My dad has always been into hifi and spent a lot of time down at the local hifi shop where the boss (who sells very expensive stuff all day long) put him onto the Electrocompaniet amp.
I've listened to it a lot when I was much younger at home but not heard one for a long time.
Anyone else have any experiences with this amp and able to verify the claims of its supposed goodness?
Finished product: The 2 Channel Audio Amplifier | Inner Magazines
Background design info: The legendary Lohstroh-Otala Amplifier revisited | Inner Magazines
I've listened to it a lot when I was much younger at home but not heard one for a long time.
Anyone else have any experiences with this amp and able to verify the claims of its supposed goodness?
Finished product: The 2 Channel Audio Amplifier | Inner Magazines
Background design info: The legendary Lohstroh-Otala Amplifier revisited | Inner Magazines
Like anything else, you can get them on eBay if you've got a few quid spare. So it's possible to experience it for yourself.
electro 2 channel
I,ve used these amps on and off for around 40 years.
I have 3 of them. One I keep as new and not modified.
The other two have been extensively reworked with Holco resistors, upgraded film caps and are used as monoblocks. Simply by removing power supply to unwanted channel.
Soundwise they are still very satisfying the unmodified original seeming just a tad dark and muffled. But an easy going flowing sound that pleases.
The two modified ones are another league producing much cleaner sound (some of the mumbling has gone) together with deeper bass.
Compared to JLH 1969 which is still one of my favourites I would say there is little to choose.
Pretty good but achilles heel is heat which is not dissipated well on the steel heatsinks causing problems with output devices.
I,ve used these amps on and off for around 40 years.
I have 3 of them. One I keep as new and not modified.
The other two have been extensively reworked with Holco resistors, upgraded film caps and are used as monoblocks. Simply by removing power supply to unwanted channel.
Soundwise they are still very satisfying the unmodified original seeming just a tad dark and muffled. But an easy going flowing sound that pleases.
The two modified ones are another league producing much cleaner sound (some of the mumbling has gone) together with deeper bass.
Compared to JLH 1969 which is still one of my favourites I would say there is little to choose.
Pretty good but achilles heel is heat which is not dissipated well on the steel heatsinks causing problems with output devices.
I remember hearing it many years ago. Very good, but I liked the Aragon and the Nak-7 better. BSG used to have darn near the amp of the week. Each week it was the newest hot amp. Most did not last including the Electrocompaniet.
Of course, any old amp needs to be re-caped before anyone makes a judgement. 40 year old caps will sound like a Radio Schack special.
Of course, any old amp needs to be re-caped before anyone makes a judgement. 40 year old caps will sound like a Radio Schack special.
What about the one you can't afford? Isn't it always the best?
I really wanted the Aragon, but bought a used Hafler and many after. Looking back through rose collared glasses, had I bought the Aragon would I still have it and not have bought all the others in-between? I now know I should never have downsized to a Rotel AVR and sold my Parasound HCAs. ( three amps later, a new Parasound)
I really wanted the Aragon, but bought a used Hafler and many after. Looking back through rose collared glasses, had I bought the Aragon would I still have it and not have bought all the others in-between? I now know I should never have downsized to a Rotel AVR and sold my Parasound HCAs. ( three amps later, a new Parasound)
many thanks also from me. More URLs in this case:
http://www.shabad.ru/IEEE/otala_lohstroh.pdf
https://linearaudio.nl/sites/linearaudio.net/files/thermal distortion aes pp 1896.pdf
https://linearaudio.nl/sites/linearaudio.net/files/images/An afternoon with Jan Lohstroh.pdf
Power Amp Design | Linear Audio NL
Matti Otala - An Amplifier Milestone. Dead or Alive
I wasn't a friend of the sound character of several Electrocompaniet amplfiers before without knowing why. Now I know, why - go to Fig. 5 under
https://www.stereophile.com/content/electrocompaniet-aw400-monoblock-power-amplifier-measurements
and compare it to the same diagram from Aleph 1.2 or Aleph 0 from Pass Labs.
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Well, the antique FM Acoustics stuff still sells for more than most modern high end
That was a very naive comment. Funnily enough the laws of physics were the same back then as they are now. Amplifiers do one very simple function but there are many ways of doing it and every now and again engineers come up with a classic design which is timeless.
OK, we know and could build very good amps by the mid-70s. Most scrimped on output devices and that is about when, thanks to Ampzilla, the demand for high power numbers took off. But because we could, did not mean everyone did.
Older equipment can be re-caped. Sometimes even better than original as we did not have some of the newest materials. Sometimes just modifying the case for better airflow improves linearity. Most power supplies can use with an improved filter bank design. The method of compensation, VAS loading, Miller or Transient Miller and how inclusive the feedback loop. All things we can play with. Huge differences in input and VAS CCS.
I still remember not being impressed with it. Maybe the price which made it irrelevant to me gave me a subconscious tilt. Only amps that were twice what I could afford would leave an imprint. Still, amps are cheap and easy compared to drivers. Considering another build after many years. Surprised the lowest distortion drivers are not new, except the uber exotic which are irrelevant to me still. Diamond are not on the table. Transducer Labs, Satori, HDS, CSS, all possibilities for tweeters. Not sure how much difference there is between an amp producing .01 and .001 when the mid and tweet are @ .5% or worse.
Older equipment can be re-caped. Sometimes even better than original as we did not have some of the newest materials. Sometimes just modifying the case for better airflow improves linearity. Most power supplies can use with an improved filter bank design. The method of compensation, VAS loading, Miller or Transient Miller and how inclusive the feedback loop. All things we can play with. Huge differences in input and VAS CCS.
I still remember not being impressed with it. Maybe the price which made it irrelevant to me gave me a subconscious tilt. Only amps that were twice what I could afford would leave an imprint. Still, amps are cheap and easy compared to drivers. Considering another build after many years. Surprised the lowest distortion drivers are not new, except the uber exotic which are irrelevant to me still. Diamond are not on the table. Transducer Labs, Satori, HDS, CSS, all possibilities for tweeters. Not sure how much difference there is between an amp producing .01 and .001 when the mid and tweet are @ .5% or worse.
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