You are just perfect, Richard. Impossible to make-you you commit the slightest error of taste. ;-)
One exception, for somebody with a house in India, this can can be in his garage:
http://images.complex.com/complex/image/upload/t_article_image/zdwgd7p35ujhub51yfeu.jpg
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Any idea/estimate what the market demand is in Thailand for such a power amplifier, Mr. Marsh ?
(had a peeping-tom peek inside the trunk of the new model V12 Flying Spur this afternoon, when the owner was unloading his groceries. The butler's remains will definitely fit, but stereo may possibly require a second vehicle. Bentley, not RR Flying Spur)
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RNM you are looking good! But about the amplifier, around here we don't use handles on big things we used forged hoist rings. Makes it easier for the crane to lift it.
OK - how about a brief contest for who owns the heaviest monobloc amp - you actually have to own and use it, that's the only rule to this contest ?
I put up my DIY effort at a featherweight 29kg (64lb) per side............
I put up my DIY effort at a featherweight 29kg (64lb) per side............
What I want to know is how do you stack those amps so you can tri-amp the system! I guess it is the silly season when I see something like that that isn't driving a large PA system and not something in a home environment, how crazy is this audiophile industry? Ridiculous isn't a descriptive enough word.
I'm sure they sound great, but I can imagine someone (not me!) complaining that with that much power they somehow compromise fine detail.
Richard, what is the peak current capability? Noise?
Richard, what is the peak current capability? Noise?
I think that R. Marsh's amp puts things into perspective, just like comparing a Honda Civic to a Bentley. There IS a market for these things, and most of the CTC Blowtorches were sold to Asia as well. It is not easy or cheap to make this kind of product. It should be easier making headphones or wires. Limited production means high prices/per chassis. High cost demands attention to visual detail or else.
This MuMetal vs steel vs aluminum is a joke.
We make things out of mumetal, if significant magnetic shielding is demanded. Input transformers, analog tape heads, etc. We don't use mumetal for preamps, although we played with it 42 years ago, back when Mark Levinson was making the JC-2. Too expensive, AND it tends to distort nearby signals. It can look reasonably attractive, but anodized aluminum looks a lot better.
It is easier just to separate the power transformer from the signal chassis, and get distance to work for you. That is what is done with the Blowtorch, JC-2, Vendetta Research, and most other low and mid level signal handling products.
If you want to make a non-magnetic chassis, you have several options: aluminum, copper, silver, and stainless (non-magnetic) steel come to mind.
Aluminum is relatively cheap in this comparison, and it finishes well without painting it.
It shields most frequencies very well, except for 50-60Hz where it is just better to put the power supply transformer in a separate chassis (that is why we do it) and separate the two chassis by a meter or so.
Fit and finish are very important in high end audio. The Asians especially, seem very sensitive to it, and they are our best customers.
This MuMetal vs steel vs aluminum is a joke.
We make things out of mumetal, if significant magnetic shielding is demanded. Input transformers, analog tape heads, etc. We don't use mumetal for preamps, although we played with it 42 years ago, back when Mark Levinson was making the JC-2. Too expensive, AND it tends to distort nearby signals. It can look reasonably attractive, but anodized aluminum looks a lot better.
It is easier just to separate the power transformer from the signal chassis, and get distance to work for you. That is what is done with the Blowtorch, JC-2, Vendetta Research, and most other low and mid level signal handling products.
If you want to make a non-magnetic chassis, you have several options: aluminum, copper, silver, and stainless (non-magnetic) steel come to mind.
Aluminum is relatively cheap in this comparison, and it finishes well without painting it.
It shields most frequencies very well, except for 50-60Hz where it is just better to put the power supply transformer in a separate chassis (that is why we do it) and separate the two chassis by a meter or so.
Fit and finish are very important in high end audio. The Asians especially, seem very sensitive to it, and they are our best customers.
John, it may have been discussed at some point before, but I imagine you put a bulk of the capacitance in your PSU box as well? Then locally decouple/regulate with your preferred shunt regs.
Yes, just regulated DC across the connecting lines. Final regulator in the main box for every voltage and channel.
Actually, Richard, I once saw and heard a power amp of a really BIG size. Milan Karan of Karan Acoustics played his home system for me, consisting of his own loudpeskers using JBL Pro drivers, a two box per side job, each box weighing in at over 100 kilos (> 200 lbs each), and powered by two of his biggest models of mono amps. Not to be outdone by the speakers, they also weighed in at about 120 kilos (250 lbs) each, and delivered 2.5 kW/3.8kW/4.2 kW into 8/4/2 Ohms.
Awesome power and ease of delivering just about anything you can think of, and then some. And, much as I respect JBL's prowess regarding their pro series of drivers (just the magnet assembly on the 15" driver weughed 12.4 kg, orabout 27 lbs, I didn't like the resulting sound much, it reminded me too much of reinforced souns systems for large audiences. Generally, I like his products, but this time I felt his speakers had let him down. I have heard such drivers put to better use elsewhere for much less money and size.
Awesome power and ease of delivering just about anything you can think of, and then some. And, much as I respect JBL's prowess regarding their pro series of drivers (just the magnet assembly on the 15" driver weughed 12.4 kg, orabout 27 lbs, I didn't like the resulting sound much, it reminded me too much of reinforced souns systems for large audiences. Generally, I like his products, but this time I felt his speakers had let him down. I have heard such drivers put to better use elsewhere for much less money and size.
(Straight wings are also up to 3 sections, compromise between practical length/size and additional joint weight. Tip displacement for a mid-size airplane during flight is up to 25ft from the unloaded position)
I'm on an amp diet, you win.
I'm on an amp diet, you win.
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Now, let us not get into a 'who's is bigger' contest. '-) I do appreciate that my previous efforts (3 air blown heatsinks for example) are typical, rather than exceptional, in the rarified area of big amps. SE get real!
Sit in an aisle seat near the back of a DC8-L (the long version). When you hit a bit of turbulence, sight along the tops of the seats and watch the waves pass down the length of the fuselage! 🙂
Ooooohhhh, I think we might as well.......58kg is the standing leader for a pair of monoblocs actually owned and used........
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