Anyone used the ASL UHC Signature impedance-matching device between amp and K-1000?

[rickcr42]

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The thought of mathematics makes me allergic...

Me too man.I wing it whenever possible to avoid the migraine

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I guess I'll just have to try the setup and see how it all works out (imagine that)!

Works for me ........

 

[Nospam]

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Originally Posted by rickcr42 ...Mini-Rant : That is a real shame.Even though not applicable here with the AKG (you really have no need for it since the K1000 connects directly to an amp) it was only a matter of time since it was far too cheap and was not flashy enough.No Fanboy clubs...

Very true. However, I'd say that a lack of convenient distribution channels was also a factor.

I originally came to this site looking for something like the UHC. However, the only distributor I could find was in NE Canada. I never got a clear answer as to whether or not it would do what I wanted, but I thought I'd take a chance and order one anyway. I was willing to deal with having to snail-mail him an order form (what's so difficult about setting up an online ordering system???), but paying something like $40 for shipping was just too much. If it didn't do the job, I'd be out $80

I wasn't about to go through all that and pay that much shipping if they couldn't give me a straight answer as to whether or not it would work for me. I ended up finding something else that did the job (probably not as nicely, but "good enough") for less than half the price locally.

 

[rickcr42]

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I wasn't about to go through all that and pay that much shipping if they couldn't give me a straight answer as to whether or not it would work for me. I ended up finding something else that did the job (probably not as nicely, but "good enough") for less than half the price locally.

kinda off topic (a specialty of mine

) I think it was part audio snobbery and no small amount of turf protection that added to that lack of availability.
The ASL products as a group are not that hard to obtain and even reviews are plentiful but NOT for this particular device which as far as I can tell has only been reviewed here and that to a small degree.Why is this ?

MINI-RANT V-ll :

It is my thought it is too simple,too elegant,a solution that makes too much common sense for many and would seriously bite into the headphone amp sales and headphone amp reviews if the "dirty little secret" were allowed out.There is also the "how do i mod the XXX" crowd who would be bored with such a device there being no oppurtunity for tube rolling,opamp rolling,capacitor swaps,etc.They NEED to screw with something to justify purchasing something they are not happy with.these attempts mostly by the clueless following the afvice of some with even less of a clue.You need to know the "why" of a thing and know what makes it tick before you can make it better.throwing money at it is no better than putting makeup on a 75 year old prostitute and calling her a goddess

So this simple non assuming device does as advertised and because it is dirt cheap,because it does not have any precious metals or fancy metal work,because it leaves very little room to "screw with it" and has not much internally to "hype" as cutting edge technology and finally because it cuts into headphone amp reviews and sales is doomed in an indusctry that needs hype to justify the price of high end gear.
The Fanboy/FOTM month crew that droools obver amps never heard and only becuase the "look really cool".no matter there is suspect engineering or average sound they will convince you that if you throw another $500 in mods at it you will have sonic bliss.

For me personally there is no C-note (that would be $100 for you youn pups

) dedicated headphone amp that provides equal or better results if music quality is the goal and the UHC is hooked up to a good amp.Something most already have "in house"
This device regularly betters any and all simple single-stage single-opamp based designs I have used and is the equal of many serious attempts at a real headphone amp and I am keeping mine "in system" even though i have a couple of very expensive amp floating around (DIY all out assaults

).

Ever wonder why there are no top notch speaker/headphone resistor based devices out there ?

A-unless it was wrapped in a flashy (read overpriced) cabinet and with $300 connectors no one would take it seriously so it would not sell but IF it used the above to "fluff" up the price the justification would be "why pay that when I can buy an amp for the same price" even if the amp soundly beat by the simple resistor matrix on the proper amp.

B-If built and sold "honest",kept under $100 it would be both not taken seriously by the crew who need to have status symbols rather than good sound AND would be attacked by those too insecure to deal with the fact that maybe it is their amp that is lacking in direct 1:1 listening tests.

As usual YMMV and this is just my personal opinion but it is based on many years of listening and dealing with the hype meisters who until i wised up talked me into buying some seriously crapty gear over the years just on the word of reviewers and the ad copy.My "budget" system in the 70's whipped the crap out of much of what I was conned into buying over the years until I wised up and tossed "fashionable" in favor of "music".

 

[nblis]

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Originally Posted by rickcr42 kinda off topic (a specialty of mine ) I think it was part audio snobbery and no small amount of turf protection that added to that lack of availability. The ASL products as a group are not that hard to obtain and even reviews are plentiful but NOT for this particular device which as far as I can tell has only been reviewed here and that to a small degree.Why is this ? MINI-RANT V-ll : It is my thought it is too simple,too elegant,a solution that makes too much common sense for many and would seriously bite into the headphone amp sales and headphone amp reviews if the "dirty little secret" were allowed out.There is also the "how do i mod the XXX" crowd who would be bored with such a device there being no oppurtunity for tube rolling,opamp rolling,capacitor swaps,etc.They NEED to screw with something to justify purchasing something they are not happy with.these attempts mostly by the clueless following the afvice of some with even less of a clue.You need to know the "why" of a thing and know what makes it tick before you can make it better.throwing money at it is no better than putting makeup on a 75 year old prostitute and calling her a goddess So this simple non assuming device does as advertised and because it is dirt cheap,because it does not have any precious metals or fancy metal work,because it leaves very little room to "screw with it" and has not much internally to "hype" as cutting edge technology and finally because it cuts into headphone amp reviews and sales is doomed in an indusctry that needs hype to justify the price of high end gear. The Fanboy/FOTM month crew that droools obver amps never heard and only becuase the "look really cool".no matter there is suspect engineering or average sound they will convince you that if you throw another $500 in mods at it you will have sonic bliss. For me personally there is no C-note (that would be $100 for you youn pups ) dedicated headphone amp that provides equal or better results if music quality is the goal and the UHC is hooked up to a good amp.Something most already have "in house" This device regularly betters any and all simple single-stage single-opamp based designs I have used and is the equal of many serious attempts at a real headphone amp and I am keeping mine "in system" even though i have a couple of very expensive amp floating around (DIY all out assaults ). Ever wonder why there are no top notch speaker/headphone resistor based devices out there ? A-unless it was wrapped in a flashy (read overpriced) cabinet and with $300 connectors no one would take it seriously so it would not sell but IF it used the above to "fluff" up the price the justification would be "why pay that when I can buy an amp for the same price" even if the amp soundly beat by the simple resistor matrix on the proper amp. B-If built and sold "honest",kept under $100 it would be both not taken seriously by the crew who need to have status symbols rather than good sound AND would be attacked by those too insecure to deal with the fact that maybe it is their amp that is lacking in direct 1:1 listening tests. As usual YMMV and this is just my personal opinion but it is based on many years of listening and dealing with the hype meisters who until i wised up talked me into buying some seriously crapty gear over the years just on the word of reviewers and the ad copy.My "budget" system in the 70's whipped the crap out of much of what I was conned into buying over the years until I wised up and tossed "fashionable" in favor of "music".

Dude: did I ever say I liked your attitude? Ok, Ok I did. Now the real question. I have been intending to get myself a quality amp. It may be an el34 based amp, or it might be one of the Pass Aleph amps, or his new f3 firstwatt amp. What these things have in common is that there is no heaphone jack. Now, are you saying that with the UHC I will be as good as it gets based on the amp I buy. BTW, I own Senn Hd-650 and right now I use them with my Fisher 400.

Man, I like your attitude.
Noel
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/newre...ply&p=1727780#

 

[rickcr42]

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Now, are you saying that with the UHC I will be as good as it gets based on the amp I buy. BTW, I own Senn Hd-650 and right now I use them with my Fisher 400.

The Fisher if I am not mistaken uses EL-84's for the output stage and this is a seriously nice sounding tube for headphone use (currently working on a 7189 SE headphone amp which is a EL84 substitute

).
The EL-34 has a similiar but not not identical harmonic envelope and is a more powerful tube.A well received (and reviewed) EL-34/6L6/KT-88 dedicated headphone amp is the DIY Supply kit amp so could be a good choice though my previous experince with the UHC and my only EL-34 amp was not a good one due to amp limitaions (Dynakit MK-ll monoblock)

Where this gets a tad sketchy on whether the UHC is or is not a good solution is all about amp front end noise.
Many times when an amp is designed for loudspeaker duty what passes for acceptable hum or hiss levels used with a transducer you listen to from a distance (the loudspeaker) will be totally unacceptable used with either high efficiency speakers which will magnify any problems by being critical in the extrmeme or with headphones which by coupling so closely to the ear pass this on directly with no room ambient noise or air to dissapate the anomaly.Normally not audible while music is playing (the hiss,hum if present is ALWAYS present) so the test is to choose a quite amp or live with hiss between songs if you want to use it for "double duty".

Once that is out of the way yes.The UHC should pass on the harmonics of the amp pretty much intact allowing the nature of the amp/headphone mating to be heard.The ASL device adds zero noise so what you get out is what you put in and even with not the best amp will stick kick the crap out of any single opamp headphone amp and most two stage opamp/buffer amps just on "GRUNT" alone

 

[Michael G.]

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Originally Posted by rickcr42 I think you will find the Decware severely underpowered for this particular application,especially in the mid to low bass which will make your cans sound overly bright being mid-high dominant.The real test is to try it and since you already have the amp in hand nothing to lose .Audio gear has a way of breaking hard-and-fast rules more often than not so everything is worth a shot if only to satisfy curiosity. Pete Millett has an ECC99 SRPP amp on his DIY pages designed specifically for the K-1000 that has a 300mw output but is capable of 12 volts ! DIY Hi-Fi Supply has an EL-34 headphone amp that is about 2 watts and is reported to work well also so anything is possible.:

BTW Rick, today my Decware SE84C was delivered and I quickly hooked it up for the test, putting my favorite system torture-test in the CDP (Bjork's 'Homogenic' - track 1). The mids and the highs were awesome, and while the mid-bass was quite impactful and clear the amp distorted pretty badly during the powerful synth bass lines. However, I would not say there was any terrible tonal imbalance to speak of - just doses upon doses of eye-popping clarity up and down the spectrum, until clipping/distortion time arrived. On less dynamic recordings the amp performs quite well up to moderate volume levels. This amp must be a sensational performer with sensitive loudspeakers! I anxiously await the arrival of the UHC device to find out what kind of sound will happen with the UHC/amp interface in place. If none of this ever works that well with the K-1000's, then I'm hoping the Decware/UHC combo will at least make an eye-popping headphone amp for my Grados. We'll see...

 

[nblis]

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Rick Once that is out of the way yes.The UHC should pass on the harmonics of the amp pretty much intact allowing the nature of the amp/headphone mating to be heard.The ASL device adds zero noise so what you get out is what you put in and even with not the best amp will stick kick the crap out of any single opamp headphone amp and most two stage opamp/buffer amps just on "GRUNT" alone

Thanks for the information and suggestions. You been very helpful to me and Michael G.

thanks again,
Noel

 

[rickcr42]

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Michael G However, I would not say there was any terrible tonal imbalance to speak of - just doses upon doses of eye-popping clarity up and down the spectrum, until clipping/distortion time arrived.

Just ran out of headroom but was well worth a shot.The only way to know a thing is to experience it and this in particular will be a nice addition to the "search engine" knowledge pool.With less dynamic music,say stricly acoustic small venue performances (soloo acoustic guitar and vocals etc) this may be all the amp some will need for the AKG.

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This amp must be a sensational performer with sensitive loudspeakers! I anxiously await the arrival of the UHC device to find out what kind of sound will happen with the UHC/amp interface in place. If none of this ever works that well with the K-1000's, then I'm hoping the Decware/UHC combo will at least make an eye-popping headphone amp for my Grados. We'll see...

I have never actually heard this amp but the SV-83 output tube is in reality a Russion version of the EL-84 and since this tube has been used very successfully over the years for both speaker and headphone use your findings not surprising

For background reading :

http://216.87.144.102/svetlana/TechB...pnoteNo.29.asp

With Grados or any other dynamic cans I think you will like what you hear and will have eliminated the need for an additional amplifier if you use the amp for dual speaker/headphone duties.The combo should,if you like this tyoe of sound,present a smooth "analog" type harmonic structure reminiscent of the OPA627 (for solid state comparison) but with better control and drive in lower regions rather than the etched "digital" type of harmonic structure so many love until they hear the alternative.
My personal feeling is music has enough natural "life" and the eletronics need to get out of the way.Just increase the volume level and control the transducer (headphoones or loudspeaker) not add artificial exirtement which may sound lively at first but over time gets on my nerves.For many this means learning how to listen all over again when their whole "audio life" was one of low to mid quality digital mated solid state circuitry.Discovering sounds in the background rather than having these same sounds take artificial precedence is what brings a smile to the rickmonsters face

Hint-shoot for speaker efficiency in the 96-104dB SPL range and if possible single driver so you eliminate the crossover from the range where music lives.Latwer if you feel a need to "omprove" on this sound move to adding a supertweeter (misnomer,actually a true tweeter

) at the top end and a separately amped dipole sub.The beauty of this type of system build is you get the true content of music and as your finaces allow take it to the next level-full audible spectrum bliss

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Thanks for the information and suggestions. You been very helpful to me and Michael G.

My pleasure.it is these types of discussions that keep me coming back to Head-fi

Rickamundo

 

[Michael G.]

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Originally Posted by rickcr42 ... Hint-shoot for speaker efficiency in the 96-104dB SPL range and if possible single driver so you eliminate the crossover from the range where music lives.Latwer if you feel a need to "omprove" on this sound move to adding a supertweeter (misnomer,actually a true tweeter ) at the top end and a separately amped dipole sub.The beauty of this type of system build is you get the true content of music and as your finaces allow take it to the next level-full audible spectrum bliss... Rickamundo

I see that Decware is now offering two new speaker models that are designed to help show off the full potential of almost any low watt SET amp. Both models are "crossoverless", using only a single capacitor to integrate the mid and high range drivers. The $649 DM 944 standmount has one woofer and a planar ribbon tweeter. But the other model is what looks really interesting to me. The $849 MG 944 passive-loaded transmission line floorstander looks like a lot of speaker for the money. In addition to having two front-mounted midrange drivers and a planar ribbon tweet, there is a down-firing passive woofer hidden in the bottom of the TL cabinet. Both speakers are 94 db sensitive.

 

[rickcr42]

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I see that Decware is now offering two new speaker models that are designed to help show off the full potential of almost any low watt SET amp. Both models are "crossoverless", using only a single capacitor to integrate the mid and high range drivers.

Couple of points.

The decision on how to choose a speaker to mate up with an amplifier needs to begin at music taste and room size plus how near or far you will be from the speakers.Even a good minimonitor will struggle if you put them in a big room so what may work well in the nearfield may be a disaster at a more normal listening distance.same with larger cabinets.If the speaker drivers have close spacing you can sit close but if widely separated you need to get some distance or they will not image correctly.the cross between the woofer and tweeter will not yet have taken place when too close to certain designs.something to keep in mind (listening distance/amplifier power/ cabinet design)


without actually looking at the speaker pages I can add that a capacitor IS a crossover though only for the tweeter to protect it from trying to reproduce bass frequncies.the fact that there is no low pass filter coil on the woofer can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how good the upper frequency response of the particular driver is.
With some it gets a bit raggedy up in the higher octaves which makes for some harshness in the sound.usually not easy to detecty as the cause because this is not a blatant thing but just an aggravation on some music.Best bet is to get the model number of the drivers used then google up everything you can find and do your homework.way better than strictly buying "blind" if an audition is not possible.
not slamming the designs which may be truly nice speakers but tossing out some useless information just because

options ? How are your woodworking skills ?

Ever consider a "semi-kit" type loudspeaker ?

Nice tidy mini design :

http://www.bottlehead.com/loosep/S.E.Xy%20speakers.html

bit more expensive full size full range

http://www.bastanis.com/us/products.htm

How about a total DIY attempt ?

http://melhuish.org/audio/DIY.html

 

[Michael G.]

Thanks for the suggestions, Rick. One thing I know about the Decware speakers I've mentioned is that they were designed to work well with Decware SET amps. So long as the buyer has the saavy to place them in the proper environment, they should work pretty well with low-powered amps form most any manufacturer. Decware products are sold on an in-home trial basis. If you buy and find out they don't work out for you within the trial period, you can return them for a full refund. I don't mean to sound like a shill for Decware, but I must say I am impressed by this company's commitment to customer satisfaction.