Ohhh... we like a challenge
At first glance I'd perhaps say the carefull choice of semiconductors, and making use of "snail" and "hare" characteristics at HF... those outputs look particularly rapid with the wind behind them...
Go on... spill Hugh
You've let yourself in for something now. You won't get any peace until you do !
So far, no PMs......
However, I have to say that the majority of people are not particularly interested because they frankly don't believe these amps sound much good. That's cool. Saves me a lot of PMs!!
I have some heretical views on audio, all quackery of course. One of them harks back to Hitchiker Guide to the Galaxy days, 'Resistance is Useless'. Another is 'Distortion is Inevitable'. So, to avoid inflaming the membership, particularly the smartest guys in the room, best to say very little.
I might brush up on THD measurement, slew rate calculation, IM figures, damping factor, PSRR, FR measurement and all the essential, credible measures of audio performance. Very important. Then I can answer cryptically, in figures, every time someone asks. My golly, wouldn't that raise a few eyebrows!
However, I have to say that the majority of people are not particularly interested because they frankly don't believe these amps sound much good. That's cool. Saves me a lot of PMs!!
I have some heretical views on audio, all quackery of course. One of them harks back to Hitchiker Guide to the Galaxy days, 'Resistance is Useless'. Another is 'Distortion is Inevitable'. So, to avoid inflaming the membership, particularly the smartest guys in the room, best to say very little.
I might brush up on THD measurement, slew rate calculation, IM figures, damping factor, PSRR, FR measurement and all the essential, credible measures of audio performance. Very important. Then I can answer cryptically, in figures, every time someone asks. My golly, wouldn't that raise a few eyebrows!
Actually much people are searching for right to play kit....When any new or existant modify topology appear on forum you can see : "count me for x board" even if tere is no pcb rooted. Hugh you have such a reputation with aspen product here that any project using you technology even it's no more produce will interest some guys as me. I follow this topic with interest rate since it's a simple topology, easy to bring in a home made production, with no long matching session. B-Aksa seduce me through all this reasons. Since i have on hand enough power output transistor, capacitor, a couple of 300Va 2x25Vac tranny, over 10th 6800µ/63V filtering caps, enough heatsink, i think to build it. Pcb are quite simple and small to etch them at house....
I have no doubt that this little puppy das sound quite better as more what we easily could acces.
Marc
Hi tpsorin,
Duh! I pulled my original AKSA apart to use the power supply for testing these amps, that was a stupid move.
I haven't played these amps on my main system so I can't make specific comments on the sound. However, they have been playing in the garage for a few days now so they are behaving themselves.
regards
Hi Marc,
Nice to see you here... I have very fond memories of you and Francis all those years ago!
In all technologies there is the mainstream, and a few areas where good marketing and sheer excellence will draw in the consumers, Pass Labs, for example.
Then there are the fringe dwellers like Aspen, who profess to know something the big boys do not and who attract a bit of attention, much of it ridicule. If you go back to the 1930s, everyone regarded Citroen as anachronistic and silly because they used front drive - traction avant - on all their cars. Well, now, rear drive cars are relatively rare, particularly in smaller automobiles.
This shows there are trends and fashions. Audio is dominated by the psychology of numerical appraisal, a term invented back in the twenties and applied to the number of cylinders of automobile engines. Then, twelve cylinder engines were the ultimate, but today, with modern materials and balance technologies, L4, V6 and V8 engines are pretty much all we see, except for shining unaffordable dreams like the Veyron. Numerical appraisal is important when we apply it to objects of desire -the classic example is the 36-24-36 woman's measurements. So it is with audio, numbers are widely used here too.
But the measurements, particularly thd, don't seem to correlate well with the subjective listening experience. This is the problem. Experts argue about this, but in my opinion the link is poor. And what about the primary purpose of listening to our precious music, the unmeasureable aspect of engagement? How do you measure this?
It appears we cannot. So we have to slowly come around to this realisation. The more your education in this technology, the less inclined you are to throw away your precious, expensive Audio Precision Distortion Analyser. But there was a time, before the AP2, when many amps sounded good, and most of them were British. Then the technology was taken over by this need for measurement, amps got 'better', and the old Armstrongs and Radfords, which sounded very, very good, were soon forgotten. Digital technologies only hastened this process.
You say nice things about my reputation, thank you, but amongst the techologists, the fringe dwellers are all wrong and many are actively dishonest. That is the power of education, dogma, and marketing. Most music lovers go their whole lives without hearing something as engaging as a good quality single ended triode, for example. It is a pity. I happen to know that in all the Third World countries like SE Asia, India, etc, if the product does not have a name it can never sell. It just can't be done. In the mature consumer countries, things are a bit different, but DIYers are regarded the world over as 'crazy hobbyists' whose tinkerings cannot compete with the open market. But, we know better, don't we?
Ciao,
Hugh
Nice to see you here... I have very fond memories of you and Francis all those years ago!
In all technologies there is the mainstream, and a few areas where good marketing and sheer excellence will draw in the consumers, Pass Labs, for example.
Then there are the fringe dwellers like Aspen, who profess to know something the big boys do not and who attract a bit of attention, much of it ridicule. If you go back to the 1930s, everyone regarded Citroen as anachronistic and silly because they used front drive - traction avant - on all their cars. Well, now, rear drive cars are relatively rare, particularly in smaller automobiles.
This shows there are trends and fashions. Audio is dominated by the psychology of numerical appraisal, a term invented back in the twenties and applied to the number of cylinders of automobile engines. Then, twelve cylinder engines were the ultimate, but today, with modern materials and balance technologies, L4, V6 and V8 engines are pretty much all we see, except for shining unaffordable dreams like the Veyron. Numerical appraisal is important when we apply it to objects of desire -the classic example is the 36-24-36 woman's measurements. So it is with audio, numbers are widely used here too.
But the measurements, particularly thd, don't seem to correlate well with the subjective listening experience. This is the problem. Experts argue about this, but in my opinion the link is poor. And what about the primary purpose of listening to our precious music, the unmeasureable aspect of engagement? How do you measure this?
It appears we cannot. So we have to slowly come around to this realisation. The more your education in this technology, the less inclined you are to throw away your precious, expensive Audio Precision Distortion Analyser. But there was a time, before the AP2, when many amps sounded good, and most of them were British. Then the technology was taken over by this need for measurement, amps got 'better', and the old Armstrongs and Radfords, which sounded very, very good, were soon forgotten. Digital technologies only hastened this process.
You say nice things about my reputation, thank you, but amongst the techologists, the fringe dwellers are all wrong and many are actively dishonest. That is the power of education, dogma, and marketing. Most music lovers go their whole lives without hearing something as engaging as a good quality single ended triode, for example. It is a pity. I happen to know that in all the Third World countries like SE Asia, India, etc, if the product does not have a name it can never sell. It just can't be done. In the mature consumer countries, things are a bit different, but DIYers are regarded the world over as 'crazy hobbyists' whose tinkerings cannot compete with the open market. But, we know better, don't we?
Ciao,
Hugh
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Mr. Hugh Dean is so famous that some brazilians thinks he should produce
the Universal amplifier..... called, the CloneMaker.
Because so many guys are interested in his designs, in this lovely tophologie, that he should explore this.
The CloneMaker will realise the DIY dreams to have his own amplifier...so..he can tweak currents and change values of resistances and say that "he did his own amplifier".
This is the solution i think.... to provide forum and the audio communitty, the chance to have their own...you see how many copies, clones, or versions where made...if this is what people wants..why not to give them.
I really think, this can generate lots of money.
The idea came from Renato Comerlatte... i am glad it came from Brazil (despite the guy is half Italian)
The schematic was attached... the idea is to provide board, parts and trimpots...the Universal Kit...the CloneMaker project.
I will help Renato to produce the CloneMaker.... will be distributed (in the early beginning) for Brazil only.
regards,
Carlos
the Universal amplifier..... called, the CloneMaker.
Because so many guys are interested in his designs, in this lovely tophologie, that he should explore this.
The CloneMaker will realise the DIY dreams to have his own amplifier...so..he can tweak currents and change values of resistances and say that "he did his own amplifier".
This is the solution i think.... to provide forum and the audio communitty, the chance to have their own...you see how many copies, clones, or versions where made...if this is what people wants..why not to give them.
I really think, this can generate lots of money.
The idea came from Renato Comerlatte... i am glad it came from Brazil (despite the guy is half Italian)
The schematic was attached... the idea is to provide board, parts and trimpots...the Universal Kit...the CloneMaker project.
I will help Renato to produce the CloneMaker.... will be distributed (in the early beginning) for Brazil only.
regards,
Carlos
Attachments
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Hi Hugh,
Aska reputation is based on years customers listening behavior, so the opposit to fashion fact. I am looking a while on aspen product but there are out of range for the budget i can put on music listening, that's why i begun in diy audio in 2002/2003. Baby Aksa is a unexpectet possibility to put aksa technology between my ears, as it was for N pass technology through francois (GeffDeGaar) work. I a simple hobbyst just enough experienced to read electronics schemas and mount components on PCB. I don't pay attention to the rest of commercial backround on diy audio, better i do not. When i listen to music and juste feel music i reach my goal without thinkin on Thd.....All my little system is based on diy stuff taht give my pleasure through earing music. So testing Aksa technology with B Aksa will be done in the same philosophy.
Marc
Aska reputation is based on years customers listening behavior, so the opposit to fashion fact. I am looking a while on aspen product but there are out of range for the budget i can put on music listening, that's why i begun in diy audio in 2002/2003. Baby Aksa is a unexpectet possibility to put aksa technology between my ears, as it was for N pass technology through francois (GeffDeGaar) work. I a simple hobbyst just enough experienced to read electronics schemas and mount components on PCB. I don't pay attention to the rest of commercial backround on diy audio, better i do not. When i listen to music and juste feel music i reach my goal without thinkin on Thd.....All my little system is based on diy stuff taht give my pleasure through earing music. So testing Aksa technology with B Aksa will be done in the same philosophy.
Marc
Greg, comparing this picture to pcb you give (in pdf), a question came me : how did you connected Q4 emitter on real PCB. Wire seems to go on left pcb side as on pdf it must be connected near Q3 emitter?
Marc
I am planning on ordering some more stuff hopefully in the not too distant future, so if you (or Greg) want some KZ's let me know and I'll add them to the order, provided the quantity isn't high it shouldn't impact on my shipping costs
Tony.
Hi Tony
Very kind of you. Let me know when you are going to order. I'd say the quantity would be around 10-20.
Hi Carlos
I'm still around but don't venture into SS much these days. I got hooked by the AKSA thread. Hope you are doing well.
Attachments
Will do! Hopefully won't be too long. Will give me an incentive to get off my backside and work out what I need, knowing that some others are waiting for some bits as well
Tony.
Hi Marc,
Sharp eye. Have a look at the green wire in the picture.
regards
Thanks for clarification.
Marc