[rickcr42]

Quote:

This isn't just my experience. Over at the Bottlehead forum, the first thing the Doc blames when things come loose is a cold solder joint.

that would be a severe case.You can have a cold joint with good mechanical integrity but p*ss poor electrical integrity.There ARE degrees to this as in all things.

i worry more about the ones that are not so obvious that the part pulls loose.The one is easy .the "hidden" ones can make you pull your hair out if you have any

 

[mdr10#1099]

I have a simple yet perhaps practical suggestion: Why doesn't one of the Singlepower owners so adamantly defending against these questions take the time to open their own amp (SDS, Maestro, or whwstever), and post their own photos of the layout and construction, as acorrective of any misimpressions? They say that a picture is worth a thousand words...

And hopefully you aren't simply afraid of what you might find...?

If no one can post more positive facts, that is in itself fairly damning evidence, I would think.

 

[GlowWorm]

You know the thing I can't understand is why the manufacturer didn't take more time and care in the internal layout of his amps? What, did he really think none of us fanatical audio geeks were not going to take a peek under the hood to see what it looks like or something? Also as others have already stated it seems like a potential nightmare if there needs to be any future servicing done?

 

[vanillawafer]

I would open mine up, but I'm asking Mikhail to take it back and refund my money. Obviously the internals do not match what is described in the about section of his website, and that really concerns me. Please someone else who ownes one of these amps post some pics. I don't understand why everyone is hiding the internals of this amp if "We incorporate the best methods of construction possible, regardless of cost or labor intensiveness."

 

[PhilS]

Does anybody have any insight why he haven't heard anything from Mikhail? Is he around? It seems odd that he has been silent, and this in itself can create a negative impression, perhpaps unfairly, perhaps not. Frankly, I really want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I think many others do also, but this is getting a little odd, especially when people are talking about returning amps. I mean, that could start a stampede in the worst case scenario. Perhaps there is an explanation for his silence, however. Does anybody actually know anything (as opposed to merely wanting to speculate) regarding his lack of response?

 

[KZEE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver A friend recently bought an MPX3 this is his feelings on the issue.

Ummm, why does your "friend" feel the need to express his feelings about Singlepower products through you, braillediver, instead of posting them on his own? Does anyone else smell a rat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver i have lost a lot of respect for the so called amp gurus on this web site who have pushed the singlepower line so much. they are basically fanboys who have lost all rational thought. i can't believe that these so called hifi amp experts weren't curious enough to open it up to see what made it tick!

I've never, ever heard a Singlepower enthusiast on this web site represent themself as an amp guru or hi-fi expert... so why would you distort the truth with such a claim? And why the all the hatred for Singlepower enthusiasts?

 

[vanillawafer]

I am giving Mikhail the benefit of the doubt and in my email to him I asked him to explain, and I also asked him if he would refund my money if based on his explanation I was not satisfied. I think that is fair.

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Speaking as a professional engineer and having submitted products for approval and worked through the approvals process, IMHO I would think it very unlikely that any accredited approval engineer/test authority would consider the construction techniques acceptable to even consider starting to apply the prescribed tests of a particular standard. The "easiest" test would be IEC/CSA/UL 60950 (IT equipment which will eventually incorporate audio) and I would advise the manufacturer to obtain the standard and work through it. It is about 450 pages long. The emphasis is on SAFETY in all aspects. Creepage and Clearance (electrical strength) is probably going to be a problem with this layout: For example, demonstrating in production that insulation distances can be maintained. One of the many other things tested is heating, and going on the pictures alone I would suggest components should be laid out taking into account temperature rises above ambient in all possible locations of use (i.e. Las Vegas - Nevada Desert area gets very hot). Please do not take European CE self certification lightly - things do not need to go wrong to be investigated. A jealous manufacturer could simply report it to Trading Standards (don't look at me - I'm not a tell-tale). The penalty for the person bringing it in to the EU in order to sell it is, (or it was when I was CE rep for a UK manufacturer) £2,000 plus 6 months imprisonment. It is not a civil matter but a criminal act to be in breach of CE. At least by demonstrating safety through the approval process you have a good line of defense. Also consider that Canadian dealers are inspected at random - anything which is to be connected directly to/or involving high voltages (and that means valves I'm affraid) not carrying a valid CSA or UL certificate leads to an on the spot $5,000 fine and confiscation of all the offending apparatus. It has been rumoured that the USA is to follow suit. As for DIY that's a different story, but kit manufacturers would be advised to check their obligations. Just friendly advice

 

[vanillawafer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Scarlet Speaking as a professional engineer and having submitted products for approval and worked through the approvals process, IMHO I would think it very unlikely that any accredited approval engineer/test authority would consider the construction techniques acceptable to even consider starting to apply the prescribed tests of a particular standard. The "easiest" test would be IEC/CSA/UL 60950 (IT equipment which will eventually incorporate audio) and I would advise the manufacturer to obtain the standard and work through it. It is about 450 pages long. The emphasis is on SAFETY in all aspects. Creepage and Clearance (electrical strength) is probably going to be a problem with this layout: For example, demonstrating in production that insulation distances can be maintained. One of the many other things tested is heating, and going on the pictures alone I would suggest components should be laid out taking into account temperature rises above ambient in all possible locations of use (i.e. Las Vegas - Nevada Desert area gets very hot). Please do not take European CE self certification lightly - things do not need to go wrong to be investigated. A jealous manufacturer could simply report it to Trading Standards (don't look at me - I'm not a tell-tale). The penalty for the person bringing it in to the EU in order to sell it is, (or it was when I was CE rep for a UK manufacturer) £2,000 plus 6 months imprisonment. It is not a civil matter but a criminal act to be in breach of CE. At least by demonstrating safety through the approval process you have a good line of defense. Also consider that Canadian dealers are inspected at random - anything which is to be connected directly to/or involving high voltages (and that means valves I'm affraid) not carrying a valid CSA or UL certificate leads to an on the spot $5,000 fine and confiscation of all the offending apparatus. It has been rumoured that the USA is to follow suit. As for DIY that's a different story, but kit manufacturers would be advised to check their obligations. Just friendly advice

Thank you for your comments they really help, and it sounds like you know what you're talking about. We need more experts like you on this thread telling us if we should be concerned about the build quality or not. Thanks for your time!

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanillawafer I am giving Mikhail the benefit of the doubt and in my email to him I asked him to explain, and I also asked him if he would refund my money if based on his explanation I was not satisfied. I think that is fair.

Vanillawafer, could you also ask Mikhail to address whether this amp runs in Class A? The website claims this, but with this family of tubes having an Rp in the area of 7 kohm and Mikhail advertising an output impedance of less than 20 ohm, it seems that the talk about this being a White Cathode Follower and not running in Class A is at least credible.

Edit: Looks like he's removed the claim that these amps run in Class A from his website. The change must have been made in the last few days. I'm pretty sure I remember it saying that, but I suppose my memory could be wrong. (The 6moons review still does claim it runs in Class A.) I suppose this means these amps really do not run in Class A.

 

[thrice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilS Does anybody have any insight why he haven't heard anything from Mikhail? Is he around? It seems odd that he has been silent, and this in itself can create a negative impression, perhpaps unfairly, perhaps not. Frankly, I really want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I think many others do also, but this is getting a little odd, especially when people are talking about returning amps. I mean, that could start a stampede in the worst case scenario. Perhaps there is an explanation for his silence, however. Does anybody actually know anything (as opposed to merely wanting to speculate) regarding his lack of response?

If you read the Head-Fi Posting Rules and Terms of Use you will see the following:

"Member of the Trade" includes manufacturers, individuals selling items he or she made for more than the cost of parts and/or actual shipping charges, individuals performing services (like modifications or any other service) for which the price charged is more than the cost of parts and/or actual shipping charges, dealers, distributors, manufacturer's representatives, importers, magazine and e-zine writers and others.
*

"Main Forums" are those forums within Head-Fi not specifically designated as areas for commercial advertising by Members of the Trade.
*

No Members of the Trade can use his/her business name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number or URL as part of his/her moniker.* All Members of the Trade must contact the forum administrator at jude@head-fi.org to notify him of an interest in posting before making any posts.* If a forum member who was not previously a Member of the Trade becomes a Member of the Trade, he must notify the forum administrator of the change in status.* After notification of the "Member of the Trade" status, the forum administrator will then add the appropriate tag (Audio Dealer, Manufacturer, Distributor, etc.) to the appropriate profile(s).
*

A Member of the Trade may not volunteer any information about a specific product that he is selling or making, in response to a general request for information about a type of product or in any other discussion in the Main Forums.*
*

A Member of the Trade may not post announcements, advertisements, sales information or the like about a product he makes or sells in the Main Forums.
*

No advertising by Members of the Trade that is not pre-approved by the Head-Fi administrators is allowed in the member forums.* Some sponsors have Branded Sponsor Forums in which they will be allowed to advertise their wares.* There will also be designated areas and forums where sponsors and non-sponsors alike will be able to advertise their wares.* Head-Fi is most definately NOT anti-trade. In fact, trade members are a welcome and vital part of the Head-Fi community.* However, Head-Fi's Main Forums are not the place for self promotion and advertising of audio products or services.

I think the reason Mikhail has not addressed concerns from members of Head-Fi in this or any other forum is because he is not allowed to according to the Terms of Use. At least that's how I read it, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[tiberian]

i start to feel glad that i didn't blow my money on a high end singlepower amp 2 1/2 months ago.
i don't like to point the blame to anyone but hey, folks over headroom, dr meier, ray samuels and rudi did (and most likely will continue to) respond to lots of our posts about their products...
it is starting to smell funny...

 

[tiberian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thrice If you read the Head-Fi Posting Rules and Terms of Use you will see the following: "Member of the Trade" includes manufacturers, individuals selling items he or she made for more than the cost of parts and/or actual shipping charges, individuals performing services (like modifications or any other service) for which the price charged is more than the cost of parts and/or actual shipping charges, dealers, distributors, manufacturer's representatives, importers, magazine and e-zine writers and others. * "Main Forums" are those forums within Head-Fi not specifically designated as areas for commercial advertising by Members of the Trade. * No Members of the Trade can use his/her business name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number or URL as part of his/her moniker.* All Members of the Trade must contact the forum administrator at jude@head-fi.org to notify him of an interest in posting before making any posts.* If a forum member who was not previously a Member of the Trade becomes a Member of the Trade, he must notify the forum administrator of the change in status.* After notification of the "Member of the Trade" status, the forum administrator will then add the appropriate tag (Audio Dealer, Manufacturer, Distributor, etc.) to the appropriate profile(s). * A Member of the Trade may not volunteer any information about a specific product that he is selling or making, in response to a general request for information about a type of product or in any other discussion in the Main Forums.* * A Member of the Trade may not post announcements, advertisements, sales information or the like about a product he makes or sells in the Main Forums. * No advertising by Members of the Trade that is not pre-approved by the Head-Fi administrators is allowed in the member forums.* Some sponsors have Branded Sponsor Forums in which they will be allowed to advertise their wares.* There will also be designated areas and forums where sponsors and non-sponsors alike will be able to advertise their wares.* Head-Fi is most definately NOT anti-trade. In fact, trade members are a welcome and vital part of the Head-Fi community.* However, Head-Fi's Main Forums are not the place for self promotion and advertising of audio products or services. I think the reason Mikhail has not addressed concerns from members of Head-Fi in this or any other forum is because he is not allowed to according to the Terms of Use. At least that's how I read it, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

IMO the whole point is not about self promotion and making free ads...its more about general product quality and a maunfacturer's integrity. as long as mikhail is not commenting on his or other's amps its going to be fine i guess.

 

[vanillawafer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy Vanillawafer, could you also ask Mikhail to address whether this amp runs in Class A? The website claims this, but with this family of tubes having an Rp in the area of 7 kohm and Mikhail advertising an output impedance of less than 20 ohm, it seems that the talk about this being a White Cathode Follower and not running in Class A is at least credible. Edit: Looks like he's removed the claim that these amps run in Class A from his website. The change must have been made in the last few days. I'm pretty sure I remember it saying that, but I suppose my memory could be wrong. I suppose this means these amps really do not run in Class A.

Hey Wodgy,
Sure, I will ask him about this, and I will also let the forum know what he has to say. I too think I remember something about Class A showing up somewhere on his website, but I'm not sure if it had to do with an MPX3 or not.

 

[Wodgy]

Thanks! All three online reviews (6moons, Enjoythemusic, Soundstage) claim that this amplifier is single-ended (and 6moons explicitly claims Class A), but if it does not run in Class A it cannot be single-ended. It will be interesting to see what Mikhail says.