Home Tubes Asylum

Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Tubes Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Re: On buying a Citation II / A few things

Ben,

The Citation is a parts Killer. There will be many suspect parts in this particular amp too, for sure. It still may function, but don't expect that you're hearing it's potential. You may hear enough that you'll dig it anyway. If you like what you hear, then here's one thing that you can try to improve it's performance without a soldering gun. Get a schematic. Note the voltages on the 12BY7s. When you measure them in the amp they may be all over the place. Generally, you can roll the 6 tubes to end up with a closer balance where measured voltage is concerned. Make note of AF and splitter locations. This can make a nice difference in performance. Follow bias and balance instructions on Jim McShane's site and you'll be as close as you'll get to the best performance possible.

What you should know:

The stock voltage doubler caps take a beating. Conventional wisdom states that they had it wrong back then. The voltage ratings should have quite a bit higher, perhaps 350vdc minimally instead of 250vdc. I've rebuilt a ton of Citations. Those caps are always half dead. The 40uf@525 after the choke is usually in sad shape also. It's subjected to high surge, voltage, and heat. Under each terminal board there's a 4uf@450 axial cap that is probably open or measures that way because of oxidation. I couuld go on. Like I said before, it still may function. However, I doubt that it would represent the potential of the amp. It's a great amp when up to snuff.

Good Luck


This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.  

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
You can not post to an archived thread.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]