Dogeared Audio "Mighty Mite" Williamson Tube Monoblocks

 This is a pair of custom-made vacuum tube monoblocks based on the legendary Williamson amplifiers of the early 1950's.  Though considered by many to be outdated, the Williamson is actually one of the most satisfying and musical tube circuits ever designed.  The sound is characterized by a dense, full-blooded realism that places the instruments and performers squarely in the room with you.  Highs are smooth and natural, lows are solid and tuneful, but it's the rich, palpable midrange that really sets the Williamson apart.  It combines the focus and intimacy of single-ended amplification with the low distortion, wide bandwidth and powerful bass of the finest push-pull amplifiers.

The amplifiers are self-biasing and thus incredibly simple to operate and maintain.  A balance knob and convenient front-panel meter allow you to precisely balance the output tubes, which is one of the secrets of the Williamson's superb performance.  Test points are included to check the output tubes' bias to make sure the tubes are in good condition and operating within their parameters.  The circuit is mounted on a high-quality, heavy-duty PCB that is designed for optimal performance, safe transport and easy repairs should that ever be necessary.  The octal sockets are made by Belton and are offset from the board to minimize heat transfer.  The coupling caps are Cornell-Dubilier 942C polypropylene, one of the finest capacitors available at any price.  The power supply caps are a combination of film and electrolytics.  The traditional tube rectifier has been eliminated to increase the power and reduce power supply sag and excessive colorations.

The heart of these amps are the custom-wound output transformers, which are superb copies of the legendary Peerless S-265-Q made by Heyboer of Michigan.  The screen taps are placed at 50%, which gives the amps their remarkable triode-like sound while offering twice the power of a traditional triode Williamson.  Since the Peerless design uses the full secondary regardless of the chosen output impedance, a set of octal plugs are provided to easily switch the speaker impedance and the associated feedback network.  The power transformer and choke are also custom-made by Heyboer.  

These amps will produce 26 watts at < 1% THD with KT66s, and 28 watts at < 1% THD with KT88s.  That may not seem like much, but these little guys run in solid Class A and punch above their specs, hence the name "Mighty Mites."  Other output tubes that can be used are 6L6GC, 7581A and 6550.  The power transformers have 6A filament taps which will allow the use of KT120 and above output tubes.  I haven't tried them but they should work fine.

These amps are very compact and plain in appearance, but they are, to be blunt, built like tanks.  They are designed for literally decades of trouble-free operation.  I guarantee them for as long as you own them, and I will maintain that guarantee should you pass them along to someone else.  Since I'm getting on in years, I include a schematic and guide to the circuit board layout.  Any competent technician, or even a skilled amateur, could easily service these amps in the event of a problem.  But short of a serious meltdown from a bad tube, there's very little to go wrong.  No auto-this or that, no current sources, no regulators, no ICs--just good old-fashioned resistors, caps, transformers and tubes.

The amps amps are very compact, with a footprint of 12" x 10".  They ship with two new matched pairs of KT66 output tubes, four NOS GE 6SN7GTBs (a $400 value) as well as a digital multimeter for checking the bias.  No need to spend hundreds of dollars to "upgrade"--these come with the best tubes available.  The price includes shipping within the continental US.  If you decide they're not for you, you can return them after 14 days for a full refund.

Feel free to ask any questions or inquire about the suitability of these amplifiers for your system.

"[Your] amps have spent more time in my setup than any other amps I own." -- Joseph H.

"I hooked up the Silverlines and I can't believe how good they sound with your amps.  I've never heard them so clear and open, with a gorgeous tonal balance.  I'm pretty gobsmacked." -- James K.