Nice to know it worked. Congratulations.
Are those Audio Technica wooden chamber closed backs of yours a red polish or a clear polish teak color model? There are many iterations in their line but they all seem to be around 40 Ohm and very sensitive. So its great you managed they don't pick any noise. What bias you run and do you feel they are well damped with your DCG3 chosen bias?
Nice to know it worked. Congratulations.
Are those Audio Technica wooden chamber closed backs of yours a red polish or a clear polish teak color model? There are many iterations in their line but they all seem to be around 40 Ohm and very sensitive. So its great you managed they don't pick any noise. What bias you run and do you feel they are well damped with your DCG3 chosen bias?
Hi Salas, the AT closed backs made of cherry wood but looked almost fake ie plastic as it is too polish. There is a later version ATHW1000X. The current bias is 130mA and the sound is fast and clear electrostatic like.
Quan
Hi all, did anyone already tried Monolith M1060 Planar with DCG3? Salas mentioned this model in one of previous conversations. That model will be available again soon and I just wander if make sense to try it and with what setting.
Another question is about Muses. Someone mentioned it has its own problems. Can you please share with details. I just want to decide to go for it or to use know for me Optocouplers for 20k volume pot.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Another question is about Muses. Someone mentioned it has its own problems. Can you please share with details. I just want to decide to go for it or to use know for me Optocouplers for 20k volume pot.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There have been several video reviews online about those low price planars since we talked about them here and all praised their sound as top grade but all found construction quality issues. Regarding headband dislocating from the hinge too easily, cracks developing on the wood, intermittent mmcx connectors. Also providing too short a cable for desktop and home use. Some had none, only with careful handling, some had one, some had a combination of those issues.
Monoprice got direct feedback and made promises to concentrate on the build quality issues. If they manage to sort out the second batch better for construction quality, those 1060s will be a great $300 bargain. With load and sensitivity at 50Ω 96dB/mW (109dB/V or 20mW at 1V) its an easy headphone to be driven, no worries. Just use 130mA-150mA bias for better overall THD by the preamp for such lowish loads as mentioned in the build guide's instructions.
Monoprice got direct feedback and made promises to concentrate on the build quality issues. If they manage to sort out the second batch better for construction quality, those 1060s will be a great $300 bargain. With load and sensitivity at 50Ω 96dB/mW (109dB/V or 20mW at 1V) its an easy headphone to be driven, no worries. Just use 130mA-150mA bias for better overall THD by the preamp for such lowish loads as mentioned in the build guide's instructions.
In my attempt to lower voltage on the high side, as you discussed earlier, I mistakenly installed 50R at R4 and R2 instead of R1 and R2. I put things right and all appears good. The added resistance bought the voltage down on the high side a bit.
I loaded the outputs with a 200ohm load and voltage drooped less than
1/10th of a volt. My mains voltage is currently 123Vac, which is a daily peak. The transformers are rated at 115Vac. Is it worth playing with R1 and R2 again to get voltages closer to 17Vdc out?
Also, if you remember, I powered up the DCG-3 board without properly insulating the MOSFETS. Are there resistance/voltage checks I can perform to ensure it isn't damaged before powering it up again?
Thanks for the help, much appreciated.
Keith
-17.36V
+17.40V
+17.64V
-17.80V
Last edited:
That's explaining the previous confusion then. And the rails look very steady with the 90mA dummy load test. You could use even more Ohm in R1 R2 for the higher rails section. Especially R2 for taming that enthusiastic -17.8. As long as the voltages are kept below 18V they can not harm the servo chip but nearer to 17.5V max is more conservative for its long term reliability. What are the drops across those 50 Ohm R1 R2 now?
Your mains voltage can go high enough as you report. On the other hand if the heat on the sinks when you test loaded with 200 Ohm wasn't too much on those mains max, no need to worry further.
Most basic check you can do on your shorted once to chassis DCG3 board is to probe with the DMM on continuity buzzer mode between + / 0 and 0 / - and not find a short. On both sides rails input connectors. Also no MOSFET tab must be buzzing continuity to the chassis. No insulation problems in other words.
You can not expect to always be so lucky especially when restoring a system from a hard fault and best is to power up with a form of mains current limiting protection during building and testing. The good old dim bulb tester can save you from lots of trouble. Very easy to make. See about it in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wRFRwOnLsZI
Your mains voltage can go high enough as you report. On the other hand if the heat on the sinks when you test loaded with 200 Ohm wasn't too much on those mains max, no need to worry further.
Most basic check you can do on your shorted once to chassis DCG3 board is to probe with the DMM on continuity buzzer mode between + / 0 and 0 / - and not find a short. On both sides rails input connectors. Also no MOSFET tab must be buzzing continuity to the chassis. No insulation problems in other words.
You can not expect to always be so lucky especially when restoring a system from a hard fault and best is to power up with a form of mains current limiting protection during building and testing. The good old dim bulb tester can save you from lots of trouble. Very easy to make. See about it in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wRFRwOnLsZI
Are you talking about the muses72320 chip pot?
I using a muses72320 chip pot kit from Japan and happy with the sound quality.
The major concerns are the chip pot use input capacitors and opamp as buffer. They can affect the sound quality. According to kit instruction, if you can make sure that there is no DC offset from source, you can use jumper to short input capacitor, which will improve sound. Also, the opamp they recommend most are expensive muses01 or muses02.
That op-amp chip is used as a buffer? I thought as a DC servo, but I just looked for a minute only in that Muses kit link from Japan.
Here is the kit which I was planning to use.
academyaudio
ANd of course a controller for it.
It doesnt say an opamp buffer is necessary.
But nothing has been ordered yet.
academyaudio
ANd of course a controller for it.
It doesnt say an opamp buffer is necessary.
But nothing has been ordered yet.
I watched most of these youtube reviews and this is why I lighted up. It seems attracted gadget, specially if Monoprice will fix most of mentioned by users issues. I"ll try to acquire the set since anyway they have 30 days return policy in US. Unfortunately, they moved release date to Apr 24.
BTW, some prophy Sure headphone cables can be used with this model and they are longer with 1/4 inch plug.
Thank you for advice and go for 150mA setup.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just got a pair of AKG K7XX (a 701 version made for Massdrop) and they sound very nice with the DCG3. Not plasticky or artificial at all which has been a prior compliant of AKGs. Good bass too.
I have tried the Hifiman planars. They sound fast and crisp but not especially "speaker-like" if you know what I mean.
I have tried the Hifiman planars. They sound fast and crisp but not especially "speaker-like" if you know what I mean.
Thank you for reply. Have Salas's FSP as my 1st and main source and no DC there since it has 2.2uF output cap. CD player (witch I use rarely) is made by NAD called M5 and I did not measure it yet. I will, soon.
Have you ask some locals to buy it for you or you purchased that kit directly from them? I sent an email, but no reply yet.
I see some US kits too, but did not hear any review on them: http://www.academyaudio.com/_p/prd1/1963008545/product/vcm,-hi-end-muses[emoji768]-mini-board
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oops. You probably sent it during the same time I was sending mine response in. Should be interesting to hear if people happy with that kit from academyaudio.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Compatible with Firstwatt F4
Hello Salas, I am about to purchase two sets of this preamplifier to make a balanced preamplifier. Before I do, I was wondering if it would work with a First Watt F4? I know the BA3 preamp does due to its high gain. Thank you!
Bao
Hello Salas, I am about to purchase two sets of this preamplifier to make a balanced preamplifier. Before I do, I was wondering if it would work with a First Watt F4? I know the BA3 preamp does due to its high gain. Thank you!
Bao
I listened for long enough to a friend's old white K701 in the tests phase. It sounded super good on DCG3. Also a happy surprise to him. As he always had the typical complaints you mentioned. "I bought them on reviews but never liked them, now I finally like them" he said. 😀
Attachments
Hi,
That's a +/-23V rails buffer amplifier I see. Means 16V RMS swing before clip. Thus 8 times a 2VRMS source. So 8x gain or 18dB will do. No problem, DCG3 can be set like that.
Thank you!
Thank you! What would need to be changed in order to accommodate this? A resistor?
Thank you! What would need to be changed in order to accommodate this? A resistor?