I have had my SIT 1s for a couple of years. The new has worn off, they are paid for, I know I will never not use them.
At Jeff Day's Blog he extols the virtues of the audio discoveries of a Mr. Yazaki of SPEC CORPORATION. Mr. Yazaki is one of those extraordinary Japanese audiophiles who is on the relentless search for what he calls REAL SOUND. His company makes extraordinary products, none of which I have ever heard. His great value to me is like, Mr. Pass, he is generous with his knowledge and shares what he has found with those who will listen to him. I cannot imagine many who would give away such a "trade secret" but then I am familiar with Mr. Pass so I know this does happen.
Like so many Japanese ultra-audiophiles he admires Western Electric components and is intimately familiar with, probably, every tube and horn loudspeaker that has ever been made.
He is very particular about the components he uses within his amplifiers and has surveyed more than I would be able to in three or four lifetimes.
One suggestion he made really stuck out for me. It was this rectifier: STTH6110TV.
He claimed it was as good as any tube rectifier he had ever heard. One initially scoffs at such talk. I have tried different SS rectifiers in stuff I have assembled and never thought they made much difference. Certainly some sound better than others but it usually so subtle that one tends to dismiss the differences. Still one continually hopes there is such a thing as a SS rectifier that sounds like a good tubed rectifier, especially for components that cannot use them.
My SALAS phono amp was the first recipient of these.
When I first played a record with these installed I thought I was hallucinating or was so desirous of a miraculous change that I had simply fallen for that typical audio fallacy of belief trumping reality. After many weeks of listening it could no longer be chalked up to auto-suggestion - there is something extraordinary about this rectifier.
The sense of space is psychedelic. The sound extends well beyond the loudspeakers in every dimension. There is a purity and a warmth of tone, along with no loss of detail. It is as if one has been able to use a directly heated tubed rectifier on a 44 volts rail. The high frequencies have lost the last vestiges of tizziness. Of course, it all sounds too good to be true. But it is true.
So, never being satisfied it took me about a month to get the necessary courage to install these in my precious SIT 1s.
Yesterday was a good day to make the change. The are in a "two per" package so two are required to replace a full wave bridge.
Needless to say one of the best qualities of the SIT 1s are their spaciousness and the BIG sound they allow the loudspeaker to project. All I can say is that they are now even bigger and more spacious. The same qualities they gave the phono amp are again given to the SIT 1s.
I suggest to the beloved Mr. Pass that I think these might be something to investigate.
I had tended to agree with Mr. Pass that component enthusiasm can be silly; either the component did basically nothing or just as likely did harm to the sound.
I have no idea how many others might have an interest in doing this. I would love to hear if someone else has the same experience. I would especially enjoy Mr. Pass giving them a try. In my most unhumble opinion, they take the SIT 1s to the next level.
My SIT 1s are used above 500 hz to drive JBL 2441s with the TrueExtent diaphragms. Below that I use a J2. Needless to say they will be installed there very soon. I figured the SIT 1s would be the more important place for these, being a single-ended circuit, but I suspect I will get a similar result with them in the J2s.
Upon hearing what these things can do one can only assume the rectifier is, currently, the weakest link in the solid state amplifier and now there is no need to suffer that weakness.
With sincere thanks to Mr. Pass and Mr. Yazaki,
At Jeff Day's Blog he extols the virtues of the audio discoveries of a Mr. Yazaki of SPEC CORPORATION. Mr. Yazaki is one of those extraordinary Japanese audiophiles who is on the relentless search for what he calls REAL SOUND. His company makes extraordinary products, none of which I have ever heard. His great value to me is like, Mr. Pass, he is generous with his knowledge and shares what he has found with those who will listen to him. I cannot imagine many who would give away such a "trade secret" but then I am familiar with Mr. Pass so I know this does happen.
Like so many Japanese ultra-audiophiles he admires Western Electric components and is intimately familiar with, probably, every tube and horn loudspeaker that has ever been made.
He is very particular about the components he uses within his amplifiers and has surveyed more than I would be able to in three or four lifetimes.
One suggestion he made really stuck out for me. It was this rectifier: STTH6110TV.
He claimed it was as good as any tube rectifier he had ever heard. One initially scoffs at such talk. I have tried different SS rectifiers in stuff I have assembled and never thought they made much difference. Certainly some sound better than others but it usually so subtle that one tends to dismiss the differences. Still one continually hopes there is such a thing as a SS rectifier that sounds like a good tubed rectifier, especially for components that cannot use them.
My SALAS phono amp was the first recipient of these.
When I first played a record with these installed I thought I was hallucinating or was so desirous of a miraculous change that I had simply fallen for that typical audio fallacy of belief trumping reality. After many weeks of listening it could no longer be chalked up to auto-suggestion - there is something extraordinary about this rectifier.
The sense of space is psychedelic. The sound extends well beyond the loudspeakers in every dimension. There is a purity and a warmth of tone, along with no loss of detail. It is as if one has been able to use a directly heated tubed rectifier on a 44 volts rail. The high frequencies have lost the last vestiges of tizziness. Of course, it all sounds too good to be true. But it is true.
So, never being satisfied it took me about a month to get the necessary courage to install these in my precious SIT 1s.
Yesterday was a good day to make the change. The are in a "two per" package so two are required to replace a full wave bridge.
Needless to say one of the best qualities of the SIT 1s are their spaciousness and the BIG sound they allow the loudspeaker to project. All I can say is that they are now even bigger and more spacious. The same qualities they gave the phono amp are again given to the SIT 1s.
I suggest to the beloved Mr. Pass that I think these might be something to investigate.
I had tended to agree with Mr. Pass that component enthusiasm can be silly; either the component did basically nothing or just as likely did harm to the sound.
I have no idea how many others might have an interest in doing this. I would love to hear if someone else has the same experience. I would especially enjoy Mr. Pass giving them a try. In my most unhumble opinion, they take the SIT 1s to the next level.
My SIT 1s are used above 500 hz to drive JBL 2441s with the TrueExtent diaphragms. Below that I use a J2. Needless to say they will be installed there very soon. I figured the SIT 1s would be the more important place for these, being a single-ended circuit, but I suspect I will get a similar result with them in the J2s.
Upon hearing what these things can do one can only assume the rectifier is, currently, the weakest link in the solid state amplifier and now there is no need to suffer that weakness.
With sincere thanks to Mr. Pass and Mr. Yazaki,
Check the datasheet http://www.st.com/st-web-ui/static/active/en/resource/technical/document/datasheet/CD00096489.pdf
Only antiparallel duals V2 are stocked by Mouser and sold by the unit. They are also quite pricey...
Only antiparallel duals V2 are stocked by Mouser and sold by the unit. They are also quite pricey...
I thought that was the one he was referring to, the one mouser does not have in stock. Thanks guys.
What was confusing was Mouser shows a very different looking STTH6110TV2 but the data sheet shows a same looking 1 & 2.
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMtbRapU8LlZDy9lUqlqyMDzA1J2crVjUsQ=
What was confusing was Mouser shows a very different looking STTH6110TV2 but the data sheet shows a same looking 1 & 2.
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMtbRapU8LlZDy9lUqlqyMDzA1J2crVjUsQ=
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Actually I have a three part response.
1) That is not my actual position, as I have found numerous components
which are at least interesting, if not always better. Some commercial
offerings at high price - maybe not so much.
2) I don't concentrate on special "peripheral" components all that much,
lest they detract from the appreciation of the central element of a design.
You are then free to tart it up all you like. Actually you will find that PL uses
special rectifiers, that is to say fast/soft recovery types.
3) This is all entertainment, and the equipment only supports an illusion
anyway, so have at it and have fun.
Excuse my clumsy paraphrase
I was trying to be succinct.
My intention was to point out that you do not in the FW line ((which is all I can (barely) afford)) use super tweaky components. What is done with the PASS stuff I can only imagine ...
Yes, it is entertainment but with only so many hours to live and that many fewer available for listening to music sometimes these components are worth the cost.
I think I can remember a few words of the doubting Thomas when it comes to many of the "audiophile" components. This rectifier is certainly not aimed at the audio market but seems to be very well suited.
Reminded me of your first acquaintance with the SEMISOUTH SITs.
Nonetheless if the opportunity ever arises I would love to hear what you think of them.
Thanks for the amplifiers!
I was trying to be succinct.
My intention was to point out that you do not in the FW line ((which is all I can (barely) afford)) use super tweaky components. What is done with the PASS stuff I can only imagine ...
Yes, it is entertainment but with only so many hours to live and that many fewer available for listening to music sometimes these components are worth the cost.
I think I can remember a few words of the doubting Thomas when it comes to many of the "audiophile" components. This rectifier is certainly not aimed at the audio market but seems to be very well suited.
Reminded me of your first acquaintance with the SEMISOUTH SITs.
Nonetheless if the opportunity ever arises I would love to hear what you think of them.
Thanks for the amplifiers!
3) This is all entertainment, and the equipment only supports an illusion
anyway, so have at it and have fun.
This made me smile. What a great perspective that most diyer's would do well to embrace.
I think SiC schottky diode is better:
C3D20060D 20-A, 600-V Z-Rec SiC Schottky TO-247-3 Wolfspeed Power rectifier | Wolfspeed
C3D20060D 20-A, 600-V Z-Rec SiC Schottky TO-247-3 Wolfspeed Power rectifier | Wolfspeed
This rectifier replaced SIC diodes in the phono amp which was the impetus for the change in the amp.
Listening to the result is the key and that is why I took the advice of Mr. Yazaki. His experience is orders of magnitude larger than mine.
I was hoping somebody would give it a try since it comes with this recommendation.
I would bet he was as surprised by the sound of this thing as much as I have been.
Nothing on the data sheet to suggest the result.
Listening to the result is the key and that is why I took the advice of Mr. Yazaki. His experience is orders of magnitude larger than mine.
I was hoping somebody would give it a try since it comes with this recommendation.
I would bet he was as surprised by the sound of this thing as much as I have been.
Nothing on the data sheet to suggest the result.
Since the STTH6110TV is an ultrafast recovery diode with datasheet guaranteed softness factor S>1 (!), this article in LA might be peripherally useful:Yes, I really did purchase & measure 48 different diodes, including the one famously used in the Vendetta Research SCP2 preamp. No, they weren't free samples from semiconductor companies.
As Nelson says (and I believe him).. half the path is purely entertaining. Unfortunately, my level of entertainment is relegated to $2 rectifiers. Am I missing out on something? Maybe.. maybe $2 is entertaining enough.. maybe I couldn't tell a difference anyway. Maybe the rest of that money was better spent on unobtainium.. maybe.. maybe, I'm deaf but still capable of enjoyment. Maybe, I'll never know..
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Mr. Johnson,
Your persistence and dedication are beyond admirable! I first thought is if you had a chance to listen to them, too? My head hurts thinking of trying to evaluate 48 rectifiers.
res07njc,
I can understand the reluctance to experiment with $20.00 diode pairs. I guess I figured compared to the cost of a good tube rectifier this wasn't so bad.
All I can say is the difference was not subtle. I hesitate to say transformational but it approaches that in my two installations.
If my inspiration to use this had not come from someone else, someone with real credibility, I would not waste the time of readers of this forum. I remain surprised by what this thing does. I readily admit it sounds too good to be true.
I can only hope someone else gives it a try and finds it to be something very fine or, from their experience, tell me I am dreaming!
After I posted your second post appeared: no matter what follows the rectifier the rectifier is the first thing (discounting switches and fuses and those, too, can make a difference). The phono preamp has a SALAS shunt reg and the FW has a CRC filter. There was value added with both.
Makes sense to me that, just as with a phono cartridge, you can follow it with all sorts of trick amplifiers but if the cartridge does not retrieve the information nothing past it can recreate it. There must be some kind of analogy for the ac to dc conversion. What is lacking there cannot be reconstituted by any kind of filter or regulation scheme. Conversely, there could be garbage created that cannot be removed. Simplistic, I know, but that is the best I can offer.
Your persistence and dedication are beyond admirable! I first thought is if you had a chance to listen to them, too? My head hurts thinking of trying to evaluate 48 rectifiers.
res07njc,
I can understand the reluctance to experiment with $20.00 diode pairs. I guess I figured compared to the cost of a good tube rectifier this wasn't so bad.
All I can say is the difference was not subtle. I hesitate to say transformational but it approaches that in my two installations.
If my inspiration to use this had not come from someone else, someone with real credibility, I would not waste the time of readers of this forum. I remain surprised by what this thing does. I readily admit it sounds too good to be true.
I can only hope someone else gives it a try and finds it to be something very fine or, from their experience, tell me I am dreaming!
After I posted your second post appeared: no matter what follows the rectifier the rectifier is the first thing (discounting switches and fuses and those, too, can make a difference). The phono preamp has a SALAS shunt reg and the FW has a CRC filter. There was value added with both.
Makes sense to me that, just as with a phono cartridge, you can follow it with all sorts of trick amplifiers but if the cartridge does not retrieve the information nothing past it can recreate it. There must be some kind of analogy for the ac to dc conversion. What is lacking there cannot be reconstituted by any kind of filter or regulation scheme. Conversely, there could be garbage created that cannot be removed. Simplistic, I know, but that is the best I can offer.
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I have a feeling that Mr. Yazaki did not randomly stumble onto that diode by sheer happenstance; I have a feeling that he saw something on the datasheet that suggested it might be a good candidate.
Here's a little math problem that you might enjoy working on:
DigiKey sells 1,349 different diodes made by ST Microelectronics (and 30,681 different diodes made by other companies). Suppose Ed the Experimenter tries out different ST Microelectronics diodes -- he solders them into SIT 1 amplifiers and listens to them. Ed chooses diodes completely at random, he flips coins and rolls dice to decide what diode he will listen to next.
Question: On the average, how many diodes will Ed listen to BEFORE he stumbles upon the STTH6110TV ?
Hint: the probability that he picks the STTH6110TV as the first diode, is (1/1349). The probability that he picks it as the 2nd diode is (1348/1349)*(1/1348). The probability that he picks it as the 3rd diode is (1348/1349)*(1347/1348)*(1/1347) etc
Here's a little math problem that you might enjoy working on:
DigiKey sells 1,349 different diodes made by ST Microelectronics (and 30,681 different diodes made by other companies). Suppose Ed the Experimenter tries out different ST Microelectronics diodes -- he solders them into SIT 1 amplifiers and listens to them. Ed chooses diodes completely at random, he flips coins and rolls dice to decide what diode he will listen to next.
Question: On the average, how many diodes will Ed listen to BEFORE he stumbles upon the STTH6110TV ?
Hint: the probability that he picks the STTH6110TV as the first diode, is (1/1349). The probability that he picks it as the 2nd diode is (1348/1349)*(1/1348). The probability that he picks it as the 3rd diode is (1348/1349)*(1347/1348)*(1/1347) etc
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