2 Channel Altec 1566 build looks MAd MAx but works great!

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Wildfara

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
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81
Thought I'd post up some pic's of this...I know I'll get some shit...it's a little sloppy and built from scrap metal and recycled chassis' but very quiet and works great. I've built some guitar amps but this was my first pre for recording.
 

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It has some extra holes! I didnt feel like covering them...the chassis was an old Russound passive speaker line matcher and room switcher. I like to have room to work and like the old school style. Thanks!
 
I wish someone would do a board for a 1566.

I made one many years ago and tweaked the values so that I got a nice symmetrical rounded distortion [top and bottom of wave form] from the first stage overdriving the second with an LED distortion indicator - and it's been my goto unit ever since [usually running either an AKG414EB or C12 through it], often before selecting Neumann's through V72's.

It has an RE-115K input transformer and the output is just direct through a cap [no transformer].
 
It hardly needs a board! I used Jensen inputs and some old Chicago Transformer OPT's I found in a box of Navy gear from an estate sale...they are 40/600 ohm with center tap  (not used here) I think the original OPT was 15/600. I tried them and they sound great but I've never heard a 1566 stock...I have heard scorn for these and not sure why...easy to build...maybe not super clean...but thats not my goal.
 
Yeah, but a board is always nice and quicker. Plus there can be add-ons like phantom; an overdrive signal LED/circuit; plus an 'output gain' pot - and it also needs the PS.

But you built a 2 channel unit! And that's definitely 'board worthy'.
 
Well I meant because you could probably build it on terminal strips...the turret boards I used were not neccessary. Yeah I'm sure if someone made up a board folks might be interested. 
 

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