[mol]

Hi, I have a MiniMax kit from Beezar.com that has been sitting in my stuff to do pile for a while.  In the meantime I was busy getting married and renovating an apartment to move into.  It's probably been sitting untouched for 3+ years.  Are the electrolytic caps still good to use or should I replace them?  Any other parts that might have limited shelf live?
 
Thanks for any advice.

 

[lordearl]

Quote:

Well, I can't tell you about those specific headphones, but the MiniMAX is designed to handle both low-impedance and high-impedance headphones.

 
I recall reading somewhere that the amp sounds great with Grado/Alessandro headphones - is there any model in particular?

 

[tomb]

Quote:

 
I recall reading somewhere that the amp sounds great with Grado/Alessandro headphones - is there any model in particular?

No - Grados have a fairly distinct family sound that's pretty consistent.  If it sounds good with one model, it should sound good with all of them.

 

[lordearl]

Quote:

 It's probably been sitting untouched for 3+ years.  Are the electrolytic caps still good to use or should I replace them?  Any other parts that might have limited shelf live?

 
That should be fine I'd have thought (think about NOS capacitors and tubes, some have been laying around for over 50 years!!)

 

[mol]

Quote:

 
That should be fine I'd have thought (think about NOS capacitors and tubes, some have been laying around for over 50 years!!)

 

Thanks, I guess I will go ahead and build the amp.  I had heard of electrolytic caps going bad after being left on the shelf for a while, but was unsure how long was too long.

 

[lordearl]

No - Grados have a fairly distinct family sound that's pretty consistent.  If it sounds good with one model, it should sound good with all of them.

Any other headphone recommendations for pairing with the minimax? I live in quite a remote area so will be ordering some headphones without listening. I tend to like a flat response with smooth treble.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Any other headphone recommendations for pairing with the minimax? I live in quite a remote area so will be ordering some headphones without listening. I tend to like a flat response with smooth treble.

Well, the thing about the MiniMAX is that it does well with almost all headphones between 32 and 300 ohms.  It will even do a great job with the Sennheiser HD580/600/650.  For Grados, it has pretty decent current capability at low impedances with the 50-75ma Class A bias.  At the same time, if you adjust the tube bias for maximum voltage swing, you have + or - 13.5V available for high impedance phones.

 

[the_equalizer]

Hello everyone,
 
  My Mini-Max TRIAD 24v wall-wart power supply seems to be dead. The cable looks fine but there's no voltage coming out of it. I was wondering if someone has tried the Radio Shack Enercell 18/24 1A AC wall-wart. From the specs and simple manual I can't see why it would not work.  Any opinions on it?
 
cheers! 

 

[Beefy]

Hello everyone,

  My Mini-Max TRIAD 24v wall-wart power supply seems to be dead. The cable looks fine but there's no voltage coming out of it. I was wondering if someone has tried the Radio Shack Enercell 18/24 1A AC wall-wart. From the specs and simple manual I can't see why it would not work.  Any opinions on it?

cheers! 

Pretty sure that is the one I bought when I moved to Canada and it was fine. Just make sure you get the right size connecter and it will plug right in.

 

[tintin220]

I wonder if the MiniMAX would benefit at all from having some kind of isolated or dedicated power supply, such as the sigma11. 

 

[the_equalizer]

Quote:

Pretty sure that is the one I bought when I moved to Canada and it was fine. Just make sure you get the right size connecter and it will plug right in.

 
Great news, thanks!

 

[Beefy]

I wonder if the MiniMAX would benefit at all from having some kind of isolated or dedicated power supply, such as the sigma11. 

Not necessary. It has a linear regulated power supply on-board. The plug pack is just a convenient and safe way of getting the AC to the amp.

 

[tintin220]

Ah, thanks for the info, I just got my hands on one and I'm thinking of having it as my daily driver while I sell literally everything else I own.

 

[the_equalizer]

Wow, I must be having a REALLY strong bout of bad luck. I bought the Enercell 18/24 AC adapter and.... it's as dead as my TRIAD!!    Yeah, I suspected my VOM might be the problem but I checked with a second one  with the same result:  0V out of both AC acapters  
 
I know this is only marginally related to the thread but I had to vent somewhere.
 
cheers!

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Ah, thanks for the info, I just got my hands on one and I'm thinking of having it as my daily driver while I sell literally everything else I own.

Yep - what Beefy said.