http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MzAy
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
http://www.ntcw.com/aopenax4b533t.htm
There's a big pic of it
WHAT THE HELL are they thinking??? This is the most unbelievably strange product I have seen in a VERY long time.
There's a big pic of it
WHAT THE HELL are they thinking??? This is the most unbelievably strange product I have seen in a VERY long time.
I was under the assumption that tubes only worked when they are orientated in the correct direction, and they they would not work right on their side. Is this correct? (I am not a tube kind of guy). The pictures show the motherboard being used in a standard tower case, with the tube being operated sideways. Does this matter?
What a ridiculous idea. I wonder how they get the high power supply voltages for the tube amp? All of the components around the tube are rated for 400v (the electrolytic and the multicaps).
Home page for this strange motherboard:
AOpen motherboard
The Reliable brand multicaps are moderately expensive, and I would think would make this cost too much to be a viable consumer motherboards. I think that this is a stupid idea. I wonder how it will sell.
--
Brian
What a ridiculous idea. I wonder how they get the high power supply voltages for the tube amp? All of the components around the tube are rated for 400v (the electrolytic and the multicaps).
Home page for this strange motherboard:
AOpen motherboard
The Reliable brand multicaps are moderately expensive, and I would think would make this cost too much to be a viable consumer motherboards. I think that this is a stupid idea. I wonder how it will sell.
--
Brian
Actually,
I find this pretty cool... Depending on the integrated sound chip, this thing might not sound that bad (compared to the standard pc sound cards)...
Also, think about the sheer number of folks who are now into burning their own cd's... Give them the opportunity to purchase a high quality motherboard with audiophile sound - I think they just might buy it...
It's got coolness factor.... Look at the case it's in... Why is this any worse than what we spend on hifi stuff???
Come-on guys and gals, where's your sense of adventure????
http://www.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTAyMzE0MTM4MmFRVDh6SHlEY0xfMV8xN19sLmpwZw==
Steve
PS - Just think of the arc that'll be created when a component finally fails!!! No more of this puny 5 volt stuff!!!!
I find this pretty cool... Depending on the integrated sound chip, this thing might not sound that bad (compared to the standard pc sound cards)...
Also, think about the sheer number of folks who are now into burning their own cd's... Give them the opportunity to purchase a high quality motherboard with audiophile sound - I think they just might buy it...
It's got coolness factor.... Look at the case it's in... Why is this any worse than what we spend on hifi stuff???
Come-on guys and gals, where's your sense of adventure????
http://www.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTAyMzE0MTM4MmFRVDh6SHlEY0xfMV8xN19sLmpwZw==
Steve
PS - Just think of the arc that'll be created when a component finally fails!!! No more of this puny 5 volt stuff!!!!
Hoax?
All,
some remarks i read on the JoeNet suggest this could a gorgeous hoax.
One guy ordered hi purchasing agant to buy and he promised to report, should the purchasing agent have success with it.
Me has no idea about how to generate the high supply voltage on the motherboard in a sane way but i must admit i would loathe having a multiplierchanin usng diodes and capacitors for that and i also would loathe to have a DC/DC converter for that. Best thing would be to have a an insulation trannie and use 110 or 220V from the wall outlet. But what willl the UL guy say to that?
The more i muse about it, the more it seems to be a hoax.
All,
some remarks i read on the JoeNet suggest this could a gorgeous hoax.
One guy ordered hi purchasing agant to buy and he promised to report, should the purchasing agent have success with it.
Me has no idea about how to generate the high supply voltage on the motherboard in a sane way but i must admit i would loathe having a multiplierchanin usng diodes and capacitors for that and i also would loathe to have a DC/DC converter for that. Best thing would be to have a an insulation trannie and use 110 or 220V from the wall outlet. But what willl the UL guy say to that?
The more i muse about it, the more it seems to be a hoax.
higher voltage
C&D technologies (used to be Newport) makes two converters that could be used to do this (5 or 12V input; 72 V output).
(http://www.cdncl.com/cd/products/dc_converters/nmt.asp)
I've been itching to get some of these, anyways.
Matt
C&D technologies (used to be Newport) makes two converters that could be used to do this (5 or 12V input; 72 V output).
(http://www.cdncl.com/cd/products/dc_converters/nmt.asp)
I've been itching to get some of these, anyways.
Matt
The thing has great chic value for sure, but I'll be a monkey's uncle if just one triode stage can iron out the supposed evils of all the upstream solid state doodads and digits.
If I ever bought one it would be for the purpose of making my friends smile, because it is undoubtedly the coolest thing this side of ENIAC, but for good sound? Hmmm...... we'll see.
GP.
If I ever bought one it would be for the purpose of making my friends smile, because it is undoubtedly the coolest thing this side of ENIAC, but for good sound? Hmmm...... we'll see.
GP.
Hmm... Tubes on the motherboard... Anyone up to doing it themselves? I've replaced half the components on my motherboard, adding tubes shouldn't be too much of a problem (except for the lack of board space ). But this is really a cool thing, and well AOpen is a solid company, they've been making good boards for years and my fathers work (government) always buys their stuff, so they don't seem like the kind of guys that'd put up a hoax.
). But this is really a cool thing, and well AOpen is a solid company, they've been making good boards for years and my fathers work (government) always buys their stuff, so they don't seem like the kind of guys that'd put up a hoax.John,
Big fun!
Or it is a standard cathode follower. Well, a cathode follower cannot deterioate alltoomuch what is coming from the sound chip anyway, just for fashion i do not need a tube.
But case this is no hoax and the JoeNet buddy's purchasing agent succeeds in getting AOpen to admit they have this MB and are willing to sell it, i could feel tempted to join the toobz crowd ordering one!.
yes, there are tubes running at those voltages but the pixes clearly show a 6922 which is a special version of ECC88 or 6DJ8. Which needs about 80 to 100V at the plate. And then, unless you have a CCS as plate load, you need another 50 to 100 V across the plate load.JohnR said:
Big fun!
Or it is a standard cathode follower. Well, a cathode follower cannot deterioate alltoomuch what is coming from the sound chip
anyway, just for fashion i do not need a tube.But case this is no hoax and the JoeNet buddy's purchasing agent succeeds in getting AOpen to admit they have this MB and are willing to sell it, i could feel tempted to join the toobz crowd ordering one!.
Actually AOpen states they use a Maxim 668 DC-DC voltage converter to get to 300 V for the tube which is a SOVTEK 6922 it seems. The also use Rel Multicap caps and cardas (!) wire in strategic places (it does sound a bit like a joke doesn't it?).
It is a pretty cool thing but I doubt many shops will stock them. Supposedly it was the product manager that in the states that came up with the idea and they were susprised by the sound quality and decided to launch it...
Most people here I gather would probably have preferred a AX4B-533AX1 (dreams do come true?) before AX4B-533Tube since it has an Aleph-X output stage delivering some 5 W of pure Pass sound and that off the normal PC supply..
If that product manager had only known about Pass Labs...
Time to write to AOpen...
/UrSV
It is a pretty cool thing but I doubt many shops will stock them. Supposedly it was the product manager that in the states that came up with the idea and they were susprised by the sound quality and decided to launch it...
Most people here I gather would probably have preferred a AX4B-533AX1 (dreams do come true?) before AX4B-533Tube since it has an Aleph-X output stage delivering some 5 W of pure Pass sound and that off the normal PC supply..
If that product manager had only known about Pass Labs...
Time to write to AOpen...
/UrSV
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