• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

New audio blog to share my monoblocks

Hi everyone,

All of my DIY journey was helped, if not totally so, by the great people on DIYAudio.com.

Without DIYAudio, I would not have progressed and enjoyed this hobby as much as possible. Thank you!

I would like to share a new blog that I have created which focuses on my new monoblocks and related topics. Your feedback is welcome and I will also post many of the monoblock photos on the Gallery forum within DIYAudio.com.

https://ironandglass.squarespace.com/

Hope you enjoy.

Pat
 
Aa GM70 dual PS copy.png
 
This is not on the website....
Any measurements? Is the output transformer better then a LL1688? The Lundahl cost about 385 euro which is a lot. Maybe yours cost more?

I believe in a democratic audio world, not everyone has to publish measurements. On top of that, not everyone believes measurements have to do anything with sound, at least not all of them.

I played this game with measurements 5 years ago, where in a group shootout we compared identically distorting transformer, identical core and interleaving transformers with matched parasitic, but with different copper wire types, dielectrics and bobbin material and they sounded so totally different, that I abandoned distortion and frequency response measurements as reference.

To be clear from the start, in my line of work I trust NO measurements have to with the sound of my products, where I've studied subjectively every influence of materials on the transformers.. I publish some measurements only out of politeness and respect for those who need them and find them interesting.

Well done for banpuku's work. He was my first customer for the MinotauR series and he played part of the inspiration for its development, where many details are applied, such as primary and secondary lead wires dampening treatment, OCC terminals, variuous tonewood mixtures, core treatment, wax paper dielectric, etc.
 
I believe in a democratic audio world, not everyone has to publish measurements. On top of that, not everyone believes measurements have to do anything with sound, at least not all of them.

I played this game with measurements 5 years ago, where in a group shootout we compared identically distorting transformer, identical core and interleaving transformers with matched parasitic, but with different copper wire types, dielectrics and bobbin material and they sounded so totally different, that I abandoned distortion and frequency response measurements as reference.

To be clear from the start, in my line of work I trust NO measurements have to with the sound of my products, where I've studied subjectively every influence of materials on the transformers.. I publish some measurements only out of politeness and respect for those who need them and find them interesting.

Well done for banpuku's work. He was my first customer for the MinotauR series and he played part of the inspiration for its development, where many details are applied, such as primary and secondary lead wires dampening treatment, OCC terminals, variuous tonewood mixtures, core treatment, wax paper dielectric, etc.
I don’t trust people who say that they not believe in measurements but at the other hand make or usinging “outstanding” transformers 😉. Quality dos not fall out of the sky.

It is a guideline to select good better best. Remember the famous Tango transformers, because of an engineer they got famous, not by listening
 
It's a free world, everyone can believe in what they want, so we can somewhat shake hands.

I think there are measurements customers, non-measurements customers and grades in-between.

In the audio comunities I've been, many audiophiles have studied the Tango transformers by listening and not via measurements.
 
Thank goodness we can have differing opinions regarding qualitative vs. quantitative approach to audio equipment. In my limited experience, I use measurements to guide me to products that will fit a design. Then I select based upon subjective listening. In the end, its my equipment and its made to please me (subjectively or objectively).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Muse Coils, please see my website in the first post. You will discover a truly world class product, in my opinion.
 
Geez , it has to fall into measurable frame of operating conditions for the devices employed can't distort and it has to compatible with auxiliary equipment. DIY is a work of love and is usually done to satisfy one person . If person is an idiot and have no reference points it is a still valid path for personal satisfaction. Now, if the idiot starts to claim it's a salvation tool for everybody else and a path to Nirvana than the problem appears. I have disdain for DIY folks because I've yet to met a normal one with healthy dose of distance to his work and because their systems usually sound atrocious. Maybe less for the reason of particular pieces and more because of constant state of flux causing the system to sound handicapped but still.
Since there a thousands of happy Tango transformer users and thousands of happy Lundahl users I would choose a custom no name trans over those only via direct comparison or if they were dirt cheap.
PS, very nice website and photos and excellent work. Congrats!
 
Yes, DIY is passion, love and enthusiasm, where freedom is a condition for these three to be met. Every type of boxed thinking kills freedom, such as measurements being required as somewhat as a law for DIY work in this particular's topic case.
After being invited at the ETF2022, I really appreciated all the enthusiasm these people brought with them. All these heavy and massive tube amplifiers and speakers. Yes, there were many setups I did not subjectively like, but what mattered there was the atmosphere of overall enthusiasm. And everyone had their personal opinions about stuff. Despite different opinions, people kept what was a friendly atmosphere.
 
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