ANK EL84 Amp
Jan 27, 2022 at 8:26 AM Post #3 of 17
Hoping it will sound good - banking on the C core Output transformers doing their thing. Might take time to get used to the Dual attenuators.

So far there have been several hiccups with missing parts and discrepancies in the manual. ANK has come through to supply missing parts.

I'll post some pics after I finish the amp board.
 
Jan 27, 2022 at 10:44 AM Post #4 of 17
Cool looking forward to it. The dual attenuators were the only thing I didn't like about the design. I'd probably just switch it to a stereo Khozmo myself. I don't really see what would be desirable about listening with the volume louder in one ear than the other. That being said I have some NOS mono black velvets in my stash should I ever understand the value :wink:
 
Feb 4, 2022 at 11:52 PM Post #5 of 17
Looks awesome but, as you mentioned, pricey for a kit.

At 11 Class A WPC I’ll bet it wouldn’t take but a few adjustments to make it a great amp for tweeters in a biamp loudspeaker set… or, for that matter, tweeter handling over 3.5kHz in a quad-amp setup like mine. Does it run the EL84s as triodes?
 
Feb 7, 2022 at 2:18 PM Post #7 of 17
I was under the same impression that it was an enhanced L1 EL84 for headphones. The chassis needs to be drilled? That's a bit disappointing as it should be ready to go. You should see if Brian can give you some free caps or something for the inconvenience.

There might be a way to modify the unit for a strapped triode switch but probably best to build it and test it stock first. With EL84s the difference isn't as pronounced as in other tubes ... at least in the amps I've tried it with.
 
Feb 7, 2022 at 5:24 PM Post #8 of 17
Looks awesome but, as you mentioned, pricey for a kit.

At 11 Class A WPC I’ll bet it wouldn’t take but a few adjustments to make it a great amp for tweeters in a biamp loudspeaker set… or, for that matter, tweeter handling over 3.5kHz in a quad-amp setup like mine. Does it run the EL84s as triodes?
Output transformers say they are 50 ohm output, which would make sense for headphones.

Might not work well for 4 or 8 ohm tweeters.

Also, for that money, you would think they would drill the chassis. But after I saw who ANK was, knew why it was so much.

Randy
 
Apr 10, 2022 at 2:20 AM Post #9 of 17
Is there any update on this project? I am thinking of buying this kit as well.
 
Apr 11, 2022 at 9:53 AM Post #10 of 17
I have the ANK up an running (can post a pic later). All voltages checked out on first power up. No hum however there is some hiss w/ efficient HPs like Grado and Utopia. with less efficient HPs there is no hiss at all.

It has no problem driving the Susvara at all.

I think I like the Dual attenuators - not really a hassle setting volume and I like the flexibility to adjust the stage. It will be easy to drop in a stereo attenuator in the future If I decide to.

It is a fairly easy build however there were several issues that came up during the build process that made this one much more of a challenge than the Elekits and Bottleheads I've done in the past.

I can report more on sound after everything settles in.
 
Apr 11, 2022 at 11:14 PM Post #11 of 17
If you have time to report on the build issues I'd be interested to learn more. If you'd prefer not to share I also understand. You can potentially add a second output with inline resistors for efficient HPs to reduce the hiss/noise. That was a little trick with the Millett Jonokuchi and Grados.
 
Apr 11, 2022 at 11:53 PM Post #12 of 17
Thank you for your update. Indeed I am thinking of building this amp for my Susvara. I had built a Beta 22 (full balanced version) and it drives my Utopia beautifully. The sound is very neutral with great dynamics. Yet with the Susvara, it sounds lame with a lack of impact. System matching is therefore really important.

Talking of DIY, I built a 300B based preamp with a headphone output a few years ago produced by Transcendent Sound ( https://www.transcendentsound.com). The model is called The Masterpiece. It is priced reasonably and they have a great support forum as well. Bruce the owner is a very nice guy.

I bought this kit with the intention of using it as a preamp buy much to my surprise, the headphone output works so well with the Utopia.....it's really better than any h/p amp that I have had the opportunity to come across (including expensive amps from Woo Audio, Eddie Current and definitely the Beta 22). One really needs to listen to this combination to appreciate why OTL amps have so many die-hard followers.

This is a challenging build....no PCB, everything is hard wired. One word of warning though, this is NOT a universal h/p amp. The Utopia goes so well with this amp because of it high efficiency and the happen-to-be-so-right impedance. It works well enough with my Ether but not at all with my HD800 (high impedance). Forget about the Susvara! If ever I have only one choice, I would happily live the Utopia/ Masterpiece combination.

As a final thought, for $2.5k, I believe ANK should have come up with a more 'complete' product so builders shouldn't have to encounter 'issues' during the build process.
 
Apr 12, 2022 at 6:47 PM Post #13 of 17
This jumped the radar with other preoccupation but is now on the way.
 
Sep 2, 2023 at 11:52 PM Post #15 of 17
I have the ANK up an running (can post a pic later). All voltages checked out on first power up. No hum however there is some hiss w/ efficient HPs like Grado and Utopia. with less efficient HPs there is no hiss at all.

It has no problem driving the Susvara at all.

I think I like the Dual attenuators - not really a hassle setting volume and I like the flexibility to adjust the stage. It will be easy to drop in a stereo attenuator in the future If I decide to.

It is a fairly easy build however there were several issues that came up during the build process that made this one much more of a challenge than the Elekits and Bottleheads I've done in the past.

I can report more on sound after everything settles in.
Can we see the pic of the amp
 

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