Mpp

[Allen Wright]

Brianco,
In all our quite extensive tests of passive components, the one thing we have found in common with "good sound' is lack if magnetic materials in their construction.

Your experiements back this up, thank you.

Regards, Allen

[Joachim Gerhard]

Please discuss here what you think fits. I have no problems with this. On the contrary, it is quite entertaining. I break my laws sometimes too and have worked further on the Echo Extreme although some people do not like the circuit much. Ii sounds graet in my setup and i do this phonostages mainly for me. That was the original intent to start the thread : to do something that pleases me without to much commercial concern.

[Joachim Gerhard]

To Allen ! The naked Z Foil perform much better then the antimagnetic Dale RS55 but you may not like what they do. They unravel a lot of unmusical things too so i whould not call them "audiphile" but "transparent".

[brianco]

Originally Posted by Allen Wright

Brianco,
In all our quite extensive tests of passive components, the one thing we have found in common with "good sound' is lack if magnetic materials in their construction.

Your experiements back this up, thank you.

Regards, Allen

For the sake of clarity I must say that these were not my experiments but those of a mutual friend of Joachim and me. I was present throughout this period, but in fact all I did was listen - not only to the tests but also to the explanations. [I do know that the same designer refused to use mil. spec. components because they had steel leads!]

[Joachim Gerhard]

It´s the designers choice and the prove is in the listening or the amount of comercial success if that is the goal. As far as i know Allen has a small ethusiast busyness and does not belong into the group of greedy cheaters. You may find technical flaws in his products that can be discussed but the sound he gets is all his i think.
I know at least one maker of cables that uses magnetic nickel and claims BECAUSE they are amgnetic they sound better. If it where that easy !

[Joachim Gerhard]

No success with the ECHO Extreme so far. DC behind the cap ! i must have build an oscilator and it gets a monster. Help! even another evil elcap apeared in the circuit !

[Allen Wright]

Syn,
Somehow I was under the impression that your designs were purely mental synthesized concepts, but on reading your website I see you have actually built all up to HPS4.1

So what's to stop you putting your HPS4.1 in the post to Joachim, or if you want a public figure, Holger (Editor of the German LP magazine) and letting it compete with my and Joachim's designs? Holger is a very well experienced reviwerof extreme hi-end equipment

I'm sure you are not so hard up you can't afford to do that?
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You rail against me using the "sounds good" argument without "proof" - but what about your unproven/no measurement complaint about Al cantilvered cartridges a bit earlier in this thread?

And your use of (my) Neumann 50kHz kink in your RIAA curve. I first presented this to the phono world in my "TubePreamp CookBook" in 1996 - having been taught about it by my "Guru" back around 1978. He optimized RIAA networks by ear!

Many have scientifically argued this extra TC, I use it ONLY because it sounds good - what's your justification?

Regards, Allen

[Joachim Gerhard]

If Holger whould like to hear my Low Z MPP with active or shelve inductive Riaa or conventional RIAA, anytime. They are ready (no PCB though), they works fine and sound slighty different (i prefer the inductive shelve version at the moment because it sounds the most transparent to me without edje, i am a detail freak) but it is not ment as a commercial circuit that "beats" anything. I have neather heard a Real Time pre in my place (I could not meet Holger on the scheduled day because something unforseen came in between), nor have i heard any of syn08s designs anywhere. And after i have heard them and they sound better in one or more regards i am eager to find out why. It´s a work in progress.

[syn08]

Originally Posted by Allen Wright

Syn,
Somehow I was under the impression that your designs were purely mental synthesized concepts, but on reading your website I see you have actually built all up to HPS4.1

So what's to stop you putting your HPS4.1 in the post to Joachim, or if you want a public figure, Holger (Editor of the German LP magazine) and letting it compete with my and Joachim's designs?

Good morning, Allen

I may eventually decide to ship a HPS for some subjective evaluations, but not before finding a good answer to the "what's in it for me?" question. I'm in the process of putting together my notes during the listening sessions with a group of local audiophiles (using a garden variety of high end equipment), I'll add them to the Conclusion section of my web site ASAP.

The big difference is that I don't extrapolate my subjective preferences, in particular in marketing brochures.

In my designs, the Neumann pole is optional. Among other famous designers, JC is a staunch oponent to this. Personally, I can't confirm the subjective "brightness" effect on the sound.

[Joachim Gerhard]

That sounds really good to me syn08. I am sorry that you and Allen clash here from time
to time but that tells me that you both have a mesage that is more then skin deep. I simply can not see any superiority of the objective agains the subjective aproach. I measure and when the measurements are good enough i listen. I have phonostages here that got great reviews and measurements (low noise, low distortion, RIAA to +-0.1) that sound uninvolving and sterile. I have other stages with for example some noise that sound great. I can feel it, i am a musician and get the eagerness to conduct or dance when the music plays. This is totally my subjective world but for me it feels more real then a formular.