Aleph 4 Strickly DIY Project Build

[Russellc]

Originally Posted by Bill Fuss

There is a little more to it than adding output fets but that is the basics. I would suggest buying a few sets, building a mini to get familiar with the Aleph circuitry, then plan your big one with help from the forum. You can do 90 watts into 4 ohms with the Aleph 5. You can do 60 into 8 ohms with the Aleph 60. You can use jfets in the front end if you like, the options are almost limitless.

My Chip amp Aleph boards came today. I'll order a couple of more sets. What you suggest is exactly what I had in mind....a Mini, them Aleph 30 or 60. If that flies, maybe up to Aleph 4, but that's likely larger than I want to go. thanks for athe answers, I'm sure I'll have lots of questions when the time comes.

Thanks again,

russellc

[Andy5112405]

To be perfectly honest, my A700 is capable of 60Watts/Channel but I very rarely use it avove the penultimate click of the ladder attenuator. The B&W 683s are about 90dB/Watt and at that setting the amplifier is running at:

BELEIVE IT OR NOT

A measly 5.8Watts. And it is perfectly loud enough to annoy the neighbors.

I only went for the Aleph 4 as I was annoyed that my so called Class A amplifier only runs at Class A until about 17Watts or so.

The difference in listening pleasure at 5.8W and 58W is quite considerable, but how much of that is simply due to it being too loud to be comfortable and how much is it due to the class of operation.

[Russellc]

Originally Posted by Andy5112405

To be perfectly honest, my A700 is capable of 60Watts/Channel but I very rarely use it avove the penultimate click of the ladder attenuator. The B&W 683s are about 90dB/Watt and at that setting the amplifier is running at:

BELEIVE IT OR NOT

A measly 5.8Watts. And it is perfectly loud enough to annoy the neighbors.

I only went for the Aleph 4 as I was annoyed that my so called Class A amplifier only runs at Class A until about 17Watts or so.

The difference in listening pleasure at 5.8W and 58W is quite considerable, but how much of that is simply due to it being too loud to be comfortable and how much is it due to the class of operation.

Yes, I'm slowly learning that lesson with my F-5. With even my most inefficient speakers, there is plenty of volume for most all listening needs.
I think it was the psychological effect of not having any more on tap or something.

My other speakers are around 91, 93 and 100+, they are fine. With a pre amp with gain in front of the F-5, there is no problem for sure.

Russellc

[Russellc]

Originally Posted by Bill Fuss

There is a little more to it than adding output fets but that is the basics. I would suggest buying a few sets, building a mini to get familiar with the Aleph circuitry, then plan your big one with help from the forum. You can do 90 watts into 4 ohms with the Aleph 5. You can do 60 into 8 ohms with the Aleph 60. You can use jfets in the front end if you like, the options are almost limitless.

I also took your advice and bought a few more.

Russellc

[Andy5112405]

One of the best amplifiers that I have ever heard, and it still cannot be beaten, is only 3.5Watts of Pure Class A. Admittedly it is a £3500 amplifier but it's tiny in comparison with the leviathons that we are building.

[Stale25]

Hi Andy,
Very interesting realisation.post us pictures of your progress.
I want to make the pcb.
Can you give the exact size of the main card to print.
another question.
How the A700 ring?

[Andy5112405]

One divorce later - miserable ***. I've now got all the time in the world to finish the Aleph 4.

The Borbelly pre-amplifier, I wasn't impressed with. It was excellent but definitely added colouration to the signal that wasn't there with a passive pre-amp.

I'm now finishing a Shuntky / Pumpkin pair to see how they compare with a passive stage.

The problem is that the F4 has no gain so I need a pre-amp of one kind or another with about 10 - 15X voltage gain.

[jacco vermeulen]

Originally Posted by Andy5112405

One later - all the time in the world to finish.

That's the spirit, and better than the one in bottles (iirc).

[Bksabath]

Nice to see this tread back on
Probably I will folow your steps after my F5 is finished

As you found that 8.4 V are more enoug to be to much loud whit my old amp and 87dB speakers but I have not faund the limit for the F5 lees listening fatigue maybe?

[Andy5112405]

Quick question about LEDs before I rip the Pumpkin apart again.

D1 to D6 are all in series so share the same current.

2 of the LEDs illuminate the other 4 don't. Is this likely to be faulty LEDs or do LEDs conduct if they are inserted the wrong way round ? I'm sure that I got them all correctly orientated but I'm not 10000% sure. The only sure way to check them is to replace them as they are in double sided board and are not easy to remove.