can sound dull when plugging a passive bass straight in, but a simple buffer such as a Boss tuner on bypass sorts that out. I have only had a quick play through it so far, but it sounds good - very clean and clear. One section of the can capacitors has been disconnected and replaced with a pair of lower voltage rated capacitors in series, though from the appearance of the capacitors this must have been done more than 20 years ago, as the replacements were made in West Germany. While the amp doesn't seem to require troubleshooting, I still intend to replace the filter capacitors for the HT and bias supplies and replace the bias trimmers with more modern types just to make it a little more reliable. I haven't had the chance to check voltages or bias yet, but I will do that. The valves are a Telefunken ECC81 and a pair of Hoges E元4, which I gather are re-badged RFT E元4s. It arrived in working condition there are no issues with hum or noise, it has the correct fuses and the valves are not red-plating or microphonic. I was fairly lucky considering that I bought it unseen. It has the benefit of being very compact for a valve amp of this output and having a perspex front panel which is illuminated in green when switched on - I'm a sucker for that sort of kitsch!

They were made in Germany from the late 60s to the end of the 70s - this one is dated May 1978. Even more unusually, it runs a high plate voltage of around 750 volts in order to achieve an output of 80 watts from a pair of E元4 valves, which would typically be used at around 400 volts in a 50 watt amp.

It's an unusual design intended as a PA mixer amp, it has transistor preamps with a valve phase inverter and power stage. I had a smaller Dynacord Bass King T for a little while, so when I spotted this Dynacord Eminent II on eBay, I decided to go for it. I've always enjoyed having interesting old valve amps around, but I've been without one recently.