[Alick]

Couple of (well, three) quick questions: I bought the coax and pin headers used in the complete kit from David to re-wire my WNA, but as I only have the exact quantity of pins, I don't want to screw any up and they didn't come with instructions. So, to Mike or anyone else who's used them:

1. Did you crimp the pins onto the wire and then add a small amount of solder?
2. Does the bottom crimp attach to the bare wire and the top crimp attach to the insulation as strain relief?
3. Which way round does the connector fit into the header body? (I assume there's a 'latching' mechanism).

TIA.

 

[PinkFloyd]

EDIT: ignore the following it's for standard pin headers and socket housings I didn't realise yours were gold they have a different locking mechanism, check your PM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alick 1. Did you crimp the pins onto the wire and then add a small amount of solder?

Yes, crimp the pins onto the wire and then flood a small amount of solder into the "gap" in the centre of the pin until it "just" flows out the other end of the pin...... it's simple crimping the pins with long nose pliers, fold one strain relief over then the other. Don't over solder (ie: blobs) or the pin will not fit into the crimp terminal housing.... just enough solder to flood the joint, no more no less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alick 2. Does the bottom crimp attach to the bare wire and the top crimp attach to the insulation as strain relief?

Yes, easier if you crimp the bare twisted wire first and then crimp the insulation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alick 3. Which way round does the connector fit into the header body? (I assume there's a 'latching' mechanism).

You'll notice a small barb on the back of the connector... when you fit this into the crimp terminal housing you ensure it locks into the small square hole at the back of the terminal housing body (you may have to prod it home with a suitably sized implement to get it to lock) if you want to remove it at any time insert a prodding device into the square hole which pushes the barb inward..... pull upward to release.......

When you solder the braid of the cable David supplies you can safely flood it with solder, in fact you could keep your soldering iron on that cable all day and nothing would melt the insulation is resistant to heat

Preparing the braided cable....... strip outer sheath, push the braid in the direction of the remaining sheath until it bunches up...... use a watchmakers screwdriver to open a small hole in the "bunched" braid and then hook the conductor out of this hole... in with the driver, under the conductor, bend cable over on itself and hook out the conductor.

Hope this helps Alick.

Mike.

EDIT: oops you were asking about the connection between the crimp terminal housing and straight pin header..... there's no latch it's a friction lock.... this pic will show you which way to connect:

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Hi dudes I am not a diy'er as I have no clue when it comes to things like this. But I am awaiting delivery of my WNA and I am really excited. Reading the thread has only heightened me excitement even more. I will post impressions initially and then compare notes with you WNA'ers.

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the WNA thread your wallet is safe here

Can't wait for your comments on the Mark Levinson / WNA combo....... I'm really looking forward to this

All the best.


Mike.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Yippppppppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeee

It's here. My WNA amp built for me by pinkfloyd is here. I have been for a while trying to pick one of these up for a while now. I can solder but that's about it, and I don't have a clue with electronics anyway so I asked pinkfloyd if he would build me one if he had time on his hands.

Well I hooked up the WNA to my ML combo. I used Nordost SPM reference interconnects.

So the important question is how do I think it sounds?

I am sorry pinkdude but the amp is not my cup of tea. This is because it totally
[size=xx-large]Kicks ass[/size]

Ha ha had you going pinkdude.

This is the best SS amp I have heard. It is a well known fact I love tube amps more for the warmth and lushness. But this amp is almost there. It really works well with the senn hd600's but you have to crank it up to 11.00 posistion to really get it going. But with the grado's RS-1's it is totally sweet. As far as SS amps go this is a warm amp.

I use to have a GSP solo amp+PSU1. This was great with the hd600's and the rare hp-1000 series headphones. But I didn't use them with the rest of my grado's as the resulting sound was too bright and painful to my ears. But with this amp I can plug my grado's in. Detail is first rate but not at the expense of warmth. Up until now I used the grace 901 amp for headphone duties as it has multiple digital inputs as well as a dac section. Also it has dual headphone outputs. The Wna is a simple is a single line in and single headphone out. But the sound quality is much better than the grace 901.

Pinkfloyd was a bit apprehensive in building a WNA amp for me becuase of the source I have. That it would be outclassed. You are right pinkiedude. My ML combo is outclassed by the WNA.

IMO it is better than the GSP solo, it is better than the Sugden headmaster, it is better than my grace 901. But is it the best overall? The Earmax pro is best amp I have owned. Some amps have more detail, bass, timing whatever. But to me it has warmth and naturalness that no other amp I heard can compare to. This amp comes close. The fact that it is a SS amp as well come as a shock. It has better bass, pace and punch. But for obvious reasons it can not produce the warmth of the EMP. But it cost less than the EMP. So I think it deserves joint 1st place with my EMP.

But this is only the beginning. I think with a better power supply their would be a slight improvement in sound quality. How much I won't know until I order one. Also hopefully in a few months time pinkie will be able to add a second line input and second headphone output. Permitting time and case size restrictions.

These are my initial impressions. My ML combo is firing on all cylinders with the WNA amp. This amp suits me because of its warm presentation when combined with my ML. Ususally most amps are neutral or bright sounding. Just wait till I try it with my PS-1's and sony R-10's....

[size=xx-large]Mark Levinson no 31 reference transport/no 30.5 reference dac+WNA amp (pinkie powered) Salutes you[/size],
Pinkdude

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 This is the best SS amp I have heard. It is a well known fact I love tube amps more for the warmth and lushness. But this amp is almost there. It really works well with the senn hd600's but you have to crank it up to 11.00 posistion to really get it going. But with the grado's RS-1's it is totally sweet. As far as SS amps go this is a warm amp.

Glad you like it Mike! I think I mentioned that £150 is an insanely good price for an amp that delivers so much quality to your ears now I think you know what I mean't

I wouldn't describe the WNA as warm but it certainly isn't spitty and harsh like some SS amps so I can see what you mean by warm.... to my ears it's pretty neutral and doesn't suffer from colouration, I haven't heard it with RS-1's so maybe it is warm with them and that can only be good news for RS-1 owners

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 I use to have a GSP solo amp+PSU1. This was great with the hd600's and the rare hp-1000 series headphones. But I didn't use them with the rest of my grado's as the resulting sound was too bright and painful to my ears. But with this amp I can plug my grado's in. Detail is first rate but not at the expense of warmth. Up until now I used the grace 901 amp for headphone duties as it has multiple digital inputs as well as a dac section. Also it has dual headphone outputs. The Wna is a simple is a single line in and single headphone out. But the sound quality is much better than the grace 901.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Pinkfloyd was a bit apprehensive in building a WNA amp for me becuase of the source I have. That it would be outclassed. You are right pinkiedude. My ML combo is outclassed by the WNA.

It's not so much that Mike, I rarely build amps for people and when I do it's for parts cost only (Many ask but there are few who recieve.....You're a diamond geezer Mike so I couldn't say no to you
) and I don't charge a build fee my only apprehension was finding the inclination and time to build another one... luckily I wanted to give my new soldering iron a workout

It's a top class amplifier and there's no reason it shouldn't compliment the Levinson combo admirably

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 IMO it is better than the GSP solo, it is better than the Sugden headmaster, it is better than my grace 901. But is it the best overall? The Earmax pro is best amp I have owned. Some amps have more detail, bass, timing whatever. But to me it has warmth and naturalness that no other amp I heard can compare to. This amp comes close. The fact that it is a SS amp as well come as a shock. It has better bass, pace and punch. But for obvious reasons it can not produce the warmth of the EMP. But it cost less than the EMP. So I think it deserves joint 1st place with my EMP.

The WNA is a cracker of that there's no doubt at all..... wait till she burns in there's more to come..... lots more

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 But this is only the beginning. I think with a better power supply their would be a slight improvement in sound quality. How much I won't know until I order one. Also hopefully in a few months time pinkie will be able to add a second line input and second headphone output. Permitting time and case size restrictions.

The PSU I supplied with the amp is a get you going regulated wallwart... others have reported the amp opens up a lot more with a better quality linear PSU and Captain notices a big difference with the WNA cascode PSU (I haven't tried it yet) David also supplies a battery pack PSU which he says brings about further improvements.... live with the wallwart for a while and then try something better, your ears will be used to the intricacies of the WNA by then and you'll be better placed to hear the subtle improvements a better PSU can bring about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 These are my initial impressions. My ML combo is firing on all cylinders with the WNA amp. This amp suits me because of its warm presentation when combined with my ML. Ususally most amps are neutral or bright sounding. Just wait till I try it with my PS-1's and sony R-10's....

Look forward to hearing your impressions once the amp is fully burnt in Mike, it gets even better trust me

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 [size=xx-large]Mark Levinson no 31 reference transport/no 30.5 reference dac+WNA amp (pinkie powered) Salutes you[/size], Pinkdude

Cheers!

 

[null]

Oh no! Pinkie, I'm so tempted now to order a kit! Should I!? Should I!?

(EDIT) Is it hard to complete Pinkie?

 

[GoRedwings19]

pinkfloyd>I have been spending more time with the amp. I went to bed at 10.am after listening to the amp with rs-1's for 8 hours solid. I was in work for 11.30am!!!!

What is the burn in time approx?



Warm/neutral in this system it is warm. I think I can increase this if I change the interconnect I am using. I use SPM reference at the moment which is well known for being slightly forward. If I try connecting this via Red Dawn instead I might be able to squeeze a little more warmth out of it.

As for the wallwart. It will do for now. I will see if anyone will lend me a better one and see if their are significant improvements. I wish I kept the GSP solo PSU1 so that I could compare. But even now the amp is totally sweet to my ears. Let me send the RS_1's anyway so You can see for yourself what I get to listen to everynight. It really perform well with the rs-1's. I haven't tried my other grado's as I have lent most of them out.

Thank you for giving me a chance to hear and own one of these amps. I will post more impressions later.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 pinkfloyd>I have been spending more time with the amp. I went to bed at 10.am after listening to the amp with rs-1's for 8 hours solid. I was in work for 11.30am!!!!

Whoah, 8 hours is a long session indeed

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 What is the burn in time approx?

There's no hard and fast period Mike and some people even reckon there's no such thing as burn in but I always find an amp opens out in all departments after about 200 - 500 hrs playtime.... here are a few bits about burn in with the Chiarra which may be worth reading.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Warm/neutral in this system it is warm. I think I can increase this if I change the interconnect I am using. I use SPM reference at the moment which is well known for being slightly forward. If I try connecting this via Red Dawn instead I might be able to squeeze a little more warmth out of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 As for the wallwart. It will do for now. I will see if anyone will lend me a better one and see if their are significant improvements. I wish I kept the GSP solo PSU1 so that I could compare. But even now the amp is totally sweet to my ears. Let me send the RS_1's anyway so You can see for yourself what I get to listen to everynight. It really perform well with the rs-1's. I haven't tried my other grado's as I have lent most of them out.

The Calex open frame PSU I use isn't at all bad and may be worth considering at a later date, I personally found the difference between it and the regulated wart "subtle" and nothing leapt out and grabbed me by the balls but after prolonged listening with the Calex you do pick up on subtle nuances that were missing with the wallwart.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Thank you for giving me a chance to hear and own one of these amps. I will post more impressions later.

My pleasure Mike I enjoyed making it and I'm really glad you like it

 

[GoRedwings19]

I have clocked quite a few hours with the WNA now and starting to get a feel for it. I have notice the sound begins to open up when you go past the eight o'clock posistion. You seem to gain more detail, more depth. Does anyone else find this?

With this amp I see no reason why it can't be matched with high end sources and headphones. It is more than a match for the current solid state amps in todays market. The fact it cost so little and if you are a DIY'er makes it a no-brainer.

I think with a better PSU the decay rates of notes and instruments would be delayed. I like to listen to live accoustic sets and have noticed compared to the EMP and EMP anniv. The decay rates are less than them. Although tubes might have a big part to play in this. This with a better power supply I believe would give a fuller sound. Anyone like to comment on better PSU's with the WNA?

 

[1UP]

IRO the sound filling out, could this be a function of the gain? Does increasing gain flesh the sound out more? How should gain be set ideally?

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1UP IRO the sound filling out, could this be a function of the gain? Does increasing gain flesh the sound out more? How should gain be set ideally?

The standard gain of the WNA is 4.3 and is pretty spot on IMO.

Gain is like a little volume control. You don't want the volume level to get loud too quickly as you wont have good control as music levels differ. You also don't want to have to turn it up all the way to get loud either, since different music may be recorded at different levels so if you set the gain for max output with one music source it might not get loud with a music source recorded at a lesser level.

I upped the gain to 6 and it was just a bit too immediate for me (ie: the sound gets louder at a lower volume setting) I think 4.3 is optimum unless you want loud music at a lower volume setting in which case you increase the gain to suit your ears.

To increase the gain to 6 replace R3 (3k3R) with a 4k7 resistor... as previously mentioned altering the gain will not alter the sound in any way at all.

Hope this helps.

 

[PinkFloyd]

It may be of interest to WNA builders to learn that Dr. White now provides a little PCB that converts the WNA headamp inputs from single ended to balanced. Its only 49x57mm and it can be powered from P4 on the headamp. He says there Should be plenty of room for the PCB pcb and xlr ( balanced ) connectors into the Hammond case that a few of us use.

I'll find out the price of the PCB and also the price of a balanced "add on kit" and report back..... looking good tho

Mike.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 I have clocked quite a few hours with the WNA now and starting to get a feel for it. I have notice the sound begins to open up when you go past the eight o'clock posistion. You seem to gain more detail, more depth. Does anyone else find this?

Eight o'clock position is pretty low Mike, you will find it opens up a bit more after 8 o'clock yes... if you want more "grunt" at the 8am position then the gain can be upped slightly to give you more volume at a lower volume control setting..... no probs but, as I said above, the gain setting of 4.3 is pretty spot on..... try some heavy metal or electro at 8am and you'll see what I mean.

All the best.

Mike.

 

[1UP]

Thanks, Mike, yes that explanation really helps. Begs the following questions, though: is it possible to set a gain of 5 or 5.x? What clock-position is your volume knob when listening to rock music at a comfortably enjoyable volume level?

I find I need to get to between 12 and 1 o'clock with my DT990s.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd Eight o'clock position is pretty low Mike, you will find it opens up a bit more after 8 o'clock yes... if you want more "grunt" at the 8am position then the gain can be upped slightly to give you more volume at a lower volume control setting..... no probs but, as I said above, the gain setting of 4.3 is pretty spot on..... try some heavy metal or electro at 8am and you'll see what I mean. All the best. Mike.

The gain you set is perfect. I have no problem with it. I find I just keeping turning up the volume when I use the RS-1's with it. I have never found a SS amp I have liked with the RS-1's until now.

The balanced inputs interest me. I have only one rca input would like to have the balanced modification without sacrificing the rca input. Would it be possible to put a little switch on the front so I could select between the inputs. The reason I enquire about this mod is because my ML can run in full differential mode therefore squeezing more performance out of it. The WNA is up to the job I feel.