DIY ACA mini

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#161
Now that I know I didn't need to wait for the thermal grease I quickly finished the kit and finished it up.
Still waiting for the Magic Smoke......
Made the pot adjustments and it sounds great. Playing some Beatles, Billie Eilish, Haim, etc, etc.

Tomorrow, I'll fire it back up, check the voltages and let it break in all day. It keeps sounding better the longer it plays.

Thanks again!
John
 
#163
Mikerodrig27 said:
John, how does billy Eilish sound on it? Do you get a big soundstage out of it?
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Billie Eilish is one of the things I test my equipment with. The Mini ACA has a big, detailed soundstage with a holographic feeling and nice placement of instruments and voices etc.. Nothing there to be disappointed by. The Mini ACA also has a ton of bass but it strikes me a being a little unruly so a lot of impact but not as tight or musical as my other amp which is how the Mini ACA reminds me of the F5. That bass rumble on "Xanny" at 0:37 is coarser or more raw in the Mini ACA. Midrange has terrific clarity like the F6. It is a ton of fun to listen to even if it isn't as nuanced or expensive sounding as my main system. If you have efficient speakers I think you will really enjoy it. It is wild to listen to that little board drive my gigantic Tekton Moabs so well. I need to put my M2X back in my system to see how the Mini ACA holds up vs it. So far the M2X has been my favorite FirstWatt amp. It will be interesting to see what other people hear.
 
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#164
Hi Mike
I built the Mini in my living room chair piecing together a system on the floor and haven't had a chance to really listen for soundstage and air.
Just played the Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Sessions" and some David Linley. I noticed two things right away sticks on drums sounded sharp and the pace wasn't at all sluggish or "off".

Tomorrow, I'll locate the speakers properly and give it a listen. And, get my wife to listen carefully. She had classical music training in college with a demanding, anal retentive prof' so her hearing is well trained.

John
 
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#167
PaulinWA, Billy Eilish has some very bass heavy tracks. Pretty cool that a little 5w amp handles this well. Those tektons are 98dB 2.83V@1m so that probably helps a lot.

Thank you for the listening impressions!

John, pretty cool!
 
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#169
grataku said:
Has anyone experienced a buzzing sound coming from the tweeters with the ACA mini? Sounds like some strange high freq buzz.
The amp worked well for a few days then this started yesterday. I flipped the switch off and on and the noise subsided mostly but not completely.
I wonder if it's the Meanwell malfunctioning and injecting the weird hi freq noise. All other measurement on the amp check out. What would be the best way to measure if the noise is coming from the PS?
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I have not heard noise, even from 95 dB speakers, and the channels have separate filters. I have to suspect the supply.
 
#174
Grundig? My father had a three way and two way pairs of Grundig bookshelf speakers about 40y ago. I grew up listening to those things. The mid domes were on the 3 ways super touchy. I blew them playing piano music Chopin Etudes by Maurizio Pollini and it wasn't all that loud either.
 
#177
ha, even i got the trick with the jumpered RC thingie, just being AC sensitive, small crumb learned today : )
..but hold back horses, I'm too intimidated to try it p-to-p. B1 was maximum parts : )

Is there any news when cute thing appears in store, and is there any penalty for asking this the 6th time in this thread 😛?

no YT video until now 😢, i confess quite enjoying them, even when it's useless soundcheckwise..

best,
st
 
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