Your Class D (SI, Amp6, Charlize, etc.) System

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#24
my systems

Main System in living room:

Redwine Audio modded Teac AL-700P
Creek P43 Pre-Amp
Marantz CD-6000 OSE (modded)
Omega Super 3Rs
w/ Zu Oxyfuel interconnects and
Zu Julian speaker cables

2nd System in bedroom:

Amp 6
Onkyo portable CD player
Monitor Audio Silver RS-1
Canare Bi-Wire speaker cable
Zu Pivot interconnect
 
#25
Electronics
Source : Rotel RCD-02 HDCD Player
Amp : 41Hz AMP3 (also have Musical Fidelity A220, Pioneer A400x)
Speakers : Usher S-520

Cables
Interconnect : Diva Toccata
from CDP to amp
Speaker cable : Nordost SuperFlatline in biwire configuration

The AMP3 beat the MF at musicality, PRaT and even soundstage and imaging. Dynamics are pretty good as well, as long as I don't try to play it at ridiculous levels, given that my speakers are only 86dB/W/m. Tonal balance is on the warm side of neutral.

It was surprisingly good. No sense of that digital glare. And I am only using a 12V wallwart!

Currently in progress of drilling a case for it. Might want to try an AMP5 later.

Regards
CK
 
#27
Hello,


CD player : Arcam Alpha 9

TT : Heybrook TT2 / Linn Basic + / Grado Platinum reference

Phono pream: Phono section of a vintage Electrocompaniet preamp

Amp : Charlize

http://img192.imageshack.us/my.php?image=charlizefront46mr.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/my.php?image=charlizeback13rb.jpg

original case :

http://img192.imageshack.us/my.php?image=originalcasefront7lq.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/my.php?image=originalcaseback7ma.jpg

Speaker : The Rondo, my version of Dennis Murphy MBOW1 (DIY 3-way)

http://img291.imageshack.us/full.php?image=rondofinalside51js.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12525544dv.jpg


Interconnect : DIY made with silver plated copper wire

HP cables : bi-wire CAT5 braded + 12 AWG silver plated copper wire


My setup provide a great musical image, natural sound and most of the details.
 
#28
My current set up:
_Charlize with silver wiring in Teflon jacket powered with 13.8V/10A regulated supply
_AR LS7 preamp
_QUAD 99CDP player
_SANSUI TU 909 tuner
_Homemade ARIEL MK6 speakers
_Homemade Cat 6 speaker wire
_Homemade silver interconnects

It sounds much better than my former bi-amped unmodified SI T-AMPs
which sounded better than my Sonic Frontier SFS40 (EL34 tube amp)

😎
 
#30
frogert said:
How efficient are your speakers? How efficient do they need to be? Michael Mardis' awesome T-amp site says that "average music power" below clipping is only 1/8 w RMS. I'm building a stereo setup from scratch (been listening to headphones all my life) here for my dorm/apartment. I listen at low-volume, small room, ect. What kind of efficiency should I look for? I see speakers numbers like "87 db/m" and I'm not sure how loud that'd be with a t-amp cranked halfway up.
Click to expand...

Since my tube amp needs an overhaul, the SI 5066 has become my main amp. I use it with a PlayStation and some, Idunno, 100-yr-old Altec studio monitors with 95-98 db sensitivity. I use unbalanced/coax/guitar cable for interconnects and 0.75 sqmm power cord for speaker cable. Accept no substitute.

I posted lyrically about the SI elsewhere yesterday. The power and authority of that plastic box is unbelievable. It will probably cause permanent damage to your hearing should you stay in the room a longer time with the volume knob turned up halfway using my speakers. It's uncomfortably loud.

I just tested the SI with my Mårten Designs, 4 Ohms, 87 db. With the volume knob at 12 o'clock, it was loud enough for "normal" listening, perhaps even a bit louder. I was afraid the SI and Mårten Designs would sound too analytic. I couldn't be more wrong. They had been a perfect match had the SI had twice the power. What surprised me most was the bass.

I tested the Mårten Designs with the volume cranked up all the way. Yes, the distortion was terrible. That aside, the SI had no problem driving the speakers. And these aren't easily driven speakers. Most ss amps with 50 Wpc will be brought to their knees under the load. (The reviewer at 6 Moons, I believe, said that some highly regarded Brazilian tube amp with 30 Wpc wasn't up to the task.) My (now sold) relatively high-price ss amp, ten times as powerful as the SI, shuts off when you reach about 1 o'clock on the volume knob. From that I'm forced to conclude that this toy is better designed than my British "classic" and perennial "Best in Test" winner.

I would say at least 90 db, with 93 or higher being ideal for the SI. For every 3 db you need to double the power of the amp. 5 Watts into 96 db produces the same sound level (about 104 db@1 m) as 40 Watts into 87 db. But since a watt isn't necessarily a watt, that's just a rule of thumb.

I have experienced no clipping with the SI (the Mårten Design test being the exception). I use a 12 V/2.5 A, or 30 W, SMPS. Unlike Class A amps, a Class A/B amp can produce peaks of anything between 10 and 100 times the rated power. That's basically the whole idea behind A/B.

Sorry for the rant. But the SI impresses me to no end. I do prefer my tube amp, which has no problem driving the Mårten Designs despite having about 1/5 the rated power of my ss amp. On the other hand, the tube amp weighs about 15 kilos and probably would cost a lot more, perhaps several times more, than the ss amp if made today. But the SI is so good that had it cost as much as my ss amp it would still have been the better buy! That's how much it humiliates the ss amp.

I don't resist naming names because I try to be coy. I try to avoid causing, in this case, meaningless debate. These are my subjective findings. To strive for objectivity is nihilism.
 
#31
Godzilla said:
Amazing! In what ways does the SI sound better than the SF? I recall that SF sounding slightly fuzzy but nice.

Huge size and weight difference too between those two amps.

Godzilla
Click to expand...


Sorry if I didn't answer faster
The SF had less details sounded slow, too fuzzy, so no spatial sensation with a hole between the speakers.
The looks was really nice, built like a tank.
I should sell it but I still like and cannot convince myself to do it
I also have a NAD 3020 and a HH SCOTT 200B for 2nd and 3rd systems
Pierrick
 
#33
Nagaoka MP-11 -> RB300 -> Planar 3 (aftermarket platter, subplatter and heavyweight) -> Hagerman Bugle -> Super T -> Omega TS-3's and Titanic Mk.III 10" sub.

I'm assembling the parts to build an Aikido linestage which I plan to use between the phono stage and amp. I'll run the T wide open, or remove the volume pot.

I have a small room...9x12 feet with <8' ceiling, my previous system (Teres, Bottlehead, Lowther corner horns) was just too much for this room, when we moved in I had to do a major re-think and eventually this is what I've ended up with.

Likes-- excellent bass power and extension, good transparency, very good dynamics, very good detail. Dislikes-- somewhat small image (suits the room really well though), a touch of mid-upper freq grain...well, obviously, compared to SET, plus I'm using an $80 cartridge. 🙂

I've weighed the options, I'd like a Dyna 10x5 but decided the Aikido will be my first priority to get the next level of improvement. There's also a chance my Omegas will be replaced by B200 OB's soon, but I haven't tried them here yet.
 
#35
I'm putting together my system now.
ipod (now via dock & soon through monster cables, rega planar2 (need decent phono stage, thinking graham slee) to stock charlize - air core inductor version - with maplin wall-wart style smps (tube buffer stage - tubalizer - on the way from italy), to nagaoka super swans using fe108eSigs. It's too early with the new drivers to talk about sound, promising though...
 
#36
- PHILIPS CD820 (CDM 4/19, TDA 1541A)
- SI T-Amp
- Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo1

Cd player and T-Amp waiting for some modifications, or maybe i'll buy DiyParadise NOS DAC Monica2 and Charlize amp?
But even in stock is far better than my previous NAD 514 cd and 306 amp. Sound is more detailed, clean and dynamic with better bass. Soundstage is wider and deeper.
I am very satisfied from result.
P.S. sorry for my english😉
 
#37
Godzilla said:
>>> There's also a chance my Omegas will be replaced by B200 OB's...

Please post your comments on the differences between these two systems when you can.

Thanks,
Godzilla
Click to expand...

I had a chance to try a pair of B200's in open baffles for the last 2.5 weeks. They are really amazing speakers. Definitely better than the Omega's, but in this room (9x11') the baffles are just too big, both from a practical and sonic pov, I think. They should be 4' out from the back wall and it's just not doable. So I couldn't get them to sing at their best here. They are capable of high SPL's but pushing them exacerbated the room interaction problems. They also like to be tilted back slightly, and again, I had trouble making that work to my satisfaction.

All in all I was really glad to get the chance to try these here. But... Having the Omegas back for the last 2 days I realize again that they just synergize really well with this room, especially with the help from my sub. I'm gonna keep them for now, and focus on other improvements (Aikido first, a better cartridge, etc). I do see the Visatons in my future, somewhere.
 
#38
Hi everyone,

Here are some views of my Charlize/Monica implementation.

A view from the top - Charlize to the left, Monica on the right. Box with lead acid battery in the middle. Battery box also includes a timer circuit that works as the soft-start for Charlize. The softstart is a 270 ohm resistor in the +12V line. Across this resistor is the normally open contact of a relay that closes after an adjustable delay.

A DPDT switch in the battery box switches between an external charger and the battery.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


View from the back.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The rest of the system consists of a Sony SCD2000ES player, and an Axiom attenuator at the input of Charlize. Speakers are a pair of Omega TS1.

Ashok
 
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