Amp Camp Amp - ACA

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions. I will look for some practice projects. I have flux and I have been usig Cardas silver solder...which I have heard is a little more difficult to solder with too. Maybe I should just use some generic rosin core solder instead? I have some of that that too.

Do you use the same heat level for desoldering too?

Get the solder from the store. Its hands-down the best solder I've ever used. I have my iron set at 400-420F and it flows really well as it has a lower melting point than some of the others due to its chemistry and thickness. As someone later says, get some solder paste or better, a solder pen, and you'll be soldering like a pro very soon. :)

--Tom
 
Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions. I will look for some practice projects. I have flux and I have been usig Cardas silver solder...which I have heard is a little more difficult to solder with too. Maybe I should just use some generic rosin core solder instead? I have some of that that too.

Do you use the same heat level for desoldering too?

I missed the raised resistors tip back in 2018. My ACA has been turned on and used every day since, and it has not been an issue at all! I should inspect it inside, haven’t opened the case since the pandemic, but it behaves exactly as it did over two years ago.

Same here. I have 6 ACAs I regularly use around the house, and the first pair has them right on the boards and its been fine. It may shorten the life of the Rs but I've not seen any issues in the many years those first ones have been in service now.

--Tom
 
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Has anyone used the Schitt Asgard as a preamp for the ACA? Good match in terms of the preamp output? I hooked up the ACA to my computer audio system and it seems perfect (mainly, NO noise when no signal, which is distracting with sensitive drivers a few feet from my ears). I intend to get it with and use the DAC from my computer.

Schiit Audio: Audio Products Designed and Built in California
 
Has anyone used the Schitt Asgard as a preamp for the ACA? Good match in terms of the preamp output? ...

I used it with the Magni before putting on the Whammy. It was good, but it did require the high gain setting. The low setting required the volume full up for normal listening levels and I had very little room to change the volume.

Obviously, those settings introduce more distortion, so you are not using your PRE at it's best setting, but it is good enough.

So, short answer, it will work fine, for sure.
Edit: 6L6 beat me to it with a much clearer answer! :)
 
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Thanks! I am using a Rotel RA-12 integrated to drive it now (will sell it), and while not maxed, the volume is up pretty high. If the Asgard had LESS output, I'd run into issues. Good to hear the hi-gain setting will help (and thanks for answering it impacts the pre-out, and not just headphone out...I did not see that in the manual).
 
Has anyone used the Schitt Asgard as a preamp for the ACA? Good match in terms of the preamp output? I hooked up the ACA to my computer audio system and it seems perfect (mainly, NO noise when no signal, which is distracting with sensitive drivers a few feet from my ears). I intend to get it with and use the DAC from my computer.

Schiit Audio: Audio Products Designed and Built in California

I currently use a Magni 2U with my ACA whenever my ACP+ is in the shop, and really like it. I do agree with RafaPolit though, the low gain setting is a bit low.
 
Tizman,

If you are using one laptop brick per channel (1.5A current draw), you might consider adding a pair of these SMPS filters:

SMPS DC Filter P089ZB Kit – diyAudio Store

Dennis

Dennis: Thanks for the link. I was looking at the PCB at the DIY Audio Store a few days ago. Are the reports about a linear PSU sounding better than a laptop SMPS due to the high frequency noise created by the brick, or is it other factors that explain it?

The circuit is simple, can easily be built on a perf board, and I have the components on hand to make it, so I may give it a go.
 
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They are fine if they really are 130 ohm and not 100 and will not change the audio performance. From a circuit point of view they will reduce the extreme high frequency response of the amp but we are talking in the 100kHz and onward and upward above 1Mhz region (so low radio frequency region) and we are talking fractions of percentage points.

Have you actually measured them out of circuit?
 
Hi. I'm sorry if this has been dealt with, but the diyA search function is not working. I received a kit that has 130 ohm rather than 100 ohm resistors for r5 and r6. Are those OK to use?

100 to 1000 ohms can work as gate stoppers, no big deal here....gates of mosfets did not require any current draw...but the lower gate resistors makes for higher speed in terms of charging/discharging the gate capacitance..
 
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