square wave

[CD44hi]

Anyone here has one of these singlepower solid state amps around?  I know they were made in a balanced configuration?  I remember at some point there were a few units around

[SeaWolf]

Spritzer take/fix of it is offered in the mjolnir audio site ATM.

[EdipisReks1]

I have a balanced SQ that KG fixed. It belonged to Headphone Addict. It really sounds very good, but the split volume pots is a pain. 

[CD44hi]

Jacob, that is more or less the type of unit that I am looking to check out. If you ever think of parting with it, hit me up, we can go from there.

Thanks.

[kevin gilmore]

the singlepower squarewave definitely does not like low impedance loads (50 ohms) making it balanced causes even more trouble.

very few of the balanced versions were built, and they are balanced out only when balanced in, and depending on the power brick, they burn up real easy.

[spritzer]

Go power bricks!!!  We should post some of the internal pics of the SS-1 now... 

[CD44hi]

Thanks Kevin, yes if I get to try one, I was planning to use the Senn HD650 or HD6XX. Regarding power, that I have no idea [emoji12]

 

 

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[kevin gilmore]

here is why you probably don't want one unless its dirt cheap. you will need to add heatsinks, not easy, and fix all the acetate failure

 

[CD44hi]

Not much room in there for heat sinks, I see.


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[mwl168]

Looks to me that room for heatsink is the least of the problems.

[purk]

But it has blackgates!

[Hopstretch]

Good times!

[kevin gilmore]

no servo so blackgate output caps on a solid state amplifier taking 1/3 of the board space.

yep, great idea

[purk]

I did remember that the SQ wave also had a horrible USB DAC section.  It was a pretty harsh sounding DAC.  The giant wall wart was a good selling point for $1500 amp.

[spritzer]

We need more SS amps with output caps.  Who doesn't like the sound of electrolytic caps in the signal path? 

[JimL]

Yes, but they're EXPENSIVE caps.  Expensive caps add audiophool credibility! 

[Craig Sawyers]

Black Gate caps have not been available for a decade or so. Rubycon used to make them for Jelmax; I think there is graphite powder in there. Rubycon decided that their business model, in making capacitors by the billion did not match making small numbers of boutique parts for the audio industry, and pulled the plug.

Actually they pulled it twice. First time, they were persuaded to continue. That lasted a year or two, and then goodnight Vienna.

So any NOS Blackgate caps out there have been sat on a shelf for at least ten years. And if they are recent, they are fakes.

And dontcha just love vertically mounted resistors. I haven't seen that  sort of thing since TV's in the 1970's.

[kevin gilmore]

to save space I sometimes do vertical resistors.

but everything else is wrong with that amp.

[wink]

Cavalli's eXsTaTa had vertical resistors..... 

[Dusty Chalk]

Do you think the electrons do more work going up and down, fighting gravity?

[JimL]

On 12/12/2017 at 10:03 PM, wink said:

Cavalli's eXsTaTa had vertical resistors..... 

That was the least of its problems. 

[wink]

Being designed by Cavalli at the cheapest possible price was priceless.

Who else would design a power supply for beginners that could not be operated without a load, or else POOF.....!!!!!! Instant junk.

On top of that, the load resistors were specced so that they could not be left on too long as the output voltages were adjusted.

Now, imagine a newbie doing the adjusting and being a little slow.

Result, resistor overheats and goes open circuit. That side of the supply is now in no load condition and hence, blows.

Just what a newbie builder needs to turn him off DIY.

All this for the sake of a few extra parts. Marvellous logic there......  

 

[spritzer]

I remember when they dismissed my comments about that back in the day, goes to show why the whole cult aspect of Cavalli was so stupid.  Nobody called him out on his stupidity and lord knows there was a lot of that going around... 

Another bit were the input devices, needing to match those not just into pairs but to a specific range.  How that was a good idea in a budget amp is beyond me...

[luvdunhill]

Another bit were the input devices, needing to match those not just into pairs but to a specific range.  How that was a good idea in a budget amp is beyond me...

I will defend this one as I do it a lot. Picking JFETs that don’t need degeneration is optimal. It’s done in more than one commercial design as well, such as the First Watt J2.

Now, the other shit I can’t defend

[JimL]

Then there's the input diff amp with resistors in the tail in the eXstatA - because it's cheaper than a current source and almost as good, according to Cavilli - which was duplicated in his LL because...who needs a little more expensive and better, for a spare no expense SOTA amp for big bucks?

Edited December 14, 2017 by JimL