spritzer
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Posts posted by spritzer
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Are the T1Ws really identical to the T1 except for the inputs?
It's exactly the same. It even says SRM-T1 on the PCB.
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First off, 6moons is a horrible source for anything but pretty pictures though there is one or two reviewers with some sense.
When it comes to Stax there is a wealth of choice and you can either have the new models, pick up a vintage system or mix the two. The 4040 is a clear step up from the 3050 but I've never liked the 006t amps as much as I like their older brothers, the T1, T1S and T1W. The 313/323 are good amps but they can be a bit cold in the wrong system but we are talking about 500$ amps here so they can have faults. Another option would be to pick up a used SRM-1 Mk2 Pro amp, preferable with a "C" serial number above 5000 and use it with either the 303 or 404 earspeakers. The older amp is very different from the 313/323 and IMO sounds quite a bit better and it has more power. It runs pretty hot so that might be an issue but the tube amps do that as well.
On the phones side then the SR-303 is the sweet spot of the range. The 404 is more refined and better but the difference is hardly worth 100$. On the used market you can find any one of the previous models but prices are very high right now, even higher then what the new models cost so unless you stumble across some local deal it's hard to find any of the Lambdas/Gammas/Sigmas at a reasonable price.
I would personally get a used amp and new phones and spend the rest on other aspects of the system. Better IC's and PC's help quite a bit and you could also do some mods to the amp and upgrade it's internal wiring and connectors.
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spritzer,
will do, but that will take until the afternoon.
Thanks
Cool!
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Yes, the 252 and SRD-7 Mk2 are good in different ways. My aim is definitely to build a system that is less of a compromise. Costs have been ensuring that I will not be there any time soon unfortunately.
I'm also looking into some form of Stax amplification that is less compromised then the Stax amps at a similar price.
I saw one going on a certain auction site earlier. The 230V Bias is what puts me off.
THe SRM-Xh is Pro only though there is a normal solder tag on the PCB but I didn't test it. Stock it was available without a bias supply and Pro only as a part of the Spirit system. The one without a bias supply was marked as "Electret Energizer" or something like that.
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If you can post pictures of the insides of both adapter and headphones I might be able see what's what. If they are normal electrets then they can be used with a Stax transformer but the low output driver could also be near death.
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My amp is nothing fancy, some local brand, Digitech, although I don't recall the model (I'm not currently at home to check). You're no doubt correct in suggesting that might be a factor but the SRD-7 Mk2 is definitely adding some grain of it's own that I can't detect from the amp on it's own. Hopefully soon I'll be able to confirm once my DIY transformer box is complete. I'm not sure how similar the SRM-252 and SRM-313 actually are though, their circuit boards certainly looked rather different. I had thought there wasn't much in common between the two although I may very well be mistaken.
The SRD-7 has it's own colorations but they have many positive traits over the cheaper amps, namely dynamics and they are much smoother. Plug in the BH and the transformers become a distant memory...
The 313 and 252 share some of the circuit but the PSU in the 313 is of course much bigger with higher voltage swing.
Perhaps I should have kept the SRM-Xh. Now that I think about it, it would have been great for transportable use.
The new amps are much, much better and can be had for 150$ or less from Japan. They are almost always in the combos but selling a SR-202 wouldn't be too hard.
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Removing power filters is necessity with a linear PSU? I noticed huge differences using my UPC-200 with my Lavry DAC... which has a switcher. I think the Eastsound has a linear power supply. Maybe I should try without? Hmmm...
You should always start at the wall with a good PC and then try some of these filters. I've tried a bit of them (PS Audio, Shunyata, Chang, BPT) and none were as good as a direct connection to the wall or connected though my silver wired extension box. While they are there they do more harm then good but can have benefits when there is a lot of pollution on the mains.
Hahahaha.. I can see how you'd say that from that last paragraph. Even re-reading it myself, I see how, say , a previous version of myself from about 3 years ago would look at that last statement, and worry about my future (current) mental health. But really, with the EMM Labs, plugging it into a rengerator like the Power Plant Premier really brings this player up. While, just the opposite, with the NWO, it kind of deadens the sound. The NWO is so lively and tonally rich that once you have heard it setup properly, you know right away when something is off. I had the good fortune of hearing this 'magic' so to speak at both Alex's and my place, and also the day of the meet. So once that tone and transparency and effortlessness was diminished, I noticed it right away. You would too (I think).
The same goes for the cables, you really do hear a difference. And like I have iterated in the past, you may say a cable change is really only 1 or 2% or whatever. But honestly, the way perception goes, it has to do with what you notice and what you pay attention to. If you do not notice what aspect the cable is having over the reproduction, you will not notice or miss/enjoy it. But once you clearly can hear a cable, and also hear what another cable does/does not do, this apparent subtely is no longer subtle since the magnifying lens of attention will now bring these aspects to the forfront. I can honestly tell you VD cabling with my HE90/ES2 sounds amazing and does this combo major good. Putting X-2 on this combo thins out the sound, changes the tonality, and makes the bass less impactful. But don't believe me. Come over and listen for yourself one day.
Neil
The EMM gear all have a switching PSU so they will benefit from some power filtering/regeneration as it filters out some of the noise the player is pumping out. The HEV90 could also benefit from a filter as if memory serves me, there is a switcher in there.
Cables will make of break most systems but this becomes a big issue when it reaches a certain performance point. This is pretty far from being subtle and they only way to stay sane in the cable world is to stay away from the "major manufacturers" and either go with smaller companies or DIY.
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I'm not sure I completely follow your last paragraph. Seemed to go a little Patrick82 from this side of the screen.
Neil is just going through the motions of using a CDP with a linear PSU instead of a switcher. Removing all power filters is a necessity.
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I doubt that.
Anyone else notice that you need to reach over the tubes to access the XLR jacks? Also, not to be picky, but is it asking too much to not have unfilled holes on the back of your $30,000 modded CD player?
You need to access the player from each side and some plugs would be nice for the holes. Even a simple metal plate with the tubes and inputs engraved into it.
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As well it should - it has been almost a year since I torched those 2sa1968s ***, and if only you'd get after yours, with the pretty case...
)** OK, I had excess thermal grease on the mounting bracket, shook out some metal shavings in the case, which stuck to the grease, and cheesy-POOF!, out burned 7 of the 2sa1968, and other assorted parts. Alex troubleshot, fixed, and did a beautiful job of routing all the wire. Again, another DIY public humiliation for me that somehow came out, and traumatized Alex. Oh, MillettMax - Opus DAC incoming...
Those mistakes are there to learn from. I've blown up 1 KGSS board and a PSU all because I soldered in the wrong resistor in the wrong place. It was really impressive when it went up in smoke...
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What other tubes could you recommend? Some others that maybe better in general? The ECC99 is not the best either.
There is no best while some tubes are better then others it mostly depends on the implementation. The ECC99 is a very linear tube with a lot of power as it was designed for 300b driver duty. I would gladly use either a ECC99 or a 6H30 instead of the normal text book stuff most companies use.
The point is that I think it is retarded to have tubes sticking out the back of your CD player. I can't be the only one.
You are the only one...
The only reason most modders mount the tubes through the top plate is because they are using PCB's and want to minimize the p-p wiring as it is more expensive. -
That APL source looks incredible. I wonder if he would sprout the tubes out of the top rather than the back if you requested it? Any reason that he switched the tubes? All of the designs on his website show 6H30 tubes on the output.
I doubt they could relocate the tubes as there wouldn't be any way to open up the player with the tubes on top. Some internal structure could be made but I just don't get the point. The 6H30 is good but the ECC99 is a better tube in many regards.
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The DACT steppers are outstanding... one of the better $300 investments out there. Dr Gilmore did not steer wrong here, given that I just couldn't nut up on some Penny & Giles.
http://www.goldpt.com/prices.html
The DACT is the only choice at it's price level though you could maybe buy a switch and do it cheaper but it's so much more work. The next step is P&G then there is the RK50 and a Shalco fitted with some esoteric resistors like Riken or AN Tantalum.
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My headphone collection is half of what you have; therefore, I think your are twice as crazy as I am. Of course, I was pretty crazy about the R10. I used to own three of them but...now down to one.
You are both nuts...
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I would call him reckless as he put the fate of his company in the hands of fragile electronics with no backup. All electronic components will fail and it is pretty irresponsible to assume otherwise even if it was for only a short while during upgrades.
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Ahhh, so you've received it. Congrats! These small Stax amps are perfect for office rigs.
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Hmm, I've always wondered how much each of those costs for HeadRoom.
I think the upgrade was something like 1200$ over the stepped attenuators but I'm not sure. They can be found for about 900? and the 2 deck units for 400?.
Whats so good about it? Im pretty clueless as to the pot/attn/whatever.
It sounds cleaner then anything I've ever heard. The RK27 is very grainy and colored by comparison and so are the DACT steppers. For me it's mostly that I can't deal with the steps as there is never the right volume level and that gets old really fast.
Spritzer, the caps in your BH are the same as the ones in the KGSS DX right?
Yes, they are Black Gates WKZ caps. If you have to use electrolytics then they are on the short list of candidates.
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The electrets work with any Stax amp or adaptor, 5 or 6 pin. Just be careful with the volume as excessive level aren't good for them.
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Worth it, aye? Nice.
You got one in your amp? Nope but I have borrowed one from a friend to try out. Massive beasts. It's the same that Headroom uses in their amps if you don't want the steppers (and pay the premium)
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This is da bomb, isn't it?
G08, T1, O2, KGBH, 313, Gamma Pros?
quad RK50 pot costs... $4k already?
How did I manage to fit four questions (including this one) into a single post?
Hehe didn't see your post. Funny that we both used the same picture as I had to dig around on my server to find it.
+Those are my very beautiful NOS Sigma Pro's. My first Gamma Pro's were mailed to me today...
The RK50 cost around 1000 Euro's but it's worth it.
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Hmm, let's see if I can get this straight. How is it going to be both push-pull and single ended?
\The SET wasn't supposed to be there. My bad! The input stage is single ended and all triode but it could use some work.
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I think this one is since 2005, back when life was a whole lot simpler.
Anyone know what the SE case is going to look like?
Justin...
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The pictures are in the HF photo gallery. I'll try to find one and upload it here.
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Cool, thanks.
Is this potentially a higher quality solution than using transformers (building your own) with a SET amp?I'm guessing it'll basically be a capacitor quality vs. transformer quality fight? Any thoughts?
An OTL amp will always sound better then running through one or even two transformers and for most amps you can use something like the Mundorf Silver-Oil caps with their 900vAC rating and they are very good caps indeed. I've always been meaning to buy some Chinese kit amp and fit it with a Stax output and some other features. I have one in mind but time is always a problem and so this remains untested in the long term. A simple switch on the front panel that would disconnect both legs of the output transformers while the Stax socket is active should create a good all rounder as you would have a p-p DHT SET for some speaker use.
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Shanling CD3000 - Underwood mods?
in Home Source Components
Posted
Those Parts Connexion mods seem to just involve changing parts and no redesigning.