– Press Release

Paul Stubblebine Mastering & DVD (PSM) recently hosted a unique tube amplifier design and hands-on building class at their San Francisco studio facility. Amplifier designers Dan Schmalley and Paul Jappa of Bottlehead Corp led the three-day class. In addition, tips and procedures on the process of Mastering music was woven into each day by engineers Paul Stubblebine and Michael Romanowski to highlight the connection between equipment and the mastering process. New “how to” hands on classes are planned on amps and other components in the near future, visit http://www.paulstubblebine.com for more information.

The amplifiers for Stubblebine’s quad-amped Magico speakers were modified by Dan Schmally and Paul Stubblebine, using design techniques shown in the amp-building class. Stubblebine said, “There are three important elements in mastering, listening experience and ears, room acoustics, and the choice of equipment. I have spent a lot of time comparing and modifying my equipment to allow me to hear and change audio in subtle but important ways. These amplifiers are quite special.”

Fourteen participants attended the amp building class, some even flew in from other states. Worktables were set up with soldering irons, lighted magnifiers and all the components to build the tube amplifiers. Instructions handed out as printed PDF files were also projected on an overheard screen so the instructors could point to each step and explain.

Each of the three days was a full 9am-to-6pm schedule with a break for lunch. Participants were led through the Amp Design Process, from the audio circuit, parts familiarization, hardware assembly a soldering demonstration, detailed design of the power supply components including transformers, chassis wiring, layout, grounding, and shielding. Each day lecture time was also allotted to the basics of audio mastering, format comparisons, and software and hardware. The final day included the all-important “smoke test” to make sure nothing blew up when you plugged it in!

At the end of the process participants were able to listen to their hand crafted amplifiers in Paul Stubblebine’s studio, listening to first-generation master recordings for source material.