Folks,
Here's the list where you let AKSAphiles know your moniker for the 2004-5 audition tour. In future, please use this sticky for booking and shipping the amp, so everyone knows exactly where and how to organize it.
Sole arbiter of this tour is Paul (Occam). He resides at Brooklyn NY. He's da boss, and his word is FINAL!!
The amplifier was built and despatched to the US in response to a number of requests to audition. This was a great opportunity for Aspen, so I immediately built a 100W Nirvana Plus. The AKSA is a straightforward dual mono power amplifier with the only common circuitry the powercord/inlet and front-mounted 'on' switch. The front panel features two blue LEDs that indicate operation of the individual mono power supplies/transformers. Single ended RCA input and dual 5way binding posts for each channel are located on the back panel with a centrally mounted IEC/Fuse socket.
The audition tour is obviously costing money, time and effort, but even more sales should follow. Please do your bit to look after the amp and speed it on its way.
This sticky will be the ONLY place where you can place your audition order for the 100W AKSA Nirvana Plus US audition amplifier. Valid, official bookings can be made ONLY ON THIS THREAD. An email to me does NOT put your name on this list - only you can do that, as it is important others see your name, your post, your place on the list. Nowhere else; gotta keep it simple, transparent, and public.
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A Few Important Rules (added to on 31st October 2004):
1. Maximum period of audition is one week. No longer; others want to hear too! Expect visits from bikers on hogs if you dilly dally......
2. You must pay shipping TO your home from wherever the AKSA is located. You arrange shipping by whatever means you prefer. The next guy likewise organizes and pays shipping from your home to HIS home. A sturdy double cardboard box is provided. Please use the supplied packing material as it is configured to provide 2+ inches of padding on all sides. Don't forget that the amp is suppied with a powercord and speaker cables, and they should be included when you ship it to the next person. With the vagaries of the shipping companies, the outer box will be well worn after a couple thousand miles, so if it's tatty, please replace it with something suitable and robust. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!
3. It might pay to coordinate agendas so it doesn't go from New Orleans, to Juneau, to Baton Rouge..... Take care to post all movements here on this sticky, so EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE IT IS!!
4. The AKSA 100W N+ amp should arrire in a large cardboard box. Inside this box you will find packing material/foam and another cardboard box. There is also a 3 meter Volex 17605 IEC powercord and a 15ft pair of Tara Phase II Return speaker cables. Please reuse the packing material to provide at least 2" of damage barrier on all sides. Note that the idea here is to provide shock and damage insulation for the amplifier.
5. When powering up your system, please turn the poweramp 'on' last of all. Conversely, turn off the amp first when shutting down. When changing speaker cable connections, the amp MUST be 'off'. All cabling connections, power, interconnect, and speaker must be made prior to turning the amplifier 'on'.
6. The cables supplied, speaker and power [both are directional, the speaker cables are color and direction coded], were chosen for their low cost and their gestalt/compatibility with the touring amp. We encourage all to experiment with their own cables of choice, but insist that the amp be evaluated with the provided cables. They provide an implicity agreed baseline performance, as many AKSA owners use these specific cables and have found them to peform significantly above their 'price' ($10 powercord and $100/10'pair terminated speaker cables). This gives a common listening experience for tour participants and standardizes the system to some extent.
7. SHIPPING INSURANCE IS REQUIRED. This should be to a value of $US2000. Yes, $US2K!
This way, if it's damaged or goes missing, Aspen is indemnified and you are fully covered. Only fair and sensible!
8. You damage the amp, PLEASE TELL US IMMEDIATELY BY PM. We can't have it going to the next guy if it's not operational. Please DON'T EVER connect speakers with the amp ON, and DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR IT YOURSELF. If you damage it, then you should send it to Paul at your expense. If you find it damaged on arrival, contact the previous guy in line to confirm condition on despatch. If he damaged it, he should pay transit costs to Paul. Failing that, wrangle with the carrier, and failing that, Paul will pay on my behalf. Damage is certainly not good manners if it is unnotified.
9. I would prefer that people working in hifi sales or manufacturing do not review the AKSA; this is an AUDITION AMPLIFIER FOR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS ONLY. If such are interested, please contact me direct.
10. DON'T use the AKSA on Electrostatic Speakers or rusty nails....
11. Do NOT attempt to open or disassemble the AKSA 100W N+ to see what's inside. If you buy the kit, you get this intellectual property anyway!
Neither should you abuse the amp, pour liquids into it, or drop it. Most of all, DON'T reverse engineer it or otherwise try to divine the secrets. If it is damaged, describe the problem and send it on ASAP to Paul in NYC.
12. From this point forward, only forum members who have registered and participated in the forum for at least two months (which is easily verified with a member search) should put their name on the audition list. I want to know a little about you and where you are coming from. Paul and I will rigorously enforce this requirement from now on (31st October), but if this irks you, send me an email and convince me I'm wrong!
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This rule book is now quite rigorous. This is merely an attempt to extract as much marketing benefit from the audition tour as is possible, and I stress this does not highlight any problems with individuals to date. We make that very clear. Nonetheless, we have stopped short of documentation, and I hope this can continue!
If the amp has been subject to the very recent Karma of UPS or FedEx. it may take a few hours of warmup/playing to come 'on song'. As the amp runs very cool, consuming little power, leaving it on saves that typical 10-20 minutes of foreplay.
Lastly, my sincere thanks to those who have auditioned the AKSA and told us of their experience. I greatly appreciate the sincerity, goodwill and optimism, and long may it continue. I remain extremely upbeat about the tour, and I know it will continue to thrill and amaze people all over the US. I thank all involved, particularly Paul in NYC, for their incredible efforts and selflessness.
This is a Nirvana Plus, the top of the range. It is an ambassador for Aspen, and I hope discharges its duties well. Let it near the net occasionally so it can phone home. I like to talk to my baby.....
Cheers,
Hugh (updated comprehensively on 13th November 04)
