Corda HA-2, best amp for less than $600
Jan 22, 2003 at 5:00 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 45
Jon7

Jon7

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Thinking about the Corda, don't want anything from Gilmore (like my cases purty)

Headroom according to you guys don't fit the bill.

Anybody else, or is the HA-2 supreme

Any opinions on OTL 32 or something from sonic realities.
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 5:42 PM Post #2 of 45
which headphones are you gonna be driving?
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 6:34 PM Post #4 of 45
Quote:

Originally posted by Jon7
Oh yeah, HD 600, stock cables


With stock cable (don't have it any more to test it) it could be too laid-back I guess. The HA-2 i a very smooth amp, clearly on the warm side.
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 7:07 PM Post #5 of 45
Quote:

Originally posted by JaZZ
With stock cable (don't have it any more to test it) it could be too laid-back I guess. The HA-2 i a very smooth amp, clearly on the warm side.


[EDIT:]

On the other hand: I just tested it with some mediocre sources (MD and MP3), and it sounded great, even with the «stock cable simulation» in form of a 2 dB treble decrease...
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 7:46 PM Post #6 of 45
The Corda isn't exactly pretty, I think it's just an industrial looking hammond case. I'm sure antness would be willing to build you a gilmore with a different enclosure of your choice.

It'd be nice if Jan would sell prehead circuit board.
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 8:00 PM Post #7 of 45
Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me
The Corda isn't exactly pretty, I think it's just an industrial looking hammond case. I'm sure antness would be willing to build you a gilmore with a different enclosure of your choice.

It'd be nice if Jan would sell prehead circuit board.


The Corda cases (all of them) are quite a bit sturdier than the Hammond cases used for DIY amps. The face plate is also professionally done--and the HA-2's faceplate is thicker than the HA-1's.

I don't see much advantage to selling the Prehead board since he uses surface mount jacks and pot such that the layout pretty much has to go the way it is anyway.
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 8:02 PM Post #9 of 45
I like the Corda look!
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 8:06 PM Post #10 of 45
Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me
So there's no way to build a a prehead with a stepped attenuator?


Not conveniently with this release anyway. I think to add one might require cutting the board and running wires because of the poximity of the faceplate to the board. I wish this option had been considered in the design as I'd prefer a stepped attenuator myself. (But I like the sound of the Prehead with a pot more than other amps with stepped attenuators so despite this shortcoming, it's my current favorite dynamic amp.)
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 8:10 PM Post #11 of 45
I don't know what the height is of the Corda box (internally) but I know that you need about 36mm height, off the PC board, for the DACT stepped attenuators.

Jon,

The next version of the Gilmore amp will use a more professional case
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 8:12 PM Post #12 of 45
Perhaps Jan will update the board to offer that option in the future. I'm looking for a new amp, but I'm having a hard time figuring out which I want as I haven't heard either. I'd like a custom prehead simply because it uses AD8610 opamp. (I'm quite fond of the signature of my ETA42).

I'm hoping for another design to come out.

antness - the stepped attenuator I'm interested in is the Goldpoint Mini-L with vishay resistors.
http://www.goldpt.com/compare.html
 
Jan 22, 2003 at 8:35 PM Post #13 of 45
You could always request to Jan to sell you an assembled board, maybe without the potentiometer. I believe his reason for not selling kits is the complexity of populating the board. If he sells kits/boards, then he would also have to provide a lot of support for those people.
 
Jan 23, 2003 at 4:51 AM Post #14 of 45
Quote:

Originally posted by antness

The next version of the Gilmore amp will use a more professional case
smily_headphones1.gif
[/B]


When might the next version be available? Any significant changes expected from the current design other than the "more professional case"? Approximate addition to the existing cost? Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks.


JC
 
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