n_maher
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Posts posted by n_maher
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My concern with any goods that come from outside the US has always been what do you do if repairs are needed. Whether it's a faulty power switch, crappy tube socket, etc, what exactly is your casual user supposed to do about it. It's one thing for idiots like me who'll take anything apart to go diving inside but I've met more than a few folks at meets who couldn't recognize the business end of a screwdriver. I'm not saying the equipment can't sound good just that you're up a creek if something goes wrong.
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Mine's been built for something like 4 months now and I still haven't even fired it up.
I've got way to many have finished projects these days! -
Not gonna happen, unless I get one for my work rig which is highly unlikely.Here's hoping you getting one, Nate.
I should have a new DAC by the next Boston meet assuming it doesn't happen in the next 4 months. All I can say is that it'll be DIY, balanced and, well, evil.That way, I'll be able to listen to it at a next local meet. I've been thinking of going back to using a stand-alone DAC, but I've got bunch of SACD's I love that makes doing so bit difficult. -
As far as stuffing the pcb is concerned it doesn't get much easier. If you've got the basic tools (DMM, iron, etc) it's only a few hours work. But as with just about anything DIY the devil is usually in the casework.
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I've always been put off by the cost of entry with Larry's woody stuff, not that it isn't great looking. But even with the Grados unless you're really after one-off headphones it would seem that you'd be better off just buying a pair of used RS-2s. The Senn Woody's never made a damn bit of sense to me.
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It's hard, I've had them in a couple of my amps and definitely like them and certainly found that they sound better than your average alps blue but in the beta22 there was just wasn't enough range. Heck, listening to my HF-1s last night while reading I was at a half-click on my RK40 which is a detented continuous pot. They do tend to look the business though...
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Well according to my sources (not Tyll
) the timeline to bring these two products to market is not long. I wish I could share more but I lack the proper clearance and don't want to spoil the fun that will be Saturday's unveiling. And like I said, if you listen closely to the podcast (Tyll's part is early ) you'll get an idea of what's going on. -
There might be something in the single-ended realm coming down the pipe worth considering. I figure most people won't get what they're hearing when they listen to the Head-Fi podcast so I'll sneak it in here. Headroom went ahead and made a standalone DAC, actually they made two. This should all be confirmed with the unveiling of the prototypes at the National Meet this weekend.
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Jpak,
Did you get in touch with Todd (skullguise)? I almost sent you a PM when I saw his TT listed for sale.
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The last time I noticed there was discussion about all of the following:
R10's
K340's
K501's
K1000's
GS1000's
I'm sure there are more but I try not to pay close attention to it.
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My favorite little trend is how every headphone now has at least two versions, the bass light and bass heavy.The sad part is this is what Head-fi has come down to for some time now.
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I have to admit that I find nothing lacking the presentation of my SS amp with Grados or otherwise.
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Would something like the Bel Canto PRE3 work for you?
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I run a couple of setups. (see updated sig)
SB3 as a standalone (much better now with a new linear, regulated PS)
or
SB3 --> Denon DA500 DAC
or
Denon DVM 3700
Don't get me wrong, they all sound pretty damn good but I've unfortunately been spoiled by hearing a couple of really nice rigs in the last year. I'm currently working on plans for a standalone DAC to couple to both a CD transport and the SB3. I hope to have it done some time mid-summer. And for the record I'd qualify just about any of the sources I've heard in the sub-$1000 bracket as mid-fi so it's not really a dis on the Denon gear.
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I love it, I just wish I had a better than Mid-Fi source for it. Soon enough, soon enough...
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Grado certainly does repairs and that is probably your best bet for getting them fixed.
Sorry to hear of your troubles, I can't say for sure what might have happened since you rolled all the tubes at the same time (right?). The only thing that sprang to mind is that I've heard it's a very bad idea to roll in cold tubes in combination with warm ones, but even then I'm not sure it would have caused what happened.
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I nominated you ages ago (July 16th), but the powers that be haven't activated you yet. I'm sure it's just an oversight.Can i have access to 'The Casino', por favor?
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As far as I know the only choice in your price bracket will be Hammond enclosures (from the likes of Angela, Partsconnexion, etc.) and whether or not it qualifies as "nice" is debatable. I'm using one for my Aikdio project but it certainly won't be staying stock.
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Haven't had a chance to do much in the way of comparative listening yet with the digital out but it can't hurt. There are certainly those that would claim that it helps but there are also those that say that transports don't matter at all. I can say that it definitely makes a difference with the analog output, with the stock power supply it was pretty bad. With the new supply performance seems much better and nearly on par with the DAC that I'm currently using.Very nice Nate. Is there improvement using the SB3 as a digital transport?
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When I found out that amb had designed a single-rail version of the σ22 power supply I thought it sounded just about perfect for my Squeezebox3 power supply project. Here are the preliminary results. This PS is actually for a friend but mine will be very similar with just tweaked casework. If you want more info on this PS have a look here.
I did just a little testing tonight and the new PS definitely seems to have helped the anemic base that the SB3 DAC has with the stock PS. More on that later when I can back to back it with the DAC I'm currently using.
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So does the above imply that you'll be giving Mr. McAlister a little public roasting? I can't imagine paying for something and then waiting as long as you did only to have to rebuild the item.
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I think what postjack is looking for is a passive stage so that the only amplification would be via his headamp. Most traditional "preamps" have an active stage.
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They aren't that hard to build...
I've got way to many have finished projects these days!
Why is the Wheatfield so hard on tubes?
in Headphone Amplification
Posted
Pete (Dusty),
Did you ever end up opening your amp to have a look inside? I had noticed a bit of low level hum with my Wheatfield and after talking with Mr. Millett we'd narrowed it down to a couple possibilities all of which involved visual inspection. Opening the amp was no problem (8 torx screws) and what I found inside was definitely worth the time.
That's the primary power supply filter cap and it's pretty much ready to blow. We think that the amp was probably exposed to some sort of over voltage event during its life. I'm going to replace it along with the other 3 electrolytic caps in the power supply along with a resistor. I'm also going to change out the primary transformer which should help the amp run a little cooler.
So if your amp is still chewing through tubes it might be worth having a look under the bonnet. If you do let me know what you find.
Nate