DrZ KT45

[shane]

Hi Folks
Can anyone enlighten me with the differences between the DrZ KT45 and Route66?

I know the 66 is UL and the Z28 has a choke what about the KT45?
there are some minor differences in the tone stack values too I believe.

I'd like to know if the 45 is UL or not and if anyone knows any other differences you know tone stack values PI differences etc.

'course a schematic would be nice!
Cheers
Shane

[dave g]

The Route66 and Z28 are nothing but ripoffs of old Leak hi-fi amps. I don't know the details of the KT-45, but if I were you I think I would save my time/money and build a 'Wreck instead...

[M Fowler]

Shane

http://www.drzamps.com

This site will show you most of the information you need and if not join the Dr Z Forum and ask your questions there and they will be answered. Or get a Stangray like I have and you will love it. But don't forget to build or buy a Trainwreck also. The guys on this forum are great and glad to help.

Daveg must not like Dr. Z amps at all.

Dr Z wrote, think of a cross between the articulate power of a 50 watt HiWatt , and the sweet drive and sustain of a AC-30, and that would best describe the tone of the KT-45.

Power Output: 45 Watts
Output Tubes: 2 - EL34
Preamp Tubes: 1-EF86, 1-12AX7
Rectifier: Solid State
Controls: Volume, Bass, Treble


Mark

[M Fowler]

I finally got to test drive the KT-45 and it is one nice amp with the enclosed 212 bottom. It was loud but could get some dirt right from the get go with the gain knob. This was a new issue unit with optional wood face plate asking price $1995 or something close to that. Almost left with it and went back again today to look her over. There is a Maz GT and the new 50, Mini Z and Stangray teasing me as well.

Mean while my liverpool is having troubles and I need to unsolder the wires and figure out where i went wrong.

Mark

[benoit]

I finally got to test drive the KT-45 and it is one nice amp with the enclosed 212 bottom. It was loud but could get some dirt right from the get go with the gain knob. This was a new issue unit with optional wood face plate asking price $1995 or something close to that. Almost left with it and went back again today to look her over. There is a Maz GT and the new 50, Mini Z and Stangray teasing me as well.

Mean while my liverpool is having troubles and I need to unsolder the wires and figure out where i went wrong.

Mark

Man, there really is too much cool stuff sitting in there right now. You should give that Genz Benz Black Pearl a whirl too if you get a chance.

[M Fowler]

Benoit

There really are a lot of good amps in the store now I find myself coming in way too often. Where the heck has Jason been? Today they said was his day off and I haven't seen him for a week.

I lived in Phoenix for 3 years and of course that is where Genz Benz is from in Scottsdale, so I played them down there and they were good amps and speaker cabs.

I wish we could have talked before you put that Les Paul on ebay, man.

Mark[/quote]

[Clyde]

I'd have to agree with Dave that the good Dr. does seem to have some designs that are almost 100% like older designs (some 100%). However kudos to him for adapting them successfully and marketing them.

[jaysg]

Zaite's propaganda indicates a Hiwatt sound. Never heard much good or bad about it. I'd buy a used Hiwatt...or build one better yet.

[M Fowler]

jaysg or Daveg

Do either one of you have info on the old leak hifi amplifiers your talking about in comparison to the Dr Z stuff?

Mark

[funkmeblue]

or a link to a schematic?

[jaysg]

I never heard of Leak before:
http://www.44bx.com/leak/

The Z designs I've looked hard at, are generally simple, with PI's owing to Vox, TB pre-amps owing to Pete Traynor, normal looking power and output sections...some of which are ultra-linear.

[M Fowler]

Jaysg

Now your talking I guess I should have just done a search. I don't know if I would say that he copied them exactly.

Mark

[Structo]

I never heard of Leak before:
http://www.44bx.com/leak/

The Z designs I've looked hard at, are generally simple, with PI's owing to Vox, TB pre-amps owing to Pete Traynor, normal looking power and output sections...some of which are ultra-linear.

Thanks for that.
I find that old stuff fascinating.

Funny when I was growing up everything was tube powered. I would tag along with Dad when one of the tubes would go out in our Zenith B&W TV, he would pull them all out because he didn't know which one it was.

We would go down to the corner grocery store because they had a tube tester there.
He would plug them in one at a time and look at the meter. Green = good and red meant bad.

Then he would get the owner to open the cabinet below the tester and it would be stocked with the common tubes. Dad would pay 50 cents to one dollar and we would be on our way.

One time the picture tube went out on the Zenith. I was very young and I remember Dad swearing up a storm getting the old picture tube out.

I can't remember where he got it but he brought the new tube home and was walking through a doorway and caught the neck of the tube on the door frame and broke it. POP---Wooosh
I thought he was going to cry. But he sucked it up and swore some more and got in his car and left to buy another one.
Sometimes it might have been cheaper to have a tech come to the house.

But Dad always tried to fix things himself and I tend to be that way too.

[dave g]

This is pretty much it. Convert the preamp stage to standard Vox values, add a modified Bax tonestack before the PI, swap a 12AX7 for the 12AT7, ground the power tube cathodes and add a negative bias supply to put -50v on the KT66 grids and you've got a Z.

FWIW, my gut feeling is that the KT-45 is this same exact amp but set up to run on EL34s.

[funkmeblue]

so why do I keep hearing this is an exact copy of a leak? Does that mean a express is just a mullard copy? I'm going to buy 2 route 66's and convert them to leak specs and turn them into my new hi fi stereo