kevin gilmore

The ZD is the ONLY amp out there with that particular topology. It sounds different from the rest. I happen to like it. Some have said there are manufacturing defects, this i do not know. I definitely have experience with the 6c33's and my mig amp runs them at full blast, and has all the problems associated with running them at full blast. Thinking heavily lately about a mig3 amp which has a topology similar to the ZD except that it is fully dc coupled input to output. A beast for sure.

If would heavily depend on the parts used. In general i think that 4 smaller caps in parallel may have 20% or so less inductance and likely have a bit less resistance too. The DA is likely to be about the same. Blackgates and Cerafines definitely perform very differently. Thats what a really good LCR meter is for. I have a couple different ones. Of course the absolute best output cap (now everybody all at once say) NO CAP WHATSOEVER. Its certainly possible. I have 2 different prototypes that prove it. The chances of something like that ever coming out of SP is pretty much close to zero. And for Ray Shambles, it approaches negative infinity.

Earl you are SO full of shit. Of course the output caps contribute 90% of the sound to the overall sound of the amplifier. Reason they have to drive low impedances, 32 to 300 ohms. Therefore they have to be at least 250uf. Unless you buy those honkin big things that EC uses that are the size of a baseball (nope earl, not the power caps) you are going to have to use electrolytics. Those things EC uses have a silly price attached to them. One of the very few things mcalister gets right (one of the VERY few) is to use very large motor start oil caps as the output caps. Now many companies use just one really big electrolytic, mikhail's sthick is to parallel 4 or more smaller ones to get to the same number. Typically mikhail uses 450uf or more. All electrolytics have significant inductance, dielectric absorbance, unidirectional performance... You name it. The non-extreme singlepowers are all white cathode followers and as such have 2 interstage coupling caps per channel in unbalanced mode. These caps see a load impedance of several hundred thousand ohms minimum. So you can put really good caps here. Teflon, silver foil, you name it. Still the effect of those caps makes is very small compared to the output caps. With respect to the quad 5687 amp, It is sometimes hard to determine what is going on inside an amplifier without really good pictures. So if i made a mistake based on virtually no information, and lots of dis-information then i'm sorry.

There are no interstage coupling caps. This is a true statement. There ARE output capacitors. This is also a true statement. The next pile of bullshit out of your mouth earl and i post every single singlepower inside picture i have, including schematics. This will not be good for mikhail. This will reverberate around for 6 months or more. It will do significant damage. That i will promise you. So pull your head out of your ass, call mikhail and let him decide whether or not you want to continue this line of bullshit. See billy... ray shambles is not the only one i pick on

Two resistors to reduce the hum will have nothing to do with reducing the distortion. Definitely not what i'm talking about. Yes the extreme uses 2 sections of each power tube in parallel for twice the current. As much as you are going to get out of a single power tube unless you change to 6c33's. Different parts, sure, but are they better who knows, they do sound different. Now power supplys,that is where there is a significant difference. Note: the Zana Deux is not a cathode follower.

Do tell. Its not really like it is super secret military technology. Or is it? Two different people have published the same kind of thing, but are using it for gain sections, not for power followers.

Since the proton type of tube does not exist in this universe then EITHER 1) A DC coupled tube output section can only exist with multiple power supplies AND lots and lots of solid state help. OR 2) Be fully balanced where both outputs are lifted many volts above ground (typically half the B+ rail) AND significant amounts of solid state help to maintain the difference between the outputs at zero or lots and lots of extra tubes and extra power supplies to accomplish the same thing. (generally considered to be unsafe) OR 3) Be fully balanced with a circlotron topology with a minimum of 6 power supply voltages, 4 of which must be fully isolated, plus fillament supplies. The extreme is none of the above.

The output stage of the extreme is NOT direct coupled. There is an output cap just like every single other cathode follower setup except for my servo controlled bamaslama. That cap is where all the changes in sound happen. The interstage coupling cap has much less of an effect on everything, especially if it is a really good cap. Its all about the impedances involved. Big difference between 1 megohm and 32 ohms. Besides which a direct coupled output stage requires a power supply with both + and - voltages and with high gain input tubes, that requires a seperate power supply too. Last warning earl, knock off the bullshit. No need for it. Now as far as the time machine, things for me are going really great and have been for some time. I have no need for a time machine. Now maybe in 20 years i might need one then i'll be able to whip one up in a weekend.

Not until at least the prototypes of 2 new and improved products are shown. Or is that 3.

Not entirely true. I can prove it if you wish.

billy aren't you supposed to be at your bar working??

For a long time mikhail was talking about other tubes, especially things like the 6080 which was always one of my favorites. Just because it took mikhail 2 years to come out with the thing is not at issue here. Ray wanted his niche, and wanted to stay out of mikhail's face and he clearly expected mikhail to do the same. Things are pretty much that way even today. If ray would have released the A10 (likely at $1900 or more) he would have instantly had competition from other products priced significantly less.

It was part of the discussion when ray yelled at me on the phone for over two hours. this was either one or two months after the meet at his house where he was showing off the raptor. Ray said at the time that he was not going to sell the A10. If you will remember, tuberoller actually posted pictures of the prototype A10 chassis. So that is about 2 years before the extreme came out. Plus or minus Hey billy pick up the fucking phone and call ray and ask him. Now the whole deal of who sold a 5687 amp first is a little harder to figure out. Except the brooksie did it years before either of them.

And i have a modification for any of those amps with that particular topology that for about $10 in parts cuts the distortion by more than half and really improves the sound. But i'm not telling for a while There is only one other person here that knows what i'm talking about. And i don't think he is going to tell either.

Yep. You can have woo audio stuff the thing with all blackgates if that is what you want. correct.

As far as the A10, ray himself told me he was scared to go directly head to head with SP. Because that is exactly what the A10 is, an exact copy of the extreme. And exactly the same thing with the darkvoice and woo audio, which are also exactly the same thing.

Lets see, HR2 has 2 x .5 watt toy output transistors with an output impedance of 10+ ohms. Apache has 4 x .5 watt toy output transistors with an output impedance of 20+ ohms. Naw that could not mess up the bass could it?? All the feedback in the world from the front end opamp ain't going to help. B22 has 4 x 40 watt transistors with an output impedance of .1 ohm or something like that. OK, so 2 of the transistors are cascodes, and really don't count, but still. Yep, no difference whatsoever. Ray could definitely do a phono section in a sr71 box... With an external power supply. Hell i'll even give him the schematic since he has absolutely no idea what a subsonic filter is and why you would want one. A total of 4 opamps coated with nailpolish. But ray's pricing would likely be about $500 for what is about $50 in parts. Virtually identical to his $5k phono section without the unbalance to balance TI chips.

And Here I was just going to say about how much better the light a cryo'd lighbulb generates

Well i could not find anything, so i just made one with my video camera. I'll take a picture of this massive practical joke in the next few days. Think stereo b&w monitors connected to nanospray source on PerkinElmer Sciex Qstar TOF MS... (with a remote rf relay button that i can activate without being seen...) The person that normally runs this instrument is already having various neurotic problems, this out to push them over the edge

I need a dvd,mpg, or something i can make a dvd out of that is a 10 minute or more clip of just an eyeball moving and blinking. For those who have been to ABT, they have something like this in the receiving department. That sort of thing. Any ideas?? I'll show whats up once i get something...

To the one with the loud shirts I say Hau`oli la hanau!

plastic adjustment tools formally called "twiddle sticks" absolutely required. Especially for high voltage stuff.

I've been doing cryo stuff for 15 years now, i know what is safe, and i know what is not safe. Nothing even approaching not safe will be allowed, that i will make sure of. Billy's idea of dumping a few liters into the swimming pool for example goes under the NOT ALLOWED. While people will be required to sign a waver of dammages, i have deliberately tried to crack various items by extremely fast immersion into the N2. Never was able to crack a 7 or 9 pin all glass tube yet. Some of the old tubes with phenolic bases, sometimes the glue comes loose, or the base cracks, but the tube is still in one piece. Cooling down over a few minutes slowly and even this does not happen. Whether the venue complains or not depends on if they are going to be told or not

I can do that. OK, billy will tell all this is true. I did offer to be part of billy's team if he does the ground work for the head-fest 2008 in chicago. I also agreed to bring an infinite amount of liquid nitrogen and a dipping dewar. People can cryo anything on the spot. For FREE!!!!! Requirements: someone with a pickup truck, van or other such vehicle preferably with a lift gate so that i can bring the dipping dewar, and as many 100 liter tanks of N2 that we will need. And a strong person. 100 liter tanks weigh about 325 lbs full. Make that 2 other people... Am I crazy or what?? We can start with billy's penis. Anyone have a tweezers and a magnifying glass

So now that things are slowing down a bit, i got this idea to build a massively huge BH. So i'm thinking 4 x 3cx400 should be absolutely perfect. Running at about 50 watts plate each. Designed for grounded grid from the start. Anyone have some with sockets and chimney. Current best price on the tubes i have found is $480 each. Can't find any new sockets, just old pulls. If anyone has any idea on glass tubes (as opposed to ceramic) that are triodes and NOT DHT, i'm willing to listen. Current production a definite benefit. No 811,813,8000... as they are all DHT.