Single Power ES-1 configuration

[Elephas]

I found a post by "morphsci" listing his ES-1 options in his thread titled "Custom ES-1 about to find its new home" on that other site.

1). Power Transformers Plitron Custom Toroidal

2). Cardas Silver Solder surcharge

3). Cardas Audio Wiring

4). Audio Note Silver Foil in oil coupling capacitors

5). 4 Channel GoldPoint Attenuator

6). Solen Plate Voltage Input Capacitor

7). Black Gate Power Capacitors Stage I

. Black Gate Cathode bypass capacitors ES

9). Dual Umbilical cord upgrade for maximum separation

10). Quad Regulators for maximum separation

Other than these options, plus maybe some extra inputs and preamp outputs, what other options would be nice to have?

I'm starting configuration from a base ES-1 so there's a long way to go.

I will be using the ES-1 with the HE90, Stax SR-007 Omega 2 and Stax 4070.

[philodox]

Not that I have anything against the ES-1, but have you considered the new Blue Hawaii SE that Justin is putting out? Looks like a nice amp.

[tkam]

I really wouldn't bother with the AudioNote caps, V-caps will be just as good and will cost a hell of a lot less.

[Elephas]

I was thinking about the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE and communicated with Justin about it. I'm worried that it will run very hot, though.

I'm still very tempted. Hmm...

I really wouldn't bother with the AudioNote caps, V-caps will be just as good and will cost a hell of a lot less.

Yes! V-caps it is.

[Guest sacd lover]

I found a post by "morphsci" listing his ES-1 options in his thread titled "Custom ES-1 about to find its new home" on that other site.

1). Power Transformers Plitron Custom Toroidal

2). Cardas Silver Solder surcharge

3). Cardas Audio Wiring

4). Audio Note Silver Foil in oil coupling capacitors

5). 4 Channel GoldPoint Attenuator

6). Solen Plate Voltage Input Capacitor

7). Black Gate Power Capacitors Stage I

. Black Gate Cathode bypass capacitors ES

9). Dual Umbilical cord upgrade for maximum separation

10). Quad Regulators for maximum separation

Other than these options, plus maybe some extra inputs and preamp outputs, what other options would be nice to have?

I'm starting configuration from a base ES-1 so there's a long way to go.

I will be using the ES-1 with the HE90, Stax SR-007 Omega 2 and Stax 4070.

There is no Solen Plate Voltage Input Cap. That is a mistake on Moon Audio's website. As for long waiting times that certainly has been true. But, I have an amp in for upgrades and he is getting it back to me possibly this week. The very high end amps are extremely time consuming and that is what slows him down. But, he has nearly all of them caught up. So .... might be the best time to order one.

[kevin gilmore]

I was thinking about the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE and communicated with Justin about it. I'm worried that it will run very hot, though.

each heatsink dissipates 20 watts. The heatsinks are more than large enough Almost double the size of the previous heatsinks.

The rest of the chassis runs very cool, and the power supply just a bit warm. The tubes run as hot as tubes normally run.

[Icarium]

Hrm even with the new heatsinks the Blue Hawaii is still going to heavily warm up a room right? As the heat dissipates into the air?

[kevin gilmore]

Hrm even with the new heatsinks the Blue Hawaii is still going to heavily warm up a room right? As the heat dissipates into the air?

Do you really think that the ES-1 is going to be any different. Some versions of the ES-1 use absolutely the

same output tubes, and same number of them. If you bias each tube at 10 watts (half power), plus the power of the load

resistors, plus the power for the filaments and the efficiency of the power supply, no matter what you do you

are at 100 watts or so of total heat dissipation.

Which is nothing compared to a big audio research, or atmasphere amp, which dish out at least 800 watts of heat.

[909]

if you do purchase from SP just order something very close to the base model es-1 or get the most reasonably priced upgrades. Mikhail will inevitably give you a short build time and when he misses a deadline (probably would happen more than once too) you can complain and indicate your desire to cancel and he'll throw in some free upgrades to appease you.

[Icarium]

I have an ES-1 and the chassis isn't hot anywhere. The Power section feels cool at worst the audio section feels warm but definitely not hot as I could rest my hand on it indefinitely. The tubes are also touchable and not painful hot though warmer than the audio section. It would only warm my room if I had the bedroom door closed but even on a Californian summer day as long as I left the bedroom door open it would not be appreciably hotter than any other room on the top floor of my house.

The stories I've heard about the past Blue Hawaiis is that they were the hottest amps ever eclipsing the dynamight which was already in the too hot to touch for a significant amount of time territory. I heard the air around the tubes was very very hot as well. The hottest amp I had touched to date has been the Zana Deux which was much less hot than either the dynamight or the blue hawaii (Or so I was told).

Now the new Blue Hawaii sounds like it has much better chassis cooling, but basically what I was asking was whether or not the new version will dissipate the same amount of heat as the old one over all. My concept of what improved heatsinks provide is that it will better diffuse the heat into the air more efficiently which will allow the chassis/internals to be cooler yea? But if it still generates as much heat period as the old version, then it would be hard for me personally to live with such an amp in a place with hot clime unless you run the air conditioning like mad.

[909]

air conditioning is for pussies

[Icarium]

Pfft we live in California! What if I lived in.. god forbid Florida or somewhere tropical

I can't afford to be sweating into my headphones if I ever need to sell them!

Though yeah I'd imagine air conditioning could potentially encroach unfavorably on listening environment :/ True audiophiles would never use such a thing.

[909]

i couldn't live without heating and a/c anywhere even So Cal. where i currently live we are within a few miles of the beach so we get a very nice offshore breeze, which typically keeps the area 1o* to 15* degrees cooler than downtown or the valley.

but i use the a/c like mad and would have a difficult time moving into a very humid climate. and that pussies comment is from your folks.

[n_maher]

The tubes are also touchable and not painful hot though warmer than the audio section.

Something doesn't sound right there, every tube I've ever come across, low or high-votage, has run hotter than I'd ever want to touch.

[tkam]

Maybe he means the bases? If its a tube with a plastic base it's very possible that the base wouldn't be terribly hot to the touch. If he's talking about the glass though, then yeah something seriously wrong there.

[Icarium]

Hrm weird I've touched both second stage/driver tubes before. Not like for long periods of times just accidentally brushed across them reaching for various things. They didn't feel like they burned me unlike when I've touched my SDS tubes in operation. No idea. I've touched my Yamamoto amps tubes before in operation but its a hybrid amp I think if that makes a difference. Maybe when I touched the ES-1 tubes it was for a realllyyyyy brief amount of time, too brief to register the pain unlike when the SDS tubes burned the shit out of me.

P.S. That's right, socal is whack I forgot.

[909]

fruits and nuts, but whack is reserved for those on the east coast.

[Icarium]

If it wasn't for the heat and the terrible water!

[kevin gilmore]

Lets say you are using el34's (6ca7) the filament power is about 8 watts, and the plate power is 8 watts

PER TUBE. If you can hold your hand to the glass part of that tube after it has been on 10 minutes, then

something is clearly wrong with you because i just measured the outside temp of the glass bottle to be

about 165F. Does not really matter who makes the amplifer, and for what purpose, but anything with

6ca7,6080,kt88,6550... I dare you to touch any one of those with the power on.

[Icarium]

Hrm yeah maybe I'm in the wrong. If the two amps produce similar amounts of heat that's cool.

[909]

turn it on, heat it up, and touch it

[Icarium]

Packed up for shipment ;p

[Elephas]

I think I'll stick with just a few upgrade options to keep costs down and hopefully a faster delivery date. I doubt I'll ever hear another ES-1 outside of attending a meet in the US, so ignorance will be bliss. Maybe if I keep the upgrades low enough I can also go for the Blue Hawaii SE.

Waaah, kevin gilmore posted in my thread.

Did you guys know I was in love with him and Justin for the great sound of the O2+KGSS? Yes, I posted this in the thread "An electrostat noob's Stax O2+KGSS..." in that other forum.

Amp designers and builders are probably the ones most directly responsible for our auditory happiness.

[Dusty Chalk]

You're not the only one -- that's some of the best sound I've ever heard.

[909]

doesn't the es-1 have to be fine tuned? at the last so cal meet i hosted Mikhail needed to bias the es-1 to get it to sound spot on and i don't believe it was a new amp just one a regular head-fier brought to the meet.