Any audiophile amp forum?

[Alan0354]

I know it's not guitar amp topic, I am looking for an Audiophile high end amp design forum like this one. I have no luck. Anyone know of one? It does not have to be tube amp, in fact, I prefer SS amps as I don't like to have tube cooking in the cabinet and I don't believe tubes are superior in audiophile arena.

[loudthud]

Take a look at diyAudio

[Alan0354]

Thanks, I will check them out. I think it might be more useful if I build an audiophile amp instead of guitar amp. I am really discouraged that I really have to have the amp in real life environment to tweak. I can definitely use a better audiophile amp.

[Gingertube]

Definitely DIYAudio - Tubes is amoungst the best, I hang out over there.

My Minimalist HiFi Amp Design.
Baby Huey PP EL84 amplifier - diyAudio

I use more complicated version of this for my everyday HiFi Amp.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes...y-huey-61.html
Schematics at Post #602 and #603 (Post #604 is a variation I later abandonned)

Cheers,
Ian

[Alan0354]

I actually prefer SS as I use the power amp like 6 hours a night minimum for tv, I can't take the heat ( literally) from the tubes!!! I can't stand hot weather.

Not to mention I am a lot more comfortable with transistor than tubes!!!

AND last but not the least, SS is a lot cheaper. From what I know, the output transformer is the most expensive part of the tube amp in audiophile.

And I truly believe SS works very well for audiophile. My all time favorite amp is YBL from France, it's a SS. I only have a low end audiophile amp by Acurus, I sure would like a better one.

[g1]

The diy forum is not just for tubes:
Solid State - diyAudio

[Gingertube]

When it comes to HiFi I think you are either a tube man or an SS man.

Audio"phools" (like us) often use a LEFT or RIGHT of Centre analogy to describe how an amp suits one's musical taste. There is a straight line from "a Musical Instrument in its own right" school (the far left if you like) through to "a piece of wire with gain" school (the far right). I'm unashamedly left of centre BUT cannot stand either the "sickly rich" bad single ended triode type sound of the far left (in my case a Chinese Music Angel 845) or indeed the "cold, sterile and boring" sound of the far right (in my case a 215W per channel 0.001% distortion top of the range ROTEL).
When it comes to HiFi Amps there is a whole philosophical raft of amps between those "A piece of wire with gain" to a "musical instrument in its own right" examples.

So what happened to those two amps which I hated:

The Chinese Music Angel 845 blew up before I could get to it with a blunt instrument. It is being ratted for parts to build what I hope to be a GOOD 845 SET (I bought some expensive output transformers to suit).

The 215W per Channel 0.001% distortion ROTEL went to "shreader" type guitar player. He uses a Line6 POD DSP(Digital Signal Processing) preamplifier to get the guitar sound he wants and uses the ROTEL with the 2 channels bridged (>400W out) to boost the sound to ear bleedling levels. In other words its being used to reproduce distortion. I though that was poetic justice.

The 6V6 + 6SL7 Baby Huey (Gingertube breaks his arm trying to pat his own back) is the best HiFi Amp I've ever heard. Stereo imaging, and PRATT (Pace Rhythm and Attack) are really superior. This is due (I believe) to Ultralinear plus balanced shunt LOCAL feedback and NO global feedback.

I've had quite a few requests to build more Baby Huey HiFi Amps rather than more Guitar Amps. I've seriously considered this, why: Coz everyone knows guitar players never have any money.

Cheers,
Ian

[Alan0354]

That is so true about guitar play don't have money!!! Also I think audio amp is more like clean guitar amp, yes you have some distortion, but all in all, it's clean sound. When comes to distortion of guitar amps, there is just so many variations you can't please everyone.....that has no money!!!!

The few schematic I saw, audio amps are lot simpler, like the good old Fender amps with no reverb and vibrato. Less is more.

[Alan0354]

When it comes to HiFi I think you are either a tube man or an SS man.

Audio"phools" (like us) often use a LEFT or RIGHT of Centre analogy to describe how an amp suits one's musical taste. There is a straight line from "a Musical Instrument in its own right" school (the far left if you like) through to "a piece of wire with gain" school (the far right). I'm unashamedly left of centre BUT cannot stand either the "sickly rich" bad single ended triode type sound of the far left (in my case a Chinese Music Angel 845) or indeed the "cold, sterile and boring" sound of the far right (in my case a 215W per channel 0.001% distortion top of the range ROTEL).
When it comes to HiFi Amps there is a whole philosophical raft of amps between those "A piece of wire with gain" to a "musical instrument in its own right" examples.

Cheers,
Ian

Speaking of a wire with gain. A friend of mine said he actually do not have a preamp, he just go directly from CD or DVD player through a volume pot into the power amp. Can this be done? I personally bypass all the tone stack and just use the volume.

Is the line out level of the CD/DVD player match to the line in level of the Power amp? It would be nice if I can just get a mux switch and a stereo volume pot and replace the preamp. I believe in less is more!!!

Sorry to ask this non guitar amp question. I just join the DIY forum, still trying to feel out the people there. I know you guys are very good, so I post this question at the mean time.

[Gingertube]

Absolutely it can be done - in fact when doing final set to work tweaks on any power amplifier I do this routinely.
It is one of those "less is more: things. Why put a line amp / preamp in the audio path if you dont need one.

Be a bit careful, many of teh DVD/CD players which jhave a variable output use inferior quality circuits to achieve that variable level. Always use the fixed level output and a volume control in the power amp.
Cheers,
Ian

[Enzo]

Yes, you can do that, in fact many commercial stereo amps have a selector on the panel for "direct" which routes your CD directly to the power amp.


Doing this assumes your room or listening environment is perfect and needs no compensation from a preamp tone control. It also assumes you will not mind the inconvenience of making connections whenever you want to change signal sources.

[Alan0354]

Ha ha, do I need to go to the DIY forum or just stay here?

Thanks for the answer. All my DVD players has fixed output, no adjustment at all.

I am thinking about using a passive video mux switch, then go through a volume pot and directly into the power amp. I have no knowledge about the input impedance of power amp and the output impedance of the CD/DVD. What value pot should I use?

My preamp is only a Harmon Kardon Pro Logic amp, it is cheap, but somehow using it stereo for tv, it sounded much better than the Rotel Preamp I bought for more money!!! So I stay with it since 98. It is going, the remote stop working all together, it's time to go. I don't do surround sound even though I have all the speakers because it just does not sound as good as the simple two channel stereo with a sub-woofer. I ended up not installing the center and the back speaker after I moved 8 years ago. So all I really need is a video mux to choose the sources to the tv and the power amp. I think a passive video mux switch and a volume control can replace the whole preamp.

I hate to spend money on a preamp if I don't need it. I rather try to build a really good power amp.

Does any of you know a site to get schematics of audiophile amps? I am interested in looking at schematics of brands like Threshold, YBL or other good power amp.

[jazbo8]

Your posts continue to puzzle me, on one hand you say electronics is your passion, you're an ex-musician, and you seem to have a background in electronic, but the questions that you ask and statements that you made somehow do not reflect that, are you putting us on? How can you not know (even in ballpark figures) the I/O impedances, levels of the gear that you own, even if you really don't know - a quick google serach will answer all your questions, ditto for the schematics...

[Alan0354]

I am hoping for some quick answers.

[J M Fahey]

Solid State - diyAudio

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