DB7?????
ShinoBIWAN,
My email to you was private. Why is this NOT a private email????
Are you playing politics??
As it happens Greg has been very busy and I only received the goods on Monday and instructions this Tuesday.
I also have two other half completed projects ahead of this and I have been very ill. FYI I spent all WE and Monday in bed.
I trust this answers your question and adds more useless posts to further dilute any value here!!
BTW it is NOT a DB7. It is a kit car with specs that say it can keep up with a DB7 but very few buyers seem to have one ready to road test yet for some reason!
Others seem to have been out for a hurried drive and now have the bonnet open to immediately fit aftermarket engine management before running it in!! Ask them about it and they run off down the drive carrying their tools!
When I have a fair opinion I will post here but it will be about a well run in standard unit. And I will talk about music like Beethhoven's Ninth, 4th movement, Mick and the boys live, Herbie's piano, John's sax, Tony's drums and Sarah's Vaughan's voice. Not about "mid-range bloom", "lack of microdetail", "loss of sparkle", "missing bass slam / DC coupling" etc. I will also use a system fair to any comparisons.
Don't hold your breath. My exciting installments months away so you will just have to cross your legs!
Hence my interest also in others whilst we all wait ;-)
ShinoBIWAN,
My email to you was private. Why is this NOT a private email????
Are you playing politics??
As it happens Greg has been very busy and I only received the goods on Monday and instructions this Tuesday.
I also have two other half completed projects ahead of this and I have been very ill. FYI I spent all WE and Monday in bed.
I trust this answers your question and adds more useless posts to further dilute any value here!!
BTW it is NOT a DB7. It is a kit car with specs that say it can keep up with a DB7 but very few buyers seem to have one ready to road test yet for some reason!
Others seem to have been out for a hurried drive and now have the bonnet open to immediately fit aftermarket engine management before running it in!! Ask them about it and they run off down the drive carrying their tools!
When I have a fair opinion I will post here but it will be about a well run in standard unit. And I will talk about music like Beethhoven's Ninth, 4th movement, Mick and the boys live, Herbie's piano, John's sax, Tony's drums and Sarah's Vaughan's voice. Not about "mid-range bloom", "lack of microdetail", "loss of sparkle", "missing bass slam / DC coupling" etc. I will also use a system fair to any comparisons.
Don't hold your breath. My exciting installments months away so you will just have to cross your legs!
Hence my interest also in others whilst we all wait ;-)
Re: DB7?????
Not what I expected, especially about how you completely misconstrued the whole car analogy 🙂 Every word seems to get jumped on in this thread, even something as simple as DB7. I guess I'm as guilty as anyone else too.
The point of my last post was that I was simply asking why you feel an urgent need for yet more opinions on the SKA? You've commited to buy so you obviously placed trust in the existing opinion posted, is not like you need further affirmation. And the fact is that your going to be able to listen to it at some point sooner or later. At this point extra opinions should just be merely interesting rather than must have.
Regarding the rest of the snipes; I'm not sure if we've been reading the same thread. From my perspective your completely wrong.
I've had the GB150's for over a month now (other longer and others less) and have only just started to play around with swapping cap types and other little things. I'm intimately familiar with the sound of the original, I've listened to it for around 200hrs, infact I'm betting its a fair bit more than that.
I really can't see any advantage to your idea of describing the sound through descriptions of musical passages over just describing the amp and how it sounds. Each method is equally meaningless to the outside observer since rooms, frontends and speakers are all different. You could perfectly describe how the 1812 sounds on your system and then I could playback the same track at the same passage with the GB300 and still hear more/less than what you described. Its all meaningless rubbish that is primarily just used to describe how others feel about the amp, you simply can't describe the actual sound in any meaningful sense with words.
Heard of the phrase 'A picture paints a thousand words'? Well there should be a similar one for listening impressions.
I'm not here to anger anyone, quite the opposite. I enjoy posting, reading and sharing with others. If you feel my last post or this is out of line then I'm sorry and disregard what has been said.
Sorry to hear about you being ill recently, get well soon and I look forward to hearing your SKA review.
hifryer said:
Not what I expected, especially about how you completely misconstrued the whole car analogy 🙂 Every word seems to get jumped on in this thread, even something as simple as DB7. I guess I'm as guilty as anyone else too.
The point of my last post was that I was simply asking why you feel an urgent need for yet more opinions on the SKA? You've commited to buy so you obviously placed trust in the existing opinion posted, is not like you need further affirmation. And the fact is that your going to be able to listen to it at some point sooner or later. At this point extra opinions should just be merely interesting rather than must have.
Regarding the rest of the snipes; I'm not sure if we've been reading the same thread. From my perspective your completely wrong.
I've had the GB150's for over a month now (other longer and others less) and have only just started to play around with swapping cap types and other little things. I'm intimately familiar with the sound of the original, I've listened to it for around 200hrs, infact I'm betting its a fair bit more than that.
I really can't see any advantage to your idea of describing the sound through descriptions of musical passages over just describing the amp and how it sounds. Each method is equally meaningless to the outside observer since rooms, frontends and speakers are all different. You could perfectly describe how the 1812 sounds on your system and then I could playback the same track at the same passage with the GB300 and still hear more/less than what you described. Its all meaningless rubbish that is primarily just used to describe how others feel about the amp, you simply can't describe the actual sound in any meaningful sense with words.
Heard of the phrase 'A picture paints a thousand words'? Well there should be a similar one for listening impressions.
I'm not here to anger anyone, quite the opposite. I enjoy posting, reading and sharing with others. If you feel my last post or this is out of line then I'm sorry and disregard what has been said.
Sorry to hear about you being ill recently, get well soon and I look forward to hearing your SKA review.
ShinOBIWAN,
Since I won't hear mine for some time I just have natural curiosity to hear how others are getting on on a LISTENING IMPRESSIONS thread.
I totally disagree about reviews. It is common practice to quote setup, and make comments in relation to specific tracks.
I related immediately to the comments re Beethhoven's ninth, a piece of music that probably almost everyone owns and I have always been frustrated to hear more in the extremely dense choral mix.
Any amp that allows you to hear deeper into this is doing something very important and easily verifiable. It is something SET amps for example are generally NOT good at. Probably due to power.
However SET amps and probably Alephs do magic voices, something most all other amps do less well. Listen to some Sarah Vaughan or other favourite vocalist. Is she more in the room with you. Are you more emotional? etc? Another verifiable test that all who listen to her can relate to and try to verify.
There is no one best amp and a symphony lover may prefer a GB wheras a small Jazz lover may prefer an Aleph.
Interesting stuff to hear about from others experiences if you actually build Hi-Fi with the intention of better enjoying music you are passionate about.
I thought this is what this thread was for. Just because I have committed to find out for myself and agree hearing your music is the only ultimate test doesnt mean I have lost interest in the mean time. It is nice to hear other shared experiences.
We could find the GB300D is one of the Worlds best amps for Nirvana lovers on a full-range speaker!! My system is currently hopeless at high volume heavy grunge / rock - much to my embarrassment in front of my son!! Need new, high travel, sub driver(s)!!
cheers
Since I won't hear mine for some time I just have natural curiosity to hear how others are getting on on a LISTENING IMPRESSIONS thread.
I totally disagree about reviews. It is common practice to quote setup, and make comments in relation to specific tracks.
I related immediately to the comments re Beethhoven's ninth, a piece of music that probably almost everyone owns and I have always been frustrated to hear more in the extremely dense choral mix.
Any amp that allows you to hear deeper into this is doing something very important and easily verifiable. It is something SET amps for example are generally NOT good at. Probably due to power.
However SET amps and probably Alephs do magic voices, something most all other amps do less well. Listen to some Sarah Vaughan or other favourite vocalist. Is she more in the room with you. Are you more emotional? etc? Another verifiable test that all who listen to her can relate to and try to verify.
There is no one best amp and a symphony lover may prefer a GB wheras a small Jazz lover may prefer an Aleph.
Interesting stuff to hear about from others experiences if you actually build Hi-Fi with the intention of better enjoying music you are passionate about.
I thought this is what this thread was for. Just because I have committed to find out for myself and agree hearing your music is the only ultimate test doesnt mean I have lost interest in the mean time. It is nice to hear other shared experiences.
We could find the GB300D is one of the Worlds best amps for Nirvana lovers on a full-range speaker!! My system is currently hopeless at high volume heavy grunge / rock - much to my embarrassment in front of my son!! Need new, high travel, sub driver(s)!!
cheers
lumanauw said:
Hi lumanauw
That's excellent 😎 We will all, very much so, look forward to your comments
Re: Re: Listening impressions
You know, you are right. That's an excellent summary of the highs. 😎
For me, the highs have always had sparkle (perhaps could have even a little more), they definitely have a complete absence of sibilance, they are not shiney, but, are controlled, clean and clear.😀
I must say, that I very much appreciate yours and Mackas comments. So, I must ask you both not to leave the forum, and, to please stick around
As we have been saying, this is an extremely nice amp, for all to enjoy, and, they can 
I look forward to reading more from you and Macka in the future
thanks again
Hi ShinOBIWANShinOBIWAN said:
You know, you are right. That's an excellent summary of the highs. 😎
For me, the highs have always had sparkle (perhaps could have even a little more), they definitely have a complete absence of sibilance, they are not shiney, but, are controlled, clean and clear.😀
I must say, that I very much appreciate yours and Mackas comments. So, I must ask you both not to leave the forum, and, to please stick around
As we have been saying, this is an extremely nice amp, for all to enjoy, and, they can I look forward to reading more from you and Macka in the future
thanks again
Hi lumanauwlumanauw said:
You got to laugh a little, don't you
I am really looking forward to your evaluation, and just remember this ... you don't have to reply to everybody's posts 
Have some fun and post, when your GB150D's have run in and your ready 😎 I think I worked out that my GB300D's took between 25/30 hours to run in.
Hi pinkmouse and Richiepinkmouse said:
Excellent 😎 We look forward to your evaluations in the very near future, also. 🙂
Hi hifryerhifryer said:
No worries 😎 Having said that, we look forward to your evaluations in the near future, also, sooner rather than later 🙂
Yes I will post something up. I recently took part in a group listen on another forum, comparing various exercepts from songs encoded in different bitrates and formats, was interesting. Possibly moreso as I did notice differences, but some others found it extremely difficult. I know my ears aren't great but I'll give it a go 🙂
I am also developing my own amp module so I will be able to compare with that and my existing amp as well. Although the comparison with my existing amp will not really be all that valid due to not keeping the PSU a common factor.
I am also developing my own amp module so I will be able to compare with that and my existing amp as well. Although the comparison with my existing amp will not really be all that valid due to not keeping the PSU a common factor.
Kle,
Thanks I'll try!
Great to see plenty new views coming in the pipeline.
I dont want WWIII either and all are good guys deep down - just clashes of strong able minds, experience and opinions.
email is imperfect in communicating the human-ness and spirit of things. I often appear a Pr*ick when I am winding up / joking!!
we all get hurt and offended then lash out in defense!
This is not a religion!! No Gaza strip here!!
Fiddlers all!
cheers
Thanks I'll try!
Great to see plenty new views coming in the pipeline.
I dont want WWIII either and all are good guys deep down - just clashes of strong able minds, experience and opinions.
email is imperfect in communicating the human-ness and spirit of things. I often appear a Pr*ick when I am winding up / joking!!
we all get hurt and offended then lash out in defense!
This is not a religion!! No Gaza strip here!!
Fiddlers all!
cheers
richie00boy said:
Hi Rich
Al has had to hold off on trying the GB150's out. Hopefully when things have settled down for him he'll be able to give it a go. So I'll send these onto you. Like I said before, no worries on getting these back to me. Take a month or two and I hope you enjoy them as I'm doing. If that's not the case then that's possibly more constructive since we'll be learning something new about the amp.
So I've popped all the bits into a box and will send them out to you tommorow. All I need is your address really.
I'd also really appreciate it if you could be quite careful with them and closely observe Gregs instructions for setting bias and wiring. These particular modules have never been fired up yet by me, so will need running in. They have however been built and tested by Greg, even so the bias and DC offset still needs re-setting and the test resistors are in place to do this.
I've got no complaints if you want to do any measurements and post them here. I'm including a couple of the BMM PSU's along with a couple of shielded encapsulated toroids. I really think the amps work best with these. Feel free to try them out with another supply though but take care not go over a 35-0-35 toroid and also the amps won't safely drive less than 4ohm loads with the current toroids.
I'll speak to you later via email.
Hi ShinOBIWAN,
have you found the BMM psus better than conventional (capacitor only) units, and if so what values of Rs and Cs do they use?
Ta.
have you found the BMM psus better than conventional (capacitor only) units, and if so what values of Rs and Cs do they use?
Ta.
Hi guys.
Yeah, thinks are a little confused due to a death in the family, so I'm not really in a fit state for critical analysis at the moment. Still, once things have stttled down a little, and Rich has had a play, then I should be able to give them a good going over.
Yeah, thinks are a little confused due to a death in the family, so I'm not really in a fit state for critical analysis at the moment. Still, once things have stttled down a little, and Rich has had a play, then I should be able to give them a good going over.
Hi ShinOBIWAN/Macka/lumanauw/pinkmouse/richie00boy/hifryer
Hope everything is going well with your GBxxxD amps.
ShinOBIWAN & Macka, please keep up your excellent posts/reviews, appreciated
Thanks and I look forward to hearing all your views/reviews 😎
Yes, I still have not done mine, yet.
I have been hit hard by the flu virus, but, I must do it very soon
Hope everything is going well with your GBxxxD amps.
ShinOBIWAN & Macka, please keep up your excellent posts/reviews, appreciated
Thanks and I look forward to hearing all your views/reviews 😎
Yes, I still have not done mine, yet.
I have been hit hard by the flu virus, but, I must do it very soon
SKA, Greg Balls "wonder box" 300D / SMPS
Hi, all together.
Having skimmed the audio fores for months, looking for an almost perfect amp, I also stumbled over Gregs SKAs. The first listening reports were so impressive, that I decided do dive into matters.
Meanwhile the kits were sailing their way to Europe, I started to build the powerhouse. My goal was a sturdy +/- 48VDC supply. So, instead of getting a pair of laaarge & heavy toroidals, I opted for the SMPS route. The Meanwell 320W units with PF-correction seemed the right choice.
To put things right at once: I have been involved in EMC design work for quite a while and we always mastered these "noisy" power supplies in our equipment.
To make things short: it must be understood that the most annoying noise current path is not the one of differential mode ripple across the output terminals. Nope! It is the common mode noise riding both terminals in parallel, against chassis ground. This floods your neatly designed equipment and drives you nuts. There is a simple cure: Once you insert a balanced choke in your output LC-filter, together with a pi-filter for that hoppy triangular switching ripple, this former "impossible" noise vanishes. My DC supply has a high frequency noise of <0.5mVpp and a residual 100Hz hum of < 50 mVpp under full load (6.7 ADC).
Greg’s amp topology promises an exceptional figure for PSRR. And believe me, the amp I built is so quiet, that you think the supply is switched off. No hiss, no hum, just plenty of nothing. Dead silent. I measured -99.5 dB re FS (250W/4 Ohm). Without the input wires to the floating socket at the rear panel, the SNR achieved was > -100dB (limit of my voltmeter).
If anyone is interested in this matter, I would be happy to supply the info on my design. Give me some time to draw the schematics, so we can discuss this matter further.🙂
So long,
stoeffle.++++
Hi, all together.
Having skimmed the audio fores for months, looking for an almost perfect amp, I also stumbled over Gregs SKAs. The first listening reports were so impressive, that I decided do dive into matters.
Meanwhile the kits were sailing their way to Europe, I started to build the powerhouse. My goal was a sturdy +/- 48VDC supply. So, instead of getting a pair of laaarge & heavy toroidals, I opted for the SMPS route. The Meanwell 320W units with PF-correction seemed the right choice.
To put things right at once: I have been involved in EMC design work for quite a while and we always mastered these "noisy" power supplies in our equipment.
To make things short: it must be understood that the most annoying noise current path is not the one of differential mode ripple across the output terminals. Nope! It is the common mode noise riding both terminals in parallel, against chassis ground. This floods your neatly designed equipment and drives you nuts. There is a simple cure: Once you insert a balanced choke in your output LC-filter, together with a pi-filter for that hoppy triangular switching ripple, this former "impossible" noise vanishes. My DC supply has a high frequency noise of <0.5mVpp and a residual 100Hz hum of < 50 mVpp under full load (6.7 ADC).
Greg’s amp topology promises an exceptional figure for PSRR. And believe me, the amp I built is so quiet, that you think the supply is switched off. No hiss, no hum, just plenty of nothing. Dead silent. I measured -99.5 dB re FS (250W/4 Ohm). Without the input wires to the floating socket at the rear panel, the SNR achieved was > -100dB (limit of my voltmeter).
If anyone is interested in this matter, I would be happy to supply the info on my design. Give me some time to draw the schematics, so we can discuss this matter further.🙂
So long,
stoeffle.++++
Sounds good! I'm sure that I, and many others would like to see your work, but it might be better in the constructors thread rather than here. 😉
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74174
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74174
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