Will
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Post by Will on Jan 28, 2011 20:15:41 GMT
I've come to the conclusion that I will be a few more weeks with mine.  Got this on the bench at the moment... good news is that it will be playing music soon. Not so good news is that the AMB switchery circuits have yet to be built and tested, so that white-ring LED stainless Bulgin switch will be purely for show for the time being.  Cheers Jon Very tidy, mate  |
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Jan 29, 2011 0:59:05 GMT
I've come to the conclusion that I will be a few more weeks with mine. Got this on the bench at the moment... good news is that it will be playing music soon. Not so good news is that the AMB switchery circuits have yet to be built and tested, so that white-ring LED stainless Bulgin switch will be purely for show for the time being. Cheers Jon Excellent work there!  If we can have more builders to that standard, we can be in a business partnership of customised HAs. Heh, heh, heh ............  Btw, what PS boards are you using. They look to have more real estate to fit those big e-caps. |
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Jan 29, 2011 1:07:54 GMT
Just good old fashion vinyl.(Notts Analogue Spacedeck with heavy graphite mod and psu. airbairing parallel tracking tone arm, Lyra Dorian, WAD phono 2 with Nick Gorham shunt psu mod That spikes my curiosity cat side. Any picture of that setup? Err, put in a thread at Spin It! will be most appropriate and for all vinyl lovers.  |
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Will
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Post by Will on Jan 29, 2011 9:22:22 GMT
I'm pretty sure that Jon's picture is of his Ultimate bom MyRev_C power amp from diyAudio. He's been building it for a while, taking incredible care in the build, which shows. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 13:17:10 GMT
I'm pretty sure that Jon's picture is of his Ultimate bom MyRev_C power amp from diyAudio. He's been building it for a while, taking incredible care in the build, which shows. Hi Will yes if only i could build to that standard but over the years I've accepted my metal work limitations and try not to let them get in the way of listening pleasure . that case is just plain lovely. OK JLH CL in circuit and set up process begun. even from cold i can hear a bit more focus and clarity to the sound. not huge but there all the same. so a nice hour of playing music and then re check the voltages. I'll post again with any movement in the TP voltage. mmmmmm sounding just lovely take care |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 14:35:14 GMT
Hi All the first check on TP1/2 voltages revealed the following. 3.7mV drift on the left channel 1.2mV drift on the right channel I've reset them both to zero. by the way I've found that after warming up the amp the CL in circuit has changed the sound more noticeably than i had a first thought. the treble seems more extended IMHO and the overall sound even more focused. Thanks for the reminder Alex it's just warm up time.  back in one hour take care |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 15:37:49 GMT
Hi All here are my two hour TP voltage checks Left Channel 2.1mV drift right channel 1.9mV drift the amp just gets better take care |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 16:26:26 GMT
Hi All
three hour test both channels 0V bang on.
so a week of listening then I'll cut the other supply in for dual mono action.
take care
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 17:43:42 GMT
Hi Chong Good question Mr Chong. i know I'm going to be wrong but it may be fun to guess. ;D my stab in the dark would be well they look a bit like Salas shunt regs from DIYAUDIO with those op amps tucked in there like that:-/ take care |
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Will
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Post by Will on Jan 29, 2011 19:38:30 GMT
Nah, a salas shunt looks like this..  or at least the one in my Buffalo dac does  Have a look here for more info on the Myref_cBy the way Shaun, Your blow by blow account is very good, quite nice to see how the amp settles whilst you enjoy it. A much more enjoyable way to spend the afternoon than painting fresh plaster! I'm really, really pleased that you are enjoying the amplifier. Still lacking pictures though... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 23:22:52 GMT
As I have made different versions of the basic circuit over a period of time, to make the front end balancing easier, I made up a couple of test leads using thin hook up wire, a couple of banana plugs for the DMM end, and a couple of small I.C. clips for clipping to the test points.To help reduce the chance of accidents, I fitted a couple of 10K resistors in the leads, then sleeved the resistors and joints with heatshrink.That way I am able to leave the DMM connected ,and sit the top cover on top to help assist with the warming up process.
Alex
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jonclancy
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Post by jonclancy on Jan 30, 2011 0:31:37 GMT
You lot are too kind!! Thanks for the kind words!!
Yes, this shot was of my MyRefC build. Chong, I'll mock you up a PS board when I get home that will make you smile!
It's taken me a long time to get my head around the metalwork - I used to drill triangular holes and ruin aluminium panels with boring monotony. A modest investment in the right tools and it's a lot easier to ger near perfect results. I think this might require a separate thread, but could be a worthwhile exercise.
Cheers
Jon
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2011 9:32:15 GMT
Nah, a salas shunt looks like this.. or at least the one in my Buffalo dac does Have a look here for more info on the Myref_cBy the way Shaun, Your blow by blow account is very good, quite nice to see how the amp settles whilst you enjoy it. A much more enjoyable way to spend the afternoon than painting fresh plaster! I'm really, really pleased that you are enjoying the amplifier. Still lacking pictures though... Hi Will i did say that it was a stab in the dark  ahhh yes my wife has said that i can do as much DIY as i like. painting the fence, digging the garden, decorating the house and the list is endless. i did say thats not the sort of DIY i had in mind. yes pictures to follow when the pre is done I'll post the two together. I used the results above and the ones i gave earlier firstly for my own benefit. i figure that if someone thinks ''hold up those measurements look a bit off'' then I'll learn something. secondly if the measurements look OK then anyone in the SS inept camp that I'm occupying right now  (can't think of anyone) may find them useful as a reference. any how i think that sharing is one of the nice things about group building. enjoying the amp is an understatement I'm just loving it. i will post some more thoughts on the sound but want to give things a little more time to settle. however i have now solved my door stop shortage problem with some of my less worthy others. the little dot does a particularly fine job in that respect. Hi Jon Yes please to a general build/metal work thread. i ended up needing to drill a 12mm hole into a 10mm front panel for the HA. the strain of it all had the dogs running for cover it's not very often that the subject gets much coverage and a basic how to would be really useful. Hi Alex i did much the same thing when measuring the TP but just used crock clips (I've built whole tube amps clipped together with croc clips) as thats what I'm used to. i think your way looks much better and as you say cuts down on the chances of shorting something out. I'll pick some of those up next time i visit maplins. just to say that the amp measures almost as well as it sounds. it's on full time warm up now and a quick measure of those test points this morning confirms that all is well ( still 0V). i did notice that after adjusting the drift V back to 0V that the noise floor seemed to drop. this has to be the quietest HA I've plugged my cans into so far. when i switched on for the first time and took a listen it was so quiet i thought it was broken. I'm fussy about noise so well done on a great job. it's just a pleasure to be building in the company of such cooooool dudes. i repeat very very little HISS and absolutely NO HUM take care |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2011 9:43:59 GMT
Hi Shaun More than a couple of people have remarked about how the noise floor appears to drop when the front end balancing is adjusted properly, as do most other audible parameters further improve. The funny thing is that this balancing we are doing, isn't supposed to achieve anything according to the "experts".Naturally, their beloved Simulators think this is all BS too. Regards Alex |
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FritzS
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Post by FritzS on Jan 30, 2011 9:58:39 GMT
my two Class A HA PCB's arrived nice boards, very thick epoxy jonclancy - from where did you get this nice case? whats the measurements from it (in mm)? |
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Will
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Post by Will on Jan 30, 2011 10:19:14 GMT
Hi Friedrich,
Thanks for letting me know they've arrived, and good that you like them!
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Will
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Post by Will on Jan 30, 2011 10:22:36 GMT
Hi Shaun,
I'm surprised that you get any hiss, as I get none, even at full belt.
Mind you, I think I remember you saying you were quite sensitive to this sort of thing.
Is this with the K701's?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2011 10:25:31 GMT
Hi Shaun More than a couple of people have remarked about how the noise floor appears to drop when the front end balancing is adjusted properly, as do most other audible parameters. The funny thing is that this balancing we are doing, isn't supposed to achieve anything according to the "experts".Naturally, their beloved Simulators think this is all BS too. Regards Alex Hi Alex What do we know about such things. in my experience simulators are only good for getting to a starting point (I've used PSU simulators in the past that get close to real measurements but no cigar in that respect). the rest is all down skill,knowledge and the ability to trust our ears. not very scientific but those sort of static scientists would have us back living in caves and beating each other with clubs. the explanation would be that ''things can't be better that what we can explain now''. when i was at college we had the same sort of BS from some of the lecturers and it just got boring. time for those types to start pushing the boundaries and stop being so bloody lazy. what would we have now if not for scientists doing what seemed impossible at the time. not much. your amp is just stunningly good so thanks for the loan of it. i have a nice Barossa Shiraz 2008 reserve to open when i go dual mono . (i did manage to take in more than a few wineries while i was out there). the Barossa was interesting in a sort of German Australian way.(but wine is wine right. it has the same spec and components as any other wine) not. take good care Hi Fritz How's it going |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2011 10:39:44 GMT
Hi Shaun, I'm surprised that you get any hiss, as I get none, even at full belt. Mind you, I think I remember you saying you were quite sensitive to this sort of thing. Is this with the K701's? Hi Will Yes special K's are in and sounding very special indeed the hiss is very very low level but just audible if i clear the house of it's occupants and listen very very hard for it. i did have my hearing checked at college and Uni and according to them i have the ears of a 20 year old (if only it was so for the rest of my body which is more like 80) they called me bat ears. that said this amp is one quiet MF which is good as it leaves more room for the music. most of my builds have been tube and getting them to be quiet has been the great battle for me. it's how i stumbled into regulated supplies. the marked difference in sound quality was something i discovered after using regs. i did use the super sensitive HD25-1 to just check on things and found that a few changes to the 0V connections made some difference (but thats just me). so no worries on the quietness front it is just superb in that respect take care hey I've just noticed that my post number is over 100 (mostly gibberish and nonsense).it may surprise you to know that before joining RG I've probable posted less than ten times on any forum ever. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2011 13:09:49 GMT
Hi all I popped out for a paper this morning and when I returned, my wife (who really tells it how it is) was listening to my special K’s and Alex’s HA. Pretty unusual I thought and when I asked she said it was just curiosity. She’s sitting there listening to music and just kept going WOW this is just fantastic. She said it was easily the best thing that I’ve ever built (I’m trying not to feel too insulted ). ‘ ’it’s just so natural and easy to listen to’’ and ‘’that piano sounds so real’’. Her last comment was ‘’this is just a work of pure genius’’ Well I agree with her there. Luckily Alex lives on the other side of the globe or I would be looking for wife No 8 take care |
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jonclancy
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Post by jonclancy on Jan 30, 2011 17:24:56 GMT
jonclancy - from where did you get this nice case? whats the measurements from it (in mm)? Hi Friedrich, I got this aluminium case from eBay seller BiglawHK in HK. GOLD CHASSIS FOR DIY TUBE AMP OR SOLID STATE AMP Lawrence has not got any listed at the moment. In fact, his last feedback was in August 2010, so I wonder if he's not online at the moment. More info here: LL-1925A 433 (481 Front panel) x 123 x 310 Silver/Gold US$70 The chassis are decent quality in aluminium. Brushed finish. I have has a few. On the last one, I had some holes that needed redrilling in the side panels. No problem and doesn't show. A manufacturing glitch, because all the others I have bought in the past have been spot on. Postage from HK will be pricey, and you might be better off ordering a HiFi2000 chassis from Italy (no VAT or Customs Duty to add to the price). IIRC, if you are a member of Pink Fish Media (.net), you will get a discount on these chassis as well. I'll start to pen a HOWTO together for the metalworking. Cheers Jon |
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jonclancy
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Post by jonclancy on Jan 30, 2011 17:56:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2011 0:42:22 GMT
Hi Jon
That would be fantastic.
take care
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2011 0:51:28 GMT
Hi Jon Thanks for the info Jon. I've used modushop for my cases and the service is great (less than a week to the UK by courier). the prices are pretty good and with those discounts even more so. take care |
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Jan 31, 2011 3:52:41 GMT
Luckily Alex lives on the other side of the globe or I would be looking for wife No 8 Wife No. 8? You a rock star ? |
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If we can have more builders to that standard, we can be in a business partnership of customised HAs. Heh, heh, heh ............ 
(can't think of anyone) may find them useful as a reference. any how i think that sharing is one of the nice things about group building.