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Discussion in 'Power Amps' started by shortyg83, Feb 23, 2022.

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  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    purr1n, Oct 20, 2023
    #81
  2. HeyWaj10

    HeyWaj10 Almost "Made"

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    Normally I LOVE me some blue accent lights on electronics...but man, that MF A1 just looks *blegh* to me. I much prefer their understated look of the M# series. Eventually when I get back into 2 channel, Musical Fidelity will be on the audition list.

    Having heard multiple newer generation Class D NAD components in our local hifi shop (Audio Advice), I've never once been impressed with their sound compared to other comparably priced Class A/B stuff.
     
    HeyWaj10, Oct 20, 2023
    #82
  3. gsanger

    gsanger Almost "Made"

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    I've had the old Musical Fidelity (and British Fidelity) A1 and A100 on my radar for a long time, but never really had the budget or time to properly dive into vintage gear with a reputation for running so hot it has reliability issues. But this reissue has definitely piqued my interest, and is priced low enough that I might just splurge one day to try it out.
     
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    gsanger, Oct 20, 2023
    #83
  4. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    These had a pretty bad reputation for auto-immolating for some time. The top steak grill heatsink was tricky to thermally mate to the transistor bracket so the amp would run extra toasty.
     
    Hrodulf, Oct 23, 2023
    #84
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I can totally see that. That top steak grill is flat, and mounts to flat of top chassis. No fins = no area to dissipate heat.
     
    purr1n, Oct 23, 2023
    #85
  6. JimOfOakCreek

    JimOfOakCreek New

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    Modern Class D is a vastly superior technology and more earth friendly as well.
     
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    JimOfOakCreek, Oct 23, 2023
    #86
  7. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    There's some finneage going on on top, but they're small as hell. Btw, here's a superb resource regarding the design - https://www.markhennessy.co.uk/mf_a1/introduction.htm

    Have you ever serviced them?
     
    Hrodulf, Oct 23, 2023
    #87
  8. JimOfOakCreek

    JimOfOakCreek New

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    Of course not. Few amp owners actually have their amps serviced when they fail, unless they are still under warranty. After years of service most simply recycle the old and buy a new one.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 23, 2023
    JimOfOakCreek, Oct 23, 2023
    #88
  9. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    But you were talking about technology. If you can judge a technology, why shouldn't you be able to service an amp built based on the said technology?
     
    Hrodulf, Oct 23, 2023
    #89
  10. JimOfOakCreek

    JimOfOakCreek New

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    Serviceability is not important on consumer level electronics. Computers, Flat Screens, Audio Equipment are seldom serviced once out of warranty.
     
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    JimOfOakCreek, Oct 23, 2023
    #90
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Old school audio gear is serviced all the time. Just look on eBay for refurbished 70s class AB receivers, 60s PP toob amps, 80s high Class A monoblocks. Heck, one of my DACs, a 90s design with toob output stage, just got serviced not too long ago. Simple circuits or replaceable components facilitate keeping gear forever or passing it down to future generations.

    Please stop with the hypocritical cherry-picked virtue signaling. It's annoying. FYI, there's no such thing as recycle when it comes to e-waste. First world nations send their shit to Africa if it doesn't incinerated or landfilled locally.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 23, 2023
    purr1n, Oct 23, 2023
    #91
  12. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    I run a 6-channel all-nCore active system at home. When it started throwing a fatal error on bootup, I would have liked to be able to pinpoint the faulty diode, order it from Mouser and resolder it. Instead of waiting for Hypex to get their production lines back in order and send me a replacement module.

    So my question stands - do you know how to service a modern Class-D amp?
     
    Hrodulf, Oct 23, 2023
    #92
  13. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    It is and i can't emphasize this enough; extremely important to have consumer gear be properly serviceable.
     
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    Riotvan, Oct 23, 2023
    #93
  14. JimOfOakCreek

    JimOfOakCreek New

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    Total bullshit. Electronics are recycled routinely in this country and abroad.

    https://www.plasticexpert.co.uk/how-are-tvs-recycled/
     
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    JimOfOakCreek, Oct 23, 2023
    #94
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Na f**k it. We Americans consumers love buying shit and throwing it closest landfill when the next piece of superior technology comes around. Hey, at least we took leaded solder out of the equation (it was really the EU that forced us).
     
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    purr1n, Oct 23, 2023
    #95
  16. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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    The folks at Hypex and Pascal have been very helpfull and knowledgeable when it comes to helping with service. Hypex even replaced a couple of Ucd models for me that was out of warrenty. You do not survive in the promarket if you cannot service gear.
     
    Poleepkwa, Oct 23, 2023
    #96
  17. JimOfOakCreek

    JimOfOakCreek New

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    That is a good point actually. Class D is modular. The modules can be replaced. The old modules can be recycled.
     
    JimOfOakCreek, Oct 23, 2023
    #97
  18. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    What makes Class-D designs more modular than Class-A/AB?
     
    Hrodulf, Oct 23, 2023
    #98
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Less need for huge power transformers or heatsinking for a said power level. Can be implemented on PCBs which can be transplanted to various chassis without worrying about massive heatsinking. Namely, the top two popular providers of the class D designs facilitate DIYers and manufacturers who use their parts, i.e. their modules.

    With respect to pro applications, modular in the sense that one can rack up a 10 foot stack of them for 64 channel true Dolby Atmos without worrying as much about power or HVAC constraints.

    There are advantages to class D. Light, cheap, power. (Removed cheap - a lot of the stuff should be cheap like the Tripath stuff, but it's not because of the hype.) I ran Tripath's version of class D (Tripath calls it class T) for years in an active system on the tweeters.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2023
    purr1n, Oct 23, 2023
    #99
  20. JimOfOakCreek

    JimOfOakCreek New

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    It would be desirable to have consumer grade gear serviceable. I agree with that, but that is not where the industry is at now.
     
    JimOfOakCreek, Oct 23, 2023
    #100
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