[jkelly]

I have only 24 hours on the Winsome Labs amp but I have
to say this is a special amp. This is coming off the Clari-T
and the Trends TA-10.1

It is working especially well with the B200 open baffles speakers.
Depth, width , mid-range, top, bottom. This is the best I have
heard in my simple room.

I just happened to choose Norah Jones "Come away with me"
which I haven't listened to in a while and I was just plain spell bound.
Guitars were 3 -4 ft. out from the edge of the B200 baffles. I never
realized how much stuff was in her songs.  There are musical effects all
over the place.

We'll see what the next week brings and the break-in of the amp.

If you are auditioning - add this one to the list.

Jeff

[J Payton]

I totally agree with Jeff on this amp.

I have had it in my office system for about a month and it is an awesome little amp. I replaced two Trends 10.1 amps with the Winsome. I have also played around with the Charlize, Sonic Impact, and a Monarchy SM70 in this system and I believe the Winsome is better than all those amps in my configuration ( Computer, Hag USB, Modified Bel Canto Dac II, Morrison Elad, Winsome Amp, DIY Speakers, DIY Sub).

There is just a bit more headroom with the Winsome and I think the mids are what make this amp shine. It doesn't run out of gas quite as quickly as the other Tripath amps listed since it has more power. Obviously you can run less efficient speakers with this amp than the Trends.

Anyway I have been happy with the purchase and definitely would recommend it to others. Besides kit was fun to put together as well.

Joel

[lonewolfny42]

The Winsome Labs Mouse.......

[jrebman]

So, you guys who have these, how big are the power supplies?  Do you know what kind of voltage they are and what kind of current do they put out?

From the web page the PSU appears to be a switcher, and when I see that I think noise.  Is it a problem with these amps?

Also, for those who built the kit, how much vertical clearance is there inside the case?  What I'm after is if you think the boards will fit in a 1u rack chassis -- 1.75", which is a bit less than the box it comes in.

Looks like an interesting project.

-- Jim

[jkelly]

It is a switcher - 30V 3.5A

Jeff

[lonewolfny42]

You might PM Wardsweb...he has posted about the Mouse....and has photo's from a Lone Star Bottlehead meeting....

[JLM]

Nice find.  Keep us posted.  Would pair nicely with a Squeeze Box (in terms of size and having provision for only one stereo input).  Wonder if it's available without volume control.

33 wpc at 8 ohms, should provide about 7 dB more gain than the Sonic Impact, et al. 

For a few more bucks I'd go for the Alps Blue Velvet volume control.  That's what my Channel Islands Audio VPC-3 has.  In fact, the size/shape factor reminds one of the Channel Island stuff.

[Marty Freeman]

Also, for those who built the kit, how much vertical clearance is there inside the case?  What I'm after is if you think the boards will fit in a 1u rack chassis -- 1.75", which is a bit less than the box it comes in.

From the bottom surface of the power ICs on the bottom of the board to the top of the tallest parts is 1 5/8 inches, so it could be mounted into a 1U chassis if the base and cover are not too thick.

[jrebman]

Marty,

Thanks for the info.  Sounds a bit too tight for comfort.  This project is on hold for me anyway -- have to get a few others out of the way first.

Thanks,

Jim

[nodiak]

Have any of you owners of the Winsome tried tube or other preamps with it?
Any more comments on it's sonics? Sounds like it has great detail, is it on the analytical side?
Thanks, Don

[Russell Dawkins]

Sounds like a worthy addition to the small group of over-performing cheapies!

Unusual choice of binding post colors on the back view. Looks like both the left speaker outputs are white and both the right outputs are red.

http://www.winsome-labs.com/products.htm

[Marty Freeman]

It is a little on the analytical side but not at all harsh, I'd describe it as very neutral.  Detailed highs, very good soundstage, surprisingly powerful for its size.  I was puzzled about the binding post colors, but it kind of makes sense once I asked about it.  They wanted to avoid black for negative so that people wouldn't think it was "ground". It's a balanced output so you don't want to tie the "-" terminals together.  I kind of like the way they are laid out in line with the inputs.

[lonewolfny42]

Russell....You might send a PM to Wardsweb.....he has posted about this amp....and there are some photo's.......