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had similar experience before.I feel like the ROHM parts are prone to blow up when the inrush current is too much and it's not my first time. Recently I built a BH earlier with accidentally installed one wrong resistor on one channel causing it drawing too much current,showing -V is constantly pulled low. at first I thought maybe the neg rail is oscillating (I was using Microchip SiC on this build) so I swapped back to ROHM SiC thinking that should work fine since I use it alot when the time that Cree part is constantly out of stock.then it blew up as HV kicked-in and almost shot my face :( .pics related https://imgur.com/z5IHdpx I fixed the issue after doing a full check on both amp, psu side and swapped the blown / incorrect parts . as i said , it's not my first time had the ROHM parts blown, although the root causes are different but they did easier to blow up when something is wrong.

I, for one, welcome whatever input you have Doug. None of my sense of self is tied up in my appreciation for those speakers. I think part of the appeal is the dovetails, and that's more your area of expertise than mine.,

The Blue Hawaii lives! Got my shipment of Cree C2M1000's and replaced the 4 parts that appeared bad. Turns out the BC557B was not bad. I had just tested it incorrectly. So just the c2m1000, the 24V diode, and the 2N3904. My guess is that the alternate part I used for the C2m1000 was not quite up to the task and the inrush current of the startup finally killed it. I will probably replace the positive PSU's chip as well since I got 5 of the C2M1000's for future repairs as needed. I had not adjusted the balance of the amp since I first built it, and decided to check the voltages. After 30 minutes warm up, balance and offset are still +/- 1V. Impressive given the number of hours I have put on that amp over the past 3 years.

I started responding and thought better of it. I don't find commercial audio gear very interesting, but I don't need to rain on anyone else's parade.

^?

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I wonder how the OMA speaker would sound, because it appears that they enclosed the AMT unit. And I thought some of it's magic was due to it's dipole design.

mwl168, great to hear from you! It blew just as the HV power delay relay clicked on (I have a 45 second delay after LV and filaments turn on before HV turns on). So probably an inrush current issue if there was no short.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HO8e85DwrvA_BJq_Fck4j_iqTMR2odbc?usp=sharing

When my brothers and I bought a system back in the '70s, the AMT-1s were the runner up in the speaker department, losing out to the Infinity Monitor speakers with the Walsh tweeter. Probably mostly due to bass response. Nothing else that we were able to listen to made the list. Of course that was in Iowa and our resources were limited. Interesting that Nelson Pass worked for ESS, as did his wife.

I really want to hear those OMA monitors as well, and for good reason... In the mid 80's I bought a pair of ESS AMT 1D speakers. Those speakers had the Heil Air Motion Transformer tweeter/midrange units. They are the best top end/midrange I've yet heard. The issue was the bass. It was a bit wooly and loose. I've always wanted someone to design a speaker using those AMTs, but with a better low end.

I'm not in the market for speakers as I am quite content with my Von Schweikerts, even though they are old. I was toying with going to Axpona this year, but didn't. Maybe next year and would try to listen to a horn system such as the Avantgarde's.

Did the PSU blow up while in play or at power-on?

I'm devastated to hear that the OMAs sound so good. I don't maintain a life that permits me to even dream about that Imperia system, but my own dreams are also represented in the same picture. Those slate-baffled Monitors to the left of frame look just perfect to my eyes. I've never been in NYC long enough to set up an audition but clearly I should.

Totally fair. Here's where I read his impressions: https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nickelodeon-marc-summers-quiet-on-set-interview-lied-1235960541/ I agree he came off looking fine, but to some he might have also come off looking like a guy who will cast aspersions on his former employer over incidents he was not involved in. That is certainly what served the documentarians best even if it did Marc no favors. I'm just saying if I was his publicist I would have said "don't talk to them, it can only hurt you." Considering the general level of interviewee they had (mostly technical staff interspersed with archival footage) I think a lot of publicists already knew not to let their stars on camera with that crew. It's a tough double standard, in a way. A DA has a much easier time prosecuting a crime when people talk to the cops, but any attorney here would surely advise their clients not to ever do that. It is in our collective societal interest to solve crimes and bring bad actors to light but it is almost never in someone's individual interest to be the one doing it.

I listened to a pair of Avantgarde horn speakers a while ago (one of the larger sets hooked up to some first-rate electronics, like their current Trio G3) - it wasn't honky-sounding at all. Definitely worth an audition! You need a lot of space for that kind of horn speaker, though. I listened to a budget set of Klipsch horn tweeter towers and they sounded weird for sure. Not "honky", but not great.

Good thought, Kerry. I checked but the resistance levels on the negative side are about the same as positive side for the amp boards. PSU itself does not show a short. I plan to rebuild the PSU, test it on the bench at low input voltage, then ramp it up. Could just be one of the silicon devices was weak and took the others along with it.

I've always been curious, but biased against, the horn speaker systems. I keep thinking honkiness. I'd need to listen to some good ones with some good neutral acoustic material such as classical. I could be all wet. And they don't meet WAF factors whatsoever And yes, Steve, all the PS Audio stuff kinda surprised me. I didn't know they were still around, and never thought their stuff was all that well thought of. One thing I am toying with buying is a pair of Schitt Tyr monoblocks to replace my Odyssey Stratos.

I had to dream somewhat reasonably, because my harem of twinks is going to cost a fortune to maintain.

Your Mini's are what made this a choice for me. Otherwise I would go with something like the Klipshhorn or the crazy Avantgarde Acoustic Trio G3. :} For digital bits - there are options, but probably: dCS - Vivaldi APEX stack.. Yes that is the Transport II - Upsampler - DAC - and Master Clock set. I would trust that they wound get most of the bits right. I have not heard this set but I have liked dCS sound in the past. And I really like the different wave designs on the front.

I definitely think Steve needs to dream bigger on the audio dream system. PS Audio is not expensive or exclusive enough. 😁 The OMA Imperia was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this thread. JP and I had a demo at OMA and I think it is the best speaker system I have ever heard. Huge presence but intimate sound. I wish I had a bigger house and could justify the cost, for example by actually listening to my OMA Mini system more often...

Love the OMA stuff! Almost went to work for his Brother when I stayed at Al's back in 2013. He has a woodworking shop in Oakland.

Sonus Faber sounded so good. They were on my list back in the day. So I started looking around and I found a few things that initially fall on my list. For right now just speakers and amp. Oswalds Mill Audio - imperia pushed by some 300Bs - Pair of WE 97A monoblocks More to come

Agatha Christie, unless you count that hack Shakespeare.

Back when I read all the audio mags, Sonus Faber released the Extrema in 1991, and that's the speaker I lusted after for years.