Cheers everyone for the replys.
Ok, a few thoughts from me.
Delivery from Italy took four days. A good start.
PCB is decent quality but cramped, could easily have neen made a bit larger.
Supplied pot is good but if you were planning to upgrade in the future, i'd do it from the start. Much easier.
Instructions are fairly comprehensive and suitable for a novice.
Sound is very detailed and natural compared with gainclones and ss amps that i've had.
Way better than Sonic Impact.
Suffers from serious switch on thump with sensitive speakers especially after upgrading input caps. Easily sorted.
Bit of a bargain really.
Since my last post I've been experimenting with power supplies to power my Amp 3.
To date the supply in use is a slightly modified R-S Components item made by Mascot.
It is RS Stock no: 400-7005, Mascot Part No.: 2083000058. Current price is around £24 GBP.
I have replaced the output filter cap in mine with an Elna Silmic which seems to smooth things out somewhat. You have to open the case to do this and of course void the warranty. Don't sound half bad as they come though, so if your not sure of what you are doing better to leave as standard.
The rating of the PSU is only 12 volt at 1200ma but I have found that ample, I don’t listen all that loud.
I also have one of Nuuk's Skynet SMPS's rated at 5A. Initially when I cased it up I fitted 2 X 10,000mf caps on the output but never did quite take to the sound of it powering the Amp 3.
It just seemed too clinical and somewhat fatiguing; in comparison, with the Mascot the sound is big and smooth but not lacking in detail.
Being of a cynical disposition, over the weekend I had to try the comparison again to confirm that I wasn't fooling myself, after all lots on here report good results with all kinds of SMPS's.
Well, after about an hour of listening to the 2 combinations my preference was still for the Mascot.
I've read somewhere that SMPS's in general don't like lots of capacitance on their outputs so in a mad fit I dismantled the Skynet and removed the 2 X 10,000mf caps and for good measure changed out the 1,000mf and 470mf that are on the Skynet board for smoothing in the 12V section.
I would dearly like to report here that the change made the Skynet into a giant killer but even though the clinical aspect to the sound receded somewhat and there was more warmth, at the end of a very large Sunday nights listening session the Mascot was still in front by miles.
Which it shouldn't be, its 12V 1200ma linear and every body swears that is not a man enough supply for the Tripath amps.
So I'm perplexed.
Happy as Larry with the sound I'm getting, can't fault it as I've said before.
But I seem to have a different result to what a lot of others do.
Funny thing is this, The Wife, who is now bored stupid with my love affair with the Amp 3, can hear the same as me.
In the past I've found she can be relied on to identify solid improvements to the sound and at the same time dismisses things that are different, not better.
So pretty well confirmed then, if you see what I mean.
Well then, have I gone nuts, am I really hearing what I hear or is it some kind of pleasant colouration?
To date the supply in use is a slightly modified R-S Components item made by Mascot.
It is RS Stock no: 400-7005, Mascot Part No.: 2083000058. Current price is around £24 GBP.
I have replaced the output filter cap in mine with an Elna Silmic which seems to smooth things out somewhat. You have to open the case to do this and of course void the warranty. Don't sound half bad as they come though, so if your not sure of what you are doing better to leave as standard.
The rating of the PSU is only 12 volt at 1200ma but I have found that ample, I don’t listen all that loud.
I also have one of Nuuk's Skynet SMPS's rated at 5A. Initially when I cased it up I fitted 2 X 10,000mf caps on the output but never did quite take to the sound of it powering the Amp 3.
It just seemed too clinical and somewhat fatiguing; in comparison, with the Mascot the sound is big and smooth but not lacking in detail.
Being of a cynical disposition, over the weekend I had to try the comparison again to confirm that I wasn't fooling myself, after all lots on here report good results with all kinds of SMPS's.
Well, after about an hour of listening to the 2 combinations my preference was still for the Mascot.
I've read somewhere that SMPS's in general don't like lots of capacitance on their outputs so in a mad fit I dismantled the Skynet and removed the 2 X 10,000mf caps and for good measure changed out the 1,000mf and 470mf that are on the Skynet board for smoothing in the 12V section.
I would dearly like to report here that the change made the Skynet into a giant killer but even though the clinical aspect to the sound receded somewhat and there was more warmth, at the end of a very large Sunday nights listening session the Mascot was still in front by miles.
Which it shouldn't be, its 12V 1200ma linear and every body swears that is not a man enough supply for the Tripath amps.
So I'm perplexed.
Happy as Larry with the sound I'm getting, can't fault it as I've said before.
But I seem to have a different result to what a lot of others do.
Funny thing is this, The Wife, who is now bored stupid with my love affair with the Amp 3, can hear the same as me.
In the past I've found she can be relied on to identify solid improvements to the sound and at the same time dismisses things that are different, not better.
So pretty well confirmed then, if you see what I mean.
Well then, have I gone nuts, am I really hearing what I hear or is it some kind of pleasant colouration?
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