[Thaddy]

I just wanted to toss up a quick teaser picture of the Millet that should be on it's way to me tomorrow. You guys are going to have to wait for impressions, but I will say that it's pretty much maxed out all the way

All the props belongs to n_maher though, he's the builder responsible for creating this one-of-a-kind masterpiece

 

[amb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahmose MisterX, thanks. This is very helpfull. Question: Is supply voltage the bias voltage for the tube in this case ? I plan on using a 24V power supply. So supply voltage should be 12V in this case ?

If you wire the LEDs the way I did (as posted in the following thead: http://www.diyforums.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12 ), then yes, the voltage would be 12V. It's the heater filament voltage, not the bias voltage. Each LED will have its own resistor.

 

[ahmose]

Thanks amb. Very helpfull response, as usual.

 

[mrdon]

I've been reading reviews of the Millet tending to lack air and life. Not that it is completely lacking in that department but it's not up to the level some of us would like. I want to report that Tangent's TREAD helped resolve this issue a bit as well as putting boutique caps in C7L/R (ELNA Cerafine 470µF/25V) and adding a pair of DIY fine silver interconnects ala Chris VenHaus.

 

[Blooze]

Thanks for the info, mrdon!

 

[Thaddy]

I just wanted to add that today I took delivery of that amazing Millet you can see a few posts up...and [size=large]WOW[/size].

If you guys can use the STEPS with your builds, do it. This is a major improvement over the Elpac that I was using with my old Millet.

 

[en480c4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy I just wanted to add that today I took delivery of that amazing Millet you can see a few posts up...and [size=large]WOW[/size]. If you guys can use the STEPS with your builds, do it. This is a major improvement over the Elpac that I was using with my old Millet.

I had a chance to hear your Millett before Nate sent it out, and I would agree whole-heartedly. After getting to know an Elpac-powered prototype from the group buy, I couldn't believe the difference the STEPS made. The improvement in impact and detail is definitely there, but you don't lose any of the good things about the Millett. While I primarily enjoyed the prototype with my 325i's and limited my 650's to PPAv2 & M^3 listening (I felt the 650-Millett pairing was uninspired), I will definitely be enjoying the 650's with my STEPS-powered Millett.

Enjoy it... it looks great and sounds even better!!!

 

[Thaddy]

Yeah, I heard that you really enjoyed this amp with the HD650's, that's when I got really excited because that's what I'm using

By the way, thanks a ton for your help on the casework!

 

[en480c4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Yeah, I heard that you really enjoyed this amp with the HD650's, that's when I got really excited because that's what I'm using

I really did... the STEPS really brings the Millett to life with the 650's and to helps open things up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy By the way, thanks a ton for your help on the casework!

My pleasure... it was a good time. Seriously.
We must've tried about 5 different variations of that one layout. Glad to hear you're happy with everything.

But you were right the first time... props really do belong w/ Nate...

 

[Thaddy]

You played a part, so you deserve your props as well

 

[n_maher]

:blushes: Aw, geez, thanks Zack

.

And Ian's a bit modest. His help, with most of the amps I build, is invaluable.

I'm sure that more details, pictures, impression and the like will be coming from Thaddy in the future as well as the tale of how that amp got built the way that it did, so I'll leave all that nonsense for another thread.

In terms of general information that may be useful for other builders I simply cannot stress how much of a difference it made (to my ears) moving from the Elpac to the STEPS. If time and budget allows I hope to build two similar amps to compare - one with a TREAD and one with a STEPS to see how those two power supplies compare. I know that they measure similarly in one of Tangent's tests but it should be interesting nonetheless.

Nate

 

[rreynol]

I have such a setup (TREAD vs STEPS). My ears are not as critical as others but I couldn't hear a difference. I'd be interested to hear your impressions on the issue as well. That is, if you can ever stop making Millet-Hybrids for others.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rreynol I have such a setup (TREAD vs STEPS). My ears are not as critical as others but I couldn't hear a difference. I'd be interested to hear your impressions on the issue as well. That is, if you can ever stop making Millet-Hybrids for others.

My guess is that my ears will yield similar results. The TREAD should have a significantly lower noise floor compared to stand-alone wallwarts and the Millett doesn't require so much current that it really needs a STEPS. But for the extra $30 that a STEPS costs to build I'll probably stick with it for my "higher" end DIY amps.

As far as building Milletts for others goes, Thaddy's is the only one I hadn't planned on. The other two that I've built thus far were built as gifts for members of my wedding party (brother and brother-in-law). The only one that I have left to build for someone other than me is for Ian, who was also forced to be in my wedding

. His board is fully populated and the STEPS is already built so it's merely a matter of deciding what features we want to implement and what we're going to case it with (think wood

).

And Thaddy's Millett sort of served as a testing ground for a lot of ideas that I'd wanted to try which is part of why I agreed to build it for him in the first place. But after completing his amp I'm done building amps for others. It was really hard to put that amp in a box and send it off to another home.

N

 

[cantskienuf]

Nate,

Can you share what you use for a transformer and values for R3 and R4 in your implementation of the STEPS in the Millett Hybrid?

Thanks,

John

 

[amb]

Not Nate here, but my STEPS for the Millett has 120 ohms and 2K ohms for R3/R4 and the output adjusted to 27VDC. I am using the Amveco 70062 25VA transformer and the LM338T regulator which are a bit of overkill but I wanted to be able to use the same supply for other amps too. I am also using another identically-configured STEPS for use with my M³.