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Originally Posted by V-DiV
 Rolotube, your Bijou must sound awesome. As you say, I am finding that going from the merely functional (casing) to the esthetically pleasing may be the hardest part of the whole project.
Amphead, you're really getting into a machine shop mindset. When are you going to start taking orders for custom knobs? Funch, YGPM. |
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Originally Posted by rolotube
However, the most striking aspect of the Bijou to me is its extraordinary ability to resolve detail. I have never, ever heard anything do this so well. Individual instruments are separated from a group or orchestra, & then what sounds like 3D space or "air" is created around them. Voices, particularly female, are projected & seem to float above the accompanying instuments. I'm hearing detail & subtle nuances in many of my most played recordings that I've never heard before. I notice yourself, regal & others have mentioned this as well in earlier posts. I suspect this is an inherent characteristic of the design, rather than solely the use of esoteric components. Good quality parts may help, but they are only part of the equation. A total absence of fatigue (& reluctance to switch it off!) even after long listening sessions is another outstanding quality of this amp.
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Originally Posted by rolotube
However, the most striking aspect of the Bijou to me is its extraordinary ability to resolve detail. I have never, ever heard anything do this so well. Individual instruments are separated from a group or orchestra, & then what sounds like 3D space or "air" is created around them. Voices, particularly female, are projected & seem to float above the accompanying instuments. I'm hearing detail & subtle nuances in many of my most played recordings that I've never heard before. I notice yourself, regal & others have mentioned this as well in earlier posts. I suspect this is an inherent characteristic of the design, rather than solely the use of esoteric components. Good quality parts may help, but they are only part of the equation. A total absence of fatigue (& reluctance to switch it off!) even after long listening sessions is another outstanding quality of this amp. |
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Originally Posted by rolotube
Thanks amphead.
Lathe looks nice. No doubt your builds will be stunning both aesthetically & aurally once you get the hang of this beast. I greatly admire the effort & imagination that has gone into many of the builds shown on both this & Headwize forums. I've always subscribed to the philosophy of "form follows function", so whilst they always work well enough, my projects could only be described as utilitarian in appearance. I'm working hard on changing my philosophy to produce more aesthetic builds in future! Breadboard wasn't exactly part of the plan. Both amp & PS fitted very neatly on the two diecast boxes when using the stock caps. With two thick cables joining the chassis, the whole rig looked cool. But the robust dimensions of the Tubecaps, as well as the Hammond choke, presented a space challenge that was insurmountable with the original build. The current set up is temporary, a "proof of concept". Before committing to larger chassis, I wanted to be certain the Tubecaps were worth the effort & expense of a new layout & build. I'm now convinced they are. Compared to the electrolytics, the Tubecaps have tightened up the sound significantly, especially the bass. Before, there was an abundance of it, possibly too much. At times, I thought it may have been a little flabby. Now it is still there, perhaps not quite the with extreme extension that there was, but it is much tighter, more controlled & ultimately, less fatiguing. However, the most striking aspect of the Bijou to me is its extraordinary ability to resolve detail. I have never, ever heard anything do this so well. Individual instruments are separated from a group or orchestra, & then what sounds like 3D space or "air" is created around them. Voices, particularly female, are projected & seem to float above the accompanying instuments. I'm hearing detail & subtle nuances in many of my most played recordings that I've never heard before. I notice yourself, regal & others have mentioned this as well in earlier posts. I suspect this is an inherent characteristic of the design, rather than solely the use of esoteric components. Good quality parts may help, but they are only part of the equation. A total absence of fatigue (& reluctance to switch it off!) even after long listening sessions is another outstanding quality of this amp. Perhaps yourself or someone else could shed some light on a question I have regarding the output & bypass caps, C5&6. I replaced the stock items with a 200uF Tubecap & 1uF Jupiter Beeswax/Paper respectively. There was an immediate & less than subtle improvement in the soundstage & focus of instruments & voices. My rationale for the change is that 1) film caps are supposed to be better in such positions than electros, 2) Mundorf make a reasonable quality film cap, 3) earlier posts led me to believe that a value significantly lower than 470uF wouldn't necessarily compromise bass response, especially when feedback isn't used, & 4) I read some very good reviews of Jupiter caps in bypass situations. My question is, is there anything to be gained by retaining a high quality bypass cap with a good quality film output cap i.e. is it redundant? Are there contraindications for bypassing a film cap with a paper dielectric one? Would there be any danger in removing it for a trial? Comments & opinions would be most welcome. Thanks. |
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Originally Posted by pabbi1
Sorry I can't add anything on the caps, but I am so glad to hear someone else appreciate the 'air', space and resolution this amp provides - especially balanced. Fishski had it for a while (not sure about his current status), but this is just mesmerizing for the most part - and hearing everything in the music is somewhat startling in that it is so foreign - takes a bit of getting used to. And, that is without the Regal mods, and using the cheap Russian tubes.
That all said, it is an acquired taste, that many simply do not seem to care for. I dig it, but it takes time to appreciate what it does. |
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Originally Posted by pabbi1
Sorry I can't add anything on the caps, but I am so glad to hear someone else appreciate the 'air', space and resolution this amp provides - especially balanced. Fishski had it for a while (not sure about his current status), but this is just mesmerizing for the most part - and hearing everything in the music is somewhat startling in that it is so foreign - takes a bit of getting used to. And, that is without the Regal mods, and using the cheap Russian tubes.
That all said, it is an acquired taste, that many simply do not seem to care for. I dig it, but it takes time to appreciate what it does. |
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Originally Posted by runeight
Thanks for the very nice comments rolotube. It was this quality that I heard right away with my prototype unit. And this amp is not as good as the ones you guys are building.
Capacitors are funny things and the way people respond to them is also very subjective. For the most part bypassing a bypass cap with a film cap shouldn't really change anything. But, I never really know how anyone will respond to these kinds of changes. |
