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Major Surgery Revives 35 Year Old Amp


agile_one

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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. 

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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.

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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...

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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.

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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.

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  • 1 month later...

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!

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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.  

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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 by swt61
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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.  

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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.

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