Those are some of the most beautiful amplifiers I've ever seen. Thank you for sharing the story behind them and your pictures.


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Wow! What a nice looking implementation! Looks like you were also inspired by the look of the Aleph series of amps. Awesome engineering work!
Hi Superberg, you revived this thread worthy. I have great respect for your creative super build!
I like it very much.
You already achieved the highest possible 'Fugly' from Zen Mod, and even Papa responded.
Thanks.
I would like to go even further a bit with my build and use a balanced VFET gain stage with 2SK79's in it.
I will open a new thread for that.
I like it very much.
You already achieved the highest possible 'Fugly' from Zen Mod, and even Papa responded.
Thanks.
I would like to go even further a bit with my build and use a balanced VFET gain stage with 2SK79's in it.
I will open a new thread for that.
Sorry for necrobumping this old thread... I have been thinking of building this one, last, big, definitive amp. And I do have a bunch of Sony VFETs of both sexes. So...
...I do not (yet) have the time to actually go forward and build the thing, and I would also need to finally learn making proper PCBs (or find someone to do it for me). Also, I'd need to sort out a few design thoughts before pulling the trigger, and I hope you guys can provide some insight:
(1) The heat. Anything wrong with building this with active cooling? A "heat pipe" maybe?
(2) Using an optocoupler for biasing the output stage seems to be a thing recently (like in the FirstWatt M2 or Whammy etc.). Would it make sense to use this method for a Sony VFET push-pull amp, or is this is just a weird brainfart?
Would be cool to get some insights.
...I do not (yet) have the time to actually go forward and build the thing, and I would also need to finally learn making proper PCBs (or find someone to do it for me). Also, I'd need to sort out a few design thoughts before pulling the trigger, and I hope you guys can provide some insight:
(1) The heat. Anything wrong with building this with active cooling? A "heat pipe" maybe?
(2) Using an optocoupler for biasing the output stage seems to be a thing recently (like in the FirstWatt M2 or Whammy etc.). Would it make sense to use this method for a Sony VFET push-pull amp, or is this is just a weird brainfart?
Would be cool to get some insights.
1. why not
2. why not; but - reasons being? it behaves with biasing devised by Pa; options with optocoupler are all basically active, if done properly certainly more stable than passive biasing
but, if you want that, you must construct it - I'm not aware anyone (here) did that for Sony VFets
2. why not; but - reasons being? it behaves with biasing devised by Pa; options with optocoupler are all basically active, if done properly certainly more stable than passive biasing
but, if you want that, you must construct it - I'm not aware anyone (here) did that for Sony VFets
I actually installed 16 VFETs to an industrial heatsink like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166396991174?Sorry for necrobumping this old thread... I have been thinking of building this one, last, big, definitive amp. And I do have a bunch of Sony VFETs of both sexes. So...
...I do not (yet) have the time to actually go forward and build the thing, and I would also need to finally learn making proper PCBs (or find someone to do it for me). Also, I'd need to sort out a few design thoughts before pulling the trigger, and I hope you guys can provide some insight:
(1) The heat. Anything wrong with building this with active cooling? A "heat pipe" maybe?
(2) Using an optocoupler for biasing the output stage seems to be a thing recently (like in the FirstWatt M2 or Whammy etc.). Would it make sense to use this method for a Sony VFET push-pull amp, or is this is just a weird brainfart?
Would be cool to get some insights.
I have not finished the project, though.
That heatsink is pretty nice, but requires cooling water, which I don't have in my listening room.
More (stupid?) questions... looking at this thread I only found the simplified schematic of the VFET-X, but not the full circuit with all the glory details. I guess the circuit is essentially a balanced amp, where each half is a Sony Push-Pull 2015 VFET amp with more output devices. Is this correct?
If so, I could probably just use a pair of the 2017 PCB boards from the store to build a VFET-X, with the ouput devices not on the board. That would make life much easier for me, because I am a noob when it comes to making PCBs. And because I already have those boards floating around my basement.
More (stupid?) questions... looking at this thread I only found the simplified schematic of the VFET-X, but not the full circuit with all the glory details. I guess the circuit is essentially a balanced amp, where each half is a Sony Push-Pull 2015 VFET amp with more output devices. Is this correct?
If so, I could probably just use a pair of the 2017 PCB boards from the store to build a VFET-X, with the ouput devices not on the board. That would make life much easier for me, because I am a noob when it comes to making PCBs. And because I already have those boards floating around my basement.
Mine is AAVID, not exactly the same as this, but it is a liquid cooled plate, a water cooled heatsink, that can move the heat out from your listing room in summer.
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/2/Boyd_Hi_Contact_6_Pass_Datasheet-3043264.pdf
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/2/Boyd_Hi_Contact_6_Pass_Datasheet-3043264.pdf
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