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The Kicker One by Jeffery Larson A 12B4 Amplifier |
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I decided to name this amplifer Kicker because of the kick in the head it gave me the very first time I heard it. It is named Kicker One because I know I will be making another. Read on to find out why.
 The Birth of an Amp And over the years, as I practiced my trade, gathered experience, and learned new things, there have indeed been moments of ... well, for lack of a better word ... serendipity. Let's face it; let's get serious a moment. We all know, or should know, that the design itself is only part of the life of an amplifier. It's not who designs it, or what is designed. There is no true "new" magic. What there is really is serendipty. 
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Sure, you have to know what you are doing. Yes, you have to be aware of how things interact. You DO need a rather complete set of skills to get the basics right. You DO need experience to assemble these basics to advantage. You DO need knowledge across more than electronics to build a good assembly. All these things and more come into play when creating an amplifier.
But when all is said and done, and the part choices have been made and the plans come together, there can STILL YET be something missing. BUT then there are those times when something comes together in a special way and magic is born.
 One can use all the "best" parts and build a good amplifier. Use the recommended output transformer. Copy (or alter) the recommended circuit. Choose all the right stuff. That will duplicate an existing design with a certain reputation. And certainly these amps sound great. As they should. There ARE a few magic amps out there. But if that is all that is needed, then why would someone keep trying other amps? Why change anything? Why not just a small handful of amps to satisfy everyone? BECAUSE, my friends, there is still much magic to be found. Every amp and speaker/room combination produces its own voice. What is more, there is no way to predict just when it may show up although experience helps guide us. Positioning the speakers just so. Adding damping to the room ... or taking some away. The individual components themselves hold no special magic although some are arguably better than others. But the synergy of components certainly can and does. |
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And what of the parts? Well, first of all the output trannys. I don't know where they came from. So it follows that I can never build another just like this one. That's a shame. Combined with the trannys is a simple solid state based power supply using choke filtering. Again, nothing special. I use caps to hash-filter the high-speed rectifiers. Good quality main power supply caps. Metal film resistors except the output cathode self-bias resistors which are vitreous enamel WW types. All the cathode resistors are bypassed using the smallest possible capacitance. The output by Nichicon MUSE caps, and the input stage using Elna Silmics. The coupling is accomplished using some NOS Vitamin Q caps. I tried a lot of different caps in this amp in all positions, and all good quality caps sounded great. These last were chosen as sounding the smoothest.
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In a word: wonderful! The detail is entirely surprising. I hear things in recording I have never heard before, and I have heard a LOT of amps. Words in rock songs that sounded blurred or lost in the mix now come across clearly. Multivoice music is distinct and clear. Orchestrations are easy to place and play distinctly (within the power limits of the amp - it's easy to over-play orchestration with small amps).
Yes, I could run down all the music we've played on this amp. From our favorite Govi to Queen, Pink Floyd, our Native American collection, Stevie Ray, Albert King, and Keb Mo'. Male and female vocals. Country and Rock. Intimate combo or orchestra. Whatever we played sounded great. I particularly liked the way the inner details of Govi's guitar work came out. I have never felt so close to it.
Thanks for looking. |
