Etf 2008

[ErikdeBest]

It is a long time I have started a thread and don't even know if I am the right person to start this one, on the ETF 2008, still...

I came across the ETF website and read the following:

The shootout will consist of "sound processors". These boxes operate at line level, gain equals 1, with special properties, what comes out sounds better then what goes in. Any technology is allowed, sand, vacuum, passive, you name it. Put in triodes, bipolars or dsp's and off you go. Input impedance shall be 50 k-ohm or higher, output impedance shall be lower than 5 k-ohm. Announce your contribution to me (Guido - at - tentlabs - dot - com), first come, first serve, we'll stop at 16.

I thought it could be a troll, but probably it is serious. My second thought was about the project brought in by SY, I think it will be an ECC82 in anode follower, with a 1k plate resistor and 40V B+, but off course I do not know the fine details here. But seriously, everybody around here is building amplifiers, preamps, RIAA stages, DAC stages (which have all had their shootouts in past ETF editions) but I barely see people building 'sound processors'. The only one I can think off is a project by Pete Millet to emulate transfer characteristics...but that one is more of an experiment than a serious item in the HI-FI chain.

So, what are you bringing to the ETF 2008 shootout?

Erik

[Tubes4e4]

Hi Erik,

but I barely see people building 'sound processors'.

Maybe not expressis verbis calling them "sound processors", but, on the other hand, sooooo many tube amps *are* sound processors, aren´t they

So, what are you bringing to the ETF 2008 shootout?

AISI, my tubed guitar amp would fit the requirements ...

Regards,

Tom Schlangen

[oldeurope]

Originally #1 posted by ErikdeBest
...My second thought was about the project brought in by SY, I think it will be an ECC82 in anode follower, with a 1k plate resistor and 40V B+, but off course I do not know the fine details here....
Erik

Hi Erik
which curcuit do you call 'anode follower'?

Kind regards,
Darius

[SY]

Sadly, I have to miss ETF this year (but will be back next year). Stay away from Morgan and Pete, they're trouble!

My own idea for a device that could win this was something that would bring up the level by 0.5dB, but only after the measurement and level-matching was finished. A little bit of remote control technology...

[Yvesm]

Originally posted by SY
Sadly, I have to miss ETF this year (but will be back next year). Stay away from Morgan and Pete, they're trouble!

(We'll drink alone)

My own idea for a device that could win this was something that would bring up the level by 0.5dB, but only after the measurement and level-matching was finished. A little bit of remote control technology...

To be considered seriously

[SY]

It's been a tumultuous several months (I ended up out of town unexpectedly while you were here), but I think after this year, life will be smoother. So I'll be at ETF09.

I really should have warned Erik to stay away from you, too. Actually, his eyes are open- he met up with Morgan and me last year in Amsterdam and managed to go pint for pint with us at my favorite bar there.

[kstagger]

Heh - I once accidentally built a current starved white cathode follower using a 6922. Instead of DC coupling to the previous gain stage, it was mistakenly hooked up to the coupling capacitor for the 'hi-z' out. I was planning to have dual outs - hi-z and lo-z for driving different input impedances.

Needless to say when I plugged everything in I took some measurements and noticed my B+ was higher than expected. I gave it a listen anyways and the preamp had this - can't think of a better term - wonderful silvery sheen to the music. My friend who I was building the preamp for was suitably impressed and called it one of the best preamps he had ever heard.

When I went back to figure out why the B+ was too high, I measured the voltage across the cathode resistors... it was like .1V instead of ~2.5ish. When I fixed the circuit, the 'magic' was gone and my friend complained that it didn't sound as good!

[oldeurope]

Originally #1 posted by ErikdeBest
...My second thought was about the project brought in by SY, I think it will be an ECC82 in anode follower, with a 1k plate resistor and 40V B+, but off course I do not know the fine details here....
Erik

Hi Erik
which curcuit do you call 'anode follower'?

Kind regards,
Darius

[ErikdeBest]

Tom

You are probably right about most amplifiers being 'sound processors'. SY is one of the few that repeatedly claims that an amp should not add/subtract nothing, therefore I joked on his contribution with the ECC82 grounded cathode.

Darius

I was wrong, I meant the grounded cathode. Anode follower is the straight translation from the Portuguese 'seguidor anódico' which I use at a Brazilian board (Portuguese is my mother tongue besides Dutch).

SY

Thanks for the kind words...don't tell them you had to kick me out as the beers were to good!

[oldeurope]

Thank you ErikdeBest.