stvnharr,
For the 120W Maya, do you use some different parts like 50V rail, less heat sinks, transformer, etc? So cost of parts for 120W Maya is a little less? Is the 120W Maya more
practical to build? I know most people if not all want a 200W amp.
For the 120W Maya, do you use some different parts like 50V rail, less heat sinks, transformer, etc? So cost of parts for 120W Maya is a little less? Is the 120W Maya more
practical to build? I know most people if not all want a 200W amp.
Hi AS,
If you want to reduce the costs and require a lesser output, I have just the product for you, the SAKSA 85.
This can be set up to 50V rails on a pinch - not other changes - and the output devices are extremely robust 280W Fairchild mosfets. This is a very good sounding amplifier, in the same league of the Maya, but normally 85W//8R. With 50V rails you can get around 120W, and at $AUD1060 (around $USD650) you save a lot of money on the Maya.
I misunderstood, AS. I thought you wanted a 300W amp, but it turns out you want a little than the standard Maya 200W! My bad......
Hugh
If you want to reduce the costs and require a lesser output, I have just the product for you, the SAKSA 85.
This can be set up to 50V rails on a pinch - not other changes - and the output devices are extremely robust 280W Fairchild mosfets. This is a very good sounding amplifier, in the same league of the Maya, but normally 85W//8R. With 50V rails you can get around 120W, and at $AUD1060 (around $USD650) you save a lot of money on the Maya.
I misunderstood, AS. I thought you wanted a 300W amp, but it turns out you want a little than the standard Maya 200W! My bad......
Hugh
There is no 120W Maya. It was part of the R&D for the whole Maya project.
However, since Hugh sells the modules and heatsinks as a package, and leaves the transformers for customer purchase, you could purchase Hugh's Maya package of completed tested modules mounted on heatsinks and save a little money by buying transformers with 35V secondaries. However, transformer cost varies more by current rating than secondary voltage, but you could likely save a little bit there. You would also have to inform Hugh of your intentions as it makes a difference in setting the quiescent current when testing the modules.
Steve
Hope it is ok to write in this tread
Aksa Lifeforce come to life
after some year where the Lifeforce has been hide away,,,i just have made it to play again
and what a surprice,,,it playes really good,,so musical,,with great dynamic ,,
i normally use Gryphon Encore 500w
the reason why i not use the Aksa is my former speakers,,,need much more power
now i use Troels G The Loudspeaker sensitive 95db so 100w is good
and - now i will try the Maya - it must be a very good and with just the right power
Best Bjarne
Aksa Lifeforce come to life
after some year where the Lifeforce has been hide away,,,i just have made it to play again
and what a surprice,,,it playes really good,,so musical,,with great dynamic ,,
i normally use Gryphon Encore 500w
the reason why i not use the Aksa is my former speakers,,,need much more power
now i use Troels G The Loudspeaker sensitive 95db so 100w is good
and - now i will try the Maya - it must be a very good and with just the right power
Best Bjarne
Ah, the Lifeforce, the first design I discovered how to add palpable depth of image!!
That was a wonderful discovery all those years ago, was it 2008 Bjarne?
I will answer your latest email tomorrow, thanks for the email,
Hugh
That was a wonderful discovery all those years ago, was it 2008 Bjarne?
I will answer your latest email tomorrow, thanks for the email,
Hugh
Hi Hugh
oh ,it is so long ago that i can not remember,,but i think it was about this time
my wife has a comment yesterday evening (when i play some musik dvd ,,)
she said ,why bother to repair the Gryphon,,,this Lifeforce playes so good
i must say ,she is my best criticizer,,,can always hear when i change something
so, i must tell her, that i am sure Hugh have make new amp , that are even better
Best bjarne
oh ,it is so long ago that i can not remember,,but i think it was about this time
my wife has a comment yesterday evening (when i play some musik dvd ,,)
she said ,why bother to repair the Gryphon,,,this Lifeforce playes so good
i must say ,she is my best criticizer,,,can always hear when i change something
so, i must tell her, that i am sure Hugh have make new amp , that are even better
Best bjarne
Bjarne,
Maya is a big step up from Lifeforce. I know. I did that long ago. You will be very happy with the Maya.
Steve
Maya is a big step up from Lifeforce. I know. I did that long ago. You will be very happy with the Maya.
Steve
Thanks Steve!
Bjarne,
It is difficult with words and audio. Everyone has different interpretations of common words. Here we go......
The Lifeforce was a major step up from the original AKSA, and the changes were in the input stage, and the feedback network. The Lifeforce gave a vivid, alive sound; terrific resolution, and a remarkable depth of image. The results gave the impression of bright, colorful music; but it was not really subtle, not very integrated, it was 'in your face'. It was a bit raw, not yet refined and smooth, which is the final ingredient of the Maya. The Lifeforce gave me a sense of a strong lamp at each speaker, shining brightly at me in the listening position - very nice, but a bit fatigueing over time, but great for young people! The Maya kept the resolution, improved the imaging, integrated the sound better, and turned down the lamps so you could listen quietly, late at night with a glass of whisky...... if you know what I'm trying to say.
Performance of both is quite similar. THD is about 0.05% for both at full power but the harmonic profile of the Maya is superior; H2>H3>H4>H5. The presentation of an amp is more than THD; you need to know all the elements of the distortion, the harmonics. That principally comes from the topology, then the dimensions, then the component selections. Topology has a huge effect on audio amp presentation.
The Maya is a hugely refined version of the Lifeforce.
Ciao,
Hugh
Bjarne,
It is difficult with words and audio. Everyone has different interpretations of common words. Here we go......
The Lifeforce was a major step up from the original AKSA, and the changes were in the input stage, and the feedback network. The Lifeforce gave a vivid, alive sound; terrific resolution, and a remarkable depth of image. The results gave the impression of bright, colorful music; but it was not really subtle, not very integrated, it was 'in your face'. It was a bit raw, not yet refined and smooth, which is the final ingredient of the Maya. The Lifeforce gave me a sense of a strong lamp at each speaker, shining brightly at me in the listening position - very nice, but a bit fatigueing over time, but great for young people! The Maya kept the resolution, improved the imaging, integrated the sound better, and turned down the lamps so you could listen quietly, late at night with a glass of whisky...... if you know what I'm trying to say.
Performance of both is quite similar. THD is about 0.05% for both at full power but the harmonic profile of the Maya is superior; H2>H3>H4>H5. The presentation of an amp is more than THD; you need to know all the elements of the distortion, the harmonics. That principally comes from the topology, then the dimensions, then the component selections. Topology has a huge effect on audio amp presentation.
The Maya is a hugely refined version of the Lifeforce.
Ciao,
Hugh
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Ah, that description of Lifeforce vs AKSA reminds me of my own experience with the same and I would add that Lifeforce brought punchy bass to the table too.
A really fine description of the difference in sound from Lifeforce to Maya
one funny thing i noticed on the powersupply ,,the very low total value of caps,,other amp
use sometime 100000uf ,,are the some technical explanation for that ?
one funny thing i noticed on the powersupply ,,the very low total value of caps,,other amp
use sometime 100000uf ,,are the some technical explanation for that ?
Hi Bjarne,
It's complicated; it's more about psychoacoustic than engineering......
Each Maya module has 27,200uF, 13,600uF on each rail. Anything more than this increases the charge pulses to the reservoir caps, and this hugely stresses the power supply diodes and transformer and can inject strong spikes into the amp rails. The general rule is 100uF per watt total for an AB SS amplifier, so 200W should be 20,000uF and the Maya is well over that!
Amongst other factors, the subjective power of the bass is set by the impedance of the power supply and the output stage, so it you supply a good size toroid (300VA toroid, one for each channel), and sufficient capacitance it should be OK if the output devices have very low Rdson. But there is a psychoacoustic issue too; it depends on the overall impedance of the output stage, which comes back to the devices chosen and the global feedback levels, but also the amp topology, and how the feedback system is set up and how the loop gain is manipulated across the audio range.
Many amps achieve good bass with very high reservoir banks. The early Krell does this. Big caps mandate a very strong transformer and huge rectifiers to cope with the short charge pulses, and necessarily these diodes are slow and create heavy switching artefacts. Furthermore a big reservoir is very bulky, heavy and expensive, and of course they eventually wear out and must be replaced, particularly if they run hot in a tightly packed enclosure. There are many ways a designer can give an amp punchy, strong bass without using huge reservoir caps and I have tried to mix in a few design features to give the Maya a subjective impression of bass.
My SAKSA has wonderful bass too, and has only 8 x 4,700uF reservoir caps for a 2 x 85W STEREO amplifier, and some customers have remarked on how small the caps are for such a huge sound they hear from their amp. Like everything else, it's design and topology choices.
Ciao,
Hugh
It's complicated; it's more about psychoacoustic than engineering......
Each Maya module has 27,200uF, 13,600uF on each rail. Anything more than this increases the charge pulses to the reservoir caps, and this hugely stresses the power supply diodes and transformer and can inject strong spikes into the amp rails. The general rule is 100uF per watt total for an AB SS amplifier, so 200W should be 20,000uF and the Maya is well over that!
Amongst other factors, the subjective power of the bass is set by the impedance of the power supply and the output stage, so it you supply a good size toroid (300VA toroid, one for each channel), and sufficient capacitance it should be OK if the output devices have very low Rdson. But there is a psychoacoustic issue too; it depends on the overall impedance of the output stage, which comes back to the devices chosen and the global feedback levels, but also the amp topology, and how the feedback system is set up and how the loop gain is manipulated across the audio range.
Many amps achieve good bass with very high reservoir banks. The early Krell does this. Big caps mandate a very strong transformer and huge rectifiers to cope with the short charge pulses, and necessarily these diodes are slow and create heavy switching artefacts. Furthermore a big reservoir is very bulky, heavy and expensive, and of course they eventually wear out and must be replaced, particularly if they run hot in a tightly packed enclosure. There are many ways a designer can give an amp punchy, strong bass without using huge reservoir caps and I have tried to mix in a few design features to give the Maya a subjective impression of bass.
My SAKSA has wonderful bass too, and has only 8 x 4,700uF reservoir caps for a 2 x 85W STEREO amplifier, and some customers have remarked on how small the caps are for such a huge sound they hear from their amp. Like everything else, it's design and topology choices.
Ciao,
Hugh
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My speaker goes to 2,3ohm in a area about 120hz.....my Lifeforce has no trouble to deal with the low impedans ---18" bass driver--
so i must assume that the Maya have no trouble with the low impedans right ?
if it is a problem for Maya ,,no big deal ,, i have a filter to the 18" who can lift the impedans to about 4ohm
Best Bjarne
so i must assume that the Maya have no trouble with the low impedans right ?
if it is a problem for Maya ,,no big deal ,, i have a filter to the 18" who can lift the impedans to about 4ohm
Best Bjarne
No problem Bjarne the outputs are rated to minimum 48A however I would expect your bass drivers to be at least 84dB/m for 1W!
HD
HD
Low power Mayas
While Bjarne (Beardman) wants the full 200W power of the Mayas for his passive loudspeakers, I am going for four (4) low-power Mayas in my active system 😉
Hugh got my order for these four babies last week!
Since each Maya will just power either a tweeter or a midrange driver (sensitivity for both types around 93-94 dB), I do not need all that power, but I most certainly want the Maya sound!
So what I am going to do is to feed each Maya module with 2 x 25V from a quality 160VA toroid. I guess that will give me around 100W or so (Hugh?) - which is more than enough with drivers connected directly to the amps - no passive components in between 🙂
I had the pleasure of listening extensively to a relatively low-powered Maya amp at Hugh's house when I was visiting a few years back. I knew from the very first minutes of listening that this amp was something special - and that I had to get some of these amps! Well, finally got to a point where I can afford the four I have ordered ...
Cheers,
Jens
While Bjarne (Beardman) wants the full 200W power of the Mayas for his passive loudspeakers, I am going for four (4) low-power Mayas in my active system 😉
Hugh got my order for these four babies last week!
Since each Maya will just power either a tweeter or a midrange driver (sensitivity for both types around 93-94 dB), I do not need all that power, but I most certainly want the Maya sound!
So what I am going to do is to feed each Maya module with 2 x 25V from a quality 160VA toroid. I guess that will give me around 100W or so (Hugh?) - which is more than enough with drivers connected directly to the amps - no passive components in between 🙂
I had the pleasure of listening extensively to a relatively low-powered Maya amp at Hugh's house when I was visiting a few years back. I knew from the very first minutes of listening that this amp was something special - and that I had to get some of these amps! Well, finally got to a point where I can afford the four I have ordered ...
Cheers,
Jens
Hi Andy,
I am still using four NAKSA 100s, one for each of the four bass modules. Each module now has two 10" Scan-Speak drivers.
These drivers are a bit 'heavier' (less efficient) than the previous 8" drivers, and ideally I would like to have Mayas for this purpose as well (it may come, if I can find the money), but I am going to try some 200W semi-PA modules that I obtained at a good price (used, but in perfect condition and only ever used for home use).
I have heard these modules before and have always liked their sound and 'heft' in the bass area 🙂
Cheers,
Jens
Aah, OK - well, with 4 of them ... they should sound pretty damn good! 🙂
I've been using a 100w 'Soraya' on each bass panel for quite a number of years ... but have a hankering to see what more power would do to my bass response. 🙂
So when I have got my new 'Alpha Nirvanas' working on my 3.2 ohm mids & 2 ohm ribbons ... I will borrow Hugh's 200w Maya and see what that does. 🙂
Andy
Low power Mayas - please be careful!
After my post about using much lower voltage toroids for my Mayas, Hugh and I have discussed this again.
Unfortunately, it turns out that it is not possible to go lower than 40V on the toroids, as when going lower than this there is a risk that the safety circuit incorporated in the Maya will not work correctly. As I understand it, it would be complicated to adjust the circuit for lower power than the 40V, as it requires SMD component changes.
Based on this information, I will of course run my Mayas with 2 x 40V toroids, but they will be low wattage, probably around 160VA, which will be just fine for the efficient drivers I am using 🙂
Cheers,
Jens
After my post about using much lower voltage toroids for my Mayas, Hugh and I have discussed this again.
Unfortunately, it turns out that it is not possible to go lower than 40V on the toroids, as when going lower than this there is a risk that the safety circuit incorporated in the Maya will not work correctly. As I understand it, it would be complicated to adjust the circuit for lower power than the 40V, as it requires SMD component changes.
Based on this information, I will of course run my Mayas with 2 x 40V toroids, but they will be low wattage, probably around 160VA, which will be just fine for the efficient drivers I am using 🙂
Cheers,
Jens