Mike's WE91A-2A3

WE91A-2A3 Monoblock Amps

Custom metal-on-wood chassis

1x 2A3s, 1x 6C6s, and 1x 5R4 per block

4.5 wpc in pure Class A

Single ended directly-heated triode

Bulding for Mike McKee in Davis

Completed on 5/6/09

WE91 2A3 Monoblocks - been listening to these for 3 months now.
"The best description I have for these amps is detail, clarity, balance and soundstage. I could tell the difference in these areas almost instantly compared to my McIntosh system. These amps are dead quiet, no audible hum or buzz past 2 feet and I have not had one single problem with them. These amps have changed the way I hear music and have significantly improved my listening skills. I have been listening to live rock music played by my friends and professional artists since I was 15 years old and I have strived to have my playback system sound like the real thing. I now feel I have that system because of these amps. Another benefit is I am able to tell good mastering/recordings from bad and I know if it sounds bad, it’s the recording. I thoroughly enjoy these amps and I am no longer searching for something better. For the first two months I owned these, I did not use a preamp, instead I sent two sources with volume control directly to the amps, a CD player and a Bellari phono preamp." - Mike McKee

Custom made chassis. I wish I could claim the woodwork as my own, but it was actually provided by the customer who had it custom fit by a professional craftsman in Davis. The oiled walnut seem to complement the copper paint on the trannies and the black metal top quiet nicely. I did however do all the metal and paint work.

Please excuse the unpaved patio. I took the cement out in my backyard two weeks ago and I am still in the process of deciding how it should be landscaped. Hopefully, I will soon have equally nice looking backyard as these amps. So keep these tube amp projects coming.

I really dig the sound of those RCA 2A3s. They seem to have that extra "mellow sound" that I particularly enjoyed. A big contrast to Sovtek 2A3s that are on the borderline of being too harsh. I don't know if it was the tubes or the Russian military oil grid caps, but I seem to get more bass compare to my stereo WE91A-2A3 built using the same circuit. Whatever it was the extra bass complements the mid- and high-range really well. Three words some up how these monos sound: transparent, smooth, and balanced.

Mike's main listening room.

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