Please help. I’m overwhelmed with information .Do we have any WIKI or guide by sound differences? Or any link you could suggest? I’m looking for the project.
I know what I wouldn’t get wrong with any of Pass amp and have a few questions. My speakers are 8 ohm.. and driven by sonic impact to sufficient levels. So 10W or better in order.. I don’t like to listen to music at very high levels.
1 What diy amp I should consider? And what flavor? F1, F5, F5X, ALEPH-X, UGS??
2 If you was able to hear different amps in which order they will be placed by you preferences. I understood what it’s very subjective so it’s just you personal opinion
Any suggestion will be appreciated
Vlad
I know what I wouldn’t get wrong with any of Pass amp and have a few questions. My speakers are 8 ohm.. and driven by sonic impact to sufficient levels. So 10W or better in order.. I don’t like to listen to music at very high levels.
1 What diy amp I should consider? And what flavor? F1, F5, F5X, ALEPH-X, UGS??
2 If you was able to hear different amps in which order they will be placed by you preferences. I understood what it’s very subjective so it’s just you personal opinion
Any suggestion will be appreciated
Vlad
Why not make several at once?
When you make your case make it modular such that you can easily swap the amp circuit to test if you at any time get the itch =)
Good test candidates to begin with is the Aleph J and the F5 since they represent two different sounds, and most perfer one to the other. If you knew you preferred one of them you'd know which amps to test next...
When you make your case make it modular such that you can easily swap the amp circuit to test if you at any time get the itch =)
Good test candidates to begin with is the Aleph J and the F5 since they represent two different sounds, and most perfer one to the other. If you knew you preferred one of them you'd know which amps to test next...
The answer to your question is to make your chassis and PSU as flexible as possible. Get a store chassis with the universal mounting spec, or drill the UMS into your chassis, place a 400VA 18+18 V transformer in with about 60,000-100,000uF per rail, and get a couple extra terminal strips so it's easy to swap circuit boards in and out.
With that chassis/PSU assembly, you could build ANY of the firstwatt amps. More importantly , you make the investment on the expensive chassis and PSU once, and different amp circuits can be tried for about $100-150 each
To answer your specific question , start with the Aleph J or F4.
Also, I see you are in Denver. PM me, I'm sure I can help your decision process!
With that chassis/PSU assembly, you could build ANY of the firstwatt amps. More importantly , you make the investment on the expensive chassis and PSU once, and different amp circuits can be tried for about $100-150 each
To answer your specific question , start with the Aleph J or F4.
Also, I see you are in Denver. PM me, I'm sure I can help your decision process!
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short impression from Firstwatt site:
The F1 is super clean and dynamic. If your source is lean, your music will be lean. If your source is rich, your music will be rich. It is the real truth machine, with nothing taken out and nothing added. Ruthlessly revealing.
The F2 adds some 2nd harmonic to this. On lean source material this sounds better than the F1. It is putting a little color in your music, and on dry material it is a pleasant addition. Some like that additional color, some do not. Your choice.
The F3 sounds has a very light touch of sweetness. Sounds more like a great tube amp than any solid state amp I have heard, except that it has the same basic tonal characteristics from highs to lows - something most tube amps dream about.
The F4 sounds like a cross between the F1 and the F3. Cleaner than the F2, a touch of sweetness, but the truth is still front and center. I have not heard this amp in my system (yet), so my thoughts about this may change. It is a very exciting product.
...and I have the F5 and the Aleph J and prefer the J
The F2 adds some 2nd harmonic to this. On lean source material this sounds better than the F1. It is putting a little color in your music, and on dry material it is a pleasant addition. Some like that additional color, some do not. Your choice.
The F3 sounds has a very light touch of sweetness. Sounds more like a great tube amp than any solid state amp I have heard, except that it has the same basic tonal characteristics from highs to lows - something most tube amps dream about.
The F4 sounds like a cross between the F1 and the F3. Cleaner than the F2, a touch of sweetness, but the truth is still front and center. I have not heard this amp in my system (yet), so my thoughts about this may change. It is a very exciting product.
...and I have the F5 and the Aleph J and prefer the J
What I meant was, that quite often when you build a new amp, it is based on your experience with the previous one.
Thus odds are fair, that the last amp you've built, is the one you like the best.
Besides that, I think the best advice for somebody with limited experience in this, is to build just about anything that is in the direction of what you think you like, and develop an impression of which factors matters in your own opinion.
Others can't possibly give advice in this regard, as it is more or less already narrowed down significantly, by picking a Pass construction.
So go build something, and take the advice of others, who suggested to build something that is easy to adapt to the next amp.
Once you've built a few amps, you'll know what you like and dislike, and you can proceed in that direction.
Magura
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The easy way to get a feel for your own taste, and which factors that does what, is to build the Zen series of amps.
Those are well explained, well written, and the factors are spelled out.
It takes a few months to do that.
If you just do them all by the book, and don't start playing around that is. If you start experimenting it takes years to do, but is well worth the effort.
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Hoarding
I'm also suffering from serious indecision. Thanks to the generous efforts of those kind folks here who've taken the time to provide various matched jfets and mosfets, and the boards made available by the diyaudio store, I've now accumulated enough parts ( but for passive components ) to build an Aleph J, F4, F5, F5T, BA3 FE, and a DCB1. There's an antek AS-4218, 10x10 heatsink USA sinks, Peter Daniel power supply boards, and 8 33k uF 50v Panasonic capacitors collecting dust on my work bench as well. It's actually a little embarrassing to look at. My speakers are 30 year old Canton three-ways ( 4 ohm ) that overwhelm the space they're in at about 3 volts. I originally intended to build just an F5, but seem to have gotten a little carried away in the course of reading through the threads.
I'm also suffering from serious indecision. Thanks to the generous efforts of those kind folks here who've taken the time to provide various matched jfets and mosfets, and the boards made available by the diyaudio store, I've now accumulated enough parts ( but for passive components ) to build an Aleph J, F4, F5, F5T, BA3 FE, and a DCB1. There's an antek AS-4218, 10x10 heatsink USA sinks, Peter Daniel power supply boards, and 8 33k uF 50v Panasonic capacitors collecting dust on my work bench as well. It's actually a little embarrassing to look at. My speakers are 30 year old Canton three-ways ( 4 ohm ) that overwhelm the space they're in at about 3 volts. I originally intended to build just an F5, but seem to have gotten a little carried away in the course of reading through the threads.
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Exactly my point. If I had been given this advice 15 years ago, and I had followed it (I doubt that would have happened though), I would have gotten to my goals much faster and cheaper.
Having said that, I doubt it would have been as much fun, and I would probably not have made some great friends here.
Magura
Get back on the mountain.
Believe me, it's the best for all of us
Magura
ook ya
I'm still on Pole
going soon down , in prairie
I started from the same point a few weeks ago... I thought about my (somewhat limited) capabilities, budget, and mostly what I really wanted to hear as I figured... if I'm -not- liking what I hear what was the point other than learning experience? I figured I'd learn regardless of what I built so I selected the F5T. I've built a few amps before though it has been quite a while.
ymmv....
ymmv....
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