Play Akai Thru Eico HF-81 Tube Amp

Been awhile since I last posted. Since then I bought the Eico HF-81
vintage integrated tube amp from a local guy who does TV/Electronic
repairs for a decent price. He also sold me a pair of Allied/Knight
speakers with Electro Voice drivers real cheap.
This gear dates from the late 50s-early 60s. The amp is a low powered
SE with only 14 watts per side, which drives the 16 ohm speakers with
no problem. It delivers a nice sweet warm sound and is perfect for the
small room that it is being used in.
I'm running the Akai CR-80T thru it along with a CD player and my
Dad's old tube Revere 2200 Reel To Reel. This is a retro system to say
the least, but brings back alot of old childhood memories of my Dad's
first stereo system back in those days.
Getting back to the CR-80T, it seems to be performing quite
well...changes tracks, no static, nice fidelity. The tuner is an added
bonus to use played thru the Eico.
I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size.
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is!

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:10:31 -0800 (PST), still_trackin
wrote:

I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size.
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is! snip

Well, in a "tubey" sort of way, I guess, but there isn't much of a
better 6BQ5 "all-in-one" choice than that EICO, that's for sure.

Cornwalls (we used to called them "Cornballs") probably would be a
very nice addition, seeing how their 102 dB/W/m efficiency would
somewhat make up for the low power from the EICO. After all, a pair
of 6BQ5s is going to get you 14 watts, period, on a GOOD day, so you
need all the efficiency you can get. Cornwalls, like all Klipsch
stuff from Paul's golden age, are pricey, IF you can find them. I
just saw a pair of 1964 Klipschorns, all stock, go for $3500 recently.
They were custom (as were all K-horns back then) and were built with
Brazilian mahogany. Paul used to offer all his stuff with any wood
and/or veneer the customer wanted back in those days. Klipsch still
offers multiple choices in wood veneer these days, but Paul was
nuts...he'd go around the world to get whatever wood someone wanted!

That EICO was a real go-getter back in those days, and was one of
those EICOkits that had everything going for it. Heath, years
earlier, had mono 6BQ5 amps in '54, the EA-2s, that were also very
well thought of. I still have two of them which I restored last year.
Like the HF-81, they're 6BQ5 P-P (almost the same circuit, really) and
offered a lot of good sound for the bucks back in the pre-stereo days.
While Heath went on later to go 7951 amps for more power to try to
stay up with the big boys at Fisher and Scott, EICO smartly offered
the little HF-81, which cost less and sounded as well as the
EA-2s...almost identical, I'd say. My dad built them originally in
'55 for background music in his offices, a duty they did faithfully
for almost 35 years.

Looking at the size of the 6BQ5, it's really an neat little mini beam
power tube. The characteristics chart for that 7 pin tube are almost
identical (except for plate dissipation) as the original 6L6GA of the
late '40s, but in a much smaller envelope. The later 6L6GCs, however,
were good for 25 WPC per pair. The 6BQ5 allowed for the same sound as
the old 6L6s on a lot less real estate, just as the 7591s offered 6550
power in a much smaller envelope. Heat with both were a problem,
though.

On Feb 19, 9:10*am, DeserTBoB wrote:
On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:10:31 -0800 (PST), still_trackin

wrote:
I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size.
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is! snip

Well, in a "tubey" sort of way, I guess, but there isn't much of a
better 6BQ5 "all-in-one" choice than that EICO, that's for sure.

Cornwalls (we used to called them "Cornballs") probably would be a
very nice addition, seeing how their 102 dB/W/m efficiency would
somewhat make up for the low power from the EICO. *After all, a pair
of 6BQ5s is going to get you 14 watts, period, on a GOOD day, so you
need all the efficiency you can get. *Cornwalls, like all Klipsch
stuff from Paul's golden age, are pricey, IF you can find them. *I
just saw a pair of 1964 Klipschorns, all stock, go for $3500 recently.
They were custom (as were all K-horns back then) and were built with
Brazilian mahogany. *Paul used to offer all his stuff with any wood
and/or veneer the customer wanted back in those days. *Klipsch still
offers multiple choices in wood veneer these days, but Paul was
nuts...he'd go around the world to get whatever wood someone wanted!

That EICO was a real go-getter back in those days, and was one of
those EICOkits that had everything going for it. *Heath, years
earlier, had mono 6BQ5 amps in '54, the EA-2s, that were also very
well thought of. *I still have two of them which I restored last year.
Like the HF-81, they're 6BQ5 P-P (almost the same circuit, really) and
offered a lot of good sound for the bucks back in the pre-stereo days.
While Heath went on later to go 7951 amps for more power to try to
stay up with the big boys at Fisher and Scott, EICO smartly offered
the little HF-81, which cost less and sounded as well as the
EA-2s...almost identical, I'd say. *My dad built them originally in
'55 for background music in his offices, a duty they did faithfully
for almost 35 years.

Looking at the size of the 6BQ5, it's really an neat little mini beam
power tube. *The characteristics chart for that 7 pin tube are almost
identical (except for plate dissipation) as the original 6L6GA of the
late '40s, but in a much smaller envelope. *The later 6L6GCs, however,
were good for 25 WPC per pair. *The 6BQ5 allowed for the same sound as
the old 6L6s on a lot less real estate, just as the 7591s offered 6550
power in a much smaller envelope. *Heat with both were a problem,
though.

Thanks DB for all the tech info! The past few months I've been on
kind of a nostalgic mission to replace/rebuild my Dad's original hifi/
stereo system. The system was comprised of the Eico HF-81, Eico HF-T92
tuner, Garrard Type A turntable, Revere 2200 Reel to Reel and a pair
of Jensen T-10 Tri-ette speakers.
After he gave me the Revere 2200 it sparked my interest in trying
to replace this old gear. That's why I jumped on the HF-81. You're
right about needing efficient speakers. The Knight/EVs that I'm
currently using are 16 ohm with 20 watts max....probably about 95db. I
opened them up and stuffed some acoustastuff in the cabs...helped with
some resonance issues.
BTW..the speaker configuration appears to be a EV T-35B, Oxford 8"
mid and a bronze frame 12" EV SP12B. The sound isn't bad, a bit rolled
off in the low end, but nice mids and highs. I've got my eyes peeled
for a nice pair of Jensen Tri-ettes if the price is right and there
not beat.
The Klipsch Cornwalls would sound better and surely cost more $
but I'm still leaning towards rebuilding/restoring the system I
remember as a kid from around 60'-61!
Thanks

On Feb 19, 11:09*am, still_trackin wrote:
On Feb 19, 9:10*am, DeserTBoB wrote:





On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:10:31 -0800 (PST), still_trackin

wrote:
I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size.
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is! snip

Well, in a "tubey" sort of way, I guess, but there isn't much of a
better 6BQ5 "all-in-one" choice than that EICO, that's for sure.

Cornwalls (we used to called them "Cornballs") probably would be a
very nice addition, seeing how their 102 dB/W/m efficiency would
somewhat make up for the low power from the EICO. *After all, a pair
of 6BQ5s is going to get you 14 watts, period, on a GOOD day, so you
need all the efficiency you can get. *Cornwalls, like all Klipsch
stuff from Paul's golden age, are pricey, IF you can find them. *I
just saw a pair of 1964 Klipschorns, all stock, go for $3500 recently.
They were custom (as were all K-horns back then) and were built with
Brazilian mahogany. *Paul used to offer all his stuff with any wood
and/or veneer the customer wanted back in those days. *Klipsch still
offers multiple choices in wood veneer these days, but Paul was
nuts...he'd go around the world to get whatever wood someone wanted!

That EICO was a real go-getter back in those days, and was one of
those EICOkits that had everything going for it. *Heath, years
earlier, had mono 6BQ5 amps in '54, the EA-2s, that were also very
well thought of. *I still have two of them which I restored last year.
Like the HF-81, they're 6BQ5 P-P (almost the same circuit, really) and
offered a lot of good sound for the bucks back in the pre-stereo days.
While Heath went on later to go 7951 amps for more power to try to
stay up with the big boys at Fisher and Scott, EICO smartly offered
the little HF-81, which cost less and sounded as well as the
EA-2s...almost identical, I'd say. *My dad built them originally in
'55 for background music in his offices, a duty they did faithfully
for almost 35 years.

Looking at the size of the 6BQ5, it's really an neat little mini beam
power tube. *The characteristics chart for that 7 pin tube are almost
identical (except for plate dissipation) as the original 6L6GA of the
late '40s, but in a much smaller envelope. *The later 6L6GCs, however,
were good for 25 WPC per pair. *The 6BQ5 allowed for the same sound as
the old 6L6s on a lot less real estate, just as the 7591s offered 6550
power in a much smaller envelope. *Heat with both were a problem,
though.

* *Thanks DB for all the tech info! The past few months I've been on
kind of a nostalgic mission to replace/rebuild my Dad's original hifi/
stereo system. The system was comprised of the Eico HF-81, Eico HF-T92
tuner, Garrard Type A turntable, Revere 2200 Reel to Reel and a pair
of Jensen T-10 Tri-ette speakers.
* *After he gave me the Revere 2200 it sparked my interest in trying
to replace this old gear. That's why I jumped on the HF-81. You're
right about needing efficient speakers. The Knight/EVs that I'm
currently using are 16 ohm with 20 watts max....probably about 95db. I
opened them up and stuffed some acoustastuff in the cabs...helped with
some resonance issues.
* * BTW..the speaker configuration appears to be a EV T-35B, Oxford 8"
mid and a bronze frame 12" EV SP12B. The sound isn't bad, a bit rolled
off in the low end, but nice mids and highs. I've got my eyes peeled
for a nice pair of Jensen Tri-ettes if the price is right and there
not beat.
* * The Klipsch Cornwalls would sound better and surely cost more $
but I'm still leaning towards rebuilding/restoring the system I
remember as a kid from around 60'-61!
Thanks- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

find an amp with single ended SBQ5 monoblocks, they are sweet sounding

the bass response is more realistic than solid state, i.e. attenuated
to natural levels- which reveals all the innner detail of a recording

On Feb 19, 11:17*am, trippin-2-8-track wrote:
On Feb 19, 11:09*am, still_trackin wrote:





On Feb 19, 9:10*am, DeserTBoB wrote:

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:10:31 -0800 (PST), still_trackin

wrote:
I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size..
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is! snip

Well, in a "tubey" sort of way, I guess, but there isn't much of a
better 6BQ5 "all-in-one" choice than that EICO, that's for sure.

Cornwalls (we used to called them "Cornballs") probably would be a
very nice addition, seeing how their 102 dB/W/m efficiency would
somewhat make up for the low power from the EICO. *After all, a pair
of 6BQ5s is going to get you 14 watts, period, on a GOOD day, so you
need all the efficiency you can get. *Cornwalls, like all Klipsch
stuff from Paul's golden age, are pricey, IF you can find them. *I
just saw a pair of 1964 Klipschorns, all stock, go for $3500 recently.
They were custom (as were all K-horns back then) and were built with
Brazilian mahogany. *Paul used to offer all his stuff with any wood
and/or veneer the customer wanted back in those days. *Klipsch still
offers multiple choices in wood veneer these days, but Paul was
nuts...he'd go around the world to get whatever wood someone wanted!

That EICO was a real go-getter back in those days, and was one of
those EICOkits that had everything going for it. *Heath, years
earlier, had mono 6BQ5 amps in '54, the EA-2s, that were also very
well thought of. *I still have two of them which I restored last year.

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:17:23 -0800 (PST), trippin-2-8-track
wrote:

find an amp with single ended SBQ5 monoblocks, they are sweet sounding snip

There is no such tube as a "SBQ5", or, as Noodles said when he was
first trying impress people with his non-existant knowledge, "8BQ5."

the bass response is more realistic than solid state, i.e. attenuated
to natural levels- which reveals all the innner detail of a recording snip

Biggest load of horse**** out of Charlie Nudo in awhile...but typical.

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:40:28 -0800 (PST), still_trackin
wrote:


Hmmmm....I thought I made it clear that this amp was a keeper and I
was trying to restore a once owned family HiFi system with alot of
personal attachment to it. snip

You can't make sense to Charlie Nudo...his brains are so scrambled, he
injects his own, alternative reality into everything. He uses the
cheap monitor amps out of an Akai tape deck for "amplifiers", for
chrissakes...mainly because he can't afford anything better, and if he
finds something good in a dumpster, he has to sell it.

Actually the Eico HF-81 is highly regarded
as far as vintage amps are concerned. Stereophile raved about it, no
doubt creating the new found interest in the amp. Just do a Google
search and see what all the buzz is about regarding this great little
vintage tube amp! That said, this is a very musical sounding amp...at
least to my ears and many others I might add. snip

Yes, the HF-81 was one of the best of the 6BQ5 integrated amps of that
era. Heath didn't have anything comparable in '59, as they'd gone to
the higher powered stuff. Sound wise, two 6BQ5s in P-P will sound a
lot like a 6L6GA, and have about the same power.

The trick to the HF-81? Dual rectifiers, a smart design move when
using mini-based rectifiers.

On Feb 20, 10:20*pm, DeserTBoB wrote:
On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:40:28 -0800 (PST), still_trackin

wrote:
Hmmmm....I thought I made it clear that this amp was a keeper and I
was trying to restore a once owned family HiFi system with alot of
personal attachment to it. snip

You can't make sense to Charlie Nudo...his brains are so scrambled, he
injects his own, alternative reality into everything. *He uses the
cheap monitor amps out of an Akai tape deck for "amplifiers", for
chrissakes...mainly because he can't afford anything better, and if he
finds something good in a dumpster, he has to sell it.

Actually the Eico HF-81 is highly regarded
as far as vintage amps are concerned. Stereophile raved about it, no
doubt creating the new found interest in the amp. Just do a Google
search *and see what all the buzz is about regarding this great little
vintage tube amp! That said, this is a very musical sounding amp...at
least to my ears and many others I might add. snip

Yes, the HF-81 was one of the best of the 6BQ5 integrated amps of that
era. *Heath didn't have anything comparable in '59, as they'd gone to
the higher powered stuff. *Sound wise, two 6BQ5s in P-P will sound a
lot like a 6L6GA, and have about the same power.

The trick to the HF-81? *Dual rectifiers, a smart design move when
using mini-based rectifiers.

Hey I didn't mean to rag, but this little ol' amp means alot to
me! I know there's better and costly amps out there. For what it's
worth, I own an entire Audio Research Tube system including their CD
player and British made ATC speakers that I use as my reference
listening system.
But again, I'm trying to put together the "original family owned
system" that I fondly remember from the early days of HIFI/Stereo.
Playing my original 64' stereo copies of The Beatles 1st two US
albums "Meet"/"Intoducing", pretty much solidified my initial interest
in being an audiophile and a music lover/guitarist in general.
BTW....anyone remember when Stereo LPs cost a dollar more than Mono
copies back in the 60s? Also they were less available in some stores,
until they took over Mono in the later 60s. Wow! I guess I'm dating
myself! Later.

still_trackin wrote:

Been awhile since I last posted. Since then I bought the Eico HF-81
vintage integrated tube amp from a local guy who does TV/Electronic
repairs for a decent price. He also sold me a pair of Allied/Knight
speakers with Electro Voice drivers real cheap.
This gear dates from the late 50s-early 60s. The amp is a low powered
SE with only 14 watts per side, which drives the 16 ohm speakers with
no problem. It delivers a nice sweet warm sound and is perfect for the
small room that it is being used in.
I'm running the Akai CR-80T thru it along with a CD player and my
Dad's old tube Revere 2200 Reel To Reel. This is a retro system to say
the least, but brings back alot of old childhood memories of my Dad's
first stereo system back in those days.
Getting back to the CR-80T, it seems to be performing quite
well...changes tracks, no static, nice fidelity. The tuner is an added
bonus to use played thru the Eico.
I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size.
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is!

i am glad to see that there is someone else here that appreciates good audio
equipment.
i have a collection of vintage tube gear that i cherish & use everyday.
i used to have a Eico HF-81 tube amp in my collection, however, i traded it
to another friend of mine (who also loves vintage tube audio), for a pair
of Dynakit MK ? monoblock amplifiers that needed a rebuild. these are tube
amps rated @ 50 watts RMS & they use 6550 type output tubes.
i have several "hollow state" systems throughout the house. my main system
has a pair of Dynakit Stereo 70s (each of them have both of their channels
strapped to make them monoblock amps) and they are driven with a Dyna PAS
preamp. they are driving a pair of old, early 70s Advent speakers that had
the foam suspension rings on the bass driver recently replaced. this system
really sounds great. all of my best tape decks are on this system.
i have on this system two reel to reel decks. one is a Teac A6300 & the
other is a Crown SX824 the Teac & Crown are connected in a loop & the Teac
is a dedicated playback & the Crown is a dedicated recorder.
i also have on this setup, dedicated 8 track (BSR) & cassette playback decks
(pioneer), a cd deck & a turntable. i have dedicated 8 track (Akai cr80d) &
cassette recorder decks (pioneer), as well as a phillips CD Recorder deck
connected to the system via a switch setup that utilizes the line in & out
on the preamp. in other words, this system covers almost all of the analog
formats except for DAT & the large cassette that was around the early
sixties. the tuner is a Fisher series 90 gold cascode tuner that was made
in 1958. i use a tube multiplex adaptor on it for FM stereo.

the system that i use the most, uses a Magnavox stereo amp from the late
50s. it uses four 6V6s, two 12AX7 drivers, & a 7025 input stage. it uses a
5U4 rectifier. its average output is around 19 watts & it drives a pair of
curtis-mathis speakers rated @ 20 watts. i have a RCA 5 cartridge 8 track
changer deck connected to that, as well as a fisher CD deck. i have a
vintage pilot fm tuner that was made in 1957 connected to it as well.

any way you look at it, there is nothing made today that can beat the tube
audio equipment that was made in the 50s & sixties, i don't care what
desertbob says.
--
i have an 8 track mind

My other computer is your windows XP box.

On Feb 21, 7:32*pm, 8 tracker from hell wrote:
still_trackin wrote:
Been awhile since I last posted. Since then I bought the Eico HF-81
vintage integrated tube amp from a local guy who does TV/Electronic
repairs for a decent price. He also sold me a pair of Allied/Knight
speakers with Electro Voice drivers real cheap.
This gear dates from the late 50s-early 60s. The amp is a low powered
SE with only 14 watts per side, which drives the 16 ohm speakers with
no problem. It delivers a nice sweet warm sound and is perfect for the
small room that it is being used in.
I'm running the Akai CR-80T thru it along with a CD player and my
Dad's old tube Revere 2200 Reel To Reel. This is a retro system to say
the least, but brings back alot of old childhood memories of my Dad's
first stereo system back in those days.
Getting back to the CR-80T, it seems to be performing quite
well...changes tracks, no static, nice fidelity. The tuner is an added
bonus to use played thru the Eico.
I wouldn't mind getting a nice used pair of Klipsch Cornwalls someday
to beef up the sound. Might actually be overkill due to the room size.
For now I'm enjoying how musical this little system really is!

i am glad to see that there is someone else here that appreciates good audio
equipment.
i have a collection of vintage tube gear that i cherish & use everyday.
i used to have a Eico HF-81 tube amp in my collection, however, i traded it
to another friend of mine (who also loves vintage tube audio), for a pair
of Dynakit MK ? monoblock amplifiers that needed a rebuild. these are tube
amps rated @ 50 watts RMS & they use 6550 type output tubes.
i have several "hollow state" systems throughout the house. my main system
has a pair of Dynakit Stereo 70s (each of them have both of their channels
strapped to make them monoblock amps) and they are driven with a Dyna PAS
preamp. they are driving a pair of old, early 70s Advent speakers that had
the foam suspension rings on the bass driver recently replaced. this system
really sounds great. all of my best tape decks are on this system.
i have on this system two reel to reel decks. one is a Teac A6300 & the
other is a Crown SX824 the Teac & Crown are connected in a loop & the Teac
is a dedicated playback & the Crown is a dedicated recorder.
i also have on this setup, dedicated 8 track (BSR) & cassette playback decks
(pioneer), a cd deck & a turntable. i have dedicated 8 track (Akai cr80d) &
cassette recorder decks (pioneer), as well as a phillips CD Recorder deck
connected to the system via a switch setup that utilizes the line in & out
on the preamp. in other words, this system covers almost all of the analog
formats except for DAT & the large cassette that was around the early
sixties. the tuner is a Fisher series 90 gold cascode tuner that was made
in 1958. i use a tube multiplex adaptor on it for FM stereo.

the system that i use the most, uses a Magnavox stereo amp from the late
50s. it uses four 6V6s, two 12AX7 drivers, & a 7025 input stage. it uses a
5U4 rectifier. its average output is around 19 watts & it drives a pair of
curtis-mathis speakers rated @ 20 watts. i have a RCA 5 cartridge 8 track
changer deck connected to that, as well as a fisher CD deck. i have a
vintage pilot fm tuner that was made in 1957 connected to it as well.

any way you look at it, there is nothing made today that can beat the tube
audio equipment that was made in the 50s & sixties, i don't care what
desertbob says.
--
i have an 8 track mind

My other computer is your windows XP box.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Wow! Real nice collection of vintage gear! A buddy of mine has the
Dynaco ST-70 amp powering a pair of Klipsch La Scalas with a BAT tube
output based CD player. A great sounding system!
I once owned 4 large Advents in a quad system and drove them with
a Sansui QRX-6500 receiver. Played my Akai CD-80D-SS deck thru it and
I was in quad heaven! I sold the speakers and receiver about 5 years
ago when I got out of quad and started to build my ARC system.
BTW....those 6550 power tubes really pack a punch. There's 4 per
side in my VT100MKII ARC power amp along with the output tubes (4 per
side) Alot of heat coming off those babies, but the sound along with
the SP-11MKII preamp is really sweet! Don't think I'll be upgrading
that system in the near future, but who knows....when you get the
urge....
Right now I'm playing around quite abit with the little Eico and
been having musical flashbacks...lol...
Like they say...it's all about the music! Enjoy!