Hiraga The Monster...

[janneman]

Originally posted by grataku
Frank,
why everytime someone talks about Hiraga you get so hot and bothered?
Why didn't you bring up this Stax issue before? The Monstre has always been regarded as one of Hiraga's designs. What's the big effin deal?

If you read the text, it's Hiraga reporting on the Stax Le Monstre at the Tokyo Show. Right, Frank?

Jan Didden

[janneman]

The one and only:

[fdegrove]

Hi,

If you read the text, it's Hiraga reporting on the Stax Le Monstre at the Tokyo Show. Right, Frank?

Indeed it is, Jan.

If there's sufficient interest I'm willing to have a stab at translating that page and post it for you all.

Here's a link with the complete diagram and PCB layout:

AMPLI LE MONSTRE.

There's also a British site with partial translations but I can't seem to find it right now.
Maybe some of you know about it already?

Cheers,

[dimitri]

Dear Frank,
here it is:
http://www.tcaas.btinternet.co.uk/hiraga.htm

[Upupa Epops]

It's crazy to see amp without any protection, which have power rails connected to the battery 45 - 170 Ah (!) or to the caps 200 G. It's crazy see amp with this power supply which have power lines on PCB only 1 mm wide, where, if output is shorted, current flow is 13 A. Is the question, what break first - this line or 5 W resistor. In front of your burning house you can to think about : " Is Le Monster this amp or is Le Monster Jean Hiraga ? "

[jarek]

It's crazy see amp with this power supply which have power lines on PCB only 1 mm wide

He. he.. Maybe these traces work as a fuse?

[Upupa Epops]

To Jarek : Yes, but it is " pig work " - and all state test laboratory will be look at this the same.

[fdegrove]

Hi,

Dear Frank,

Ta. That's the site I had in mind.

He. he.. Maybe these traces work as a fuse?

I wouldn't count on it and they're not 1mm traces either.

Shrek,

[grataku]

Jan and Frank,
so which one is it? Not that I care one way or the other. The so called "monster" is essentially identical to the 20w hiraga le classe A and is being attributed to Hiraga in some way or another by Bonavolta and others.

I can read French good enough to read the following:

with this prototype Stax shows that the "hyper-powerful" watt, the "hyper-transparent" watt (note of the translator: who reads this crap anyway?) of a quality that surpasses the majority of the best tube amplifiers, exists

However, Hiraga takes this design under his wing and developes it in this article and in the second article where he is happy to indicate that a number of amps have been built.

[fdegrove]

Hi,

so which one is it?

Inspiration: Stax, perspiration: Hiraga and Co.

The so called "monster" is essentially identical to the 20w hiraga le classe A and is being attributed to Hiraga in some way or another by Bonavolta and others.

Historically, d'abord le Monstre" et ensuite L'Hirage 20W Classe A monsieur.

with this prototype Stax shows that the "hyper-powerful" watt, the "hyper-transparent" watt (note of the translator: who reads this crap anyway?) of a quality that surpasses the majority of the best tube amplifiers, exists

Stax's idea was to prove, once and for all that an amplifier using solid state devices could be made that could possibly outperform the legendary 300B tube amps.
Legendary at that time in Japan at least (my edit).

And what a monster of an amp it took to even attempt to prove just that. (my comment)

They also wanted to make clear to the public that it was better to have a few "quality" watts than to have a ton of garbage watts.

However, Hiraga takes this design under his wing and developes it in this article and in the second article where he is happy to indicate that a number of amps have been built.

Yes, and as he develops the article he also points out that a number of the parts are already obsolete but crucial to the sonic result and that passive parts are crucial just the same.

For a while " La Maison de L'Audiophile" ( the sales branch of the cleverly set up triangle) offers the parts as a kit.

To my ears the Hiraga 20W Class A design betters the "Le Monstre" but that, my friend, is just my auditory opinion.

In a nutshell, I can dig up a few Hiraga designs from old issues of that mag and they all have one thing in common: musicality.

PRATly yours,