spritzer

The 009BK was always the TOTL unit so they might just be moving to that direction. For me they were always the best 009's by a mile too

It is pretty much impossible to find the split volume controls but the quad RK27 pots are out there and they are a drop in replacement. You will need a new knob for it though.

The XLR mod doesn't change anything really, if there is a sonic improvement it really depends on the source if the different outputs are handled differently. The XLR just doubles the input voltage (though that is not set in stone either). To do the mod, just remove the resistor which grounds the gate of one half of the input fet and copy what's on the other gate.

If you have some transformers floating around, it would be simple enough to make a cheap linear supply to try out. Add some beefy caps in a CRC or CLC setup...

Shorting due to the flux becoming conductive over the years?

The mains traces are pretty close together and close to the output on the bottom so you might run into issues with that. I would at minimum move them to the other side of the board and add slots to further isolate them.

Why Stax does anything... is always up for debate but now they have gone into full bastard mode with 100V only transformers being sold in Japan. Not impossible to swap out the transformers but an utter pain.

Yup, pull it out and set it to 117V and it will work perfectly. Also, top tip... remove that 100V sticker and see what is underneath...

I've never seen a T1 or T1S without the voltage selector. Have you removed the bottom panel and looked?

I have my own custom made teflon ones in stock but not listed on my site.

Yup, adding capacitance is always a bad idea.

Yeah, the used prices are pretty nuts.

I also like the plastic stick on bumpers on the electrolytic caps so they don't short to the bottom panel...

I was sent this and it was posted on SBAF so one can expect the level of discourse over there: There is so much here that I don't even know where to start. First off, they claim this circuit is "unique"...well it isn't. Old as the hills this one, same as the old TubeCad stuff, the Rudistor amps, the prototype Schiit built, that Trilogy H1 piece of shit and I've been building similar amps for the last 15 years. Stax also released something similar in the 60's so no...not unique. The amp circuit is simple and works well enough for a cheap amp so nothing wrong with that. I also like that they used a CCS on the front end (though they claim it is on all stages but that's not true) but my issue is with the PSU and the bias supply. What an utter clusterfuck.... The circuit requires a bipolar PSU so with a center tap transformer the bias supply can be a bit tricky but simple to solve really. I just don't understand what the hell they did with that delay circuit. It's just adding tubes because... tubes? Makes no sense at all. The bias supply seems to be driven off a tap for some reason. Also, those ballast resistors look like RN55 units and they are nowhere near adequate for the job. Smaller issues, twisted output wires are a no no, not sure what's up with those output "sockets" and an unregulated heater supply is never a good idea. Still I like the colors. Might have to do something like that...

As it sits now, this will be a step down from the 252S.

I love the look of that Denon amp. Class A too...

There were pictures of him in a robe preaching to us mere commoners so yeah...

Funny enough I was buying some din plugs for the Monolith electrostatic headphones at the local store this week. They only found the metal ones and asked why I was insisting on the all plastic units... 😂

First time I heard it I wondered if Cavalli was on crack... then I saw his websites where he was a "leader of men"...

It's been quite a while since somebody has come in and told us to just ignore everything even close to negative because it "sounds good". Sure, good for you but those of us who have been here a while know that was also said about other amps which turned into an absolute clusterfuck so yeah, keep that in mind. So a couple of things things, this amp doesn't swing enough voltage to really work. Even the SRM-252S has +/-250V rails and that is really the absolute minimum for this role. Only the utter dog turd that is the SRM-D10 uses +/-200V rails but then again, the off the shelf opamps it uses can't handle any more. Now the issue is just how much volume are you using and is the amp clipping. Setting aside the issue of headroom, can the amp handle normal transient swings? Second, what does it bring to the table that a SRM-353X doesn't do and better?

Minus bias has often been tried and well... it never works. Enough issues with electrostatics even if they aren't a magnet for dust. Next step would be a whole new output stage for that amp to minimize the output capacitance as mosfets just don't work in this role. Drop the load resistors for a CCS and the amp should perform a whole lot better.

The bias supply is also the incorrect polarity and I for one would completely redo it. It has enough headroom to regulate it or do a better voltage divider and a dedicated ballast resistor on it. The output devices are also mehhh at best. Output capacitance is 106pf which means the output of the amp is higher than the headphones. The Cob should be as low as possible so this is a problem and will severely color the sound. Think Cavalli Liquid Lightning

It wouldn't surprise me that this comes from JR Audio. Same crappy wiring as they use and other silly build ideas. They have also been cloning my amps in the past.

This one came to an end this week as I finally got round to turning the amp on and testing it. Busy summer and all that but here is what this should have been in the first place: Old school KGSSHV build only using the input sockets on the back, that swanky gold IEC and the volume control. The rest was all garbage...

The ESP6,7 and 9 were all single ended so the amp won't like that at all if you've somehow connected the back stators together. You can isolate them though as I did back in the day on my esp6's.