Good is subjective, perfect is objective. Who mentioned perfect? It's a well know fact many can't handle perfect 😉
With a "perfect" amp I mean an amp where only the fundamental is visible in a distortion measurement.....e.g. like all harmonics / noise are 110 dB down.
This review is by no surprise. The balanced config comes with the benefit of CMRR and Mr Pass has well documented this in his early DIY projects in the 'Zen' era. I have monobloc Zen Penultimates (aka v4) and every so often, I go between RCA and XLR. Without a doubt balanced sounds WAY much better.
and i'm starting to see the same issue with my current build the CSX1. The RCA input uses JFet buffer while the balanced input has no buffer ; overall I find balanced into the Jensen input transformer to sound significantly better (perhaps without the added characteristic sound of the buffer JFets). The difference is considerable just as Mr Guttenberg if finding out with twin AmpCamps.
and i'm starting to see the same issue with my current build the CSX1. The RCA input uses JFet buffer while the balanced input has no buffer ; overall I find balanced into the Jensen input transformer to sound significantly better (perhaps without the added characteristic sound of the buffer JFets). The difference is considerable just as Mr Guttenberg if finding out with twin AmpCamps.
I recall having read in the thread to the beast with a thousand jfets, that this amp with very low distortion sounds somehow boring.
Didn't find it in the article, so this is by now an unproved statement.
Will try to find something about this.
Ulf
you're Pico
95% of tube amps of era had junk PSU, from today's perspective
look at VTL amps PSU, as opposite ....... though they came later
Also worthy to mention that most top recording studios today have pro audio equipment using the same type of AC/DC power supply adapters. Another consideration is the SMPS found in virtually every desktop PC and they too are used in recording studios. While pro audio is in a different camp to HiFi audiophiles, they both consider noise as a sin.
Well just so we're on the same page, I am referring to the solid state amp.
The tube amps shown all look reasonable.
I don't think I would be happy with a vintage tube amp with a crap power supply regardless of how much I love and prefer tubes as a general rule.
which one ( SS) ?
I was thinking that we are referring to post #14 .......
anyway, you're Pico
The distortion pattern shown in "E" in post #14 is a famous British SS amp.....according to the description in Swedish 🙂 ......I think Pico was referring to this one?
which one ( SS) ?
I was thinking that we are referring to post #14 .......
anyway, you're Pico
Yeah.
We are.
E is a solid state amp with low distortion but crap power supply.
The tube amps A to D have better power supplies.
Power supply harmonics are far worse than harmonic distortion, since music is actually made up of harmonics, creating additional harmonics based on the fundamental is still musical.
Adding power supply harmonics and IMD to the audio is absolutely foreign and does not belong anywhere in the audio signal.
Some will say the amp should have zero distortion but I don't promote that type of idea just whatever makes you enjoy music.
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B looks very good regarding PSU. It is not Luxman MB-300 after reading text again. It is an amp using WE310A as driver to WE300B and WE274B as rectifier.
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I'm Pico now!
didn't even read text bellow graphs , took for granted that all of these are toob amps
I'm Pico now!
didn't even read text bellow graphs , took for granted that all of these are toob amps
Good
We are bloody dumb bastards together.
Hahaha
I listened to the "Beast" for several hours. Loved them. I tried to bring them home.
Not boring, smooth yet lively, like a really good Pinot. 🙂
Not boring, smooth yet lively, like a really good Pinot. 🙂