We get asked alot about what makes our amps sound so good. I did many years of comparing different transformers in the same circuits, different brands and types of capacitors and resistors to discover for myself what sounded like what and which part worked well together. The main ingredient is quality construction. You have to have quality components, no doubt, but if they are not mixed correctly, you do not get the right end result. What follows is a breakdown of the various parts and why we use them.

TRANSFORMERS: We use OEM when requested. For the majority of builds we prefer, based on customer feedback, Heyboer Transformers.Phil at Heyboer has been taking care of Whitney for several years and we believe they represent the best value for our clients. They have been rock solid in reliability, sound geat and represent a economic value. We will use other brands such as Mercury Magnetics, Hammond, Weber, Allen, and Marstran at the customers request.

FILTER CAPS: We use LCR (reformed), JJ Electronics, F&T, Sprague, Mallory, and TAD. These caps have passed the test of time and provide low noise dependable power supply filtering.

SIGNAL CAPS: We use Mallory M150, Sprague 715P and 716P, SoZo upon request for an upgrade fee, and our new favorite MOJOTONE Dijon Caps. Silver Mica caps are used in the tone stack treble position and some signal caps.

RESISTORS: The customer can request all Carbon Composition, all Carbon Film, or, our personal favorite, the hybrid which has CC in the positions it makes a difference and CF where CC applications have no tonal benefit and to maintain a mimimal noise floor.

CHASSIS: We use heavy duty .080 or greater aluminum chassis in amps 50 watts and less and heavy duty steel in our 100 watt amps.

POTENTIOMETERS: We use Alpha .375" buffered pots as our standard pot. They have demonstrated reliability for over 10 years and customers tell us they like the buffered feel. You may request CTS or PEC potentiometers be used for an upgrade fee.

WIRE: For the power rail, we use 600V PVC or silver plated teflon jacketed wire. We use silver plated teflon jacketed shielded and unshielded wire in the signal path. For filaments, we use 18ga cloth covered wire or PVC in the power amp and 20 gage cloth covered wire or PVC in preamp.

TUBES: We let you decide which preamp and power amp tubes to put in your amp from those that have demonstrated reliability and tone. You can certainly use your own stash of tubes at a discount. Many tube brands are standard in our amps but some are available at an upgrade fee consistent with what we pay for the tubes.

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