All DaveMade 12 volt solid state amps are going to be class C unless you pay to have them biased ( Call Joe at DaveMade And ask him about IMD and bias)
At 13 stock volts the texas star 500 will beat the average 2 pill class c "comp" amp like cornbread batter.
Simple math tells you that 4 2879`s will produce more power than 2 2879`s
Any biased amp will show higher gain than class c.
If you run the older T/S amps within the limits set by the guys building them they are fine.
I have one that is at least a decade old and has had nothing replaced in it, in fact I was using it on ten meters just this morning.
Stay away from the 667, it is a very cranky amp, and now that they are using MOSFETS in the drive section I have no idea how reliable they are.
I will agree that as of late T/S is not what it used to be in terms of how they stand behind the product they make.
The advantage goes to the "comp" boxes when you start volting the Amp.
You really do not want to go buy a Dave(Joe) Made amp, tear it apart and rebuild it with bias.....
Davemade got its claim to fame when they found out that toshiba 2879`s could be pushed way beyond the numbers posted in the spec sheets.
No other 12 volt transistor could be abused like this transistor and still live to key a second time, voltage as high as 20 volts, stupid amounts of drive and power dissipation that reached as high as 250 watts.
Dave boxes were a design that was inspired by high frequency power supply`s for Plasma Cutters.
Also contrary to popular myth, the use of the large toroids on the output transformers like all the comp style builders use today was first used by Abe Brewer many years ago in the Varmint SS600.
If I were going to buy a "cb" style amp today it would be X force, the TNT line, at least they attempt to use some kind of bias.
Forget about any 1 pill design, it is not even push pull.
I also wish Ray Messenger was still around building amps, yes they were biased a little hot, but the were a good amp.
Where is 1-800 Toll Free when you need him?
73
Jeff
