| Author |
Message |
    
Sixtiesmania
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 3:58 am: | 
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Okay, a question to the readers. How would these amps rank against each other in both quality, output power, consistency and value for money. The reason is that there are quite a few 2100B's for sale at quite a good price, cheaper than the KL 1000. ALSO, if buying a KL 1000 or KL 1000P, what is better? The low drive model would be more versatile compared to the high drive model it seems, BUT what is the downfalls of these situations? Is one KL better than the other? I am sure others would be interested in this as well.
Cheers
Andrew
739 (an Aussie working in the USA) |
2600
| | Posted on Friday, December 06, 2002 - 1:59 am: |
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G'Day Andrew,
This is a comparison that smacks of "apples to oranges" in a couple of ways. The Yaesu FL2100/A/B has not been made for well over 20 years now. Any amplifier that is 20-plus years old will have "issues" that a new one like a KLV-1000 should not. If you consider buying a really old horse, you should really check it's teeth first, so to speak. It's not just the years, it's the miles, too.
The two models are kinda similar in what they will do. There were a number of amplifiers with a pair of 572B tubes sold in the seventies. They would give you between six and eight times the output power that fed into them. The FL2100 falls right into this category. As the tubes age from wear and tear, this "multiplication factor" will slowly fall off. When it gets down to about five times drive power, it's time for a new pair. The KLV has a higher power gain (multiplication factor) to start with. It will require a little less drive to reach full output. The difference between a FL2100 delivering 800 watt peaks and a KLV1000 at 950 watt peaks is not enough to matter. In this respect they come out about dead even.
There is an age "threshold" in the reliability of the H.V. filter capacitors found in a FL2100. Tends to be around 20 years. Less, if it was used heavily. If you find one with original filters that still works, that unit probably didn't get used a lot. A set of filter capacitors that was never used will test good today, but the stress of being returned to service will catch up with them. Within a year, usually, they "remember" how old they are and begin to fail.
Transformers are about the most reliable single type of electronic component--- for the first 20 or 25 years, anyway. That's another "wear-and-tear" issue. A "low-miles" amplifier may not need one for another ten years. A unit that was run hard may need one already.
Lest anyone think I'm some kind of undercover salesperson for Copper, the biggest amplifier I have is a late-seventies Dentron. It needed HV filter capacitors, too: six months after I tubed it and put it back to work. My helper laughed "You tell all those folks that they'll get a year or less, and all you got was six months!". The date codes on the old (factory) filters were all 1978. Sure works great with the new ones now.
73 |
Scrapiron63
| | Posted on Friday, December 06, 2002 - 10:08 am: |
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Hey 2600, yeah we're gonna feel for you, not having anything better than one of those old antique Dentrons, look at this one on e-bay. Practically worthless, ha.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1942154711&category=1502 |
Taz
| | Posted on Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 11:10 am: |
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man, the person who got that amp is going to be happy |
Jyd
| | Posted on Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 8:55 pm: |
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the 2100 will last longer,as far as longer as far as long key downs.klv will run hotter and faster to eat tubes.i have a 2100 and i love it.i drive it with a sonar 4-6jb6's 1200 swing 1000 watts audio.with a vr-9000 behind it. |
Kiwikid
| | Posted on Saturday, February 08, 2003 - 6:21 am: |
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Sixtiesmania,Howdy cousine.
The 2100,if you find a good one, will come out tops as it will work HAM bands and OUTBACK frequencies.
73 de Kiwi Kid,
Downunder Pacificway |
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