$595. I want to cry.

There are some great amps for Grados around that cost less than that. I love the Millet MOSFET hybrid. I cant remember being nearly as psyched about hearing the HD-25 with grados as I am with this last MOSFET Max I bought. I swear I am under the spell of all the MOSFET Max. Powerful, fast, clear, dynamic, no treble edge, no darkness, no excess brightness, dead quiet and the bass impact is stunning.

I paid the whopping price of $265 including expidited express shipping for this beauty ....

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I paid the whopping price of $265 including expidited express shipping for this beauty ....

Millett Maxes really are incredible value. And with a bit of shameless self-promotion, I must say that I have never seen Hammond cases look better than they do with Maxes even for the 'standard' build......

I should have built one of mine as a MOSFET Max. But I suppose that is why I have the MMM

I think it's possible to see beauty in all these designs. I also think that Craig is a very talented designer, both aesthetically (old school) and sonically.

The Balancing Act is another rare beauty; how could anyone find fault in it? I’d certainly love to have a listen.

I have a ZD. I've actually toyed with the idea of painting, anodizing or nickel-plating the top and bottom plates (am an old hot rodder, meaning, perhaps, missing a few gears!).

I'm not in love with the angled face plate. But I think Craig's stuff looks much better in person, so I'm keeping an open mind. Regardless, it's a bold design and that's a good thing.

I like the look of the ZDT a little more. Then again I did put a down payment on #5 last Friday...

I wonder if the Balancing Act, or the Zana Deux for that matter, has stepped attenuators.

I've seen those nobs being used for boutique bass and guitar amps with potentiometers.

I wonder if the Balancing Act, or the Zana Deux for that matter, has stepped attenuators.

I've seen those nobs being used for boutique bass and guitar amps with potentiometers.

Nope, the ZD does not have stepped attenuators. This is what Craig said about them:

"I did try and build a 24 position stepped attenuator. It had to big a jump between steps, and made it difficult to find a satisfying listening level. The stepped attenuator needs to be a 60 position. That gets expensive with the Shalco control costing $375.00 just for the switch. Add another $100.00 for parts and labor and cost is almost $500.00. So the amps are going out with the standard Alps Blue Velvet controls."

Dr Meier told me that the Corda Symphony's pre-amp output are basically equivalent to a direct output from the Symphony's DAC. He said this is because of the use of stepped attenuators.

Does this mean that having stepped attenuators is much better for use in a pre-amp? That it allows for truer reproduction of the signal?

Isn't it true that Ray Samuels B52, Apache, Headamp GS-X, Corda Symphony and a fair number of B22's have stepped attenuators.

It seems like Zana Deux not having them is rare among high-end amps.

..Still wondering if the Balancing act has stepped attenuators.

Dr Meier told me that the Corda Symphony's pre-amp output are basically equivalent to a direct output from the Symphony's DAC. He said this is because of the use of stepped attenuators.

Does this mean that having stepped attenuators is much better for use in a pre-amp? That it allows for truer reproduction of the signal?

Isn't it true that Ray Samuels B52, Apache, Headamp GS-X, Corda Symphony and a fair number of B22's have stepped attenuators.

It seems like Zana Deux not having them is rare among high-end amps.

..Still wondering if the Balancing act has stepped attenuators.

The GS-X also has a 3 way gain switch, which effectively triples the number of volume levels with a stepped attenuator

While I like the feel of a stepped attenuator I've found that a shunted volume pot to be a better solution as sonically it is transparent (to me) and offers greater volume adjustments. This method also often uses much higher quality resistors as it only uses 1.

My understanding is the BA will use a volume pot.

Dreamwhisper unfortunately theory does not always equal better sound and a device is not always the sum of it's collective parts. I've heard several amps that used pedestrian parts but sounded amazing and I've heard a few amps with a star studded line up of parts that sounded blah.

In my experience the most important part of any device is the design followed by implementation/build then parts. For example the stacker that I based my choice to have one built was made up of parts that were available to the builder and most would not use them if they were commissioning a build. I would venture to guess that my amp with many premium part choices is similar in sound and maybe only slightly better than the version made with non-audiophile parts at over 2x the lesser quality build cost.

I would advise not choosing an amp (or obsessing) by the type of volume device it uses. I only wish I could follow my own advice

Edited April 3, 200917 yr by jp11801

Sound advice.

The BA uses a volume pot. Mine is using This

then i must have held and checked out your pot. Craig probably received it the day before my visit (long time ago now) or something like that and was all jazzed to show it to me. it's one hell of a sweet pot!

then i must have held and checked out your pot. Craig probably received it the day before my visit (long time ago now) or something like that and was all jazzed to show it to me. it's one hell of a sweet pot!

Early on I was talking to Craig about volume pots and in discussing the RK50 he mentioned that there were other pots that were as good for significantly less money in his opinion. He was pretty flattering to the P&G pots. When I received it I could certainly see why. It was a really good interaction because I certainly learned more about potentiometers than I even thought existed.

Penny & Giles are muchly loved in the DJ world for their excellent crossfaders. Allen & Heath uses P&G faders on just about all of their mixes.

Is there a good source for Penny and Giles potentiometers for DIYers?

Penny & Giles are muchly loved in the DJ world for their excellent crossfaders. Allen & Heath uses P&G faders on just about all of their mixes.

Did you mean: mixers?

KG has one of these in his Dynahi, and I suspect also in the DynaFETs he built. I played around with the Dynahi at a meet and the PG was nice. Very nice.

Edited April 4, 200917 yr by Pars

Is there a good source for Penny and Giles potentiometers for DIYers?

I bought mine from:

Dale Manquen at MANCO

1694 Calle Zocalo

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

(805) 529-2496

[email protected]

M A N Q U E N . N E T

Be aware that the RF15 can be ordered normally with a maximum of 10K resistance. When I ordered mine they also had one piece with 20K resistance (which I purchased) so my guess is they will do higher values as special orders but I have no idea what the minimum might be for that.

I bought mine from:

Dale Manquen at MANCO

1694 Calle Zocalo

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

(805) 529-2496

[email protected]

M A N Q U E N . N E T

Be aware that the RF15 can be ordered normally with a maximum of 10K resistance. When I ordered mine they also had one piece with 20K resistance (which I purchased) so my guess is they will do higher values as special orders but I have no idea what the minimum might be for that.

That guy lives about five miles from me, I practically passed his house this morning on my morning bike ride. If anyone is coming to Can Jam and wants me to do a pick up, I can save you shipping costs at least.

Did you mean: mixers?

Yes. I'm dyslexic. I make typos like that all the time.

I'm lysdexic too.

Be aware that the RF15 can be ordered normally with a maximum of 10K resistance. When I ordered mine they also had one piece with 20K resistance (which I purchased) so my guess is they will do higher values as special orders but I have no idea what the minimum might be for that.

how much? Aren't they only ~20% cheaper than a RK50? 10K is fine for anything I'd be using it for ...

how much? Aren't they only ~20% cheaper than a RK50? 10K is fine for anything I'd be using it for ...

$250 for stereo

$250 for stereo

When will everyone start receiving their BAs?