Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: jordan86 on November 23, 2023, 05:20:49 pm
-
Just discovered them. Quick review of their website has me very intrigued. Good pricing. Endorsed by George Allesandro. Even more enticing is their RED series. CRAZY cheap pricing.
https://www.pactran.com/pacific-audio-red-series/
Looking for a black panel Deluxe Reverb PT for a 20W champ style build (repurposing a single ended OT for a new project). More on that later.
-
I can't see the transformer you talk about
Never heard about, Made in China ?
New project ; why not
From their website;
Affordable: Offshore-Pricing!
We have been able to provide our customers with world-pricing thanks to vast buying power, experience and our international manufacturing facilities located in Mexico, Thailand and China. What about the pitfalls of international manufacturing such as turn-around times, quality and freight issues? We solved them! Read on…
-
Even more enticing is their RED series. CRAZY cheap pricing.
https://www.pactran.com/pacific-audio-red-series/ (https://www.pactran.com/pacific-audio-red-series/)
"ESTIMATED SHIPPING DATE: AUGUST 2023"
Pretty sure August was a few months ago...
Not sure what happens if you put one in the cart & try to buy it. Maybe they actually have them & the web person is asleep at the wheel.
-
Several years ago Pacific was building nice transformers. Several people over at the amp garage were using them. Then Pacific dropped out of sight. Now it looks like they have returned.
So, just buy one of their transformers and tell us about the buying experience and quality. :icon_biggrin:
-
"ESTIMATED SHIPPING DATE: AUGUST 2023"
I interpreted that to mean they were available to be shipped in August 2023.
-
I buy Hammond's from Hawk. Here's a comparison with the Pacific Red series for the 5E3 OPT:
Pacific at $46.43: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0519/5956/2405/files/PAM-OT-20-16R_Spec_Sheet_44daa01d-72f7-4767-a29a-3bf581f98778.pdf?v=1632158705
Hammond at $40.50: https://www.hawkusa.com/manufacturers/hammond-mfg/enclosures/1750e
12K vs 8.5K primaries. Which is more accurate for a typical 5E3?
-
BITD, Ken Fischer turned to Pacific for the Trainwreck transformers. As I understand it, he still auditioned each transformer individually. Some people swear by them for that reason. Others know they don't have Ken's ears, and so use their own set of standards to select appropriate parts for their build.
-
Hats off to everyone trying pacific transformers.
Personally, I'll stick with Hammond iron. I get consistent quality and reliability from them, and prices are reasonable. Edcor is another company with consistent quality, though their product line is not as extensive.
Mercury magnetics seems to have good quality, but their prices are out of whack, and their documentation lacks detail and is hard to come by.
I doubt very much that Pacific Transformers as currently structured has anything in common with the company Ken Fischer dealt with 20+ years ago!
I'm with dwinstonwood regarding Hawkusa. They have been great to deal with.
-
Some people swear by them for that reason. Others know they don't have Ken's ears,
in the way back days "A good salesmen will not hear a difference, he will however convince the buyer, they do" :icon_biggrin:
-
I have one AC30/4 build only with Pacific transformer. I ordered their Power, Choke and Output transformers because I wanted to try Albion modeled transformers and they were the only ones who made some(supposedly). Here is what my experiences were:
The power transformer did not fit my JMI spec chassis, so I returned it. They credited me back no problem. And the reverb ad didn’t note the fit differences, but their website did. Went with a Mojotone(heyboer) that is based on the wodens.
The Choke and Output trans fit perfectly.
The amp sounds amazing to my ears. The best sounding of all the ones I built. Not sure if I can attribute that to the Pacific Output transformer or not. I’d try them again with a bit more scrutiny before hand.
-
I just ordered pt and ot iron . Red series for trainwreck express.
I usually stick with Hammond as well but for my first wreck build I figured I'd try what some consider as the 'correct' iron. The ot is 7.5k not 6.6k, so who knows? I've read so much conflicting info about what pacific iron Ken used. I'm pretty sure it should be 6.6k but what the hell , I'll give these a shot.
I'm no expert and I've never played so much as a wreck clone , let alone a real one. So I won't be able to compare it to anything but youtube clips I guess.
I'll post some photos when I get them.
If hammond would make a set for a wreck, I would.have ordered from them...
-
So it seems Pacific were selling the trainwreck ot with incorrect impedence. Ken originally had them produce a 6.6k ot and seems this has been confirmed by original owners.
They sold me.a 7.5k as the spec sheet indicated. I trusted that they knew what they were doing lol.
It's more than disappointing .
I emailed them once I saw that they have corrected the issiue. The spec sheet.now shows the proper 6.6k impedence.
Who wants to bet they'll do the right thing and provide customers with the correct replacement???
Anyone?