[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

well on that day, after i found out it was raining, i just wrap the amp in a wool cloth, after that i slowly regain the dynamics and smoothness.
 
anyways, just plugged the opa627.. and DAMN it really DOES magic. probably on par with my lm49820 10kohm biased. The improvement from small current bias on the lm49820 was actually enough to make me really happy.. and opa627 is able to do that unbiased.. tonight seems to be a short night..

..
 
btw.. forgot to add.. imho lovely cube is not an amp that needs warmup. i cant seem to find any difference between maintaining its heat and running cold.

 

[aspenx]

I assume you received the bias adapters too?
 
Try them out with both the OPA627 and LM49820 and let us know what you think! One night is definitely not enough.

 

[francisdemarte]

Quote:

Oops. I made yet another boo-boo. If it means anything, the opamp is marked with "BB". I also read that those marked as "BB" are more laidback in sound than the TI versions. Is this true?

 
The BB I believe stands for Burr-Brown which was acquired by TI in 2000. BB's op amps and DAC's generally are known for their more laid back sound.

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

first of all..
sry for the wrong info.. i kinda mixed up 49720 and 49860.. i was using 49860. and yes i got the adapter with it.
anyways, comparison :-
 
49860 w 10k - almost same separation and quality with 627, more depth than 627, very noticable. vocals are not as organic as 627.
49860 w 5k - more bass thud, and slightly more quiteness in the background, but vocals are slightly dryer.
49860 w 3.3k - similar improvement, but vocals are dryer as well.
49860 unbiased - totally below 627, noisy and sibilant, otherwise extended upper and lower freq and more balanced sounding along frequency compard to stock 2134.
 
627 w 5k - more depth, warmth, and bass weight and impact. i found it too warm and intrusive already, mids details are drowned.
627 w 3.3k - more bass weight and impact, not sure whether its warm or not.. but i kinda feel i dont like it.
 
627 is more pleasing on vocals with slightly better tone on the highs compared to 49860.
 
im not sure whether the adapted will affect much, Also i might solder the resistor directly to the 627, but still deciding. As of now, i'll probably gonna go get some 7k resistor to try out instead. or if anyone have a better suggestion?
 
one night might not be enough for full testing, but it is quite enough for me to favor the biased 627 minus warmth.

 

[ninjikiran]

Not a lovely cube question but is there any bodies or top halfs I can put on with vents for my M-Stage?  Mines runs hot, I assume its cause the case is acting as a bootleg heatsink.  It might lengthen the life of the unit.

 

[dlaloum]

Quote:

Not a lovely cube question but is there any bodies or top halfs I can put on with vents for my M-Stage?  Mines runs hot, I assume its cause the case is acting as a bootleg heatsink.  It might lengthen the life of the unit.

I think someone posted pictures of theirs with rows of holes drilled into the top for airflow..... so that is always an option...
 
And I agree that it runs hot - but not dangerously so....

 

[darknight670]

WoW is the Lovely cube really BETTER than the M Stage?

 

[seagrasser]

I have pulled the trigger based on great review and personal expereince here. I can't wait to try this "Lovely" amp out.

 

[aspenx]

Quote:

 
one night might not be enough for full testing, but it is quite enough for me to favor the biased 627 minus warmth.

I find it a little too warm too. That's why I like my LTs but it's very hard to choose one over the other. Anyways, I've taken out the input coupling capacitors and it's not as warm now.

 

[purrin]

 
Quote:

I find it a little too warm too. That's why I like my LTs but it's very hard to choose one over the other. Anyways, I've taken out the input coupling capacitors and it's not as warm now.

yup - the input caps have a large impact on the overall warmness of the amp.

 

[lyramax]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by francisdemarte /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...
 
 
While the Lovely Cube is an exact clone of the Lehmann Black Cube's circuit board the M-Stage is slightly modified version of it. Biggest difference is that the M-Stage has 2 switchable RCA inputs and one headphone out, the Lehmann and the Lovely Cube has 2 headphone outs. The majority of the circuit is identical amongst the three amps. 
 
Between the M-Stage and the Lovely Cube I suggest if your not planning to do major modding and tinkering with the components get the M-Stage. The Lovely Cube is geared more toward people who want to do DIY mods.
 

Are the two amps equally conducive & versatile in terms of simple swapping of op-amps?

 

[francisdemarte]

Yes they are. Swapping the op amp is exactly the same on both amps.

 

[aspenx]

Quote:

I think someone posted pictures of theirs with rows of holes drilled into the top for airflow..... so that is always an option...
 
And I agree that it runs hot - but not dangerously so....

 
I'm not sure most of us will be willing to deal with case work actually. Or maybe I just belong to the minority...
 
Anyways, Stephen the LC seller, mentioned that he's looking at ways to reduce this heat a little to address concerns.
 
I'm looking forward to the mods and hope they'd be available to people who have already got their Lovely Cubes too.

 

[dms]

Quote:

And I agree that it runs hot - but not dangerously so....

I don't have Lovely Cube but another Black Cube clone that looks exactly the same so I think I can share my findings here: I did some measurements with my IR thermometer and found out that after a few hours of playback the temperature near the output transistors goes up to 65C/149F (transistors themselves are a few degress cooler). The temperature around voltage regulators is also a litlle high, up to 55C/131F. Operational amplifier runs at around 50C/122F. As you say these are probably not critical temperatures. Transistors, resistors and diodes should probably take a lot more than that and electrolytic capacitors should probably take at least 85C/185F but more likely 105C/221F or even more.
 
Don't worry, be happy, it's hot music coming out of your amp.

 

[francisdemarte]

 
All this heat talk worries me as my LC doesn't only gets warm. After leaving it on all day playing music I can still put my fingers on the heat sinks.
 
Maybe it's less noticable for me because my LC is in a plastic case. I have holes drill on the sides close to the top was well as holes on the bottom of the unit. I think this creates a minor chimney effect where as heat rises and escapes through the hole on top, cooler air is drawn in on the bottom. 
 
Are there any openings at all on the case supplied by Stephen?