Bob Widlar told me openly at an ISSCC in 1974 to MAKE MY OWN AUDIO CIRCUITS and that normal IC designs were not designed with audio in mind, from the get-go.
John, heartiest congratulations!
I knew you had the mojo, just waited for it to come up.😀
Well done!
I knew you had the mojo, just waited for it to come up.😀
Well done!
Their approach to design was a technique relatively unknown by audiophiles called "straight forward engineering". It's a great technique, once you get the hang of it!
Jan
Absolute sound did, if i believe wayne. But only few people here read this magazine.
Fishing for compliments ? Ok, you have mines.
Now, like Romain Garry/Emile Ajar, a question persist: Did-you got those awards for the quality of your designs, or for your name ?
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Quite a few posts back John published a power supply design which I guess is for line level or low current applications.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/loun...ch-preamplifier-part-ii-1166.html#post4134306
I wonder if you would still use a similar (cap multiplier) circuit for high current (power amplifier) applications ?
Patrick
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/loun...ch-preamplifier-part-ii-1166.html#post4134306
I wonder if you would still use a similar (cap multiplier) circuit for high current (power amplifier) applications ?
Patrick
EUVL, finally a real question.
Yes, I use a variation of the power supply that I showed in all of my designs. The Cap Follower changes with every design to some significant degree, depending on NOISE, current, voltage headroom, and the need for added voltage stability.
Yes, I use a variation of the power supply that I showed in all of my designs. The Cap Follower changes with every design to some significant degree, depending on NOISE, current, voltage headroom, and the need for added voltage stability.
You know, it is truly fascinating how people react to me getting an award for some audio design that I do. Yes, I am a known audio designer, but so is Nelson Pass and Charles Hansen, and they don't get as much 'static' when they achieve the same award. Personally, I am grateful that I got some recognition this year, as Nelson, with Wayne, and Charles Hansen have gotten their awards for both Preamp and Amp already this year, and I have not had a new product released, except for the Constellation Phono preamp for some time.
I think that it would be useful to compare the two phono stages, as they have been reviewed by the same magazine, and look at their similarities (there are many) and their differences, which prices them so far apart. Of course the casual listener could hardly tell them apart from each other and from even many other phono stages, but some can, so it is still worthwhile to make the effort.
I realize that some designers would not find what seems to make my phono designs win recognition either useful or even possible. Sorry about that, but it seems to work pretty well in the real world!
PMA, you are a very good, if not great engineer, but you just don't listen. '-)
I think that it would be useful to compare the two phono stages, as they have been reviewed by the same magazine, and look at their similarities (there are many) and their differences, which prices them so far apart. Of course the casual listener could hardly tell them apart from each other and from even many other phono stages, but some can, so it is still worthwhile to make the effort.
I realize that some designers would not find what seems to make my phono designs win recognition either useful or even possible. Sorry about that, but it seems to work pretty well in the real world!
PMA, you are a very good, if not great engineer, but you just don't listen. '-)
The audio industry is driven to a great extent by subjective reviews. In the past a great review could make or break a company. These days it is driven by print in many countries and all the E magazines and internet forums. A review may get people to listen and then maybe buy and tell their friends.
Reviews and awards are nice in that they can lead to sales. But it takes more than this to last in the market. When you see magazines from around the world look on products favorably over time you get the sense that maybe it is decent product.
Reviews and awards are nice in that they can lead to sales. But it takes more than this to last in the market. When you see magazines from around the world look on products favorably over time you get the sense that maybe it is decent product.
It's true, Wayne. There are the one month 'wonders' where their 'uniqueness' lets them stand out for awhile, but it is TIME that gives the indication of ultimate customer satisfaction.
For example, I have 2 FM tuners in my lab: The Marantz 10, from perhaps 1960, and the Day-Sequerra from perhaps 30 years later. Both are designs primarily developed by Richard Sequerra. They both sound really, really, good. It may seem surprising that a 60+ year old tuner could keep up, but it does! That is design 'quality' based on what is really important sonically, not just good specs.
For example, I have 2 FM tuners in my lab: The Marantz 10, from perhaps 1960, and the Day-Sequerra from perhaps 30 years later. Both are designs primarily developed by Richard Sequerra. They both sound really, really, good. It may seem surprising that a 60+ year old tuner could keep up, but it does! That is design 'quality' based on what is really important sonically, not just good specs.
May-be it is because they, cleverly, let the others send flowers to them and don't care too much about themselves?
John, my remark was not so innocent that it seems. The reference to Romain Gary was the key. Search for his story with Emile Ajar.
At the end of his endless quest for a prove of his talent, with two Goncourt, he should be reassured? Nothing helped. At the end he committed suicide.
Oh, Lord, he was/is my favorite writer.
Thank you for your candid warning,
Esperado. Do you not realize that I am now a old man pushing 73 years, and I am only trying to pass on here what has worked for me over the decades? IF this was my first award, or my tenth, then maybe you would have a point, but I have been getting great audio reviews for 40 years, and this is just another of them. I haven't seen the magazine yet, even though I am a subscriber, so I can't say too much about this 'award' but it is consistent with previous efforts.
Unfortunately, I am caught in a dilemma, as I can't just retire and live off the past. I still have to design in order to keep a revenue stream going so that I can live reasonably, because Social Security will only pay my rent, not anything else. Perhaps where you live, you can expect a bigger pension when you retire. I hope so.
Now here is the other part of the dilemma: I want to give my circuit ideas to those who might be interested, but my employers are continually warning me to not divulge recent schematics or general 'know-how' as it might reduce sales, etc. So, I have a dividing line that I seldom cross, and I cannot do much about it. Don't worry, I won't live forever, but I hope to leave a few 'classic' designs that will be appreciated as the early Marantz vacuum tube designs still are still.
Esperado. Do you not realize that I am now a old man pushing 73 years, and I am only trying to pass on here what has worked for me over the decades? IF this was my first award, or my tenth, then maybe you would have a point, but I have been getting great audio reviews for 40 years, and this is just another of them. I haven't seen the magazine yet, even though I am a subscriber, so I can't say too much about this 'award' but it is consistent with previous efforts.
Unfortunately, I am caught in a dilemma, as I can't just retire and live off the past. I still have to design in order to keep a revenue stream going so that I can live reasonably, because Social Security will only pay my rent, not anything else. Perhaps where you live, you can expect a bigger pension when you retire. I hope so.
Now here is the other part of the dilemma: I want to give my circuit ideas to those who might be interested, but my employers are continually warning me to not divulge recent schematics or general 'know-how' as it might reduce sales, etc. So, I have a dividing line that I seldom cross, and I cannot do much about it. Don't worry, I won't live forever, but I hope to leave a few 'classic' designs that will be appreciated as the early Marantz vacuum tube designs still are still.
The irony is it would probably be easier to source the parts to recreate the tuner than some of the obsolete FET's.
I will disagree John C. the parts for the 10b are still NOS . However reproducing Dick's very interesting 18db design would be very very expensive to do . The scope tube is about the only part that not off the shelf the 12ax7 and au7 easy as are the other tubes . Building the coils and tuning the unit that would cost a good amount. Tuning and alining would be a labor of love.
That would make restoring a broken one possible . I guess. Very costly to reproduce.
The crt naturally gets dimmer with age, and the HV power supply for the crt's anode will eventually fail.
Dick Sequerra may have been the one rebuilding the 10B tuner with LCD displays.
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The tubes are $60 or so on eBay. But yes one of those little mini LCD scopes would do very nicely. John, I could find no source for the NOS VFET's used in the JC80 anywhere.
Aligning an FM tuner is a fun project in itself, but the process can be learned if anyone is left to teach it.
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