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Jon L

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Posts posted by Jon L

  1. The Headcase Stax thread

    in Headphones

    Posted

    On 3/7/2024 at 11:32 AM, justin said:

    Here’s a quad of Western Electric 300B in the Grand Cayman.

    IMG_4005.jpeg

    WE300B tubes were only making 5.5 watts vs 8 watts of Shuguang 300B-Z in this video.  It's a bit puzzling and I wonder if other 300B tubes may be a better option in the 'stat amp?

     

  3. The Headcase Stax thread

    in Headphones

    Posted

    On 4/14/2023 at 8:46 PM, Kung said:

    ::)Ray samuels the old friend of stax mafia just released a new amplifier B-21, the electrostatic part claimed 1800Vpp voltage swing with 200mA continuous current output performance just shocked me. . . Reminds me of the horribly weak output performance of the A10 he designed before, this new amp is also questionable...

    B211.jpg

    What's the price on Ray Samuels B-21?   

    Just to get perspective on Eletrostat/Dynamic combo amps out there..

    Audio Valve Solaris $4900

    https://www.headamp.com/products/audiovalve-solaris

    Mal Valve Head amp three Mk 4  6000+ Euro

    https://www.malvalve.de/Headamp3-E.htm

    Linear Tube Audio Z10e $6950

    https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/z10e-electrostatic-headphone-amp-integrated-amp

  6. The Headcase Stax thread

    in Headphones

    Posted

    17 hours ago, greenpips said:

    audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-estats-amp-eha5-details-updated.39190/

     

    Interesting stuff

    I sure hope this Topping EHA5 transformer box turns out to be reliable and good-sounding, not causing harm to 'stats, etc.  The masses need a 'stat transformer box that is readily available from a "big" company.  BTW.  Why the heck did Stax stop making tranformer boxes anyway?

  9. Speaker Porn

    in Speakers

    Posted

    3 hours ago, RudeWolf said:

     15MU midwoofs and the same Faital HF1440 CD.

    SQ1-redux.jpg.c5f47abc9da5e15e399b09df28e7ee45.jpg

     

    I love these types of speaker designs.  1.4" compression driver is a nice touch.  I assume Reflector Audio and this top module can be used without subwoofers, in which case what are their useful low frequency response?

    • Like 1

  10. 19V Linear PSU for PC

    in Do It Yourself

    Posted

    16 hours ago, sbelyo said:

    At day one I couldn't really hear any difference.  The second day I left it on all day then listened at night and there was a positive difference.  It's subtle but seems to get better a little each day.  It was worth the experiment per se.

    Which "PC" are you powering?  I've tried quite a few different power supplies for my PC/server, and the largest difference in SQ seems to occur when better power is given to the very end of the PC signal chain.   For example, if using USB out, giving decent power to the USB card.  Giving good power to an outboard usb-to-spdif converter makes a large difference also.  

  11. Music Making

    in Miscellaneous

    Posted

    On 7/31/2021 at 2:31 AM, Torpedo said:

    I think this is interesting, inspiring and beautiful

     

     

    3 hours ago, Torpedo said:

    Not exactly a video about making music, but about how to make music sounding your own. I'm amazed that some people have such grasp on music

     

    I noticed both Nahre Sol and Jimindorothy are Korean musicians.  K-Pop is not all there is...

    • Like 1

  14. Bypassing a volume pot (switchable)

    in Do It Yourself

    Posted

    I had a similar quandary in the past in a tube amp trying to bypass the "evil(?)" Alps Blue velvet.  Used the amp with the pot just bypassed completely.  Later, Alps was changed to better-reputed TKD for sources that needed volume control.  These days, I mostly use the TKD with volume open all the way to "effectively" bypass it. 

    To be honest, I wouldn't want to bet any amount of money I could consistently identify sound quality differences in blind testing, in any mode above. 😥 

  15. Abyss Phi TC

    in Headphones

    Posted

    20 hours ago, tkam said:

    I have a pair of the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC now as well and they are the best headphones I've heard.  I'm using them with a Headamp GS-X Mini and it drives them very well.

    I think people go way overboard thinking these need crazy amounts of power as 88db/mW isn't that inefficient.

    The well-heeled Phi TC owners seem to eventually declare the Woo WA33 (10 watts at 32 ohms) their favorite, but this is probably not because of the power output but the flavor.  

  17. Cheap Raal Direct Drive Amp

    in Do It Yourself

    Posted

    On 11/8/2020 at 4:59 AM, manueljenkin said:

    How to approach a design that can operate properly with such low impedance loads? Or in other words, what is it in the design of Opa 541 that makes it capable of driving the raal?

    I have been listening more and more to Raal SR1a, and it really is a beautiful thing.  

    I do have to wonder about how this little Jotunheim R's balanced, differential "Nexus" gain stage is claimed to deliver "up to 13 amps"  into Raal's low impedance, and how this cheap raal direct-drive amp will compare.  

    • Like 1

  19. The Headcase Stax thread

    in Headphones

    Posted

    6 hours ago, jamesmking said:

    no details of the voltage swing for the stax... just the bias voltage

    At the other side, LTA rep posted this info:

    "Frequency response (8-ohm load): 6Hz to 60kHz, +0, -.5dB
    Input impedance: 47k
    Electrostatic Headphone Output: 5 pin Stax interface, 580V bias

    One additional bit of info that's not on the page is the output voltage, which is limited to 410Vrms on the Z10e. STAX themselves recommends that "maximum output with 470 Vr.m.s. or below for any amplifier driving STAX headphone in order to avoid damages to sound elements."

    "there are no transformers. The electrostatic signal comes straight off the tube, and due to ZOTL's unique topology, the tubes run natively at 750V, for a 1500V peak to peak (each channel has two tubes, one is for the bottom half of the signal and one for the top half, so the full voltage swing is both added together). The ectrostatic headphone output is live all the time, because we didn't want to degrade the audio signal with a switch."

  22. ES Labs ES1a

    in Headphones

    Posted

    1 hour ago, WHO23 said:

    It's surprising how a -2dB EQ can affect the fidelity of this headphone and it's a testament to how sensitive our hearing is in this region. As with any headphone and IEM, there is some sibilance with the ES-1α but the EQ for that is dependent on the length of your own ear canal.

    Glad to see people other than myself who are quite sensitive to EQ.  Like you found, manipulating EQ by as little as 2-3 dB in midrange seems to really reduce that "you are there" transparency and realness for me, to the point I will not own headphones or speakers that require this type of adjustment..

    • Like 2

  23. Speaker Porn

    in Speakers

    Posted

    12 hours ago, Pars said:

    What Von Schweikerts do you have? I've owned a pair of VR4 Gen IIs for a number of years now; still happy with them.

    I first met Albert (RIP!) when he was introducing his original VR4 for the first time in public.  I thought they were incredible value for performance, which was true of VR4 Jr that came later.  

    Seems like many pioneers in audio are passing away one by one...😰

    • Like 1

  24. Speaker Porn

    in Speakers

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Knuckledragger said:

    hGr3MVj.jpg

     

    "I'm running a 3-way active crossover (DBX 234XS) which gives me so much control over my speakers. I can really fine tune the sound I want in the room"

    Seeking opinions on DBX 234XS 3-way stereo analogue active crossover.  I'm trying to avoid digital crossovers that necessitate A->D->A conversion, but $260 for 3-way stereo analogue crossover seems too good be true in terms of loss of signal fidelity and introduction of noise/artifacts? 

  25. Whisk[e]y-Case

    in Food and Drink

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Aura said:

    your go-to's are not yet much increased at least for California and Illinois. There are exceptions - Springbank bottles which were already expensive are now catastrophically so (Springbank 10 is now $100 msrp... get the fuck outta here with that shit).

    In panic, I just checked and Springbank 10 is still $65-83 range in SoCal local stores (BevMo, Total Wine).  Still, I have noticed the price increases for Macallan, which is hard to say if due to tariff or just because Macallan is a huge ahole about price in general.  

    I am taking this tariff/covid as an opportunity to cut back on whiskey consumption, which must be a good thing...🤔

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