AD797 Preamp based on stolen trademark

In the schematic I do not see any external compensation caps except input ultrasonic filter cap and power rails bypass caps.
There is however 100k resistor between pins 1 and 8

Hello ! i do not want to sound like an expert because i am very ignorant
My only point was that a very positively reviewed preamp cannot be oscillating or similar.
The circuit should be stable. Maybe the gain is not unity ... i do not know.
What i find exciting is that very high performances can be obtained by very cheap parts rightly used (not that this is simple anyway).
For instance i am using for fun a cheap not DIY line preamp base on PGA2310 chip ... and it is clean.
I have a plan to replace the linear dual supply with two SLA batteries ... just for fun again.
The unit should draw very little current ... i have to understand better.
I like batteries even if someone is very critical against them ... and i do not understand why seriously.
They also provide isolation from mains ...
Thanks and regards,
gino
 
For instance i am using for fun a cheap not DIY line preamp base on PGA2310 chip ... and it is clean.
I have a plan to replace the linear dual supply with two SLA batteries ... just for fun again.
The unit should draw very little current ... i have to understand better.
I like batteries even if someone is very critical against them ... and i do not understand why seriously.
They also provide isolation from mains ...
Thanks and regards,
gino

I've used batteries a lot with great results! Don't think there is any basis for being critical against batteries, at least when they are implemented correctly.

Like you mention, they do eliminate noise from the mains.
 
I've used batteries a lot with great results!
Don't think there is any basis for being critical against batteries, at least when they are implemented correctly
Like you mention, they do eliminate noise from the mains

Thank you very much indeed for your kind and valuable reply
Sometimes someone endorses some high end power supply mentioning its noise lower than batteries. I feel skeptical about these statements. :rolleyes:
I know that their impedance can be significant but some fast capacitors before the circuit can cure this quite easily. ;)
Moreover i think that isolation from mains noise can be quite beneficial especially for digital circuits.
I will try them for sure. Thanks again.
gino :)
 
I have came across this thread several times over the years. Having seen several iterations of DIYs that were labelled as being based upon MBL's 6010, I'm not sure that any of these designs actually are based on the MBLs at all, merely using input buffers and the same chipsets.
 
I have came across this thread several times over the years. Having seen several iterations of DIYs that were labelled as being based upon MBL's 6010, I'm not sure that any of these designs actually are based on the MBLs at all, merely using input buffers and the same chipsets.

First a disclaimer ... i have never listened to the MBL 6010 preamp. Nevertheless the reviews are very very positive.
Imho the MBL 6010 is a very important unit.
Because it has given back dignity to op-amps. Not only. It has made me think about the old issue of voltage feedback being detrimental for sound.
In this preamp there are huge amounts of feedback if i am not wrong, 1st in the input buffers and 2nd in the output stages.
If sonic quality is like they say this preamp is the evidence that feedback is fine, when well used of course.
And i also guess schematic is just one side of the story. Also parts selection and layout play an important role for overall performance. I guess.
 
Some golden ear should try out this pre. The upgraded version looks interesting:

Fully Balanced/Single-Ended Preamp Audio XLR/RCA Preamplifier MBL6010 Circuit 325646489324 | eBay
These "modern" clones on e-bay are not AD797 based which makes the world of difference. Otherwise, the op-amp IC's will worth more than the whole unit.

Zero Zone said:
* OP-amp: 4PCS NE5532 as input buffer/ 4PCS NE5534 as main amplification, 6PCS NE5534 as output buffer

The unit seems to be well layout and well constructed. The op-amp are all socketed, thus can be substituted with high end op-amp. The problem is that the number of AD797 will cost way more than the clone unit. It is hard to predict the result until someone do the substitute and audition it.

The NE5534/5532 may sound OK if they were genuine IC's. Even so, it is nowhere near sonic quality of the AD797 based MBL-6010.
 
Last edited:
Update clone MBL6010 with high end op amp

I am wrong. The AD797 and LME49720 are more plentiful and much cheaper than I checked last time.

From Mouser, you can get 10 AD797 for $122 and 4 LME49720 for $8 plus shipping. The MBL-6010 clone can be upgraded for $140. The big question is whether ZeroZone implemented the clone well enough to take advantage of the high end op amps. :confused:

It is always my position that active devices must come from reliable sources in the US to avoid chance of getting fake parts. Mouser and DigiKey are good company to deal with.
 
The real MBL6010D pre-amp

The real MBL-6010D is a 77 pounds beast of a pre-amplifier costing $100,000 ten years ago.
MBL 6010 D preamplifier | Stereophile.com
6010mbl01_gross.jpg
I have no illusion that you can clone one for $400 (including AD797 upgrade). However, it is very interesting to see how a full function line level pre-amp at affordable cost using the AD797 can sound.

MBL demonstrated that discrete circuitry is not the only way to achieve sonic quality. I fully understand that the op-amp is not the only factor, but MBL showed that they are NOT the limiting factor. It is interesting for the DIY to explore what we can do.
 
I know someone who owned the real MBL-6060D and was still trying to clone it. He finally gave up and said that you will never clone the sound of 6010D even with the schematics. This preamp is wicked. It uses common OP amps and the regulators are just plain LM317/337s in textbook configuration, but the sound is amazing.

Hi ! clearly one case in which measurements and sound quality go together (i.e. both excellent)

MBL 6010 D preamplifier Measurements | Stereophile.com

i wonder if any kind of measurements have been carried out on whatever clone.
A good point to check. The low noise and low THD like of the original are very difficult to achieve.
 
Last edited:
The real MBL-6010D is a 77 pounds beast of a pre-amplifier costing $100,000 ten years ago....

Makes me wonder which came first at the MBL6010D's market requirements definition phase, it's 77 pound weight :eek: (this is a a preamp, after all), or it's $100,000 cost :eek: (this isn't a Porsche, after all)? Are either necessary to obtaining highly musical sounding audio playback? I very much doubt that. I feel certain that, instead, this is much more an issue of meeting buyer perception and expectations of what's necessary to produce a musical sounding product. The association in the mind of poorly informed consumers that an audio component's weight and price dictate the quality of it's sonics is largely driving the price increases, I suspect. That, along with the deepening prockets of the now retiring baby boomer generation.

I don't intend to pick on the 6010D alone here, as the stratospheric pricing issue has plagued the consumer audio market in general for decades now. It seems, to my recollection, that the beginning of rocketing equipment prices was correlated with the rise in popularity of subjectivist audio magazines (Stereophile, The absolute sound, etc.) over the now forgotten objectivist magazines (Stereo Review, Audio, etc.). I don't know whether or not there is any direct cause-and-effect relationship between the two, however.
 
Last edited:
If everyone here is looking for an excellent opamp preamp then look no further than Doug Self Linear #5 pre. I built it with 5534's throughout and am amazed at how well it sounds and performs! I have been using tube pre's for years now, Aikido, into SS power amps with great results. I broke down and built Selfs this last year and it has fantastic tone controls that you can defeat if needed. I know I know, I have been a purist for yaers now but sometimes great tone controls can be a godsend.
 
Well not quite the price of the unit but around $120.

Cheers
Thanks gigi! :cheers:

This thread seems to be "Much Adoe about Nothing".

Well, almost at least. 119.02 EUR, to be exact and nobody dared. Perhaps because of potential IP issues. :D I have decided to take a risk. There is no way back now, I have pushed the »Purchase Now!« button.

WEILIANG AUDIO refer to MBL6010D preamplifier design black gold collector's edition

If I don't appear here within one month I will write you from the IP dungeon. :mummy::ghost::sour:

There is however a trace of hope for me: the seller said: »the circuit design is almost the same as that of MBL6010D in Germany«.

Seriously now: I am not buying a fake Rollex neither I want to pertend I own one. This diy stuff is all about fun, I guess. I just want to have this preamplifier, if it appears to be a piece junk I will dump it. Another one bites the dust.

Here is a snapshot of the preamp internals:
HTB19rUARpXXXXcZaFXXq6xXFXXXk.jpg
 
Last edited:
Weilliang Audio is one of the more reliable shop in China. They provide good value within the constraint of China manufacturing in term of parts sources. Weilliang used to be on DIYAUDIO, but had not returned for many years. If you get genuine Analog Device AD797ANZ, the IC's, Japanese ALPS27 potentiometer, R-core transformer and case alone are worth what you paid for. Let us know how it sounds to you when you get it.