Right. They are a lot more than the stock units.
In essence, the MAOP drivers are produced in small batches which are hand-assembled by the design team from specific components -some are shared with the standard units, others are not. They are individually measured in their anechoic chamber & pair-matched, have data sheets generated specific to that unit, and are signed by the person who built them -mine for instance were made by Jeff Taniguchi-san -not a small deal if you know anything about Japanese driver design & production. As noted, most go to collectors in Japan and are sold well in advance.
In essence, the MAOP drivers are produced in small batches which are hand-assembled by the design team from specific components -some are shared with the standard units, others are not. They are individually measured in their anechoic chamber & pair-matched, have data sheets generated specific to that unit, and are signed by the person who built them -mine for instance were made by Jeff Taniguchi-san -not a small deal if you know anything about Japanese driver design & production. As noted, most go to collectors in Japan and are sold well in advance.
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then there's the high reject rate of metal cones to pass Mark's meticulous QC tests after the multi-step process to the basic raw multi-formed "blank"
essentially summarized here http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/194359-alpair-10-gen-maop-prototype-tw-1-a.html#post2666948
essentially summarized here http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/194359-alpair-10-gen-maop-prototype-tw-1-a.html#post2666948
I have the Alpair7.3eN and the CHP70.2 and the 7.3eN is completely in another league with regards to dynamic range, timbre, and depth of soundstage. That's the only direct comparison I can offer, oh and that the 7.3eN doesn't sound metal, it's simply a neutral balance. The highs are almost identical to the AMT Heil tweeter, which I have in another pair of speakers.
Hello,
From the Dave's and Bob's observations, seems the paper Alpair 7P is inferior to the much popular metal version Alpair 7.3. Was my decision to pick the less known, newer and more sensitive Alpair 7P over the metal Alpair 7.3, a mistake?
I have received my new Alpair 7P drivers this week and after the inputs from the forums, planning to build frugal horn MK3 cabinet for them. And for amplifier I am planning for ACA amp with DCB1 or SSP preamp.
Does the above match well or do I need to consider some other cabinet / preamp / amp, considering the observation of bright or unpleasant top end ?
Do i need to include any tone controls also for the preamp/amp?
thanks and regards
S Sarath
Not inferior -- different. That I prefer the A7.3 to the A7P does not mean that you might not prefer the A7P. To my ears, the A7P has more of a Fostex FE sound. That's not bad, just not the sound I am looking for. On the other hand, I cannot choose between the A10M and the A10P. I prefer the one I happen to have in the system at the moment.
Bob
Bob
if you know you will always have that voice in the back of your head telling you the maybe a7.3 is the driver you need. Id return them and get the a7.3 for a healthy state of mind
Bob & Scott summarized it quite well a couple of posts back - the latest 2 paper drivers from Mark that I've heard ( CHN70 & A7P), could be described as having a slightly more forward "Fostex" presence in the upper midrange that might be a bit too revealing of flaws in upstream equipment or program material, whereas with the 10s, most folks could probably live quite comfortably with either the 10P or 10.3s.
edit: of course as needtubes notes, just buy both and decide which you prefer, or don't and alternate between them - I mean, a guy just can't have too many speakers
edit: of course as needtubes notes, just buy both and decide which you prefer, or don't and alternate between them - I mean, a guy just can't have too many speakers
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yes, the ACA is a delightful little unit (mine were the DIY Audio store mono blocks), and very well matched with any of the MA, or for that matter Fostex drivers I played them with:
CHN70
A7M
A10P
MAOP7
FF165WK
didn't actually have time to try them out on the A7Ps - those were running biamped on an Onkyo receiver on which I haven't yet sorted out if line outs are bi-amp capable
CHN70
A7M
A10P
MAOP7
FF165WK
didn't actually have time to try them out on the A7Ps - those were running biamped on an Onkyo receiver on which I haven't yet sorted out if line outs are bi-amp capable
Or do we need to have tone control at the preamp stage?
Or do we need to go for a preamp/amp which inherently have less prominent high frequencies to compensate the Alpair 7p?
Also one question, like why we can not find many diy amp/preamps systems having tone controls, and mostly with only volume control alone?
Or do we need to go for a preamp/amp which inherently have less prominent high frequencies to compensate the Alpair 7p?
Also one question, like why we can not find many diy amp/preamps systems having tone controls, and mostly with only volume control alone?
Can I ask how you feel the TPA3116D2 stands up to the ACA? I have been slowly collecting all the parts for an ACA (the input FETs are the special items) but wondering if it is worth the effort. I do like having more than 5 watts of power which is the limit of the ACA.
My personal build was the DIYAudio store mono block kit, which I found to be very nicely packaged. These little buggers are really cute, and very musical, but yes somewhat limited in power - which is fine if sensitivity of drivers / room size, listening levels, etc don't hamstring you.
As to the TPA3116, there appears to be so many options using this chip, particularly with regards to power supplies, and various other upgrades, that unless you believe those things don't make a difference, it might be fair to assume that they won't all sound the same. I had no qualms about the ACA kit, but assembling all the parts to build a 3116 from scratch wasn't something I was prepared to undertake, and I figured the Yuan Jing all-in parts kit was a great value, and I certainly didn't go gonzo with tweaks - I'd rather build speakers.
The TPA's substantially more power filled the bill perfectly for the system it's being used in: of half a dozen speakers in the house, the only multi-way with passive XO - the Castle Microtower with CHBW70 /ERT26 and Dave R's crossover design for Bob at CSS. Definitely a greater sense of dynamics and transparency than my first class D(actually "T", I guess ) Kingrex T20.
All that said, within its limits, I'd have to give the ACA the nod with neutral high resolution drivers such as MAOP7 - at the very least the amp is a great tool for testing speaker systems.
You build enough speakers to know that a guy can't have too many pieces of audio gear, as long as they're not all on open display at any given time, some semblance of domestic tranquility might even be possible - and when the topic does come up, you can always reply with two words - shoes / handbags.
Largely because tone controls fell out of favour in the 1980s and have never recovered. Manufacturers of consumer electronics didn't shed a tear, since it saved them money in design & manufacturing, and up to a point, DIY has tended to follow this 'purity' / eradication of 'unnecessary' circuitry in the signal path of the preamplifier. Well implemented tone controls were a very good idea, just as adjustable output impedance (very common up to the 1960s) was for many of the speakers of the era.
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