John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II

[SY]

Presumably, your design will have your typical excellent performance. I can't argue against satisfying a fashion niche with a competently designed product.

[simon7000]

Sometimes it is hard to tell what exactly is in that Picasso painting. Three?

Scott, if you keep explaining to folks what all those funny lines mean, you might have to go somewhere else. Uninformed inflamed opinions are the key to keeping threads interesting.

ES

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by SY

Some. Not a lot, IMO, especially the latter.

BTW, it wasn't a THD measurement, it was a full distortion spectrum. And as you alluded to, a horrifically poor and load-dependent frequency response.

Wide spectrum of distortions - yes, power supply filtering could be better - yes, high output resistance - yes, but where did you get that "poor and load dependent frequency response" from? As far as I know, any amp with high output resistance being loaded on frequency - dependent load would show that. Including your Red Light District.

[SY]

The RLD is a cheap little amp with orders of magnitude better distortion and ten times lower output impedance. And I don't sell it.

[jacco vermeulen]

Originally Posted by john curl

Please remember that

1 Japanese out of 75 is a high net worth individual, and of them, 8 of 10 are pre-'55 generation.
Sitting ducks, marketing wise.

(me Always see giant boobs in PP-Paintings, save the Japan series, that has other giant parts)

[Wavebourn]

Originally Posted by SY

The RLD is a cheap little amp with orders of magnitude better distortion and ten times lower output impedance. And I don't sell it.

It does not matter if you sell it or not. Just load equivalently to it's output resistance to match load of that blamed amp in respect to it's output resistance and measure.

[john curl]

It is interesting that 'fashion' is mentioned.
This started with Mark Levinson when he first worked with Dick Burwen, back about 1972. Mark hired a designer to make his LNP-2 preamp, and LNC-2 crossover, and some pro mixer cases. Dick instructed Mark on how to make first class supporting circuitry, and Dick supplied the active modules that made them work.
Later, when Japan became an important customer for this sort of high fidelity, we had to put a great deal of effort into 'fit and finish' in order to satisfy the customers.
In the case of the JC-80, the Japanese importer had his own gold plated boards made especially for Japan, and put in at the factory in the USA.
Later, when this same importer brought Vendetta Research into Japan, he was constantly complaining about 'details' such as connecting wire, connectors, etc. He also changed the price from $2500 (USA retail) to $7500, and he bought them from me for $1500 or less. You can imagine how I felt, getting only 20% of the final price for all my effort to make them.
Still, look, fit and finish is just as important to the people who buy these components as does the sound quality, and we have to allow for it, or just sell to a local market to a few friends. That's reality, folks!

[SY]

Since the source impedance is ten times lower, the frequency response variations will be ten times lower.

I did not design my amp to drive 0R5 loads. The Wavac is sold to drive (more or less) 8R loads. That's the target of my design as well.

[SY]

Originally Posted by john curl

In the case of the JC-80, the Japanese importer had his own gold plated boards made especially for Japan, and put in at the factory in the USA.
Later, when this same importer brought Vendetta Research into Japan, he was constantly complaining about 'details' such as connecting wire, connectors, etc. He also changed the price from $2500 (USA retail) to $7500, and he bought them from me for $1500 or less. You can imagine how I felt, getting only 20% of the final price for all my effort to make them.
Still, look, fit and finish is just as important to the people who buy these components as does the sound quality, and we have to allow for it, or just sell to a local market to a few friends. That's reality, folks!

Can't argue that at all, you gotta eat. I remember reading an Asian audio review magazine some years back where one of the most important factors in the ratings was "prestige."

[john curl]

Well, thank you very much, SY, yes, I have to 'eat' and we found that it just was not worth it to make CTC Blowtorch preamps after the initial run. No profit in it.