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AKSA 'Paris' phono pre-amp (aka head amp) available fully made up

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Hugh developed the 'Paris' head amp in the early 2000s and I bought one of the first ones, to replace a SUT. I've always thought it was a great product (if you have a LOMC with a MM phono stage) as it is extremely quiet and performs like the proverbial "piece of wire with gain" ... IOW, with no sonic degradation that I can hear. :)

In recent years, with Hugh focussing exclusively on his power amps, the Paris has languished, somewhat, as:
* it was sold as a fully stuffed PCB ... rather than a complete, working product, and
* Hugh didn't want the chore of soldering the components onto the PCB.

I don't use my Paris these days as I have an MC phono stage and I recently lent it to someone, so he could hear the result of using a more appropriate res-loading for his Benz LP, by using it into the MM input of his tube phono stage - via the Paris - rather than into the LOMC input. (So he could try 3,300 ohms instead of the 470 ohms which results from putting a 10:1 SUT in front of a 47K-loaded MM phono stage, to make it LOMC-compatible.) The Paris can be built with a default R-load of 47K ... but by providing a parallel pair of input RCAs, R-loaded plugs can be inserted to reduce the R-load seen by the cartridge to whatever sounds best to your ears.

Anyway, the guy was so delighted with the sound of his Benz LP at higher R-loadings that he decided he wanted a Paris! :eek: So I arranged with Hugh to buy some sets of Paris PCBs & components, so I can provide a fully-built unit, complete with case, 12v SLA, charger and RCA sockets.

So if anyone is in need of a fully made-up Paris, please get in touch.


Andy
 
I am thrilled with this development from Andy. He has more energy and drive than I have; I have made the decision to concentrate on my power amps, which are, after all, my core business........ that said, this headamp delivered extraordinary performance; a German guy measured the S/N ratio at -142dB, best he'd ever measured, and I was very happy to read about this! The design is single ended AND quiet, so it's ideal for a phono as it is very musical, flexible with any phono cartridge, supernaturally quiet, and very easy to put together.

Thanks Andy, hats off to your motivation and drive!

Cheers,

Hugh
 
Well, I finished the build last weekend and took some pics, which I thought people might be interested in.

BTW, the output coupling caps that you can see in the 3rd pic are not wrapped up because I wanted to keep the brand secret - simply because these AmpOhms have a metal case, which I didn't want touching the case (or each other).

The 2nd pair of input RCAs on the L of the back of the case (pic #2) is for R-loaded' plugs, to get the optimal cart loading (the default load on the Paris PCB is 47K).

Andy
 

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how much Andy?

Tim

Hugh developed the 'Paris' head amp in the early 2000s and I bought one of the first ones, to replace a SUT. I've always thought it was a great product (if you have a LOMC with a MM phono stage) as it is extremely quiet and performs like the proverbial "piece of wire with gain" ... IOW, with no sonic degradation that I can hear. :)

In recent years, with Hugh focussing exclusively on his power amps, the Paris has languished, somewhat, as:
* it was sold as a fully stuffed PCB ... rather than a complete, working product, and
* Hugh didn't want the chore of soldering the components onto the PCB.

I don't use my Paris these days as I have an MC phono stage and I recently lent it to someone, so he could hear the result of using a more appropriate res-loading for his Benz LP, by using it into the MM input of his tube phono stage - via the Paris - rather than into the LOMC input. (So he could try 3,300 ohms instead of the 470 ohms which results from putting a 10:1 SUT in front of a 47K-loaded MM phono stage, to make it LOMC-compatible.) The Paris can be built with a default R-load of 47K ... but by providing a parallel pair of input RCAs, R-loaded plugs can be inserted to reduce the R-load seen by the cartridge to whatever sounds best to your ears.

Anyway, the guy was so delighted with the sound of his Benz LP at higher R-loadings that he decided he wanted a Paris! :eek: So I arranged with Hugh to buy some sets of Paris PCBs & components, so I can provide a fully-built unit, complete with case, 12v SLA, charger and RCA sockets.

So if anyone is in need of a fully made-up Paris, please get in touch.


Andy
 
Hi Andy,
It's been a while... Please send cost and option info. I'm having my really old (1975?) Thorens TD-160 refurbished and plan to use a Shure V-15 Type V-MR mm cartridge. (The guy doing the restoration feels that the V-15 Type V and the TD-160 original arm work really well together). How would you compare the Paris with the preamp section of Hugh's GK-1R?

BTW, I'm still using Belden 3079A for low-capacitance long interconnect runs... VERY nice!

Pete
 
Hi Andy,
It's been a while... Please send cost and option info. I'm having my really old (1975?) Thorens TD-160 refurbished and plan to use a Shure V-15 Type V-MR mm cartridge. (The guy doing the restoration feels that the V-15 Type V and the TD-160 original arm work really well together). How would you compare the Paris with the preamp section of Hugh's GK-1R?

BTW, I'm still using Belden 3079A for low-capacitance long interconnect runs... VERY nice!

Pete

Great to hear from you, Peter.

Be aware, though, that the Paris is 'just' a headamp - not an RIAA phono stage. So you use it with a LOMC when you have a MM-only phono stage; your Shure would feed directly into an MM phono stage like the MM option Hugh provided on his GK-1.

I have developed a MM phono stage, however - which I think Hugh would have to agree, kills the MM option on the GK-1. :D It's SLA powered (like the Paris) and is JFET-based - no opamps in sight!

Yes, I'm still using 3079a for interconnects. I've sold a few pairs to various people, too.

Andy
 
Andy,
Thanks for setting me straight... I've just recently started to work on the Thorens (before I send it off for real surgery) and already it sounds nice enough to encourage more effort on the vinyl side. It's been decades since I thought seriously about vinyl, so I appreciate your helpful advice.

I'll send e-mail to continue a more detailed discussion.

Take care,
Pete
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.