My stash of Irons

Here's my stash of irons. From left to right, they are, James 6132 output transformer, a pair of supposed James OEM output transformer (complete with James badge), Lundahl 1623 (120Ma) output transformer, and a pair of C core 20H chokes (100mA). I have another pair of 10H chokes, but could not locate them for this group shot.

Enough irons for at least 3 x SE amplifiers.. probably need a few more chokes, but the one thing missing is the power transformer. Well, this is deliberate as the tube used for the output transformer have not been decided most of the time. And for my setup at home, I want to build mono-blocks. This will increase the price by the associated power transformer, choke, capacitors, and additional chassis.

With the power transformer going for at least SGD300 each, getting two for one mono-block project starts to be cost prohibitive. Iron costs are going up in Singapore compared to a year ago. Locally made power transformer used to cost below SGD100 each. DIYers are completing less power amplifier projects. It is much cheaper to build a preamplifier nowadays. I find it strange that some commercial preamplifiers can cost more than the power amplifiers that they are supposed to be paired with.

So, how now, brown cow? I'll have to explore China-made power transformers and keep my fingers crossed that they do not short and trip my circuit breaker... Good thing I have a dedicated power supply direct from my main breaker into my audio room.