The DIY'rs Cookbook

[johnjen]

So copper foil caps would mean the 'foot print' would get bigger, as well as it would become even more of a 'high rise' amp than it already is.
I mean this amp is already 14" tall…
And that would probably make me re-name it 'The Tower of Power Amp'.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

JJ

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

So copper foil caps would mean the 'foot print' would get bigger, as well as it would become even more of a 'high rise' amp than it already is.
I mean this amp is already 14" tall…
And that would probably make me re-name it 'The Tower of Power Amp'.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

JJ

Maybe, maybe not. It depends on a lot of factors.

You could always get a ~300Va transformer, a pair of tvcs, and some 50 watt resistors to get rid of most (if not all) the capacitors and the rod coleman regulators and the filament power supply.

 

[johnjen]

Maybe, maybe not. It depends on a lot of factors.

You could always get a ~300Va transformer, a pair of tvcs, and some 50 watt resistors to get rid of most (if not all) the capacitors and the rod coleman regulators and the filament power supply.

Hmmmm, I'm thinking to myself…

This would mean a complete re-wire and all new top plates etc.

Hmmmmm, I'm thinking to myself…

And it reminds me of Hedley Lamarr's cogitative expressionism…
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
hahahahahhahahahahahahahahaa

Not to forget the new OPT's that are inbound…
They may be enough of a cherry on top such that I can choose another amp project to dial in, and so keep this amp as is and just enjoy it all the while using it as a SQ standard to aim for by the 'next' project in the cue to meet or beat …

Hmmmmm, I'm thinking to myself…

JJ

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

Hmmmm, I'm thinking to myself…

This would mean a complete re-wire and all new top plates etc.

Hmmmmm, I'm thinking to myself…

And it reminds me of Hedley Lamarr's cogitative expressionism…
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
hahahahahhahahahahahahahahaa

Not to forget the new OPT's that are inbound…
They may be enough of a cherry on top such that I can choose another amp project to dial in, and so keep this amp as is and just enjoy it all the while using it as a SQ standard to aim for by the 'next' project in the cue to meet or beat …

Hmmmmm, I'm thinking to myself…

JJ

The real solution would. be to figure out a way to use a mosfet instead of a resistor in this topology http://vinylsavor.blogspot.com/2013/10/ux201a-sound-processor-part-1-circuit.html

Theoretically, you want virtually 0 impedance from the plate to ground. Obviously you have to have some sort of a load, so the best we can hope for is to replace the 500 ohm resistor with some type of SS device with low impedance and no gain from one terminal to the next.

The power through the device would be your plate voltage (180v) minus your filament voltage (5V) times your filament current (250ma). You end up finding out that your wattage across the device is 43.75 watts, which means both channels would be dissipating 100 watts all the time.

The device would need a heatsink with a fan. It's definitely over the top, but it's not undoable either.

 

[johnjen]

Ah yes the 100w room heater that also provides 0.8w/ch of sublime audio, what's not to like??
hahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaha

And at NO additional cost to me the consumer, well other than the redesign, with a whole mess of new parts.
So all of this could be the next gen of the all new, all the same, all different Purp-Amp-II.
Aka The-All-New-Completely-Redesigned-And-Improved-Runamouk-Amp
er sumpt'n.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Still upgrading to the 300va mains xfmr is eminently doable AND is cheaper than one of those $100 fuses to boot.
But as mentioned there are new OPT's inbound and I'm think'n they will make the most significant difference of ANY (and in any combination thereof) of the above tweaks, by far.

Which reminds where in the Manly Tube-Mans Manual it sez*…
"You're really NOT listening to the output tube, no not even.
You ARE listening to the output xfmrs…!"

*Except all OTL amps of course…
The Manly TUBE-MAN's MANUAL Manual Pg. 34,786 chapter 45,689, subsection 35,009, part 345

And besides that dual set of matched DHT's circuit has my mind in a cogitative expressionistic state, as immoralized by my mentor Hedley Lamarr…
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
hahahahahhahahahahahahahahaa

What's not to like?
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

JJ

 

[johnjen]

So I figured while I'm waiting for the test of the power cables and fuse to fully settle in, I'd 'hook up' my LCD 2's since I can now attach the earpads to them and Big Poppa (thanks Gil) loaned me a set of suitable cables (stock LCD cables suck).

And I plugged them into the Purp-Amp and surprise, they play loud enough for testing even with this minuscule amount of available power.

And I definitely need to let them settle in much more.
Because right now they aren't even close to my gen-6 800-Jmods.

They have a definite mid-fi sound, albeit the upper end of mid-fi but they have a major case of lack.
As in they lack,
the extreme bottom end,
mid range body,
top end finesse,
and a soundstage with real depth and a 4d presentation.

But they are pleasant with nothing 'sticking out' which would be a cause to relegate them to their box.
But to be fair I should let them accumulate more hrs of playing time to see if they come out of hiding, so to speak.

I was surprised at their bass, as I was expecting a degree of authority down low, but while it does have some 'thump' its rather one dimensional and has traits of 'One (or 2) Note Bass', meaning the sound is missing harmonic texture in the very bottom end.

But they also violate one of my essential requirements in that they do touch my outer ears which 'muddies the sound' a bit.

I do hope they morph (for the better) as the play time adds up.

JJ

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

So I figured while I'm waiting for the test of the power cables and fuse to fully settle in, I'd 'hook up' my LCD 2's since I can now attach the earpads to them and Big Poppa (thanks Gil) loaned me a set of suitable cables (stock LCD cables suck).

And I plugged them into the Purp-Amp and surprise, they play loud enough for testing even with this minuscule amount of available power.

And I definitely need to let them settle in much more.
Because right now they aren't even close to my gen-6 800-Jmods.

They have a definite mid-fi sound, albeit the upper end of mid-fi but they have a major case of lack.
As in they lack,
the extreme bottom end,
mid range body,
top end finesse,
and a soundstage with real depth and a 4d presentation.

But they are pleasant with nothing 'sticking out' which would be a cause to relegate them to their box.
But to be fair I should let them accumulate more hrs of playing time to see if they come out of hiding, so to speak.

I was surprised at their bass, as I was expecting a degree of authority down low, but while it does have some 'thump' its rather one dimensional and has traits of 'One (or 2) Note Bass', meaning the sound is missing harmonic texture in the very bottom end.

But they also violate one of my essential requirements in that they do touch my outer ears which 'muddies the sound' a bit.

I do hope they morph (for the better) as the play time adds up.

JJ

Fix the ear pad seal and the bass will come back in force.

 

[gefski]

So I figured while I'm waiting for the test of the power cables and fuse to fully settle in, I'd 'hook up' my LCD 2's since I can now attach the earpads to them and Big Poppa (thanks Gil) loaned me a set of suitable cables (stock LCD cables suck).

And I plugged them into the Purp-Amp and surprise, they play loud enough for testing even with this minuscule amount of available power.

And I definitely need to let them settle in much more.
Because right now they aren't even close to my gen-6 800-Jmods.

They have a definite mid-fi sound, albeit the upper end of mid-fi but they have a major case of lack.
As in they lack,
the extreme bottom end,
mid range body,
top end finesse,
and a soundstage with real depth and a 4d presentation.

But they are pleasant with nothing 'sticking out' which would be a cause to relegate them to their box.
But to be fair I should let them accumulate more hrs of playing time to see if they come out of hiding, so to speak.

I was surprised at their bass, as I was expecting a degree of authority down low, but while it does have some 'thump' its rather one dimensional and has traits of 'One (or 2) Note Bass', meaning the sound is missing harmonic texture in the very bottom end.

But they also violate one of my essential requirements in that they do touch my outer ears which 'muddies the sound' a bit.

I do hope they morph (for the better) as the play time adds up.

JJ

Since you had the Hedds for a while, what’s your memory based description of its sonic personality compared to your 800?

 

[johnjen]

Since you had the Hedds for a while, what’s your memory based description of its sonic personality compared to your 800?

The Hedds were sonically rather similar to my 800's and more so than I would have expected.
Their sonic traits were so close it surprised me, especially their soundstage presentation and bass extension and midrange texture etc.
I expected them to sound like planars even though they aren't and that is probably what surprised me the most.
They had much more resolution and finesse than planars, even brand new and with out 'enough' break-in, which is why they seemed more similar to the 800's than I was anticipating.

I really wanted to fuss with them and at least try a 'better' cable and a few other tweaks but alas that wasn't going happen so I don't really know how well they would do when 'optimized'.

But they did have the same 'problem' as the LCD's in that they did touch my outer ears and so that hampered their performance as well.

And overall I could see owning a pair of Hedds rather than LCD's because of their driver, and in spite of their nomination as a candidate for the Princess Leia look alike contest.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaa

JJ

 

[johnjen]

Fix the ear pad seal and the bass will come back in force.

I'm not sure if that is the problem, unless there is a magic secret to making sure they are sealed.
The pads are attached and I don't see where there could be a 'leak'.

Like does it take something like bungy cords wrapped around my head to suck them onto the sides of my head just to make sure they are sealed????
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Inquiring minds and all that…
JJ

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

I'm not sure if that is the problem, unless there is a magic secret to making sure they are sealed.
The pads are attached and I don't see where there could be a 'leak'.

Like does it take something like bungy cords wrapped around my head to suck them onto the sides of my head just to make sure they are sealed????
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Inquiring minds and all that…
JJ

You have already done the test so to speak. None of the audeze have weak bass UNLESS the ear pads are not making a proper "seal". Seal in this case is kind of a broad term meaning any situation where the ear pad is not interfacing with your head as intended by the manufacturer.

If those pads aren't laying perfectly up against your head, the bass will drop off like a rock.

It's not like they need to have a suction cup effect against your ear, but they do need to fit. I would recommend looking into replacement pads to see if anyone has made pads with slightly larger ear holes.

 

[johnjen]

Ah, gotcha…

So the seal from the earpad to the head is where the bass comes and goes.

So I have pushed the earpads into my head and fussed with the angle to get maximal contact into the sides of my head and I can hear nothing substantially different between that and the LCD-2's just sitting on my head and that is from both amps (Purp-Amp/The Rok Amp).

And its not like the bass isn't there, but it isn't MOAR nor even as extended, and impactful as the 800-Jmods which is sorta what I was expecting since they are planars…
And the mid range is, well planar mids, which is pleasant enough and all, but lacks the finesse of electrostatics and Good dynamics (e.g. 800-Jmods).
And granted I'm comparing highly tweaked 800's to used and strictly stock (except for the 30AWG Nordost Heimdall 2 cable), so this may be an unfair comparison right from the start.

So I'll let them cook a while longer, just to hear if there are any further changes.
And I might make up a larger gauge set of wires as 30AWG (0.27mm), which is bordering on itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny wires and for a ≈70Ω load which seems rather far to small for my liking.

JJ

 

[johnjen]

So one of my testing regimens is to start off with the 'new guy' at the start of my nightly multi-hour listening sessions.

Late at night is the 1st time I get to 'listen' (with focused attention) all day, and other than the desktop horn speakers for 'background' music, this is my uninterrupted 'free' time to drill down into the differences or evaluate changes etc.
And so by starting out with the new guy I give it a chance to 'make an impression' on me.
IOW do I start danc'n in my chair, playing air piano, yank the lanyard on that cannon, listen to a tube amp give it's all, as it melts down thanks to Daft Punk, etc?
Which is often the case, or so it seems.

But then I swap back to 'the old standard' and listen to the differences.
And so I hear…
What is missing
What is 'added'
What 'sticks out'
Which soundstage is 'better'
Can I understand ALL the lyrics?
The list goes on, (see my sig line for my words in BOLD)

And what I heard tonight is a fairly thick veil was noticed on the 'new guy' and it screwed with the acoustic space of every track I listened to, regardless of the type or nature of the music.
It sorta sounds like a 'tunnel effect' where the music is at the other end of an acoustic space that is constricted instead of it 'filling the available space'.

It wasn't unpleasant nor off-putting, it just wasn't as REAL, it didn't sound like I was engrossed in listening to music, rather I was listening to a decent hifi system.

I can see why some would like this as it doesn't do any thing wrong, but at the expense of NOT doing some things right.
And if those 'right things' are not on your list of desirable acoustic attributes, well then it’s a win-win-win all the way around.

And of course it could be that my setup isn't an ideal match for these LCD's.
But one thing seems abundantly clear, the signal being fed to them is capable of sublime detail and presence, especially when I yank on that lanyard…

JJ

 

[johnjen]

So I went and done did it…

I took my Shunyata power cable apart and cut it in half to make 2) 3' cables.


And in case you're wondering yes this cable had been previously modded with new rhodium connectors.
And this cable was recently cooked for 60hrs.

And now it has become 'The Stubby' (the dog is for scale).
hahahahahahahahahahaha



So I replaced the SR Red cable that was on loan, with 'The Stubby' and listened for just last night.
I was immediately impressed and as the night wore on and the settling in continued, it became apparent that things had shifted.

Just how and if these changes are 'better', or not, remains to be determined, but if I immediately get impressed, that is usually a sign of good things to come.

Now it's time for tonight's deep dive into the music.

JJ

 

[johnjen]

So a report on the initial findings of the cables and fuse I was testing with my Purp-Amp setup.

And to put these results in context, I'm comparing them with my Shunyata cables which have been modded (what else is new, right?) so these 'starter cables' are being compared to cables that have been dialed in, cooked and tweaked with various blends of 'secret sauce' which is probably unfair right from the start.
So keep that in mind as these cables and fuses I'm testing are significantly less expensive and are not likely to be an improvement over my existing setup.
BUT…
These comparisons will provide a relative measure of what this gear can provide for those who adhere to these kinds of tweaks (to some, snake/shark oil), and for significantly less than what my 'high priced do-dads' cost.

The Zaphino power cable has a 'soft' character which would do well with some SS gear that has a bit-O-zip or pizzaz on the upper end.
It does tend to add a bit of a veil but not all that much.

The SR red cable was fairly close as well but lacked the extreme bottom end (below ≈25Hz and all the way down.
The bass they did deliver was pleasant enough but again lacked a bit of harmonic richness throughout.
The mids and up were rather surprising and did a good job of 'painting' the soundstage in 3d.

But the real surprise was the Create Audio Premiere gold/rhodium fuse.
It was detailed, had resolution and was remarkably close to my SR20 fuse, but it did 'need' the AKIKO fuse chip (a variation of a WAQy fuse chip that I use with my SR20 fuse) to close the gap in performance.
And for ≈$26 (+S&H) was a real contendah.

And now that I am running with my Shunyata cables again (after being cooked) the differences noted above were fairly obvious, yet subtle and not a 'hit you over the head' sorta way, well unless you're already aiming for that 9/10 or better level of SQ.

And I have just got my grubby mits on a SR orange fuse to test (thanks Big Poppa for the cables and fuses for these tests), and the bar has seemingly been raised, yet again.
This is yet another one of those love/hate situations where spending over $100, for an expendable and disposable part, just gets my goat and yanks on my sensibilities with vigor.
Still there is no denying the SQ improvements much to my delight AND disgust, aka, caught on the horns of a dilemma.

And along with this SR Orange fuse I have another cable to cook and 'burn in'.
It's a Cardas Clear Reflection (mini-Stubby ≈20") power cable with their new New NEW ($200 each) IEC and 2 blade U-ground connectors.

It WILL have an advantage being so short and all and it's a 'herk'n' cable at 5/8"diameter with 11.5AWG conductors…

But for now I'm gunna let the SR Orange fuse settle in and see just how much change this version of their fuses makes.

JJ