Actually, the price isn't all that different. Both have power transformers, so that zeros out. Tubes (unless you go OTL...hint, hint) require output transformers, but solid state requires heat sinks. Heat sinks, at least for class A gear, will run you roughly what a set of output transformers would cost--possibly more, so again, that pretty much zeros out.
Grey
Grey
ZENzenZENzenZENzenZEN
Build the original ZEN amp with the power supply upgrades.
The upgrades can be found in the Return of Zen article (extra capacitance and inductors)
I used to get my inductors from MCM Electronics, but they haven't
carried 2mH air core inductors for quite a while now. They weren't
the prettiest part, but they worked!
I suppose if you had enamled wire you could roll your own, i'm
sure there's a thread around here somewhere on how to do it
(note to self to find this thread!)
Bottom line is the ZEN was fun to make.
Build the original ZEN amp with the power supply upgrades.
The upgrades can be found in the Return of Zen article (extra capacitance and inductors)
I used to get my inductors from MCM Electronics, but they haven't
carried 2mH air core inductors for quite a while now. They weren't
the prettiest part, but they worked!
I suppose if you had enamled wire you could roll your own, i'm
sure there's a thread around here somewhere on how to do it
(note to self to find this thread!)
Bottom line is the ZEN was fun to make.
I would also go with Aleph-x on batteries for the ultimate sound since you don't need a lot of watts.I think an AX biased around 2A should do the trick giving around 16W into 8ohm of top class sound.Just get a couple of 30-40 ah SLAs and a cheap charger plus some good film caps and your power supply is done.No huge electrolytics/rectifiers to mess up the sound.Plus you will need moderate heatsinking which means probably a relatively small stereo chassis.HeadSh0T said:
Re: Re: Pass Amp for Single Driver
Hi Nelson
Just wondering if you were driving balance or unbalance?
I am thinking of building a ZV1 balance without the output caps, with a current bias of 3 A per mosfet. Is this advisable as compared to the original zen v1 in regards to driving a high efficiency speaker?
Thanks for your kind advise
Cheers
CH2
Nelson Pass said:
The ZV4 is not my first choice, and its reason for existence is
the high input impedance, much greater efficiency, and lower
distortion at high frequencies. If you can drive a lower input
impedance and radiate the heat, I prefer the original revised
Zen or ZV1 (the light bulb version). In both cases I have come
to prefer a lot more supply filtering with these as the Lowthers
are very efficient, especially in horns.
Hi Nelson
Just wondering if you were driving balance or unbalance?
I am thinking of building a ZV1 balance without the output caps, with a current bias of 3 A per mosfet. Is this advisable as compared to the original zen v1 in regards to driving a high efficiency speaker?
Thanks for your kind advise
Cheers
CH2
Zen V5
This Pass design works very well on low rail voltages, over 20V thou, and i´ve used it with Coral Beta 8´s in a Schmackshorn and this is a nice combination, also good with Fostex FE103 sigma in a TQWT.
Simple to build, working PCB layout available here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46487
This Pass design works very well on low rail voltages, over 20V thou, and i´ve used it with Coral Beta 8´s in a Schmackshorn and this is a nice combination, also good with Fostex FE103 sigma in a TQWT.
Simple to build, working PCB layout available here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46487
Re: Zen V5
Hi ingvar
What a coincident! I am also running on coral. But my is the flat 8.
I have heard the coral beta 8 driven by the zenlite (unbalance) bias at 6.5amp. It just simply magic. In comparison to my 50w aleph-x, it just has that extra warmness in its mids. Simply magic
I just bought a 2.2kva 2x25v transformer. So I am in the process of deciding which amp to build to go with the coral flat 8.
Mr Pass mentioned that he favours the ZV1 and the Zenlite. Having heard the magic of zenlite, I am thus curious about the ZV1.
ingvar ahlberg said:
Hi ingvar
What a coincident! I am also running on coral. But my is the flat 8.
I have heard the coral beta 8 driven by the zenlite (unbalance) bias at 6.5amp. It just simply magic. In comparison to my 50w aleph-x, it just has that extra warmness in its mids. Simply magic
I just bought a 2.2kva 2x25v transformer. So I am in the process of deciding which amp to build to go with the coral flat 8.
Mr Pass mentioned that he favours the ZV1 and the Zenlite. Having heard the magic of zenlite, I am thus curious about the ZV1.
A few notes:
I committed the last of the Zen Variations to a current source
to give the Lowther and Fostex crowd something to chew on,
and that will be done shortly and published on the
www.passdiy.com site and then in AudioXpress.
With this amp, you can easily use these speakers in a sealed
box with minimal loading, and as you progress to enclosures
with rear loading (Bass reflex, horn, transmission line, etc.)
you can either load the output resistively to optimize the match
or start adding feedback. I would refer you to the article on
www.firstwatt.com for examples and data on loading.
So on one extreme you have a Zen with no feedback acting as
a current source, and on the other you have a Zen with feedback
acting as a voltage source, and of course lots of area in between.
At the moment, my favorite drivers for this sort of thing ( among
the ones I have played with ) are the Lowther DX55, C45, and
DX4. From the Fostex lineup, they are the FE206E Sigmas and
FE166E Sigmas. This doesn't mean there aren't as good or better
out there.
I've loaded them all in sealed boxes, rear loaded horns, and
resonant pipes and they all did well as long as you are willing to
adjust loading, feedback, stuffing, and everything else - perfect
for DIY.
I committed the last of the Zen Variations to a current source
to give the Lowther and Fostex crowd something to chew on,
and that will be done shortly and published on the
www.passdiy.com site and then in AudioXpress.
With this amp, you can easily use these speakers in a sealed
box with minimal loading, and as you progress to enclosures
with rear loading (Bass reflex, horn, transmission line, etc.)
you can either load the output resistively to optimize the match
or start adding feedback. I would refer you to the article on
www.firstwatt.com for examples and data on loading.
So on one extreme you have a Zen with no feedback acting as
a current source, and on the other you have a Zen with feedback
acting as a voltage source, and of course lots of area in between.
At the moment, my favorite drivers for this sort of thing ( among
the ones I have played with ) are the Lowther DX55, C45, and
DX4. From the Fostex lineup, they are the FE206E Sigmas and
FE166E Sigmas. This doesn't mean there aren't as good or better
out there.
I've loaded them all in sealed boxes, rear loaded horns, and
resonant pipes and they all did well as long as you are willing to
adjust loading, feedback, stuffing, and everything else - perfect
for DIY.
Nelson Pass said:A few notes:
I committed the last of the Zen Variations to a current source
to give the Lowther and Fostex crowd something to chew on,
and that will be done shortly and published on the
www.passdiy.com site and then in AudioXpress.
What a surprise! Another Zen.
Thanks for the "Chrismas Present"
Would be looking forward to it.
I'm using a ZV4 with my Fe206 in back horns. Sounds fantabulous to me...but I am slowly collecting parts for a Zenlightenment, I found some really neat old stock bulbs...they look like something from a mad science horror flick. Love it. The ZL should be a better match for my suystem as I'm running a PAS2(somewhat modified) pre that has a high output impedence. I haven't really noticed any problems running the PAS with the ZV4, a little bass shy maybe.
OT... Although I am happy with the combo for now, is there anything I should do to optimize the match between the ZV4 and PAS?
OT... Although I am happy with the combo for now, is there anything I should do to optimize the match between the ZV4 and PAS?
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.