[DecentLevi]

My heart goes out to Tomas, a singular amp builder and spirit that shall never be forgotten in this hobby. I just discovered about his passing today, 6 weeks after it happened. And let's just say it's been difficult to continue the day.

Just checked my PMs I was having with him and the last one I got was dated February 18th, apparently 10 days before he died. Could it be I have the last message he ever sent anybody on Head-Fi? We were talking about upgrading the audio signal path wires for my amp I sent back, with a special new cable design I had shipped to him. Tomas did seem quite distressed in months prior, and he couldn't come up with a timeframe for my amp repair.

And what about 2359glenn, has he crossed over as well? I didn't see anything from him since early 2021 when he gave me a refund for not being able to work with a disease.

Interestingly my solid state integrated amp is sounding mighty fine right now anyway, with some internal tweaks and system hacks I've done recently. Let us not forget, and find some way to carry on his legacy.

 

[OctavianH]

Sonic's amps will not overheat or go up in smoke, there is ample room inside the chassis for air to circulate and there should be no problems with caps or resistors burning out at all due to the P2P layout which should be virtually indestructable. So I wouldn't worry at all.

Overheating is definitely not a problem. The amp stays cool even if it is used for many hours. I was wondering only if the capacitors or other components need to be replaced after an amount of time.

 

[alvin sawdust]

Yes we in the LD thread all went for Jupiters because of what you said and loved them. I have them in both my amps now.

That's great, so glad to be of service. To be honest I haven't ruled out using Jupiters in the Telemachus as they are more or less the same size as the Mundorf.

 

[baronbeehive]

Tomas used a newer version of the Maida, as mentioned earlier the so-called 21st century Maida. I remember seeing it discussed on DIYAudio as an improvement but forget how it was improved. Was happy to hear he was using the improved version.

When making mine he asked if I wanted fancy caps like Mundorf and I declined. He said he used high quality Russian military ones. Wonder what improvement I would notice if I went with a fancier cap. I’m not sure where they are in my amp in any case lol.

The main advantage with the Russian caps is value/money ratio and build quality. For the money they are superb and compare very well with other top quality caps. You would probably be satisfied with all top quality caps although they all have their differences, Mundorf - top end, Jupiter - natural realism etc.

@OctavianH that small scratch is definitely the mark of the Master builder and I like the fact that you insisted on keeping it.

Resistors should last and last given the correct wattage, caps do have a lifespan, not sure how long but to all intents they last and last, FETs nothing to go wrong really, same for transformers, I don't think there is much to worry about.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Tomas used a newer version of the Maida, as mentioned earlier the so-called 21st century Maida. I remember seeing it discussed on DIYAudio as an improvement but forget how it was improved. Was happy to hear he was using the improved version.

The 21st century Maida is a high voltage regulator circuit designed by Tom Christiansen of Neurochrome, also a prominent member of diyAudio. It's an improvement over the original Maida regulator (white paper released in 1980) using contemporary LDO regulator parts.

You can buy the regulator here: https://neurochrome.com/products/21st-century-maida-regulator

Other Maida style regulators have been developed too, I use something similar in some of my amplifiers. The general circuit results in some of the highest performing voltage regulation you can get in a tube amp B+ supply.

Those who have this regulator in their amplifier might want to hold onto the link in case there is ever an issue in the future with the regulator and it needs to be replaced.

Overheating is definitely not a problem. The amp stays cool even if it is used for many hours. I was wondering only if the capacitors or other components need to be replaced after an amount of time.

The lifespan of electrolytic caps will vary depending on the ripple current they are seeing and the ambient temperature. Assuming they do not get near their rated temperature and are kept cool, they should last 15-25 years. Can't put an exact number on it though.

 

[Isaacc7]

The main advantage with the Russian caps is value/money ratio and build quality. For the money they are superb and compare very well with other top quality caps. You would probably be satisfied with all top quality caps although they all have their differences, Mundorf - top end, Jupiter - natural realism etc.

@OctavianH that small scratch is definitely the mark of the Master builder and I like the fact that you insisted on keeping it.

Resistors should last and last given the correct wattage, caps do have a lifespan, not sure how long but to all intents they last and last, FETs nothing to go wrong really, same for transformers, I don't think there is much to worry about.

My amp is a little different than others. I could fry a fet if I’m not paying attention. My b+ is adjustable but the regulator is rated at 20w. Have to calculate the wattage based on the b+ and the biasing ma. I’m also in mortal fear of screwing up settings, blowing up a tube, and taking a transformer with it. There are fuses but I worry…

 

[baronbeehive]

My amp is a little different than others. I could fry a fet if I’m not paying attention. My b+ is adjustable but the regulator is rated at 20w. Have to calculate the wattage based on the b+ and the biasing ma. I’m also in mortal fear of screwing up settings, blowing up a tube, and taking a transformer with it. There are fuses but I worry…

Ha yes! Your amp is infinitely adjustable and for that comes the need to pay attention to settings lol. For that you might need to become acquainted with Ohm's law. I imagine that Sonic provided a good safety margin with the wattage on your components so that they wouldn't fry when your hand slipped, or the brain went awol . My amp has a headphone protection circuit which cuts in in the event of malfunction, don't know if Sonic built one in yours.

 

[UntilThen]

What lifespan should we expect from such an amplifier, taking into consideration these capacitors and other components? I doubt anyone had problems but well, you know.

If you have a few tube amps and you alternate between them then obviously they will last longer.

I alternate between my 3 tube amps. One a day.

 

[Isaacc7]

Ha yes! Your amp is infinitely adjustable and for that comes the need to pay attention to settings lol. For that you might need to become acquainted with Ohm's law. I imagine that Sonic provided a good safety margin with the wattage on your components so that they wouldn't fry when your hand slipped, or the brain went awol . My amp has a headphone protection circuit which cuts in in the event of malfunction, don't know if Sonic built one in yours.

Yeah. Power supply runs at 400v. If I set the B+ to 300v the fet regulator has to eat 100v x 4x bias current. At 300v, 50ma bias current equals 20w. I have had an output tube go south on me and pop the fuse for that tube. There are fuses on the inside of the chassis as well, dunno what they are protecting or what would cause one of them to blow.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Last night I just noticed a "new type" of noise from my Oblivion. Kind of sound like when we listen to frequency sweep at around 450Hz. Right side only. This noise is not permanent though, so i think it's not Oblivion that caused it. The noise occur rarely. Just this morning I tested again and noise is completely gone. Also, in daily case, Oblivion produce no humming/hissing/crackling problem at all.

I just curious whether the noise coming from dirty electricity (I live in apartment), or RFI/EMI problem.

 

[UntilThen]

Not sure what that noise is. This morning I power on Oblivion. It's the only unit on besides Yggdrasil and Eitr. My PC wasn't on yet. I couldn't hear a thing, not even my Oblivion's fan noise. Yes my Oblivion has a fan and I haven't disable it but it's so quiet, I just let it be.

My latest love is using HD800 with Oblivion. This combination is just so right to my ears.

 

[audiargent]

Last night I just noticed a "new type" of noise from my Oblivion. Kind of sound like when we listen to frequency sweep at around 450Hz. Right side only. This noise is not permanent though, so i think it's not Oblivion that caused it. The noise occur rarely. Just this morning I tested again and noise is completely gone. Also, in daily case, Oblivion produce no humming/hissing/crackling problem at all.

I just curious whether the noise coming from dirty electricity (I live in apartment), or RFI/EMI problem.

Check the driver tubes. I had similar.problems, I was hearing "static". He told me it is 99% a driver problem. That was actually Tomas' last message, 21st February and he was right.

 

[senseitedj]

Last night I just noticed a "new type" of noise from my Oblivion. Kind of sound like when we listen to frequency sweep at around 450Hz. Right side only. This noise is not permanent though, so i think it's not Oblivion that caused it. The noise occur rarely. Just this morning I tested again and noise is completely gone. Also, in daily case, Oblivion produce no humming/hissing/crackling problem at all.

I just curious whether the noise coming from dirty electricity (I live in apartment), or RFI/EMI problem.

I had the same issue as you. The problem was a loose solder joint that will randomly create crackling/white-noise-like sounds.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Check the driver tubes. I had similar.problems, I was hearing "static". He told me it is 99% a driver problem. That was actually Tomas' last message, 21st February and he was right.

I had the same issue as you. The problem was a loose solder joint that will randomly create crackling/white-noise-like sounds.

Thanks for the suggestion. I do still think the problem not from Oblivion though. I will take notes these suggestions just in case someday the crackling/static sound show up.

Midnight time here, and Oblivion as clean as ever. Still wondering what happended yesterday night, perhaps apartment unit beside me started to contact UFO or something lol.

Not sure what that noise is. This morning I power on Oblivion. It's the only unit on besides Yggdrasil and Eitr. My PC wasn't on yet. I couldn't hear a thing, not even my Oblivion's fan noise. Yes my Oblivion has a fan and I haven't disable it but it's so quiet, I just let it be.

My latest love is using HD800 with Oblivion. This combination is just so right to my ears.

What type of fan? Yeah I remembered at the very first design of Obli still use a fan below.

I ever used Burson GT for few days, their noctua fan is really silent.

 

[UntilThen]

What type of fan? Yeah I remembered at the very first design of Obli still use a fan below.

I ever used Burson GT for few days, their noctua fan is really silent.

I don't know what fan but it's big. Larger in diameter than Oblivion's transformer cover.