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

[andyr]

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! 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

[AKSA]

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

[andyr]

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

[Taffyboy]

how do they sound andy?

[Taffyboy]

how much Andy?

Tim

Originally Posted by andyr

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! 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

[andyr]

Originally Posted by Taffyboy

how do they sound andy?

how much Andy?

Tim

Hi Tim,

All I can say about the Paris sound is ... you can't hear any sonic artefacts. As Hugh posted, being SLA powered it is extremely quiet - it simply amplifies the LOMC signal (and allows you to have the correct 'R' loading).

Re. cost - I will shortly send you a PM, as there are several options.

Andy

[andyr]

2nd re-born Paris now in operation, being used with a Hagerman 'Cornet 3' MM phono stage.

Andy

[psp]

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

[andyr]

Originally Posted by psp

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. 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

[psp]

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