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Post by jelosno on Feb 17, 2008 23:30:16 GMT
A F R I C A here! NO, just kidding
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insomniac
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Post by insomniac on Feb 17, 2008 23:37:33 GMT
Any seats left on the preview bandwagon ;D
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 21, 2008 22:25:14 GMT
The Singer headamp arrived with me this afternoon I haven't had the opportunity to take any photos yet but will take some tomorrow. She was extremely well packed in a large box (a box within a box padded with newspaper type of affair) which would have withstood a nuclear attack! There's nothing quite as effective as good old fashioned / old school newspaper when it comes to protecting an item and, believe me, whoever packed this was an expert I eventually got to the box containing the amp (after wading through several copies of the Shanghai Gazette) and when I opened it my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the little "singer" sitting there begging me to lift it out. Wow! was this the same amp I saw in this stock photo? You know they say "a picture paints a thousand words"? Well, the stock photo really doesn't on this occasion. Sure, the amp I pulled out of the box is the same as the one in the photo but, blow me down with a feather, it's a totally different looking animal in real life. In a word? OK....... " sleek" you want two words? OK.... "sleek" and "sexy".... seriously guys (and wimmen) this is one lovely, low profile, sexy, "come and feel me I'm a smooth aluminium ingot don't you know" kind of affair...... absolutely gorgeous! The fit and finish is truly first class, this is not some string and sellotape concoction slapped together in a garden shed in deepest Yorkshire.... nope, this is quality Chinese engineering at its finest. Absolute perfection all round, you certainly won't rip your hand open when you're dusting the Singer, everything is superbly milled, hued and polished looking.... fit and finish is a definite 9/10. I haven't popped the hood yet (well, I "have" but only had a fleeting glimpse so won't comment on the engine yet) so will continue waffling on about the general appearance and feel of the amp (if that's ok with those of you who are surfing from the "I want information and I want it NOW!" cheap seats?) The front panel consists of an on / off rocker switch to the left, it features an integral red LED which illuminates when the amp is turned on.... toward the centre we have the headphone socket which is a 6.3mm type (there is provision on the PCB for a partnering 3.5mm socket but more on that when I get to my under the bonnet preview - to follow) It's a high quality Neutrik Gold Plated type so will last many insertions / withdrawals. Far right we have a very "usable" alu knob... It is just so finger friendly..... the best knob I have yet experienced on a commercial amp.... soooooo smooth and plenty of finger room to control her (It also helps when you have an ALPS RK27 on board and a designer who has the foresight to ensure that ALPS pot operates in the sweet zone.... mr. D Has achieved just that, and then some, more on this in my next report "under the bonnet". The rear panel? I can't bend at the moment as I have a fractured hip (allegedly ) power in / input. Ooooh, and a couple of blanking plugs (obviously "pre out") will go here. I'm not going to say a word about SQ right now, the amp is sitting here warming up and I'm sitting here cooling down.... when we meet in the middle I'll start taking notes. Pinkie.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 21, 2008 23:07:54 GMT
I do look forward to the internal pictures as well as you impressions. I hope you can let it burn in at least 100 hours (200 might be better). Thanks. I was contemplating my usual 5,000.... Ok with you man?
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insomniac
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Post by insomniac on Feb 21, 2008 23:18:39 GMT
Nice initial impressions........I'm keeping a close eye on this one Might we read a Solo vs Singer shoot-out here in the future?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2008 1:32:03 GMT
Miguel Just as well it doesn't have any valves in it, otherwise it would be half clapped out after Mike's extended testing regime. Anyway, why are you interested in seeing inside a solid state amplifier ? You know you wouldn't buy one unless it had an inbuilt slow deterioration mode built in ! Alex
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2008 2:08:41 GMT
Or you could get something far better for $449 ! A Burson Buffer. (from the land of beautiful beaches and gorgeous women : Australia. Even your USA soapies schedule an episode downunder, to lift flagging ratings) Photo in the thread "Other Equipment-Burson Buffer"
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Post by charleyphogg on Feb 22, 2008 3:56:14 GMT
Welcome aboard Headtestament. Looking forward to your write up Mike. Looks like a nice little amp.
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insomniac
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Post by insomniac on Feb 22, 2008 19:15:30 GMT
Excellent news Any possibility Mr. Doudou will be open to a Rock Grotto group buy?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 22, 2008 19:34:29 GMT
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leo
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Post by leo on Feb 22, 2008 20:58:41 GMT
You like it then Mike
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 22, 2008 21:42:54 GMT
You like it then Mike Let's just say I haven't had a moment like that for quite some time Leo! Not only was I totally unaware of my surroundings and singing as loud as I could I was also totally ignoring Fritz in the conversation and just typing in "WOW!!" etc. Gilmour's guitar screaming away as if he were in the same room, Water's vocals right there in the middle of the head... the sheer scale of the performance is what grabbed me most, every crescendo was handled with ease and complex passages never became congealed into one monotonous strangled thrash fest... I had this puppy up at insane volume levels (the HD-600 were almost on fire!) yet there was no hint of distortion (clipping) or it running out of gas.... the sound remained so "clean". The sense of scale this amp portrays is fantastic.... It's hard to explain but it's basically a case of being part of the performance rather than listening to the performance.... as I say, I seldom sing at the top of my voice when listening to music.... so involving is this amp you forget it's a recording you're listening to and you're drawn into the performance as if you were there. She has only had 24 hours on her but the improvement from Cold is extremely noticeable, if she loosens up any more over the next few days I think I'll be in Hospital with laryngitis! And all this with the trusty old HD-600 strapped on...... I will try the W-1000 and Grado SR-225 next, just going to spend this evening rediscovering my favourite CD's with the HD-600 in circuit. But, yeh Leo, I like it a lot.... what's NOT to like? It's superbly made, quality parts, sounds fantastic and comes at a ridiculously reasonable price..... quality on a stick
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 22, 2008 21:46:08 GMT
By the way Leo..... what do you think of the topology?
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leo
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Post by leo on Feb 22, 2008 22:13:51 GMT
Well your initial impressions sound more than encouraging Nice pics BTW! I've not worked it out yet, its certainly nothing like the Gilmore, at first I thought it was a discrete diamond
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insomniac
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Post by insomniac on Feb 23, 2008 5:50:45 GMT
Any idea what the yellow plugs and bare PCB pads 'Out' are for? And what purpose the 4 internal LED's serve?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 23, 2008 7:50:37 GMT
Any idea what the yellow plugs and bare PCB pads 'Out' are for? And what purpose the 4 internal LED's serve? Bare pads / yellow plugs are where line out will be. Internal LEDS, as Mr. Doudou explains, "reference voltage. LED has lower noise than a zener diode" there is also provision on the PCB for a 3.5mm head out..... I don't know if he will be incorporating one.
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Post by dc on Feb 23, 2008 7:59:58 GMT
so this is a pre-production model?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2008 8:16:34 GMT
Insomniac The drawing below may help explain. LEDs are often used as a quiet and stable voltage reference. As shown , the LED causes a current of 12mA to flow via the collector of the transistor. I often use Blue LEDs for the same purpose. In that case their reference voltage is closer to 3V. LEDs are typically >80 times less noisy than a Zener diode reference. A LED also has a similar temperature coefficient to the transistor, so the result is a pretty stable current flow. I assume that is their purpose in this headphone amplifier. SandyK (The voltage readings shown are for explanation only. Not all Red LEDs have a forward voltage drop of 1.8V)
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 23, 2008 8:48:58 GMT
so this is a pre-production model? Yes, it is the prototype.
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Post by dc on Feb 23, 2008 8:58:22 GMT
so no outputs? it looks like there's traces on the board for it
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 23, 2008 8:59:20 GMT
Does it sound better with the Sennheiser HD600's than the Solo does?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 23, 2008 9:04:19 GMT
Does it sound better with the Sennheiser HD600's than the Solo does? You're next on the list to audition the Singer so you tell me! I, personally, think it shits all over the Solo big time (and then some) give me a few more days with her and I'll ship her over to you mate.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 23, 2008 9:09:29 GMT
Cheers, this I gotta hear.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Feb 23, 2008 9:16:00 GMT
Try & find out the RRP Mike, or is this still completely undecided?
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dc2
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Post by dc2 on Feb 23, 2008 9:25:12 GMT
“It's superbly made, quality parts, sounds fantastic and comes at a ridiculously reasonable price..... quality on a stick”
Mike, Mr. Doudou should be giving you a sale position, you have sold it to me. When will it be released?
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