Not sure if this is the right place to post this but the thread is named on the NAKSA so I assume it's OK 
Well, it's not going to be a long one, at least as long as I want to make it, I prefer informative to boring.
I bought a LifeForce II and a friend bought a Soraya and all of sudden my beloved Muse Power160 had fierce competition... The Muse is not an expensive power amp but it managed to drive my Magnepans without breaking a sweat and music was intoxicating, trust me, the Maggies have humiliated a lot of big names-Plinius, ML, VTL...
The LifeForce II was just different and I was wondering which of the two is better, one day it was the Muse, the other - the AKSA. Then the Soraya came in and it become clear that both these amps a light years behind the Soraya - total purity, decays to die for, uncanny ability to let every single player touch your soul with his art. I was in love, several people were in shock listening to a Swan speaker F2.3 being driven to their limits with no strain from supposedly not that impressive 100W. I had to have one.
Hugh is one of those fine gentlemen that makes you love the hobby - he knows where all the goodness comes from, he loves music and is working nonstop to make things better. The NAKSA 80 arrived and now I am in Heaven - it has all that makes the Soraya so special, Hugh is a magician. There was a review on stereo.net.au by bhobba on the NKASA 80 and I must say that it is spot on, read it, that guy has the expereince I wish I had and he put it words in a fantastic way.
Anyone who needs a transistor amp should hear what the NAKSA80 can do, trust me, this is the amp you imagined every time you audiotoned a new piece of gear. It probably won't be to everyone's taste, I still like the Muse and listening to it feels like watching the Amazon river in front of you but now that the NAKSA80 is here I am watching a crystal Colorado lake and it smell like flowers in the air, a most beautiful spring
BTW, my friend's Soraya is for sale
Well, it's not going to be a long one, at least as long as I want to make it, I prefer informative to boring.
I bought a LifeForce II and a friend bought a Soraya and all of sudden my beloved Muse Power160 had fierce competition... The Muse is not an expensive power amp but it managed to drive my Magnepans without breaking a sweat and music was intoxicating, trust me, the Maggies have humiliated a lot of big names-Plinius, ML, VTL...
The LifeForce II was just different and I was wondering which of the two is better, one day it was the Muse, the other - the AKSA. Then the Soraya came in and it become clear that both these amps a light years behind the Soraya - total purity, decays to die for, uncanny ability to let every single player touch your soul with his art. I was in love, several people were in shock listening to a Swan speaker F2.3 being driven to their limits with no strain from supposedly not that impressive 100W. I had to have one.
Hugh is one of those fine gentlemen that makes you love the hobby - he knows where all the goodness comes from, he loves music and is working nonstop to make things better. The NAKSA 80 arrived and now I am in Heaven - it has all that makes the Soraya so special, Hugh is a magician. There was a review on stereo.net.au by bhobba on the NKASA 80 and I must say that it is spot on, read it, that guy has the expereince I wish I had and he put it words in a fantastic way.
Anyone who needs a transistor amp should hear what the NAKSA80 can do, trust me, this is the amp you imagined every time you audiotoned a new piece of gear. It probably won't be to everyone's taste, I still like the Muse and listening to it feels like watching the Amazon river in front of you but now that the NAKSA80 is here I am watching a crystal Colorado lake and it smell like flowers in the air, a most beautiful spring
BTW, my friend's Soraya is for sale
Thank you Nikola! I really liked your review, and very flattering; I appreciate it very much. I am a sad fellow that enjoys a pat on the back of the head, and you made my weekend in a cold, wintry Friday night in Melbourne, Oz!
I constantly strive for better amps. Most of the qualities I seek are not measured, things like depth of image, engagement, and all that nonsense that most objectivists ignore. But it's very important when you listen to music; I relate it to driving a BMW 3 litre six versus a Toyota V6 - they feel different, but the BMW brings a smile to your face as you punt it up a windy road, and it's not just the suspension, it's largely to do with the engine.
Don't get me going about motorcycle engines..........
Thank you my friend!
Ciao,
Hugh
I constantly strive for better amps. Most of the qualities I seek are not measured, things like depth of image, engagement, and all that nonsense that most objectivists ignore. But it's very important when you listen to music; I relate it to driving a BMW 3 litre six versus a Toyota V6 - they feel different, but the BMW brings a smile to your face as you punt it up a windy road, and it's not just the suspension, it's largely to do with the engine.
Don't get me going about motorcycle engines..........
Thank you my friend!
Ciao,
Hugh
Which Maggies do you have, Nikola? I have been actively tri-amping my MG-IIIas (replaced about 5 years ago with my "Frankenpans") with AKSA amps for almost 15 years.
Currently, Soraya on the bass panels and Lifeforce on the mids & ribbons - the Lifeforce modules are shortly to be replaced with NAKSA 80s.
Regards,
Andy
Hey, Andy,
I have a pair of 12s, a rather old model but it was the perfect match to my room, MMG being too small, 1.6 with practically no WAF The Aspen amps were a real surprise to all people I know, it wasn't supposed to sounds so powerful and unrestrained at all, my other set of speakers is a Zaph ZD5, another DIY marvel that has put a lot of commersial speakers to shame(I am in love with Dynaudios in rosewood and REALLY wanted them to be better), its sensitivity is something like 80dB, the Apsen amps sound like they have some 500W in reserve. It is not about the watts of course, it is the current they can provide or whatever magic Hugh has found after so many years.
And a funny story - I have a friend who is really good in electrnics but he is the typical engineer in audio - measurements and schematics are most important. We went to listen to the Soraya and he liked it a lot, actually it was preferred to a pair of beefy Luxman monoblocks. Two days later he was watching the exchnage of the RCAs on the Soraya and looking inside he said:"That amp's gonna sound misearable." I asked why and he said:"Because it does not have enough parts inside, just two transistors? No way, it's goona be thin ang agressive, full of distortion, don't waste your time with it." I had the laugh of my life when I saw his face after he was assured this was the amp that he raved about two days ago, had to show him pictures of the event.
Guys, this amp is good, actually ridiculously good for the price.
I have a pair of 12s, a rather old model but it was the perfect match to my room, MMG being too small, 1.6 with practically no WAF
The Aspen amps were a real surprise to all people I know, it wasn't supposed to sounds so powerful and unrestrained at all, my other set of speakers is a Zaph ZD5, another DIY marvel that has put a lot of commersial speakers to shame(I am in love with Dynaudios in rosewood and REALLY wanted them to be better), its sensitivity is something like 80dB, the Apsen amps sound like they have some 500W in reserve. It is not about the watts of course, it is the current they can provide or whatever magic Hugh has found after so many years.And a funny story - I have a friend who is really good in electrnics but he is the typical engineer in audio - measurements and schematics are most important. We went to listen to the Soraya and he liked it a lot, actually it was preferred to a pair of beefy Luxman monoblocks. Two days later he was watching the exchnage of the RCAs on the Soraya and looking inside he said:"That amp's gonna sound misearable." I asked why and he said:"Because it does not have enough parts inside, just two transistors? No way, it's goona be thin ang agressive, full of distortion, don't waste your time with it." I had the laugh of my life when I saw his face after he was assured this was the amp that he raved about two days ago, had to show him pictures of the event.
Guys, this amp is good, actually ridiculously good for the price.
Dear Hugh,
Well, we all wish that there was a single measurement that would correspond to good sound and everybody would try to beat that but alas, human hearing is not easily fooled.
I have had a lot of amplifiers, some seriously expensive stuff as well. Few of them convey the heart of the music, most just play tricks - transparency, dynamics, power but in the end they are one trick ponies. NAKSA80 is just great, it simply plays music. That is the biggest compliment I can make. THANK YOU!
AS,
I have a 200W NAKSA now (over 300W into 4R) but also working working on a 275W in 8R. I have spent a lot of time on this R&D but it's been slow when only three people are working on it; design, documentation, and testing - the bar is very high, so working through this is onerous and expensive.
Thank you for your interest,
Hugh
I have a 200W NAKSA now (over 300W into 4R) but also working working on a 275W in 8R. I have spent a lot of time on this R&D but it's been slow when only three people are working on it; design, documentation, and testing - the bar is very high, so working through this is onerous and expensive.
Thank you for your interest,
Hugh
Yes, available.........
It is a VERY good amp, and will do 200W into 4R. Rated with 280W mosfet outputs.
cost will be $AUD1620 for a pair of individual channels, each with a 0.35W/C heatsinks.
Email/PM me for more information; I'm focussing on R&D and production these days, rather than marketing because my output is limited since my health downside. My reading and writing is difficult and slow, dammit.......
Hugh
Cheers,
Hugh
It is a VERY good amp, and will do 200W into 4R. Rated with 280W mosfet outputs.
cost will be $AUD1620 for a pair of individual channels, each with a 0.35W/C heatsinks.
Email/PM me for more information; I'm focussing on R&D and production these days, rather than marketing because my output is limited since my health downside. My reading and writing is difficult and slow, dammit.......
Hugh
Cheers,
Hugh
Hugh
Is there any further news or development on the 200W..how soon will that be ready and what is the cost?
I have had my Life Force for some time now...she has never skip a beat..but as great as this little gem is i know the time is coming for an upgrade..
We hope your health will continue to improve.We miss your news letter and your international summaries.
Is there any further news or development on the 200W..how soon will that be ready and what is the cost?
I have had my Life Force for some time now...she has never skip a beat..but as great as this little gem is i know the time is coming for an upgrade..
We hope your health will continue to improve.We miss your news letter and your international summaries.
Hi Sene, AS, Nikola and all friends and interested readers,
Thank you your kind posts, and for your encouraging thoughts! Let me give a few thoughts on happenings at Aspen Amplifiers in recent months!
After my July 2012 illness, I spent my convalescence laying out the pcb for the NAKSA 80 and with help from Steve and Paul within 12 months it was a reality, built expertly by a specialist electronics company here in Melbourne. Subsequently, I sold quite a few of these exceptional amps and sales continue. This is a very high resolution, musical amp with quite staggering sonic performance, and a few reading this post will attest. (Thank you Patrick!) As soon as the designs and documentation was at the factory, I moved onto the schemat and layout of the NAKSA 125, a monoblock design for higher power, and within about four months this was completed, around November of 2014, it was ready for testing. I then spent a lot of time on this aspect, so that the production version was absolutely perfect. I then made a half-hearted attempt to market this product on the forum, and a few customers picked up on it and a number have been sold into NZ, Australia, and India. To date nothing has caused even the slightest of a problem; these are very stable, extremely quiet, very dynamic, and blissfully musical. This NAKSA 125 is rated to 52V rails, uses 35Vac secondaries on two 300VA transformers, and due to the innovative design I was able to get better than 20% more power from this rail voltage than most amp designs. The NAKSA 125 is sold for a devalued Australian $1620, around $USD1280, so for two individual modules, with independent power supplies for each rail and two very large 300x75x45 heatsinks, this is outstanding value for something which is SOTA for Class AB amp and in lilstening tests reveals itself to be superior to some of the Class A amps from the high end commercial arena. That was the intention; better sonic performance, more power for less voltage, integrated power supplies, and ultra low noise and a unique distortion profile less than 0.03% at full power. More seriously, the real intent was to make audiophiles cry; to my somewhat simplistic metric, the real idea of audio amplifiers is to make people cry.........
At this point, I started to experience psychological consequences of my illness. This is very common with heart patients; they often develop serious depression. It was not particularly serious, not question of suicide or psychosis, but enough to diminish my motivation, or at least prevent me from doing the needed marketing aspects of my business. Fortunately it has not affected my R&D program; it continues unabated, and in fact some of my ideas have increased even more in recent months. I love the development aspect, audio amps are my life, but the marketing is problematic for me as I am a marginal Asbergers individual (according to my daughter!!) with a serious disinclination to do the sales copy and the web work. This is understandable since my mild stroke badly affected by speech (aphasia), and this has slowed my reading badly, though my writing skill has almost come back. I still have to read simple newspaper articles three times to get the meaning; I'd say around third or four grade of primary school. Reading DIYaudio can be very slow and frustrating for me; trying to understand what some posts mean is very time taking. This is an inconvenience for someone accustomed to reading a lot of text and pulling out complex information in a few seconds. It is humbling to realise you are not so smart! I can recommend this to anyone who thinks they are really clever; it brought me down very quickly and has enrichened by life as I really appreciate being alive!
In the event, I have worked very hard to get my speech back, and spend a huge part of every day talking to people - usually strangers, trying to improve my communication. Most of my friends think my speech is completely restored; but with new situations, or fatigue or high temperatures I am very aware of my speech issues. Of course, at 64, despite my 1.9m size, I am no threat to anyone these days.... the advantage to all this experience has been that I have developed a palpable love of humanity, and long chats in cafes about just about anything with any person I can find are very enjoyable.........
About six months back I spent more time with the NAKSA 125 with a view to increasing the output to 200W. With a number of significantly friends, particularly Steve, Paul, Jon and Patrick, I built the NAKSA to 200W into 8R loads with 65V rails, suitable to 2 x 45Vac toroid secondaries. This does better than 200W from two 300VA toroids, and about 320W into 4R depending on the transformers. With Jon, a Brit designer living in Melbourne, we have done a lot of work with smps with the NAKSA, and found that unless we spend a lot of money on the present smps offerings in the market we are better off with conventional, linear supplies using good rectifiers, good filter caps, and independent bridges for each rail.
Accordingly, the NAKSA 200W is now a reality, and I have some modules built and ready for sale, although I do have to acquire some bigger filter caps. Interestingly, and indicating a very good design, the sound quality is almost unchanged from 42V to 65V rails, as this is a genuine 'scalable' design, representing almost an ideal amp.
The cost of this more power amp will be $AUD1880, and when you consider that you can build a SOTA amp with 200W output and stratospheric sonic performance which will drive a rusty nail you can built such an amp using transformer and enclosure less than $AUD2,500, just a little over $USD2k, which will embarrass some of the most expensive amps in the marketplace. Those will know me well will realise I do not exaggerate; this is the truth!
My latest issue is always marshalling my energies to negotiate the testing, packaging and despatching related to my business. It is hard work for me, but at the same time it gives me impetus and a wonderful sense of achievement as I sell another amplifier. So - please be patient with me, I always get in the end, and I will always deliver the goods!! And I should also tell you that my Doctors think that with care I should have a long life, despite the many pills I swallow each day!
Thanks for continuing interest and goodwill,
Ciao,
Hugh
Thank you your kind posts, and for your encouraging thoughts!
Let me give a few thoughts on happenings at Aspen Amplifiers in recent months!After my July 2012 illness, I spent my convalescence laying out the pcb for the NAKSA 80 and with help from Steve and Paul within 12 months it was a reality, built expertly by a specialist electronics company here in Melbourne. Subsequently, I sold quite a few of these exceptional amps and sales continue. This is a very high resolution, musical amp with quite staggering sonic performance, and a few reading this post will attest. (Thank you Patrick!) As soon as the designs and documentation was at the factory, I moved onto the schemat and layout of the NAKSA 125, a monoblock design for higher power, and within about four months this was completed, around November of 2014, it was ready for testing. I then spent a lot of time on this aspect, so that the production version was absolutely perfect. I then made a half-hearted attempt to market this product on the forum, and a few customers picked up on it and a number have been sold into NZ, Australia, and India. To date nothing has caused even the slightest of a problem; these are very stable, extremely quiet, very dynamic, and blissfully musical. This NAKSA 125 is rated to 52V rails, uses 35Vac secondaries on two 300VA transformers, and due to the innovative design I was able to get better than 20% more power from this rail voltage than most amp designs. The NAKSA 125 is sold for a devalued Australian $1620, around $USD1280, so for two individual modules, with independent power supplies for each rail and two very large 300x75x45 heatsinks, this is outstanding value for something which is SOTA for Class AB amp and in lilstening tests reveals itself to be superior to some of the Class A amps from the high end commercial arena. That was the intention; better sonic performance, more power for less voltage, integrated power supplies, and ultra low noise and a unique distortion profile less than 0.03% at full power. More seriously, the real intent was to make audiophiles cry; to my somewhat simplistic metric, the real idea of audio amplifiers is to make people cry.........
At this point, I started to experience psychological consequences of my illness. This is very common with heart patients; they often develop serious depression. It was not particularly serious, not question of suicide or psychosis, but enough to diminish my motivation, or at least prevent me from doing the needed marketing aspects of my business. Fortunately it has not affected my R&D program; it continues unabated, and in fact some of my ideas have increased even more in recent months. I love the development aspect, audio amps are my life, but the marketing is problematic for me as I am a marginal Asbergers individual (according to my daughter!!) with a serious disinclination to do the sales copy and the web work. This is understandable since my mild stroke badly affected by speech (aphasia), and this has slowed my reading badly, though my writing skill has almost come back. I still have to read simple newspaper articles three times to get the meaning; I'd say around third or four grade of primary school. Reading DIYaudio can be very slow and frustrating for me; trying to understand what some posts mean is very time taking. This is an inconvenience for someone accustomed to reading a lot of text and pulling out complex information in a few seconds. It is humbling to realise you are not so smart! I can recommend this to anyone who thinks they are really clever; it brought me down very quickly and has enrichened by life as I really appreciate being alive!
In the event, I have worked very hard to get my speech back, and spend a huge part of every day talking to people - usually strangers, trying to improve my communication. Most of my friends think my speech is completely restored; but with new situations, or fatigue or high temperatures I am very aware of my speech issues. Of course, at 64, despite my 1.9m size, I am no threat to anyone these days.... the advantage to all this experience has been that I have developed a palpable love of humanity, and long chats in cafes about just about anything with any person I can find are very enjoyable.........
About six months back I spent more time with the NAKSA 125 with a view to increasing the output to 200W. With a number of significantly friends, particularly Steve, Paul, Jon and Patrick, I built the NAKSA to 200W into 8R loads with 65V rails, suitable to 2 x 45Vac toroid secondaries. This does better than 200W from two 300VA toroids, and about 320W into 4R depending on the transformers. With Jon, a Brit designer living in Melbourne, we have done a lot of work with smps with the NAKSA, and found that unless we spend a lot of money on the present smps offerings in the market we are better off with conventional, linear supplies using good rectifiers, good filter caps, and independent bridges for each rail.
Accordingly, the NAKSA 200W is now a reality, and I have some modules built and ready for sale, although I do have to acquire some bigger filter caps. Interestingly, and indicating a very good design, the sound quality is almost unchanged from 42V to 65V rails, as this is a genuine 'scalable' design, representing almost an ideal amp.
The cost of this more power amp will be $AUD1880, and when you consider that you can build a SOTA amp with 200W output and stratospheric sonic performance which will drive a rusty nail you can built such an amp using transformer and enclosure less than $AUD2,500, just a little over $USD2k, which will embarrass some of the most expensive amps in the marketplace. Those will know me well will realise I do not exaggerate; this is the truth!
My latest issue is always marshalling my energies to negotiate the testing, packaging and despatching related to my business. It is hard work for me, but at the same time it gives me impetus and a wonderful sense of achievement as I sell another amplifier. So - please be patient with me, I always get in the end, and I will always deliver the goods!! And I should also tell you that my Doctors think that with care I should have a long life, despite the many pills I swallow each day!
Thanks for continuing interest and goodwill,
Ciao,
Hugh
Dear Mr Dean,
It's been a long time. Send you a mail but didn't get to hear from you. Finally got my system
set up. Knowing that you've always been a fighter it is of no coincidence that your in good
health. Was going throw the emails exchanges that we had & when I look at the date wow
it's been 12 years my friend. Times really flies. You have progress so far with your amp
that I'm wondering what am I going to do with the other Aksa kit that I bought. Lol
Anyway great to know that your still doing well
Cheers
It's been a long time. Send you a mail but didn't get to hear from you. Finally got my system
set up. Knowing that you've always been a fighter it is of no coincidence that your in good
health. Was going throw the emails exchanges that we had & when I look at the date wow
it's been 12 years my friend. Times really flies. You have progress so far with your amp
that I'm wondering what am I going to do with the other Aksa kit that I bought. Lol
Anyway great to know that your still doing well
Cheers
Thank you Zia,
Very kind comments! Successful products in this crowded space are difficult, but I am as much convinced marketing is more important that the technical issues, and in fact many of the best technical designs often fail - and often because the R&D has put them behind the race even as they start. I have a few ideas here and would only suggest 'watch this space'!!
Jeffrey,
Thank you for your nice email, yes, many years and you have spent many years now in Batam...... I hope you are enjoying your life, you work very hard - and that you too are well! Appreciate your positive greetings, this forum is a great place to enjoy!
Cheers,
Hugh
Very kind comments! Successful products in this crowded space are difficult, but I am as much convinced marketing is more important that the technical issues, and in fact many of the best technical designs often fail - and often because the R&D has put them behind the race even as they start. I have a few ideas here and would only suggest 'watch this space'!!
Jeffrey,
Thank you for your nice email, yes, many years and you have spent many years now in Batam...... I hope you are enjoying your life, you work very hard - and that you too are well! Appreciate your positive greetings, this forum is a great place to enjoy!
Cheers,
Hugh
I won't comment on what Hugh is saying about his motivation and spirit, he is ever demanding on ampilifers and himself, I never felt any of that in my communication with him. I can only imagine how communicative he was before if he is such a nice guy now, High, you have nothing to worry about my friend.
Regarding the power of the NAKSA125. I have no idea about it but I have the NAKSA80, everybody who has heard it is in love with it. And my speakers are a tough load - one is 80dB and the other is a Magneplanar, the NAKSA gives the impression that it will them take off grown, there has never been a feeling of being underpowered and trust me, I am used to 150-400W of SS amps.
Just to give you an idea - most of the public auditioning of the NAKSA80 was performed on a Swans F2.3, please have a look at it, the NAKSA80 has more than enough power to take it to its limits, make sure you need more power than NAKSA125...
Product information:Swans 2.3F
Regarding the power of the NAKSA125. I have no idea about it but I have the NAKSA80, everybody who has heard it is in love with it. And my speakers are a tough load - one is 80dB and the other is a Magneplanar, the NAKSA gives the impression that it will them take off grown, there has never been a feeling of being underpowered and trust me, I am used to 150-400W of SS amps.
Just to give you an idea - most of the public auditioning of the NAKSA80 was performed on a Swans F2.3, please have a look at it, the NAKSA80 has more than enough power to take it to its limits, make sure you need more power than NAKSA125...
Product information:Swans 2.3F
Hugh,
Don't let the blues and adversity get you down. Try to think of the glass as half full.
I know it can be hard to let go of negativity. In the song, Bobby McFerrin said "Don't worry, be happy".
1. eat food that makes you happy.
2. library is fun.
3. a good movie.
4. a good book.
5. make a cheap speaker not for sale to focus your mind.
6, modify a cheap turntable to focus your mind.
Stop and smell the roses that you pass by riding in your car.
Don't let the blues and adversity get you down. Try to think of the glass as half full.
I know it can be hard to let go of negativity. In the song, Bobby McFerrin said "Don't worry, be happy".
1. eat food that makes you happy.
2. library is fun.
3. a good movie.
4. a good book.
5. make a cheap speaker not for sale to focus your mind.
6, modify a cheap turntable to focus your mind.
Stop and smell the roses that you pass by riding in your car.
hi，hugh：
i'm very interested in buying the naska 80 for an attempt to drive my Jensen Imperial and klangfilm bionor.
What would u suggest for me as the old speakers are very efficient and maybe don't need all the 70w power.
Any suggestion on the pre choice? Will the Naska be good match?
I am now using the telefunken v69 and WE 106. Frankly the sound is not so good as imagined and the maintaince is quite painstaking, and I have tried many highly recommended single end tubes and yet not got a balanced sound. So I wanna try something new. I have listened to one of my friend's altec a7 system driven by a Darzeel 0 feedback amp, quite surprising good sound. I bet the Naska will do a good job,will it?
Reds,
Zhang
i'm very interested in buying the naska 80 for an attempt to drive my Jensen Imperial and klangfilm bionor.
What would u suggest for me as the old speakers are very efficient and maybe don't need all the 70w power.
Any suggestion on the pre choice? Will the Naska be good match?
I am now using the telefunken v69 and WE 106. Frankly the sound is not so good as imagined and the maintaince is quite painstaking, and I have tried many highly recommended single end tubes and yet not got a balanced sound. So I wanna try something new. I have listened to one of my friend's altec a7 system driven by a Darzeel 0 feedback amp, quite surprising good sound. I bet the Naska will do a good job,will it?
Reds,
Zhang
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.