Best Aleph for ME

[Nordic]

I have been doing alot of reading on these Pass amps and the driving reasons for the way they are. I would say as a solid state project this is the kind of thing I would like to build. I love building things that leave a legacy with friends and family.

I can not figure which Alep would suit me best.
I am a bit of a noob with solid state, although, I am quite handy with them ICs, so I have a reasonable understanding of concepts like voltage dividers, calculating currents etc...

I would like something that will match nicley with my 40W floorstanders, they are very efficient and go very loud, albeit a little bass lean. Not that I like loud music, as I have a very small house with matching small rooms...
Currently I'm driving them with the REV C Chipamp and an ecc88 buffer. Which sounds realy good, but I have heard a better amp, in one to one comparison, which did beat it in most categories, except the clarity on vocals, with garbled/accented words being more understandable on the chipamp.

So I feel this would be the next step towards a grownup sound system.

Appart from the low output demand, I would like something that can deal with our summers which can get up to 40C in the shade. I fully understand that class A would mean more heat, but I think with oversized sinks I'll probably be safe. And the last requirement would be for total costs to not be more than say $100 per channel including the powersupply. Is that reasonable...
Also a project that is well documented would be appreciated..

[Dennis Hui]

Hey Nordic,

Check out the mini-a, which is the smallest (and cutest) of
the Aleph family:

The Mini-A

Depending on the rail and bias level, you can get about 10-15 watts.

What impedance are you speakers?

If you can find some appropriate surplus transformers and
heatsinks, a $100/channel budget is certainly feasible.

Cheers,
Dennis

[Nordic]

8 Ohms, yep yep, learned to scounge, and for transformers, custom wounds are cheaper than you think.

[eapavant]

Well I have built both the Aleph-mini and the Aleph 30. I like them both but I tend to listen to the mini more. I also have a Rev C. I think the mini is a much better sounding amp compared to the chipamp. At 100 usd/channel I think the mini is a good bet, if you hunt for heatsinks and transformers. You might also want to take a look at the first watt amps.

[Nordic]

It seems dubious that I'm going to be able to get my hands on a set of mini A boards unless I can get the eagle files from someone...

[hifimaker]

Originally posted by Nordic
It seems dubious that I'm going to be able to get my hands on a set of mini A boards unless I can get the eagle files from someone...

Hi Nordic,

Check with Peter Daniel's to see if he has any left over Aleph 30 boards. Also you might consider running a Want To Buy (WTB) ad in the Trading Post section for anyone willing to sell spares.

I built an Aleph30 that I just love listening to. My 1st Aleph Amp

The extra reserve power of the Aleph30 over the 10w mini-Aleph is nice to have when that extra surge of power is needed.

Good Luck on your project!

-David