Tom,
The Filarmonia is a self biasing amplifier. There is no manual bias adjustment. The pairs of EL34 tubes used must be matched pairs. So if one tube goes bad, another matched tube must replace it (or you replace both tubes in one channel with a new matched pair).
The specific stock tubes that come with th amplifier (JJ E34Ls, NOS 5814As, and JJ E88CC gold pin) are very carefully selected and tested for best performance and sound. The designer does not like folks tube rolling tubes in his amplifier! 🙂 Though, owners are of course free to do so.
Cheers,
Rich Brkich
Signature Sound
Ars Sonum Noeth America Dealer
Brother, I fell in love with your reviews for Stereophile as the Audio Cheapskate. I miss your irreverent voice to this day. I hope you are enjpying your "retirement" from audio reviewing, listenig to music for the sheer joy of doing so, and celebrating the holidays with family and loved-ones near by. Godspeed!!!!
]]>I was very impressed by the sound (and looks) of the original Filarmonia, and by the austere design approach.
The amp inspired reviewer's lust but you beat me to it.
Now a question about the EL34 output tubes. Are these auto bias? Fixed bias with trim pots? In other words, what does one do when changing output tubes or replacing an output tube that has blown?
Anyway, if you want to hear Mahler, hie thee to Symphony, which I am sure you do. When I was at Brown, ten years before you, the round trip train fare from Providence was $2.97. The Brown music department often had tickets donated by Providence patrons. Not many takers. So three bucks to attend Symphony.
Leinsdorf. He knew how to conduct Mahler.
-- Tom Gillett aka the former Sam Tellig
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