I got in at V1.2 C so have no reference for tha A version. I'll just report my general view on upgrading. The progression through the C range, and I'm including individual component upgrades within each version, were primarily subtractive. More music got through with fewer distracting artifacts. When that happens the apparent impact is increased due to better clarity and definition.
Though maybe a little dramatic, my first comment on the FE was a quantum separation from it's predecessors. That was still related to refinement more than additional power and/or SPL. You are correct that some/many improvements require spending a little more. I'm sure Dario agrees as he purposesly published two versions of the Fremen Edition - economy and full.
So my best answer is any flavor of MyRef, probably including the A that I didn't hear, is a cut above many DIY and most commercial amps in a wide price range. A builder can stop anywhere along the development path and be more that pleased with the performance. Time and cash investment are personal choices, but I haven't heard anyone say they regretted the increase in either. I suggest you trust the often posted comment "The best sounding amp I have ever owned", or what's that other one?? - Gobsmacking
Thank you for your reply Bob, by the way I have to wait until next summer just to have time and money to do the upgrade, so first I will change C13 in C version just to understand how the sound change between a Evox Rifa end the K75... I hope the sound will became a little smoother in HF.
Bye
I want to amend some comments I made recently regarding R10.
I recently installed Mundorf Silver/Oil capacitors in my tweeter (ScanSpeak HDS) crossover circuit, and that has provided my system a new level of resolution and refinement. I now realize that my previous judgments were in error. After extended listening in room and careful listening at close range, it is apparent that the Shinkoh resistor I favored might not be the best for that position. I'm not sure yet that the Riken is the best either.
I can definitely hear more "ting" on cymbals and a bit brighter edge and more emphasis on highest frequencies from the Shinkoh. The Riken provides more ring or shimmer to cymbals with a softer edge and a slight rounding of high frequencies. Upper midrange of the Shinkoh is a bit sharp on brass and highest female vocals but better defined and more forward, while the Riken is sweeter and more musical with fine "inner" layering, but just a bit too smooth with some loss of definition and impact, slightly recessed. This is in direct contrast to what I previously believed. I prefer the more musical sound of the Riken overall, but I am not satisfied that it provides enough detail. I think this is the contradiction that plagues most stereo equipment. I'm not saying which is better -- more detailed or more musical. I cannot say anything about bass performance because of the system configuration.
These findings were first determined without knowing which resistor was in which amp. Amps were swapped between channels during the trial, and the difference clearly followed. Imagine my surprise when I removed the covers. I am not afraid to admit I was wrong. The search continues. Every part matters.
Peace,
Tom E
I recently installed Mundorf Silver/Oil capacitors in my tweeter (ScanSpeak HDS) crossover circuit, and that has provided my system a new level of resolution and refinement. I now realize that my previous judgments were in error. After extended listening in room and careful listening at close range, it is apparent that the Shinkoh resistor I favored might not be the best for that position. I'm not sure yet that the Riken is the best either.
I can definitely hear more "ting" on cymbals and a bit brighter edge and more emphasis on highest frequencies from the Shinkoh. The Riken provides more ring or shimmer to cymbals with a softer edge and a slight rounding of high frequencies. Upper midrange of the Shinkoh is a bit sharp on brass and highest female vocals but better defined and more forward, while the Riken is sweeter and more musical with fine "inner" layering, but just a bit too smooth with some loss of definition and impact, slightly recessed. This is in direct contrast to what I previously believed. I prefer the more musical sound of the Riken overall, but I am not satisfied that it provides enough detail. I think this is the contradiction that plagues most stereo equipment. I'm not saying which is better -- more detailed or more musical. I cannot say anything about bass performance because of the system configuration.
These findings were first determined without knowing which resistor was in which amp. Amps were swapped between channels during the trial, and the difference clearly followed. Imagine my surprise when I removed the covers. I am not afraid to admit I was wrong. The search continues. Every part matters.
Peace,
Tom E
Tom, this may be sacrilege to some, but what you report seem to come close to what DSP provides. With your (and Jac's )experience with active crossovers is there a possibility some external contraption could provide/cover those minute adjustments without detracting from the FE performance? We often half-seriously comment on the possibility of switchable C9/C13 configurations, but that would probably require a rework of the PCB. Maybe a tiny daughter-board ???
I'm not a fan of DSP either, but believing different parts match up with various music styles, it would be nice to have something flexible other than multiple amps I'm probably describing dual or multiple signal paths rather than actual DSP. I have no idea if that's possible, but so many report on competing positive features of caps that I am beginning to believe the "best one" will always resolve to a compromise if we have to pick just one. If I had more/some EE knowledge I'd figure something out, but.......
I'm probably describing dual or multiple signal paths rather than actual DSP. I have no idea if that's possible, but so many report on competing positive features of caps that I am beginning to believe the "best one" will always resolve to a compromise if we have to pick just one. If I had more/some EE knowledge I'd figure something out, but.......
Hi Tom,
I do agree the Riken is more musical (and somewhat colored) but lacks the last bit of detail.
Since the amp is already so detailed (sometimes even too much...
) I think the Riken is a good match.Really interesting
If you didn't already, consider also a Caddock MK132 for R10, I didn't mentioned it in BOM since its price/performance ratio is a bit low but it's probably the most neutral resistor you can use on that position (markings from ground to signal).
I have a result, partially
I've been chasing a hum issue for weeks now which has been making a fool of me, it was partly caused by a nosy SMPS elsewhere in the house but that was not the full story. Everything I did seemed to influence it but not totally cure it.
Anyway I totally rewired my DCB1 and now only have low hum in one speaker, that happens to be the one which is connected to the monoblock FE which has a re-used transformer which also produces more mechanical noise than the other one which has a brand new transformer.
Seems that the noisy one has been infecting the whole system so I have ordered another new transformer. I have silence from the good channel now and I have to put my ear to the speaker driver on the noisy one to hear it so I think I'm finally on the right track.
I hate hum, so many weird and contradictory things happen and reporting them all makes you seem nuts
To start off with I could hear it from my seat so things are vastly improved now, maybe with the new transformer I can finally disconnect the PGND to star ground connection as Dario has instructed.
Hopefully I have not annoyed him too much with all this hassle, not sure if he's still speaking to me
Anyway the FE's are brilliant amplifiers, the best I've ever heard and I fully encourage anyone to build them, the sound quality is so good that it's well worth getting them right.
Cheers
Davy
I've been chasing a hum issue for weeks now which has been making a fool of me, it was partly caused by a nosy SMPS elsewhere in the house but that was not the full story. Everything I did seemed to influence it but not totally cure it.
Anyway I totally rewired my DCB1 and now only have low hum in one speaker, that happens to be the one which is connected to the monoblock FE which has a re-used transformer which also produces more mechanical noise than the other one which has a brand new transformer.
Seems that the noisy one has been infecting the whole system so I have ordered another new transformer. I have silence from the good channel now and I have to put my ear to the speaker driver on the noisy one to hear it so I think I'm finally on the right track.
I hate hum, so many weird and contradictory things happen and reporting them all makes you seem nuts
To start off with I could hear it from my seat so things are vastly improved now, maybe with the new transformer I can finally disconnect the PGND to star ground connection as Dario has instructed.
Hopefully I have not annoyed him too much with all this hassle, not sure if he's still speaking to me
Anyway the FE's are brilliant amplifiers, the best I've ever heard and I fully encourage anyone to build them, the sound quality is so good that it's well worth getting them right.
Cheers
Davy
I have a result, partially
I've been chasing a hum issue for weeks now which has been making a fool of me, it was partly caused by a nosy SMPS elsewhere in the house but that was not the full story. Everything I did seemed to influence it but not totally cure it.
Anyway I totally rewired my DCB1 and now only have low hum in one speaker, that happens to be the one which is connected to the monoblock FE which has a re-used transformer which also produces more mechanical noise than the other one which has a brand new transformer.
Seems that the noisy one has been infecting the whole system so I have ordered another new transformer. I have silence from the good channel now and I have to put my ear to the speaker driver on the noisy one to hear it so I think I'm finally on the right track.
I hate hum, so many weird and contradictory things happen and reporting them all makes you seem nuts
To start off with I could hear it from my seat so things are vastly improved now, maybe with the new transformer I can finally disconnect the PGND to star ground connection as Dario has instructed.
Hopefully I have not annoyed him too much with all this hassle, not sure if he's still speaking to me
Anyway the FE's are brilliant amplifiers, the best I've ever heard and I fully encourage anyone to build them, the sound quality is so good that it's well worth getting them right.
Cheers
Davy
Great work Davy.
And nice to hear that things have been resolved to your liking.
Thanks Shaun, things are indeed looking much better here now.
Will - I have not tried my CD player since getting my DCB1 sorted, it's not usually in my system there days because I use a netbook as sole digital source now but I might try it again soon just to see. I'll probably wait until I have fitted the new transformer in the left channel FE monoblock though so it could be after Christmas with the post here being slow now and I only ordered the transformer yesterday.
Are you still having hum issues? removing my old passive preamp and turning my DCB1 into a proper selector/buffer seems to have almost cured what hum I had left. I wonder if it was because I had all the RCA body's connected together in my passive preamp.
The right channel is silent now even with my ear hard against the speaker driver. Just got to fully cure the left channel, hopefully the new transformer will sort that. The left channel monoblock does hum a bit from it's transformer and the right channel one is virtually silent, my mouse pad rubber sandwich seems to have cured it completely. Not so the left one though it helped quite a lot.
Will - I have not tried my CD player since getting my DCB1 sorted, it's not usually in my system there days because I use a netbook as sole digital source now but I might try it again soon just to see. I'll probably wait until I have fitted the new transformer in the left channel FE monoblock though so it could be after Christmas with the post here being slow now and I only ordered the transformer yesterday.
Are you still having hum issues? removing my old passive preamp and turning my DCB1 into a proper selector/buffer seems to have almost cured what hum I had left. I wonder if it was because I had all the RCA body's connected together in my passive preamp.
The right channel is silent now even with my ear hard against the speaker driver. Just got to fully cure the left channel, hopefully the new transformer will sort that. The left channel monoblock does hum a bit from it's transformer and the right channel one is virtually silent, my mouse pad rubber sandwich seems to have cured it completely. Not so the left one though it helped quite a lot.
Hopefully I have not annoyed him too much with all this hassle, not sure if he's still speaking to me
I'm only busy at the moment, not annoyed or what...
I'm happy you're on the right path to eradicate your hum problem
The Wooden Bucket recovery is complete. Added some new pieces and some parts from the first liquid cooled experiment. Sizing and placement was done around two FE final boards. The transformer brackets are from 3" X 3" X 1/4" aluminum angle with everything else 1/8"
The 5/16" trani retention bolt is again secured to a slice of solid round stock with three back anchored anti rotation screws. Two metal tabs now hold the PCB sandwich top and bottom. The LM3886 chips are on flat-head bolts from the back and a hex nut on the inside.
Copper strips were added to fill the gaps between the mounting plate and the heatsink.
The 5/16" trani retention bolt is again secured to a slice of solid round stock with three back anchored anti rotation screws. Two metal tabs now hold the PCB sandwich top and bottom. The LM3886 chips are on flat-head bolts from the back and a hex nut on the inside.
Copper strips were added to fill the gaps between the mounting plate and the heatsink.
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As I was trying to perfect my alumunum brushing skills it dawned on me I had the tools and compounds to do a smooth reflective surface. It was actually easier because impurities in the alumunim plate produced blotches at every grit size.
The sides are oak veneer on furnature grade plywood finished with rub-on stain and automotive wheel clear coat.
I couldn't stuff the 300 VA transformers in but the 200s will sound just fine. There are still some fit and finish adjustments (like bringing the back plates flush) but I think this one will make it to Denver and beyond.....
P.S. Might make aluminum sides at some later date.
The sides are oak veneer on furnature grade plywood finished with rub-on stain and automotive wheel clear coat.
I couldn't stuff the 300 VA transformers in but the 200s will sound just fine. There are still some fit and finish adjustments (like bringing the back plates flush) but I think this one will make it to Denver and beyond.....
P.S. Might make aluminum sides at some later date.
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Hahaha... I bet you're gonna get your monies worth out of that flat rate box!!!
But in all seriousness that looks great. I'd like to hear how it sounds..