It's good to see a classic legend is implemented with modern high quality components. The Mundorfs help a lot. I am using a DIY 300B with 8 watts and it is mesmerizing. One day, I should build a ST-70 as well.
Will Vincent is a gentleman and a pleasure to work with - a real treasure for the community. I am so happy with the amp he built for me - incredible build quality and lovely sound. The 25 watts easily drive a pair of Harbeth SHL5+, which are not particularly efficient (albeit present a good load for tubes - a smooth 8 ohm load with no silly dips)
I enjoy your videos. I am in the process of building a Latino ST-70 as well as restoring an un-working highly modified vintage ST-70. Also built two of those decware zkit-1 amps from parts to replace the amplification inside an old stereo console to great effect.
Greetings. Awesome Will Vincent Masterpiece! I have three ST-70s two Kenny Russell kit-builds and one that I built myself. They are all in the same system. I'm absolutely in love with the sound. Running two DACs and two tube preamps and one topping pre90. Thank you for the great review of your beautiful ST-70 (I watched part II as well). I totally agree with your ideas and commentary as well.
Lovely looking amp. I can tell you exactly why these types of amps are not widely reviewed - the small manufacturers can't afford to give 10 or 20 of them away a year. Yes I did say give away as that is what youtubers and magazines expect. Most of them don't send them back even when explicitly agreed. Ask me how I know!
I have 6 decades experience with tube amps ...........You're absolutely right !..........tube amplifiers were NOT designed for low sensitivity speakers, those were designed for current drive and high end audiophiles ( not for musicality but for what is now the norm of pure sound, whatever THAT means ), high damping needed speakers, low impedance ( and absence of low signal dynamics & drivers that compress the sound ) ! Audio has taken another path.............away from the emotion and " musicality ".......with a price tag that justifies the trend !?
You ask why so many RUclips audio channels don't reach out to the small-time craftsmen, custom builders, the after-market specialists, etc. Here's the answer: because there is no money in it. The audio channels with the higher subscriber counts nearly all have affiliate links (Amazon, etc.) They are essentially advertisers trying to skim a tiny bit off of any purchase. And by reviewing nationally known brands, said RUclips channels also get more views because RUclips viewers more likely will be searching for widely advertised brands. There are a few exceptions: Guttenberg seems to go with what interests him more often than not.
Appreciate these reviews by "lesser-known" amp makers. Many RUclipsrs receive "review" samples of equipment from the larger manufacturers. I don't think Will Vincent or Alan Eaton would be able to do that. Of course, the popular RUclipsrs always rave about everything, so they can continue to receive complimentary items. Can't really trust the equipment reviews. It's pretty much like a restaurant or movie critic giving glowing reviews to everything they eat or see.
I have 2 of Wills amp, a ST70 w/KT66 wired in triode and a Baldwin w/6L6GC both are a blast to run. I have a rather small listening area (12'x14') and use Meadowlark Kestrel2, Audel Magika MkII, and Omega SAM and always have a great soundstage, rich midrange, and all the bass I want or need in that space.
well everything i asked about in your latest vid was pretty much answered here lol, i run the VTA st70 with EL34s in triode into my omega dyna 10s and they get way loud enough for me ! and i listen to a lot of dark progressive metal stuff like porcupine tree opeth dream theater , riverside,,,,, no problems! the amp handles it all !!!!
I really think that allot of folks who don't have Klipsch speakers don't understand the efficiency, The old man used to say, people who brag about how much power their speakers take also brag about how much fuel their car uses.
Fantastic video sir! I am looking at one of these Will Vincents right now, such a cool looking amp! And so true on Amir and his nonsense, I run a 10w Cayin MT12N EL-84 tube amp with my Zu DW6 Supremes. Those 10w will shake the house, concert level ear bleeding volume is not an issue with the 95dB Zu's. And it sounds so good, just like my old Sansui 4000 receiver. When Amir trashes something, and I have owned a few of those pieces over the years, I look at it as a badge of honor. I don't think Amir listens to half of this stuff.
Right On! System matching is everything. Very informative review. I've always wondered about the WV gear. I wish he would put some kind of a cover over the circuit board so dust doesn't accumulate but I think the regular ST-70 is the same. Thanks for your reviews of such cool audio gear!!!
Agree he should cover that exposed board, it would probably not pass electrical safety inspection as is, and practically open to dust and objects. Otherwise it looks great 👍
yeah it's weird. Amir tests some things and they match up with the subjective assessments of good reviews (Thamabar,Soundnews,IIWI,Jay Iyag,Zero Fidelity et al) but many times the data Amir comes up with trashes a product and the reviewers say "It sounds great" so who the hell knows.But I like it when the ASR match what experienced people hear.But your right on that Amir might not match up the right gear.Just because he has big expensive Revels does not mean that they are the right speaker to test certain gear.Like your channel BTW.P.S have yu ever heard the Van Alstyne Dynaco clones?Nobody can beat Will Vincent on paint jobs and looks
Thanks for sharing. No I’ve not heard the Van Alstine version. I’d imagine it’s quite nice. Another thing about Amir at ASR I don’t think I mentioned is that the moderators have behaved oddly as well because this whole measuring thing has turned into a cult like following on their site. If something measures bad, they automatically choose to believe it has bad sound and they’ve done this on products that the moderators literally haven’t even listened to. If it measures bad, then they say it’s bad. They’re just so black and white on the issue, I could never take them seriously. There was even a post I’ll try to dig up where Amir posted his measurements on a product. The designer of the product kindly responded explaining that Amir was using the wrong settings for the measurements. When Amir saw this, he immediately pulled the post down. As a result, forum members were angered by the removal. Luckily however, one of the forum members took a screen shot of the post and posted it for the angered forum members. When Amir saw this, he knew he couldn’t pull that one down too, otherwise it would have looked too suspect. So Amir had no choice but to put the post back and admit he screwed up. I had a pretty nasty private exchange with Amir and his moderators because of their behavior and never posted in their forum again because I don’t just assume that something that measures a certain way necessarily dictates how it will sound. They believe it necessarily sounds bad if it measures bad and that’s the issue I have with those people. They’re a cultist group of individuals that only measure and don’t listen 👂and even when they do listen, they don’t match gear properly, so I couldn’t take them seriously.
Agreed. Amir has also recommended several products now that have ended-up having *very* poor reliability. Funny how that isn't a discussion at his site (it will get you banned).
Great review and you seem to know your amps well...I thought this ST70 amp is supposed to be 35 watts per channel... where can one buy a Dynaco ST70 from either of the two guys that mod these for you Kenny Russell and Will Vincent
Not only is that an iconic amp, it is flat out gorgeous. I had a Dynaco ST-70 years ago it sounded great but was rough on tubes at the time and the input tubes were hard to find from time to time, so if he changed those to another tube that would be a bonus. I have to say I am a bit envious. Thanks for the review of what appears to be a real gem. I too use a Decware Zen for my Lii F-15's on 2 inch baffles. Where do you find the Vincent Dynaco?
I have two vintage St 70's . And I have a 2011 Latino VTA ST 120 . And I know that the biggest difference between the vintage and the modified is the pre board. The vintage is superb also but the fact that the tube supply is questionable at best. And I love the three pre tube board. 1) power tubes are able to be individually biased now . And you can use 12au7 and or 12bh7 and with the 6 volt 6sn7 to 12au7 adapter you can run a combination of the above mentioned tubes. And I use vintage 5U4 rectifier tubes 60 years ago the tubes available were subject to much higher standards. Old pictures of the culled tubes behind plants would fill stadiums. Tvs had a minimum of 30 tubes and a bad run could kill a company. Anyway I thought I should mention that. This amplifier depends on the power tubes on the left and right to be closely matched. Not here to badmouth anyone. Just my opinion based on having begun in 1968 with an Eico st 40 still have it and it has a twin that I use as a phono preamp and it's sporting vintage Mullard GZ34 and Eico marked matched tubes. Amazing in that like my re capped ($ 850 4 yrs ago black painted plus 80 for crites caps and 300 for walnut veneer ) 1971 LaScala. I'm aware that the new are superior. However in the real world I think people would be blown away by the quality of the uncool equipment I use. Btw the Eico and a sansui sp 30 is amazing I'm serious about that. you have to wait until the clique is willing to accept the outcasts . And I need to say that the first tube the signal goes through is huge in the voicing of the amplifier . That's why I will be putting the board in the only vintage St 70 .
Sounds like you’re a wealth of information on these amps! Very much appreciate you sharing your viewpoints. I’ll re-read your comments a few tImes to really take it in. We could all learn. Thank you
You should have heard the system I had 50 years ago. Original Maggie Tympani bi-amped with 2 Stereo 70s with upgraded signal chain Wima caps, a PAS3 preamp, Audio Research PR2 passive line-level crossover. You would not have thought those speakers were inefficient.
Great review. I've watched both parts. I recently bought this same model WV ST-70 amp used, but with the black face plate. Sounding incredible. My question is, how did you conclude that this amp puts out just 25WPC? Sure sounds like more to me. The whole point of the original Dynaco ST-70 title, as I understand it, is just that, ST-70, as in 70 watts total, 35 watts per each channel. Did Will Vincent convey to you that, despite it's ST-70 designation, this amp actually puts out 25WPC, and not 35WPC? --Just asking. --Thanks
That’s a nice chassis, I still prefer the rca jacks in front though for short signal wiring without using shielded wires. But I underatand the ergonomic advantages of them being at the back.. That review felt like he was forced at gunpoint to do it.. And wanted it over as soon as possible lol.. I listened to a friend’s souped up Latino ST70 for many hours and it’s the opposite of what the review states..
Yea I commented on Amir’s ASR thread regarding the Latino review with my concerns about how his review was conducted. By the time I made my fourth post, I was stopped from being able to post any longer because I posted this video, not realizing it broke their TOS. Sometimes moderators will delete the part that breaks TOS and keep the rest. Amir evaded answering my concerns even in private message. I also learned that Amir was not inundated with comments about his Bob Latino video as I originally mentioned in my video. It turns out he answered someone who praised the video even after my post. That immediately informed me that he doesn’t respond to any criticism.
I have the same turntable Thoren’s TD-160 Grace F9 Rubby Cantilever line Contact stylus . I have Audio Space AS-i3 tube integrated amp and Casta B horn speakers
@@drde4010 And they're judging the gear, often, based on poor measurements. I'm not against objectivity but an Audio Precision analyzer is no better than the person using it. There's even interviews (I think it was on the Darko podcast) where a rep from AP, without mentioning names but you could tell who he was talking about on a 'widely read forum', said as much... that its a tool but you have to understand the device you're measuring, to use their devices to measure it correctly.
BTW thanks for the review. I regret selling an extremely well-rebuilt example of a slightly modded ST-70 two years ago and am considering getting a Will Vincent one to replace it. My current system is great but I miss having a tube amp.
It's wine tasting minus the wine. Amir can't hear very well. He has reviewed several speakers that I have owned, in a positive way. But those speakers are actually garbage. Between being tone deaf and a Harman dealer, he's basically worthless these days. Much prefer Erin H.
I agree, Erin H is great. He's reviewed a pair of speakers I have and his conclusions pretty much equal mine... despite them not being perfect. Amir is no worse than the cult he's created, sadly. I've rarely seen such arrogance based on absolutely nothing@@DBravo29er
It's good to see a classic legend is implemented with modern high quality components. The Mundorfs help a lot. I am using a DIY 300B with 8 watts and it is mesmerizing. One day, I should build a ST-70 as well.
Will Vincent is a gentleman and a pleasure to work with - a real treasure for the community. I am so happy with the amp he built for me - incredible build quality and lovely sound. The 25 watts easily drive a pair of Harbeth SHL5+, which are not particularly efficient (albeit present a good load for tubes - a smooth 8 ohm load with no silly dips)
THAT, is a superb looking Dyn amp. Love it!! 🤌🔥
I enjoy your videos. I am in the process of building a Latino ST-70 as well as restoring an un-working highly modified vintage ST-70. Also built two of those decware zkit-1 amps from parts to replace the amplification inside an old stereo console to great effect.
Greetings. Awesome Will Vincent Masterpiece! I have three ST-70s two Kenny Russell kit-builds and one that I built myself. They are all in the same system. I'm absolutely in love with the sound. Running two DACs and two tube preamps and one topping pre90. Thank you for the great review of your beautiful ST-70 (I watched part II as well). I totally agree with your ideas and commentary as well.
Thanks very much! Appreciate your thoughts. Btw, Kenny Russell does such nice work, doesn’t he? He’s done most of my gear.
Awesome and beautiful amplifier there. I have a Bob Latino ST-120 and Altec VOTT A7 speakers and just love them!
Lovely looking amp. I can tell you exactly why these types of amps are not widely reviewed - the small manufacturers can't afford to give 10 or 20 of them away a year. Yes I did say give away as that is what youtubers and magazines expect. Most of them don't send them back even when explicitly agreed. Ask me how I know!
Beautiful Amp..! 😘🍿🎶
Thanks for the review, I saw these for sale on Audiogon. Now you have really tweaked my interest!
I have 6 decades experience with tube amps ...........You're absolutely right !..........tube amplifiers were NOT designed for low sensitivity speakers, those were designed for current drive and high end audiophiles ( not for musicality but for what is now the norm of pure sound, whatever THAT means ), high damping needed speakers, low impedance ( and absence of low signal dynamics & drivers that compress the sound ) !
Audio has taken another path.............away from the emotion and " musicality ".......with a price tag that justifies the trend !?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
You ask why so many RUclips audio channels don't reach out to the small-time craftsmen, custom builders, the after-market specialists, etc. Here's the answer: because there is no money in it. The audio channels with the higher subscriber counts nearly all have affiliate links (Amazon, etc.) They are essentially advertisers trying to skim a tiny bit off of any purchase. And by reviewing nationally known brands, said RUclips channels also get more views because RUclips viewers more likely will be searching for widely advertised brands.
There are a few exceptions: Guttenberg seems to go with what interests him more often than not.
Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for sharing.
Appreciate these reviews by "lesser-known" amp makers. Many RUclipsrs receive "review" samples of equipment from the larger manufacturers. I don't think Will Vincent or Alan Eaton would be able to do that. Of course, the popular RUclipsrs always rave about everything, so they can continue to receive complimentary items. Can't really trust the equipment reviews. It's pretty much like a restaurant or movie critic giving glowing reviews to everything they eat or see.
I have 2 of Wills amp, a ST70 w/KT66 wired in triode and a Baldwin w/6L6GC both are a blast to run. I have a rather small listening area (12'x14') and use Meadowlark Kestrel2, Audel Magika MkII, and Omega SAM and always have a great soundstage, rich midrange, and all the bass I want or need in that space.
Tube swapping for me can make a huge difference... especially if going from 1 tube type to another
well everything i asked about in your latest vid was pretty much answered here lol, i run the VTA st70 with EL34s in triode into my omega dyna 10s and they get way loud enough for me ! and i listen to a lot of dark progressive metal stuff like porcupine tree opeth dream theater , riverside,,,,, no problems! the amp handles it all !!!!
I really think that allot of folks who don't have Klipsch speakers don't understand the efficiency, The old man used to say, people who brag about how much power their speakers take also brag about how much fuel their car uses.
Yeah, that’s a lot of the issue. 👍
Fantastic video sir! I am looking at one of these Will Vincents right now, such a cool looking amp! And so true on Amir and his nonsense, I run a 10w Cayin MT12N EL-84 tube amp with my Zu DW6 Supremes. Those 10w will shake the house, concert level ear bleeding volume is not an issue with the 95dB Zu's. And it sounds so good, just like my old Sansui 4000 receiver. When Amir trashes something, and I have owned a few of those pieces over the years, I look at it as a badge of honor. I don't think Amir listens to half of this stuff.
Hi. Just stumbled onto this review and subscrbed. Looking forward to watching all the videos.
Right On! System matching is everything. Very informative review. I've always wondered about the WV gear. I wish he would put some kind of a cover over the circuit board so dust doesn't accumulate but I think the regular ST-70 is the same. Thanks for your reviews of such cool audio gear!!!
Good point on the cleaning. I keep a Rocket blower and soft makeup brush handy and clean on a pretty consistent basis. Retains that sparkle!
Agree he should cover that exposed board, it would probably not pass electrical safety inspection as is, and practically open to dust and objects. Otherwise it looks great 👍
I am a Canadian and love to own this amp. But cost is over the top . Love to get a dynaco SCA-35
What speakers are you trying to run?
yeah it's weird. Amir tests some things and they match up with the subjective assessments of good reviews (Thamabar,Soundnews,IIWI,Jay Iyag,Zero Fidelity et al) but many times the data Amir comes up with trashes a product and the reviewers say "It sounds great" so who the hell knows.But I like it when the ASR match what experienced people hear.But your right on that Amir might not match up the right gear.Just because he has big expensive Revels does not mean that they are the right speaker to test certain gear.Like your channel BTW.P.S have yu ever heard the Van Alstyne Dynaco clones?Nobody can beat Will Vincent on paint jobs and looks
Thanks for sharing. No I’ve not heard the Van Alstine version. I’d imagine it’s quite nice. Another thing about Amir at ASR I don’t think I mentioned is that the moderators have behaved oddly as well because this whole measuring thing has turned into a cult like following on their site. If something measures bad, they automatically choose to believe it has bad sound and they’ve done this on products that the moderators literally haven’t even listened to. If it measures bad, then they say it’s bad. They’re just so black and white on the issue, I could never take them seriously. There was even a post I’ll try to dig up where Amir posted his measurements on a product. The designer of the product kindly responded explaining that Amir was using the wrong settings for the measurements. When Amir saw this, he immediately pulled the post down. As a result, forum members were angered by the removal. Luckily however, one of the forum members took a screen shot of the post and posted it for the angered forum members. When Amir saw this, he knew he couldn’t pull that one down too, otherwise it would have looked too suspect. So Amir had no choice but to put the post back and admit he screwed up. I had a pretty nasty private exchange with Amir and his moderators because of their behavior and never posted in their forum again because I don’t just assume that something that measures a certain way necessarily dictates how it will sound. They believe it necessarily sounds bad if it measures bad and that’s the issue I have with those people. They’re a cultist group of individuals that only measure and don’t listen 👂and even when they do listen, they don’t match gear properly, so I couldn’t take them seriously.
Agreed. Amir has also recommended several products now that have ended-up having *very* poor reliability. Funny how that isn't a discussion at his site (it will get you banned).
Great review and you seem to know your amps well...I thought this ST70 amp is supposed to be 35 watts per channel...
where can one buy a Dynaco ST70 from either of the two guys that mod these for you Kenny Russell and Will Vincent
Not only is that an iconic amp, it is flat out gorgeous. I had a Dynaco ST-70 years ago it sounded great but was rough on tubes at the time and the input tubes were hard to find from time to time, so if he changed those to another tube that would be a bonus. I have to say I am a bit envious. Thanks for the review of what appears to be a real gem. I too use a Decware Zen for my Lii F-15's on 2 inch baffles. Where do you find the Vincent Dynaco?
I think Will makes them to order and also posts them on audiomart from time to time.
@@drde4010 Thank you very much for your time and info. I will start looking.
Good review, interesting amp
I have two vintage St 70's . And I have a 2011 Latino VTA ST 120 .
And I know that the biggest difference between the vintage and the modified is the pre board. The vintage is superb also but the fact that the tube supply is questionable at best. And I love the three pre tube board.
1) power tubes are able to be individually biased now . And you can use 12au7 and or 12bh7 and with the 6 volt 6sn7 to 12au7 adapter you can run a combination of the above mentioned tubes.
And I use vintage 5U4 rectifier tubes
60 years ago the tubes available were subject to much higher standards.
Old pictures of the culled tubes behind plants would fill stadiums. Tvs had a minimum of 30 tubes and a bad run could kill a company. Anyway I thought I should mention that.
This amplifier depends on the power tubes on the left and right to be closely matched. Not here to badmouth anyone. Just my opinion based on having begun in 1968 with an Eico st 40 still have it and it has a twin that I use as a phono preamp and it's sporting vintage Mullard GZ34 and Eico marked matched tubes. Amazing in that like my re capped ($ 850 4 yrs ago black painted plus 80 for crites caps and 300 for walnut veneer ) 1971 LaScala. I'm aware that the new are superior. However in the real world I think people would be blown away by the quality of the uncool equipment I use. Btw the Eico and a sansui sp 30 is amazing I'm serious about that. you have to wait until the clique is willing to accept the outcasts . And I need to say that the first tube the signal goes through is huge in the voicing of the amplifier . That's why I will be putting the board in the only vintage St 70 .
Sounds like you’re a wealth of information on these amps! Very much appreciate you sharing your viewpoints. I’ll re-read your comments a few tImes to really take it in. We could all learn. Thank you
5U4 has a directly heated cathode. You should use GZ34 or 5AR4 which have indirectly heated cathode.
You should have heard the system I had 50 years ago. Original Maggie Tympani bi-amped with 2 Stereo 70s with upgraded signal chain Wima caps, a PAS3 preamp, Audio Research PR2 passive line-level crossover. You would not have thought those speakers were inefficient.
Great review. I've watched both parts. I recently bought this same model WV ST-70 amp used, but with the black face plate. Sounding incredible. My question is, how did you conclude that this amp puts out just 25WPC? Sure sounds like more to me. The whole point of the original Dynaco ST-70 title, as I understand it, is just that, ST-70, as in 70 watts total, 35 watts per each channel. Did Will Vincent convey to you that, despite it's ST-70 designation, this amp actually puts out 25WPC, and not 35WPC? --Just asking. --Thanks
That’s a nice chassis, I still prefer the rca jacks in front though for short signal wiring without using shielded wires. But I underatand the ergonomic advantages of them being at the back..
That review felt like he was forced at gunpoint to do it.. And wanted it over as soon as possible lol.. I listened to a friend’s souped up Latino ST70 for many hours and it’s the opposite of what the review states..
Yea I commented on Amir’s ASR thread regarding the Latino review with my concerns about how his review was conducted. By the time I made my fourth post, I was stopped from being able to post any longer because I posted this video, not realizing it broke their TOS. Sometimes moderators will delete the part that breaks TOS and keep the rest. Amir evaded answering my concerns even in private message. I also learned that Amir was not inundated with comments about his Bob Latino video as I originally mentioned in my video. It turns out he answered someone who praised the video even after my post. That immediately informed me that he doesn’t respond to any criticism.
I have the same turntable Thoren’s TD-160 Grace F9 Rubby Cantilever line Contact stylus . I have Audio Space AS-i3 tube integrated amp and Casta B horn speakers
Sir remember the original cost of the 70 and it still comes to your own ears
So true.
10:29 ... The preamplifier looks like a Dynaco PAS 3 but has three missing switches. What is it?
Hi, it’s the newer PAS-M
Agreed. That reviewer is all doom and gloom. He measures electron behavior, not sound.
How does one purhcase one of these? I can't find any contact information
Amir measures everything like it's a DAC and is too arrogant to admit that he might not know everything.
Amir’s bunch are a cult. Nothing is based on genuine listening experiences. They literally judge gear by how it measures.
@@drde4010 And they're judging the gear, often, based on poor measurements. I'm not against objectivity but an Audio Precision analyzer is no better than the person using it. There's even interviews (I think it was on the Darko podcast) where a rep from AP, without mentioning names but you could tell who he was talking about on a 'widely read forum', said as much... that its a tool but you have to understand the device you're measuring, to use their devices to measure it correctly.
BTW thanks for the review. I regret selling an extremely well-rebuilt example of a slightly modded ST-70 two years ago and am considering getting a Will Vincent one to replace it. My current system is great but I miss having a tube amp.
It's wine tasting minus the wine. Amir can't hear very well. He has reviewed several speakers that I have owned, in a positive way. But those speakers are actually garbage. Between being tone deaf and a Harman dealer, he's basically worthless these days. Much prefer Erin H.
I agree, Erin H is great. He's reviewed a pair of speakers I have and his conclusions pretty much equal mine... despite them not being perfect. Amir is no worse than the cult he's created, sadly. I've rarely seen such arrogance based on absolutely nothing@@DBravo29er
By the way .............NICE Thorens 😀
Thanks so much!
That amplifier = pure audiophile porn
Album at 12:34 is Bill Evans - The Best Of Bill Evans On Verve
Cost please
Will Vincent charges 2k for them new.
2k
You sound like CNN's Jake Tapper 😄 🤣 😂
😂 I never heard of him then RUclips’d him and he does sound a bit similar.
I think I would prefer a real Dynaco over this thing.
Vintage Dynaco’s are wonderful too so you’re not alone.