Rudistor with Omega II. - Page 4

He doesn't. But he designes them, offers it to the public for free, and people make them....like the headamp with the KGBH. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually the contradiction is in the fact that in the quote I provided you challenge someone (who I understand does not own the amp) to produce a schematic of one of Rudi's amps to make a direct comparison with a competing product, while in this thread you argue that only people who own one of Rudi's amp should be qualified to know (or have) what the topology/design is.

Oh, boy, I am sure many are asking that very same question....

This is the very crux of the issue and I appreciate this part of your post. But what you are saying here is *very* much different to what is implied in the quote I provided:
-On the quote I provided you express your concern with many "probable" reasons as to why the reviewer is writing what he is writing. And the irony of it all, is that all you are trying to justify is why someone else's opinions/impressions differ from yours. Didn't you read his first paragraph?
-You have been around audio long enough to know all reviews are subjective. I did not get the feeling the reviewer was trying to argue otherwise. In fact he clearly states those as his impressions early on his writing.

The Apache is built better with modern construction techniques.
I did not say it would sound better. The Apache has an opamp as the
front end and a pair of output transistors with lots of feedback.
The rudistor has opamps as the front end and a pair of transistors in
single ended mode with a resistor as a current sink and no feedback.
(x2 for both). So one is balanced push pull, and the other is balanced
single ended. The harmonic signatures and distortion products are
going to be very far apart between these two.

Furthermore an apache in balanced mode vs unbalanced mode is likely
to sound similar. The same cannot be said of the rudistor, as in unbalanced
mode the rise and fall slew rates are very different, and so is the thd.

In my opinion neither of these amplifiers is a good value for the money.
You would be much better off with a dynahi, B22 or dynafet.

I don't build anything for sale. Once in a while i do build stuff for trade
but those trade items are usually rare, very specific and would make
no sense for a normal person. Last time was about 17 months ago and
the trade items were a stack of perfect condition electrostatic microphones.
With power supplys, cables and original wood boxes.

Kevin,

Thanks for the views. Interesting. Actually I have been listening to the RPX-100 in single end more than in balanced mode. I do find the listening experience quite pleasant to my taste. Unfortunately, I won't be able to also listen to the Apache A/B and so can't really compare.

F. Lo

In the interest of clarity, particularly for those newer on the scene who may not know who is who and what the rules are here, it's worth pointing out, with all due respect to Mr. Gilmore, that unlike other manufacturers of amps, because he does not actually build or sell amps himself, he is allowed to make certain kinds of arguments and statements in threads like these that other designers are simply not allowed to make. In that sense they need to be taken for what they are, and with a grain of salt. Of course, Kevin prefers his own designs, that should not come as a shock.

Kevin is passionate about his designs, and why shouldn't he be? He has strong opinions that he voices forcefully, but just because he's weighed in, that doesn't mean it's the end of all thought and discussion on the matter at hand. Because of Head-Fi rules, other designers unfortunately aren't allowed the same freedom he enjoys here to provide responses to him or to even criticize Kevin's approach to this or that aspect of his own amps. That doesn't mean that responses couldn't be given, or that Kevin's designs are above reproach.

If allowed, each builder whose designs Mr. Gilmore critcizes could certainly come in here and provide the board with a myriad valid reasons for why they chose to do what they did. There are many ways to skin a cat as they say. If there was only one "perfect" design for a headphone amp, we would have only one on the market (and wouldn't that be boring?). We are lucky to have so many gifted designers, such as Kevin, Ray, Mikhail and Rudi to provide us with a *choice* in headphone amps that suit our ears and systems.

Viva la difference! The proof is in the listening. Though I haven't heard one of Kevin's amps, I have heard a couple of Rudi's and they're the best I've heard to date.

Thanks markl for the timely jam Your points well taken and agreed.

Just think that both Phil Larocco and Jack Woo should also be honorably mentioned as well

F. Lo

and Dr. Meier and the guys from HeadRoom.

Ofcourse, and Xin too - for the road warriors :-)

That is true but you need a good foundation of experience to know what you like, what to listen for and if the sweet sounds a transducer is making are true or false. The truth is most people buy with the common goal that higher price is equal to a better product and a lot more do not understand how a component works so they believe the BS the manufacturers spew. It's when you hear a component that is so clearly superior and you understand why that is that things snap into focus.

Ooops, I should have mentioned Graham Slee and Norbet Lehmann as well They are great designers too

F. Lo

Actually, Mr. Gilmore's comments raise more questions about Mr. Gilmore than any other designer since he is targeting the other designers. Usually, THE BEST gets targeted by those who only wish they could accomplish similar results. I say this not knowing Mr. Gilmore outside of what I have read here so take it only as far as this thread is concerned.

The DIY world is great but it is a tiger by the tail. I understand why many engineers would rather build their own stuff but I am more likely to avoid those who insult the designs of other engineers. Mr. Gilmore DOES have a brand to promote, it's his brand, whether he decides to profit from it now, or some other time...professionalism is still important to me.

You should search around b/f making that comment. KG is legendary for a reason.

Search...hmmm. Please don't tell me to search. I made an observation of his comments in THIS thread. I thought was clear on that.

He isn't targeting other designers but only highlighting what could be better. If you are only selling mid-fi equipment then feedback, unimaginative tube choice and opamps are accepted but when you are selling high en gear at very high prices then none of this is acceptable and neither is bad build quality, switchers in the psu, bad grounding and shielding methods to name just a few. If somebody want to read up on opamps there is a great mini-rant by the head designer at Ayre in the newest Stereophile.

While I agree that bashing other people's products isn't a nice thing to do, it's not like Kevin Gilmore just jumped in and started bashing Rudistor for no reason. There was already a heated argument about Rudistor products when he came in to provide some corrections. He might have gotten a little carried away towards the end, but Sovkiller was spewing insults as well.

I don't own anything designed by Kevin Gilmore, nor do I own any Rudistor products, so I will not say anything about the sound of these amps. From what I can see, this is just an argument between one of the biggest contributors to DIY and a MEMBER OF TRADE. Sovkiller is going to have to do better to convince me that he's not arguing for the sake of personal gain, and that Kevin Gilmore is wrong.