March 31, 200917 yr I know that many people enjoy the SRM-717, but what exactly makes it a better amplifier than for example a SRM-006t? Is it the higher output voltage?
March 31, 200917 yr Yes, but voltage is not the only thing which counts, for example the older SRM-T1 uses better parts than the SRM-006t so the new one is actually worse.
March 31, 200917 yr I know that many people enjoy the SRM-717, but what exactly makes it a better amplifier than for example a SRM-006t? Is it the higher output voltage? More power basically, both voltage and current. It's far from a perfect amp but very hard to beat at that price point.
March 31, 200917 yr What is the output voltage on the BHSE? As i remember reading the SRM-T2 has an output voltage of more than 600v, more voltage than any other stax offerings. I guess this is why the T2 is said to be the best stax brand amp ever produced.
March 31, 200917 yr Lets just look past how cheap and nasty the preamp section is in the B52 and there is a whole world of choice at this price point, either SS or tube. Many will easily drive headphones from the pre-outs as well. If you want some brands then BAT like Nate suggested plus vintage Krell, ML, Spectral, Pass, ARC, C-J etc. I'm just going to quote some of the things i have actually heard. The small conrad johnson preamp is about half the price of a B52. And that is the NEW price. Used is definitely cheaper. Pass labs has a number of wonderful fet based preamps starting at only $2k or so, and going all the way past $18k. ARC is certainly nice, i don't like the sound signature. And krell, well i have 2 of those, but the cast preamp new is more than a B52. And all of these have a remote control. Each is far more complicated than a single gain tube and a cathode follower which is all a B52 is. I'm going to say something else, as far as i know, mikhail never made a real preamp. Yes he made lots of things with a set of connections that said preamp out, but they are absolutely no different from a RSA STEALTH. That is a single gain tube, and a pot. Not even a cathode follower. And his version of unbalanced/balanced ala the SS1 is just dismal. Edited March 31, 200917 yr by kevin gilmore
March 31, 200917 yr What is the output voltage on the BHSE? As i remember reading the SRM-T2 has an output voltage of more than 600v, more voltage than any other stax offerings. I guess this is why the T2 is said to be the best stax brand amp ever produced. I believe Kevin Gilmore said in the past that the original Blue Hawaii is 750 volts peak to peak.
March 31, 200917 yr All of the wall-warts in the SS1 had fuses soldered to their boards, but they were too large to blow The fuses were probably in the 5 volt section which was never used in the first place... There might have been a thermal fuse inside the transformer...
March 31, 200917 yr The T2 and the BH and BHSE all use +/-400 volt supplies. So clipping would be 800 volts minus the 30 or so volts for the cathode. In practice its a bit lower than that. So something in the 700-750 range. T1's are +/-350 so max would be 670, in practice 625-650 The 717 does slightly better, 650 to 675. The voltage swing is only part of the equation. The other is the amount of current available to charge and discharge the capacitors. A 6sn7 can probably supply only 60% of the current that a 6s4 can.
March 31, 200917 yr Maybe Namaan will bring his DIY Blue Hawaii over to compare. My guess is that if you were to ask him politely, he'd be happy to do it. If you offered him good beer and/or scotch, I'm sure he would.
March 31, 200917 yr My guess is that if you were to ask him politely, he'd be happy to do it. If you offered him good beer and/or scotch, I'm sure he would. I've still got 4 beer left over from the 2/14 meet that I told him to take with him and he forgot it. I'll be happy to offer that up I found a buyer for his O2 Mk1, and then ended up owning them myself this weekend. We could have a tearful reunion with his O2 Mk1 for him, complete with flowers and organ music.
March 31, 200917 yr I've still got 4 beer left over from the 2/14 meet that I told him to take with him and he forgot it. I'll be happy to offer that up I found a buyer for his O2 Mk1, and then ended up owning them myself this weekend. We could have a tearful reunion with his O2 Mk1 for him, complete with flowers and organ music. I don't know about tearful reunion but I am up for bringing it over when the A-10 shows up. That way we can see how they compare to my lead ears. Edited March 31, 200917 yr by naamanf
March 31, 200917 yr I'm just going to quote some of the things i have actually heard. The small conrad johnson preamp is about half the price of a B52. And that is the NEW price. Used is definitely cheaper. Pass labs has a number of wonderful fet based preamps starting at only $2k or so, and going all the way past $18k. ARC is certainly nice, i don't like the sound signature. And krell, well i have 2 of those, but the cast preamp new is more than a B52. And all of these have a remote control. That new C-J budget preamp has gotten nothing but glowing reviews, even from HFN which are notoriously picky. I've heard the Pass X2.5 and it was excellent the same as the old Krell units. I even put in a bid this week on an old Stax preamp but thankfully lost. Still I have to buy a SRA-14S one of these days...
March 31, 200917 yr I don't know about tearful reunion but I am up for bringing it over when the A-10 shows up. That way we can see how they compare to my lead ears. Let me know the time & place and I can bring my BHSE too.
March 31, 200917 yr Let me know the time & place and I can bring my BHSE too. Shazam. Woo GES, BH, BHSE, and A-10. This should be interesting.
March 31, 200917 yr I'm going to say something else, as far as i know, mikhail never made a real preamp.Incorrect -- the Maestro was designed as a preamp, and did well as one.
March 31, 200917 yr so on closer inspection i will modify my analysis. followed by 4 srpp gain sections, 5687's Used to drive output stage and preamp output. . 6sn7's as electrostatic outputs. Capacitvely coupled, same as aristaeus. Wanna make a small bet on your words? i say $5.00 your wrong on the above!
March 31, 200917 yr OK billy its worth $5. Which part is wrong. paypal immediately. Hey i might be surprized.
March 31, 200917 yr you will find out when everyone else does, since i know you like thinking about this stuff i am going to let this sit in your brain for a bit... as far as the $5.00 goes buy me a coffee next time we meet up!
March 31, 200917 yr Incorrect -- the Maestro was designed as a preamp, and did well as one. See i'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Every picture of the maestro i can find shows a total of 3 tubes. Which is 1 gain tube, and 2 x WCF output tubes, all 6sn7's. This is virtually identical to the RSA stealth which is claimed to be a preamp also. One gain tube and a volume knob does not a preamp make. Mainly its the huge variation in output impedance over frequency and attenuation range that is at issue here. In my system with 20 feet of cable between the preamp and amp, there is no way this thing would work.
March 31, 200917 yr See i'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Every picture of the maestro i can find shows a total of 3 tubes. Which is 1 gain tube, and 2 x WCF output tubes, all 6sn7's. This is virtually identical to the RSA stealth which is claimed to be a preamp also. One gain tube and a volume knob does not a preamp make. Mainly its the huge variation in output impedance over frequency and attenuation range that is at issue here. In my system with 20 feet of cable between the preamp and amp, there is no way this thing would work. on the Maestro were the headphone out and pre-outs the same thing?
March 31, 200917 yr you will find out when everyone else does, since i know you like thinking about this stuff i am going to let this sit in your brain for a bit... as far as the $5.00 goes buy me a coffee next time we meet up! Billy, no one hears from you in over a month then you come back and whack your mouth off... Put up or shut up. My guess is that although the chassis is complete, the circuit boards are still prototypes, otherwise pictures would have been supplied. Anyone know billy's paypal address, i'll send the money now. And then billy, take it out of your hide later... Can you still get a cup of coffee at starbucks for $5 ??
April 1, 200917 yr on the Maestro were the headphone out and pre-outs the same thing? Searching for maestro insides pictures now... WCF driving high impedance cable load, even internally loaded with 150 ohms ?? got to be nasty. At least if the stealth was used that way it would be pure class A. Edited April 1, 200917 yr by kevin gilmore
April 1, 200917 yr I kinda wonder why Mikhail or Ray didn't try to rig up something using a concertina/cathodyne to feed the balanced frenzy..
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