Pars Posted January 25, 2013 Report Posted January 25, 2013 Yeah, that does suck Greg. I didn't realize these guys were in Downers Grove. I could have run over and talked to them in person for you if I had as that isn't that far away.
Augsburger Posted January 25, 2013 Report Posted January 25, 2013 I appreciate the offer but I wanted to keep the Head Case WMD in reserve , and I would only ask for help if things got desperate. Up until this past December when Hamad didn't ship the amp as promised, I just felt the guys were flakey not Mikal-like.
swt61 Posted January 26, 2013 Report Posted January 26, 2013 That truly sucks. I can tell you that this is a very special amp indeed. Had I known how good, I could have saved some time and purchases prior to now. It is easily the best amp I've heard for the K1000. Even besting my DIY Pass F5. 1
Augsburger Posted January 26, 2013 Report Posted January 26, 2013 Glad to hear this Steve. It is always encouraging to see that someone has found a piece of audio gear that just does everything right. For some reason, though I know it doesn't make sense, luck seems to be a zero-sum game. Someone experiences good luck while someone is experiencing a run of bad luck. A Yin/Yang thing I guess.
luvdunhill Posted January 27, 2013 Report Posted January 27, 2013 Steve, does the gain feel about right with the M22? Also, how much time do you need to really evaluate a new amp for the K1000? The reason I say that, is I have one I'd suspect that would be a fantastic pair with the K1000, and with my time with it so far, I'd say it would really be hard to beat. I think I could try and keep it out when you're around next week to try and listen to it. Heck, I'm considering a pair of K1000 just to try with this amp I have a feeling it would take longer for me to judge an amp though...
swt61 Posted January 27, 2013 Report Posted January 27, 2013 Well, like most any headphone, I suspect the better you're acquainted with the headphone, the less time it takes to evaluate a new piece of gear in the chain. I could hear noticeable differences immediately, and more subtle differences pretty quickly. I'll throw my K1000 in the car.
Absorbine_Sr Posted January 29, 2013 Report Posted January 29, 2013 Steve - I told you you'd like it! Greg, the stuff about Hamad sure does suck. He was a tad flakey when he did my M22, but stuck pretty much to the timeframe quoted and responded usually within a day when I emailed. I think he was about three weeks late getting the amp done, but I didn't think much of it. I'm used to buying Eddie Current stuff so waiting becomes second nature. I'm really sorry you had that happen.
dxLSXIU3 Posted March 8, 2013 Report Posted March 8, 2013 Hi, my first post on this forum. Thanks for the details and pictures! I remember seeing the ads for Series 20 in the hi-fi magazines. They said: "It takes guts to be more expensive than McIntosh." I see that there are a lot of Yamaha power amps that can be run in Class A and are much more readily available! I'd be interested in hearing of any reactions on their use for this application. Thanks!
Tachikoma Posted April 28, 2013 Report Posted April 28, 2013 Woohoo, got a dealer demo set from YJ that allegedly has less than 200 hours on it. Shipping is going to be massively pricey though...
Tachikoma Posted April 29, 2013 Report Posted April 29, 2013 Hee, hope so. Will be trying to drive the O2 with the Sony transformer box and Spritzer's bias board (bye bye T1S).
swt61 Posted April 29, 2013 Report Posted April 29, 2013 Well it drives the K1000 with aplomb, so I have no doubt it will do so for the 02 as well. It also does wonders with my custom two way monitors. There is real magic with this amp!
tjkurita Posted May 11, 2013 Report Posted May 11, 2013 Man, that amp is sweet! Sorry to hear about the problems restoring for some but, wow, what a good-looking piece! Solid-State, too. I like that. All this tube nonsense is getting on my nerves. Anyone using it extensively for speakers? Any load restrictions? What kinds of preamps match well? Maybe put a nice tube preamp like a modwright in front of it... I'd be interested in hearing sound signatures as well (let's get a review, please....). At ~$500, it seems like a bargain.
swt61 Posted May 11, 2013 Report Posted May 11, 2013 (edited) Not exclusively, but I use it with custom built two way monitors w/5" Scan Speak woofers & SB Acoustics ring radiating tweeters. They're moderately efficient, and this amp drives them with ease. I just use my DAC's volume control (volume controlled at the DAC chip), which works very well. Someone mentioned driving Quad stats with the amp, with good results. A tube pre isn't necessary, as the amp's signature is anything but dry. A similar signature to my old PASS F5 (DIY), but I actually prefer the Pioneer. I'd imagine an Adcom GFP-750 pre would be a great match, as you could go passive with a hot enough source. Edited May 11, 2013 by swt61
GTOJim Posted September 14, 2013 Report Posted September 14, 2013 Just picked up an A27 intergrated for $40 in perfect working condition. I was considering having Hamad restore it. Glad I checked here first. Sorry to learn he flaked out on your M-22 restore, glad you got it back.
Aura Posted December 23, 2014 Report Posted December 23, 2014 (edited) This thread is way too awesome and deserved a bump. Just a crazy piece. Is this real life? Edited December 23, 2014 by Aura 3
darkhawk22 Posted July 7, 2017 Report Posted July 7, 2017 Thanks for all the great info. in the previous comments. I just purchased an M-22 a short while ago and did a fairly extensive rebuild myself. I replaced all the Electrolytic Caps and burnished the contacts on all the relays. During the process I accidentally popped/shorted one of the output transistors and had to source a replacement. Once I got the replacement, I re-seated all the main transistors and added new thermal compound and adjusted the idle current and output. The power section of one of the boards gets quite hot so I replaced the Diodes and Ceramic caps there leaving additional space for air flow. Lastly, I added larger rubber mounting feet for air flow and cable routing. 4
swt61 Posted July 7, 2017 Report Posted July 7, 2017 Very nice addition to a retro-cool system. I would think that a little more spread on those speakers would be an improvement in stereo imaging though. 2
mwl168 Posted July 7, 2017 Report Posted July 7, 2017 5 hours ago, swt61 said: Very nice addition to a retro-cool system. I would think that a little more spread on those speakers would be an improvement in stereo imaging though. And maybe move the speakers a few feet away from the back wall too if possible. 2
Aura Posted July 7, 2017 Report Posted July 7, 2017 Hard to choose between my speakers or the amp, but I remain pretty confident 2.5 years later that the M22 is the best piece of gear I've ever owned. 5
swt61 Posted July 7, 2017 Report Posted July 7, 2017 I would regret selling mine if it hadn't gone to such a good home. 2
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