[gilency]

Neptius: Spritzer and Gilmore (not necessarily in that order) are some the most knowledgeable people (anywhere) regarding electrostatics.
Spritzer can be abrasive, but he is usually right. He also can give you the best advice on electrostatics you can find.

 

[neptius]

Gilency – waw, great. So when I am interested on serious electrostatic amp I am naturaly interested what he says me the answer for this question, because he „speculatively“ reacted again Rudistor Coriolan 2 amp, then Ray Samuels A-10 one, then Woo audio WES ... So I expect that he highly prefers original STAX one, or, some other one produced by independent producer. When second case happen then I would like to see serious reasons and arguments why this choice (concrete model), why not other one (especially spoken). I would like listen serious information, that’s all.

 

[ujamerstand]

Personally I'd like to see less flame war going on and more about any potential problems with the exstata. I don't want to damage my newly invested SR-404. Can we get along now?

 

[jjinh]

Quote:

Gilency – waw, great. So when I am interested on serious electrostatic amp I am naturaly interested what he says me the answer for this question, because he „speculatively“ reacted again Rudistor Coriolan 2 amp, then Ray Samuels A-10 one, then Woo audio WES ... So I expect that he highly prefers original STAX one, or, some other one produced by independent producer. When second case happen then I would like to see serious reasons and arguments why this choice (concrete model), why not other one (especially spoken). I would like listen serious information, that’s all.

 
I assume you havent tried any of the HeadAmp electrostatic headphone amps?
 
Quote:

Personally I'd like to see less flame war going on and more about any potential problems with the exstata. I don't want to damage my newly invested SR-404. Can we get along now?

 
The exstata should be fine for your purposes.

 

[gilency]

Neptius: no offense intended, but I stand for what I said.
As far as the eXStatA goes, it is actually a good amplifier. 
You can buy an eXStata without buyers remorse. It is cheap, and it is nice.
When Mr Gilmore releases more info about the KGSSHV, then we are talking more amplifier for same amount of money. Sweet news indeed.....

 

[ujamerstand]

Phew. Good, spritzer's post on the last page about headphone damages and problem with the ExStatA had me worried for a second. About the KGSSHV, is that kinda like a SS T2? I want one!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Well, I've heard my old GES and my current WES (it was the demo) at RMAF 2009, and the WES is clearly superior in soundstage and power over my old GES.

 

[gilency]

Actually, Spritzer does not think much of the eXStatA. Ask him why.
I just offer my humble opinion: a $350.00 electrostatic for the masses = eXStatA. Pretty cheap I say.
For the most sophisticated ear (and fatter wallet), the sky is the limit.

 

[ujamerstand]

Well, I'm building it for sure, I've got the boards and some of the parts already. $350 Is about right, but that's just the parts and doesn't include casing. I'm also using the relvol3 relay based attenuator from dantimax, so the cost is a bit more for me. After casing + a FPE job, I'm looking at 650+ worth of investment. I was just being cautious in case there was a problem I didn't know about.
 
Quote:

Actually, Spritzer does not think much of the eXStatA. Ask him why.

Spritzer: Why? 

 

[jjinh]

excessive thd?

 

[ujamerstand]

You're right. That's a "little" high. I also did a bit of searching with that and found the stuff spritzer was referring to. Thinking about what to do now....

 

[jjinh]

I'm not sure you'd actually notice it so dont worry about it and just enjoy the amp.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Spritzer – which amp is perfect one by your opinion? Rudi amps are miserable, WES is miserable, A-10 is miserable .... I think all amps are miserable for you. I think this is irational discussion as other your one realized in other threads. When you are so perfect in knowledge, experience or technology, the greatest thing which you can do is to join serious Professional cooperation with producers of amps, to extend their technical quality, sound reproduction quality .. etc. Here you can earn very big money, you can do great addition to quality, deliver great experience for audiophile enthusiasts etc. But, I think, you are able only speaking about around and do speculations, but nothing more. Did you seriously visited inside or in details the amps which you react? I think not or for very short time. You took some values and then you started some calculations but you do not know what you calculate or how to interpretate it. This is the true base for speculations about this value, or this value etc. In same order as for cables, when somebody writtes that someting hase small value of nF or nOhm, then this value you normaly are NOT able measure handly. The measuring machines which are able deliver you so precise value for measuring these values costs so enough of money which have not and these machines are placed in top scientific centers. In same order with osciloscop you are no table so precisely measure frequences for doing so precise calculations with very high precision. In same order, when I produce you cable with characteristics of clearness of cooper at 99,99999 or how much 9’t you like, then you are NOT able prove that the clearnes is so enough of this value because the measured able difference is so extremely small so you are NOT able normaly measure. The volume of cooper in 1m cable is so small so in weight or other condition you NOT prove that the clearnes is so accurate as is written by producers because the "non-cooper" part is so very small. This value is obtained theoreticaly by applied processes and very individualy measured for concrete special cable sent to special research center. The producers only measure the values of attributes during production by which they „prove“ that by this approach (condition) they are able obtain the spoken pureness. And same is true with understanding several value specifications. That’s all.

First off, there is no perfect amplifier.  When designing any gear you have to make design decisions and compromises.  Cost is the nr.1 culprit and the nr.2 being the sheer lack of talent many so called designers have.  Now very few things are new in this world but one should take the time to try and optimize the designs they are stealing and not give into some stupid audiophile myths.  What I look for in an amp has nothing to do with the pretty chassis or high price tag, I look at the circuit and how that circuit drives the very damanding ESP drivers.  Trying to peddle crap circuits in pretty boxes may be the norm for the large part of the hi-fi industry (with the help of idiots like those at Stereophile and 6moons) but in our little corner of the world this will not be tolerated. 
 
As for the best ESP amp available now, that would be our DIY T2 and that is no accident.  A lot of work has gone into designing that amp and while being the most complicated headphone amps you can build (with roughly 2200 solderjoints in the amp section alone), it is also one of the most simple in terms of signal path and amplification stages.  It does cost a fortune (a commercial version would never be less than 18k$ and that is for a small scale manufacturer with no overhead, throw in dealers/large staff etc. and you are looking at 50K+$) and runs very hot but this is the state of the art for now at least. 

As for the rest of it, What are you smoking?  I despise the whole cable non-sense and take actual improvements to the circuits over any BS about small wires meaning less bass output or what ever "facts" are floating around here.  Burn-in is also the biggest load of crap ever to haunt the audio industry. 
Quote:

spritzer – when we speak about amps, what do you think about „legendary“ Grado RA-1 amp? I can send you picture:
 
http://image5.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20071228/18/3573793920071228180345493_001_640.jpg
 
Or what do you think about Daniel Zajac’s legendary ZANA HPA-1 amp with true analogue binaural processing system for single ended electrodynamic headphones?

 
It's Grado so naturally it is overpriced crap but in what way is it worse then any of those portable amps which cost the same yet use exactly the same technology?  The Grado amp is sold through dealers and uses a wooden enclosure which will always be more expensive to produce then extruded aluminum.  The Rudistor XJ-03 isn't that far off in terms of circutry and how much did that one cost with no dealers/distributors taking their cut?  What about Alo selling that Rx crap (which I own) for the same amount which isn't any more complicated yet being made in China (the only place on earth where it is cheaper to hand solder SMD components rather then having it done by machnies) and not the US? 
 
As for the other amp, for something so legendary I've never heard of it and neither has google...

 

[spritzer]

Missed the last page...
 
Quote:

Phew. Good, spritzer's post on the last page about headphone damages and problem with the ExStatA had me worried for a second. About the KGSSHV, is that kinda like a SS T2? I want one!

The Exstata won't damage the headphones, no danger of that.  The Rudistor amps on the other hand will. 
 
The KGSSHV is just that, the same basic circuit as the KGSS but it runs at higher rail voltages.  Now higher voltages bring a lot of improvements on their own but on top of that the HV fixes the only real weakness which the KGSS had, load resistors and not CCS at every stage.  In terms of cuircuit design the KGSS is a long way from the T2 but it should come close at a fraction of the T2 cost. 
 
Quote:

Well, I've heard my old GES and my current WES (it was the demo) at RMAF 2009, and the WES is clearly superior in soundstage and power over my old GES.

I compared two WES against the GES and the difference was tiny with the GES being more cleaner sounding.  I've also studied the circuits and the WES is just not up to snuff IMO.  Wrong tubes for the job, rail voltages not high enough and that thing deserves a better PSU design. 

 
Quote:

Spritzer: Why? 

Besides the fact it measures worse then the SRM-1Mk2 it is so closely related to (1% distortion isn't insignificant and orders of magnitude more then the SRM-1 Mk2 at full power) and offers no real advantage besides balanced inputs (which the SRM-1 Mk2 can be easily fitted with)?  It also doesn't sound all that great to me, far from being neutral and utterly crushed by the old KGSS design which isn't all that much more expensive to build.   

That said I'm finishing my layout for the new low distortion version of the Exstata and I'll have some boards made.  They are larger then the stock version but there are also no keystoned resistors, 8 large heatsinks per channel and +/-400V rails.  

 

[bralk]

 
This transformer is for my new  amp project
The finished PSU will be placed in the basement
with the output section in my living room.
 
If successful I will try for a portable version.
 
cheers
 
Tom