New Module by Lars Clausen

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#221
The golden mean said:
Sorry, EPCOS of course.

But are there so much interest in high quality audiophil capacitors
or resistors ? Without much demand, profit may be low,and even
much regarded brands, often seems to use "off the shelf" components.

But the question remains, how much does investments in better
components pay off?

With SMD , it may be harder to evaluate this , as there are less options to choose from, and harder to swap components,or am I wrong? On the other hand , shorter signal paths and less parasitic capacitances, may compensate for this.
You can´t think of a discrete built CPU fast enough by todays standard , can you? And with more integration, we do-it-yourselfers may rightly feel a bit like outsiders?
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"..how much does investments in better components pay off"????

That's by far the most loaded question I've ever seen here 🙂
I'll get to it in due order.

Maybe the demand of these high end signal caps would be more if they weren't all the same internally 😉

"High End" components can pay off when they're the right part for the job. What makes them the right part for the job is not a $1K price tag, some insane review, or some gimmick cure to an invented problem.

When they're priced competively and are available to the individual, the pay off is in the sound of the end result, and if you chose your components wisely, maybe you can say that's priceless.

Good components don't always meet the above criteria, so you have to weigh they expected advantage with the increased cost, lack of availability etc... all part of the fun?

As far as higher integration I don't think it's the answer, it works best for mass producing cheap products.. beyond that you're streching the expectations of it I think, perhaps beyond reasonable boundaries in some cases.

CPU's are a little different (but laughably enough, it's at least one area where tubes have all but vanished). One thing I think you are seeing less and less of these days are the small computer shops and even fewer name big brand builders as well.

The little guy working out of his basement has no trouble at all implementing a gaming PC just by slapping together whatever integrated components he thinks will work OK based on the online marketing he's been subject to, and has no trouble at all selling them on ebay or online classifieds.

Class d will always be more complex than that though, even more so if you expect the very best possible. That's simply to say, you'll never see the 1000W "RMS" class d IC that will meet high performance expectations. Perfect example... MUETA who??
 
#223
some might here the difference between the color of the caps, and some doesn't here the difference between mono and stereo...

Of course the choice of components has influence of the quality of the sound but its up to every one to decide if its worth the cost and effort. Its the same thing with the choice of the cables but I think we can leave that discussion for other threads...

This thread is about Lars new exciting modules... 😀

What size of the transformator would I choose if I go with the dual mono offer?
 
#225
I'm just about to plum up for the traffo's but before I do:

Is a 40-0-40 model OK? Its tough finding a 42v.

I'll be doing monoblocks, so what sort of VA should I be looking at? The compact cases I'm using will allow upto 800VA. My own thoughts are that is way overkill.
 
#226
classd4sure said:
Well, bluntly and honestly as always, there is non, they're both wrong. What he meant to say is: (I seriously hate myself for this...) Make it so

Thanks KLe I appreciate the sentiment a great deal.
Cheers!
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Hi Chris
hehehehe ... no worries ... hehehe

Lar's post was very interesting ... Only 150mm of wire!
Sounds exciting!!!
cheers
 
#227
ShinOBIWAN said:
I'm just about to plum up for the traffo's but before I do:

Is a 40-0-40 model OK? Its tough finding a 42v.

I'll be doing monoblocks, so what sort of VA should I be looking at? The compact cases I'm using will allow upto 800VA. My own thoughts are that is way overkill.
Click to expand...
Hi ShinOBIWAN
A 800VA 40-0-40 tranny will be excellent. I intend to use a 1KVA 40-0-40 tranny.

The size of the tranny definitely makes a difference. I increased the tranny size, from a 500VA to the 1KVA, and the improvement was quite significant? It looks like Lars is using a 500VA or 600VA tranny in the photo.

A 40-0-40 tranny will allow the amp to deliver, approx, 200watts/8ohms.
rgds
 
#228
KLe said:


The size of the tranny definitely makes a difference. I increased the tranny size, from a 500VA to the 1KVA, and the improvement was quite significant? It looks like Lars is using a 500VA or 600VA tranny in the photo.
Click to expand...

I would guess it´s around 200VA.... 😉

Lars Clausen (Post 193) said:
The NewClassD amplifier is a starter kit, standard, with a 200 VA transformer (slightly undersized, but worked fine anyway).
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#229
Matsen said:
I would guess it´s around 200VA.... 😉
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Hi Matsen
Wow! If its only a 200VA, and it has performed as well as Lars has posted, then we can expect something really special when we use much larger trannies. Like 500VA, 800VA or even the 1KVA 40-0-40 that I will be using 😀

I used a 500VA 42-0-42 on a Zap2.3se, and, changing the tranny to a 1KVA 40-0-40 was a significant improvement 😀

I also used 10KuF BHC T-Net caps, which I notice Lars hasn't mentioned, in his list of caps. 10kuF isn't really enough, but, I like their speed and clarity, very much. I was/am intending to parallel them, ie. use 2 x 10KuF per rail, like Chris did with his Jensen 4 pole caps. The reason I have delayed this is because BHC do not indicate that you can, and as such, i am a little pensive in trying. Especially as these caps are expensive. I don't like the idea of them smoking/exploding before my very eyes :hot:
rgds
 
#230
KLe said:

Hi Matsen
Wow! If its only a 200VA, and it has performed as well as Lars has posted, then we can expect something really special when we use much larger trannies. Like 500VA, 800VA or even the 1KVA 40-0-40 that I will be using 😀

I used a 500VA 42-0-42 on a Zap2.3se, and, changing the tranny to a 1KVA 40-0-40 was a significant improvement 😀
Click to expand...

In what way(s) was there a significant(!) improvement?

:violin:
 
#231
Anzgar said:
In what way(s) was there a significant(!) improvement?
:violin:
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Hi Anzgar
I found (and others) it gave a fuller, tighter and more controlled bass and midrange. Also, because the sound cleaner there was more audible detail.
The upper mids/highs were cleaner having less sibilance and hash, and as such, there was more audible detail.
The soundstage was more focused and larger. It is like somebody has swapped your previous amp for one with more headroom and power 😀

IMHO
rgds
 
#232
Lars Clausen said:
Like in many other amplifier types with variant power takeoff, like Class A/B, the size of capacitors in uF is not the most important figure.
More important is a good stiff transformer. Even if you are only taking off like 220 VA ( -> 200 Watts out) a 630 VA transformer can improve your midrange and top. (?). I can't give you a reasonable logic explanation, but that's just the way it is.

As for the capacitors it is important to use low impedance types (< 10 mOhms). You can hear the difference on caps, and the ones i use are fairly neutral, even if they are not the most expensive high end types.

If you want to build a cost-no-object amplifier, i can recommend Siemens/Epcos SIKOREL types. 10.000uF 63V will do nicely.
Click to expand...
Hi Anzgar
Lars, has also described these effects, in a previous post.

rgds
 
#240
shinOBIWAN: I don't think so. The only thing that happens with the 20V Gate Drive is that it's sent directly into a 7812 regulator.
And it's only used for driving the Gate Driver chip.

So it should'nt be too critical.

The modules went in assembly/production today, and so we are fairly on schedule. 🙂
They should return assembled by August 10th, and then 5 days (of testing and packing) later - give or take - , we should be ready to ship out. So August 15th as planned, is still looking good.
 
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