Connecting your source directly to a power amplifier

[wuwhere]

Quote:

I dont know about those products, but the Aleph was supposed to be a 'giant killer' - unfortunately, I can only go on what Ive read. 

 
Have you ever read an Aleph amp compared with an old CJ MV-75 amp? Search for MV-75.
 
http://www.high-endaudio.com/RC-Amplifiers.html

 

[estreeter]

OK - thanks for the tip - will chase that up. Knowledge is power when it comes to the hype machines at Stereophile and TAS.   

 

[wuwhere]

As far as audio, I think the 90's was where it was at. Just my opinion.

 

[estreeter]

That definitely beats the timelines on the gear in my favourite thread - the Vintage Receivers thread. The 80s seems like they were a graveyard for so many things, from musclecars to US manufacturing to audio. 
 
I read that article/rant you linked to, and I want to thank you for making my Sunday afternoon immensely enlightening and entertaining. The 'Apogee/Krell' anecdotes alone are solid gold - I laughed so hard at one stage that I may have cracked a rib. 
 
I'm still digesting a lot of it, but I would note that the CJ gear in Oz is expensive, new or used. From the tone of that article, its not hard to find good used Conrad Johnson kit from that era in the US for reasonable money - not so here. Anyway, I love the fact that the author is prepared to debunk a lot of the brand cultism based on his extensive experience - he must really ruffle some feathers !
 
Apologies to everyone reading this, but I just have to paste in this section from his Krell/Apogee anecdotes - ignore it if you must:
 
 
Eventually, Bloom, coming out of the tent once again to change the music, noticed me. He knew me from previous years, when I virtually begged him for the line, but he always politely turned me down, insisting that Krell dealers had first priority, and I wasn't a Krell dealer, in the past, or then. Bloom turned down the volume, greeted me by name, and asked me what I thought of the sound of the system. With everyone in the room now looking at me, I gave him a generic, non-committal response: "It was good". Bloom frowned, and apparently disappointed with my lack of enthusiasm, pressed me, in front of everyone, to tell him exactly what I "really felt". Now I felt that I had no choice but to be totally frank.
 
So I replied with the best of my modest diplomatic skills: "I hear some good things, but I'm mainly hearing the Krell electronic sound, which I don't like". Then I added (since I was in for a penny, so why not a dollar): "I wish I could hear the speakers with different electronics." Bloom was silent for a few seconds, as his face quickly turned red, and then he shouted at me: "That's ********, ********! You don't hear any Krell sound because Krell doesn't have a sound!" With the room then so silent you can hear a proverbial pin drop, and with my heart pounding, I calmly replied that "Krell does have a sound. It's dry, gray, lean, electronic and mechanical. I hear it every time, including now, in this system." Bloom shouted "********!" one more time, put on some music, and left the area to go back into the rear tent, theatrically closing the flap door after he entered

 

[Mauricio]

Very interesting, estreeter.  It seems that you are coming around to my way of thinking and philosophy.  Vindication, it seems, is mine once again...In any case, I know that I "don't belong around here", but this piece of affordable, passive kit used by the pro/studio crowd might be of interest to you:
 
TC ELECTRONIC Level Pilot

 
 
A competent DAC with digitally-controlled analog variable line output can be had for as little as $600.
 
The fears of a rogue signal blowing up your active monitors is largely unfounded.  First, because one typically keeps the active monitors at moderate/medium gain.  A rogue full line signal will produce a loud level, but nothing close to the limits of the monitors.  Two, because active monitors--the good ones, at least--have volume limiters that prevent just that, damage by a rogue signal.  If you've got more questions, feel free to ask, seeing that you and I may for once see eye-to-eye on something.  Cheers, Mite.
 
For your budget, I'd put the Focal CMS65 and Neumann KH120 on your to-audition list.

 

[estreeter]

Is this the part where I run from the room shouting 'Bull***, Bull**** !'  ?  

 
Mauricio, the universe is a funny place - its inevitable that two shooting stars like ourselves will intersect once every thousand years or so. And I think you meant to type 'Mate', instead of  'Mite', although the Indonesian version of English does boast its share of odd pronunciation. Thanks for the heads up on the DAC  or, as they say in Bondi, terimah kasih. 
 
PS I wont be buying anything larger than a portable amp until I move to Thailand in early 2014, I'll wave as the plane flies over Jakarta en route to paradise. 

 

[wuwhere]

In audio, there are two camps. The ones who believe in faithful reproduction of the recordings and the ones who believe that audio reproduction should be a musical pleasant experience. Its just a matter of picking your poison.

 

[Mauricio]

Funny you should mention the pronunciation.  I wrote it as many Aussies themselves pronounce it.  Funny again, you should be talking about paradise for I am there already.  I live in Bali (not in the bogan-infested south, of course), mite...

 

[estreeter]

I've been to Bali exactly once, and have no plans to go back - agree 100 per cent about the bogan infestation, but you don't want to go there with me. I've already gotten into trouble for suggesting that we sterilise entire suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne. You need a license to drive a car in Australia, but absolutely nothing to father a child. 
 
@wuwhere, I urge you not to get Mauricio started, or a very productive thread will end up in Sound Science with the ODAC/O2 threads .....  

 

[obobskivich]

I think the overall discussion about "passive v active" is overblown - you can get good results with either option, and after you've gotten good results it really stops mattering (there is no "sound") - active is probably cheaper.

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
@wuwhere, I urge you not to get Mauricio started, or a very productive thread will end up in Sound Science with the ODAC/O2 threads .....  

 

I think I've said enough off topic.

 

[Mauricio]

Quote:

... I urge you not to get Mauricio started, or a very productive thread will end up in Sound Science with the ODAC/O2 threads .....  

 
No, no, no.  No need to fret.  That was all from me (this time).  I'll take my leave now, and let you high rollers continue talking about the big-ticket, top-of-the-end kit.  Cheers.

 

[estreeter]

Toodles and may your Hindu Gods go with you.

 

[Donald North]

Thanks, when I launched the Sonett I wanted the amplifier to look fun and engaging to use and continued this with the Stratus. Reaction has been very favorable towards the blue color and overall styling. For volume controls I considered stepped attenuators, but didn't select them because they normally start out too loud (not enough attenuation at the lowest setting) and have subsequent large jumps. In contrast the Alps and TKD pots attenuate down to -70dB before switching off. If I were to do a stepped attenuator with just 24 position, I would do one custom with fixed 3dB steps. I would prefer a 48 position with 1.5dB steps.
 
Regarding active versus passive preamps, I originally used active preamps in my speaker system. Around 11 years ago I got some new power amps with higher than normal gain (around 32dB). With my 95dB sensitive speakers, I could hear background hiss noise. I traced this to the tube preamp with 12AX7 tubes, which aren't the quietest. I then bought a Creek passive preamp and found it sounded better than expected (for years I was thought that passive preamps kill dynamics and the life of the music). Inspired by the good results with the Creek, I then sought out the Audio Synthesis Passion Ultimate which used fixed Vishay series resistors and optically-controlled variable shunt resistors. It sounded even better. One of the reasons why I chose both the Creek and then the Audio Synthesis was their remote control function.
 
A friend got on loan a home made autoformer attenuator made by Dave Slagle of now Intact Audio. It had incredible bass and sounded more alive and engaging than the Passion Ultimate. Then another friend got on loan the Audio Consulting Silver Rock TVC and I was sold! The sound was as clear and immediate and dynamic as the best active preamps I've heard in my system. It wasn't remote control and after many requests Serge finally sold me the transformer modules and I built my own, as described in the earlier post.
 
 
Quote:

 
Hi Donald,
 
      I know that your MoT status means you have to be diplomatic, but do you think this whole 'active vs passive' thing is overstated ? You have kept the retail price of the Sonett within reach of many Head-Fiers for quite a few years, so I'm assuming you didn't have to buy (and solder) the aforementioned expensive Vishay resistors simply to give your customers an attenuator. Appreciate your input, btw. 
 
Thanks,
 
PS Congratulations on the Stratus, and on daring to offer tube amps in something other than black or silver casings. 

 

[estreeter]

Thanks Donald - at close to 4K for a secondhand unit (seller claims it was 9k new), I can see that the Silver Note was a 'cost no object' undertaking. Short of a Lotto win, that will have to remain with the Levinson and Meridian kit in the unattainable-but-desirable category. 
 
OT, but Levinson's ML-2 reportedly puts 400W into .5ohms, has 'unlimited' current delivery (?) yet each mono amp is rated at a mere 25W into 8 ohms. Extrapolate that to a headphone amp and Levinson could have built an immensely powerful '1 Watt' headphone amp but it would have cost ~30k new. I'd imagine that it would have paired very well with your Silver Note.