DIY talk

Discussion in 'DIY' started by Cspirou, Jul 25, 2021.

  1. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,418
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    The stuffing (damping) material is there to absorb some of the cabinet resonances. If you had a mic and measurement setup, you could see the difference with/without it. By ear you may or may not hear a difference. Listen for a while and when you know what they sound like, put the dampening back in and see what you think.
     
  2. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,230
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Thought I would give you all a good laugh - was browsing through some old images when I stumbled on this
    IMG_1396.JPG

    it actually worked and surprisingly didn't have any hum / noise despite the spaghetti junction
     
    • Epic Epic x 13
    • Like Like x 5
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  3. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,418
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    That's f'ing glorious lol.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  4. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,230
    Trophy Points:
    113
    what is even more poetic is that it gave life to the Crimson :sail:
     
  5. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,923
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Has anyone ever thought of a clever way to send a trigger signal from an HTPC to downstream audio gear that utilizes a 12V trigger? My motherboard has all the typical I/O one would expect. The first thing that came to mind would be hijacking one of the audio output channels.
     
  6. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2019
    Likes Received:
    993
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2023
  7. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,923
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Grand Rapids, MI
    I doublechecked and I actually do not have a ye olde RS232 on this motherboard. I will dig up my Arduino instead.
     
  8. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
  9. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,418
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    That's a cool pic. I love cutaways.
     
  10. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
  11. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    Saw this cooling chip that uses MEMs and can generate a very high air flow quietly.



    I hope to see it adapted to transistors and other chips
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
  12. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,418
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    ^^^ that's really cool.
     
  13. peef

    peef Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    311
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Montreal
    I'm working on a transformer-coupled solid state amp and had the opportunity to pick up the new nanocrystalline core Lundahl output transformers. It's a work in progress, but here it is wired up.

    [​IMG]

    (the power supply is a work in progress :) )

    It's difficult to get anyone to tell you how the NC cores differ from amorphous or steel. Lundahl says the inductance is more or less the same (which was a surprise to me), but that the level handling is a bit higher. There are some other benefits such as temperature stability that presumably nobody in audio cares about. The US distributor has some info about it here.

    A few people have complained about the amorphous core transformers having a harsh or dry character to them. I can't speak to how much is core vs coil design-- I haven't tried these with the amorphous cores-- but, having rolled a few different OPTs in this circuit, I'll say that these really do sound great. Sibilant passages sound right, neither emphasized nor smoothed over, and the detail retrieval is excellent. These are likely the same cores that Monolith uses, so it's great to see some new options.
     
    • Like Like x 6
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
  14. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    Definitely would like an A/B comparison with Monolith transformers, as highly improbable as this experiment sounds
     
  15. caute

    caute Lana Del Gayer than you

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2022
    Likes Received:
    1,990
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Deep South
  16. peef

    peef Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    311
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Montreal
    It's a classic for a reason, if not a bit long in the tooth. For something a bit more modern, I'd take a look at the Bartola 45 amps. They revised one is very much cut from the same cloth, using a MOSFET follower after the coupling capacitor to reduce distortion.

    https://www.bartola.co.uk/valves/2016/07/17/45-se-amplifier/
    https://www.bartola.co.uk/valves/2019/03/23/45-se-amplifier-revisited/

    Edit: Or perhaps the EP DRD design?

    https://web.archive.org/web/20180528172957/http://www.electra-print.com/45drd.php
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2023
  17. caute

    caute Lana Del Gayer than you

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2022
    Likes Received:
    1,990
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Deep South
    How do these compare to say, an entry-level DNA amp?
     
  18. peef

    peef Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    311
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Montreal
    I'd be surprised if you found anyone who has heard both designs. SE amps tend to be very sensitive to part selection as well, so the "how" matters every bit as much as the "what."

    With that in mind, you can probably build it for slightly less and get similar sound. You could certainly build it for more, and possibly get better sound. The DNA is far more likely to power on the first time. :)
     
  19. caute

    caute Lana Del Gayer than you

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2022
    Likes Received:
    1,990
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Deep South
    Anyone here ever heard a commissioned Oliver Sayes DIY/custom amp?

    Edit: or built an Allen Eaton design?
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2023
  20. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,466
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg

Share This Page