[konut]

Never mind then!

[audiojerry]

Nevermind, I found the answers to my questions on Vinnie's link:
http://www.geocities.com/vinnie822/index.htm
except for one: Have any owners become disappointed in any way?
Thanks again!

This thread is now so long, that I can't find what I'm looking for, so can any current owners discuss these points:

battery operation again: I thought that the batteries can be charged anytime without waiting for them to discharge completely.  Is that true?

How long can it be played when fully charged?

What needs to be done when the batteries actually need replacing?

Have any owners become disappointed in any way?

Thanks!

[RoadTripper]

You can recharge at any time. I usually have it on from about 6:00 pm to about 11:00 pm and then turn it off, when it then recharges. But you can recharge whenever.

I think Vinnie will authorize you to swap the battery  down the line.

My only concern is that in my case it takes longer to recharge than I was initally led to believe, about an hour - but I haven't collected hard numbers on that since I am usually recharging while I am sleeping. Vinnie offered to address it if I thought it was a problem. But, I haven't pursued it since it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference for me.

It sounds great, BTW.

[MttBsh]

Audiojerry,

To answer a couple of your questions,

No, you certainly do not need to fully discharge the battery before recharging, in fact Vinnie's instructions make it clear that the battery does not like to be fully discharged. I guess it's kind of like leaving the headlights on with the ignition off in your car - your car battery doesn't like it either (unlike digital cameras and other electronics where fully discharging the batteries is recommended before recharging).
I've had the Clari T playing for 6 hours with no problem, other times I will listen for half an hour, I've just developed the habit of flipping the toggle switch to recharge after each listening session. No big deal.

I've had no problems at all with the Clari-T. In fact even after 2 months and over 200 hrs of break in it continues to improve. I am still stunned at times by how well this amp resolves music and my speakers are only 90 DB. I can't imagine how it must sound with really high efficiency single driver speakers, but I intend to find out.

Matt

[Dmason]

My only "disappointment" with respect to Vinnie's ClariT amp is that it sounds so good, it makes me disappointed in all the speaker pairings I can offer it. It makes me disappointed in the fact that my listening room is not adequate for the type of room loading and dynamics I want to hear as a result of the addition of the ClariT.... I have had a taste of what it adds when hooked up to really grand speakers, like Dr Edgar's creations, The Titans, and also Coincident Total Victory. I have heard Vinnie's amp drive 102db 3-way theater horns in a 1,000 seat hall, and that little experiment hooked my by the mouth. Never heard Big Sound so good.

As crazy as it sounds, I am seriously, and I mean seriously, considering renting a 600 ft^2 rehearsal space to become my "dedicated listening room" where I could bring in some truly worthy speakers, like JBL Cinema Horns, something highly dynamic, resolving-yet-sweet, sensitive, with grunt down into the low 30's. These are the ingredients for my truly hearing how good this amp is. I have noticed that with the whole DTS nonsense, there exists a plethora of available used, fabulous sounding, noble and very worthy creations by JBL, ALtec, et al, and now, ......I WANT SOME.

I figure the only thing right now better than Vinnie's amp would be TWO of them to run 2 way horn rigs. This is my disappointment, as an owner. I hope the others fare better.

sincerely,

Future  Theater Horn Owner

[smargo]

I've had no problems at all with the Clari-T. In fact even after 2 months and over 200 hrs of break in it continues to improve. I am still stunned at times by how well this amp resolves music and my speakers are only 90 DB. I can't imagine how it must sound with really high efficiency single driver speakers, but I intend to find out.

My speakers are only 88 db and also sound controlled and wonderful and i too am wondering how the amp would sound with high efficency speakers. The only drawback to the amp as it stands right now for me is the battery time - i wish it was 6 hours longer - because sometimes i forget to recharge especially at night.

But otherwise how can anybody complain about this superior music maker that should be a product of the year on somebody's magazine or website. A true knockout as dmason has often eluded to.

regards,
smargo

[GHM]

I've only had my Clari T a few days. But it does take an hour or so to completely recharge. So far so good..I only have maybe 25 hrs of run time on it. It makes real music for sure. I use Omega Grande 8s as well in a slightly larger cabinet than the norm.

I would like to hear this amp on some Cain&Cain Big Bens or some form of horns. Unfortunetly not any of these near where I live.
Atlanta maybe the only place within an hour and a half driving distance.

It really puts some amplifers I've owned in the past to shame not that some were'nt musical. It's just  so damn quiet! A must with really efficient speakers in my opinion.
By the way I've owned or played with Mcintosh, Music Reference, Musical Fidelity, Monarchy Audio, Van Alstine,Carver ZR1600, Flying Moles monoblocks, Panasonic XR25, Adcom 585 limited edition, Adcom 535, Amber integrated, Dared and probably some I can't remeber at the moment.

It is a really really fast little amplifier.It isn't edgy though. Another quality I'm hearing is transparency in spades. No grainy artifacts as long as your source is up to the task. The components in front and behind are the only things that can hold the Clari T back. The better both are the more it will shine. Some judge a piece of equipment by parts quality.
What about something that doesn't have many parts? I'm still flabbergasted by the volume this mini mite can produce without compression. On my 96db speakers the more I push it the more it opens up. I still can't get it past 11 O'Clock on the volume dial.Since this may cause some hearing loss!

It sounds as though the amplifer is invisible and your source is plugged directly to the speakers with a touch of warmth.There are some who will stick their noses up at this amplifier ..simply because it doesn't cost as much as a small car and weigh 50 lbs. What a big and sad mistake   ..it will only take one listen too change one's thinking when it comes to price verses  performance .    The Clari T is a couple of notches up the food chain for sure. I haven't heard it all but there's nothing I've heard in this price range that can compete. Actually I haven't heard another amp period that I can say embarasses the Clari T amp in the way it produces music..simply amazing!

[gary]

Well, I can't say anything about the Clari-T yet as mine is currently en route to me. Once it arrives I'll certainly be posting my impressions though. I'm also waiting for my dac - a Scott Nixon DacKit that Vinnie put into the same kind of enclosure for me along with a SLA battery to power it and I already bought an NEC cd rom that I'll be powering with a battery too. I can't wait to see what a system that's completely independant of a/c power sounds like (well, not completely independant since I'll have two powered subs, but pretty damn close).

Gary

[doug s.]

someone w/this amp should check out these speakers - 110db/1w:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1112880941



doug s.

[audiojerry]

Well, thanks for all your input, guys.
You make it very difficult for me not to give it a try, but I'm getting scared that it would challenge my reference $10k amp, $1.5k preamp, and $450 worth of interconnects, along with the required power conditioners.
 
My main reservation is that I will want more power, and in a few months a higher powered version of this amp module will come to market.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi everyone,

First, I want to give a big "thank you" to all of you who have purchased the Clari-T-Amp are have been kind enough to post your impressions of it.  I really appreciate all the feedback!  

Regarding battery charging, I have updated the User's Manual with the following information below (a little long, but I want to make sure this is well understood).  

As always, feel free to email me with any questions or comments.  I will try my best to respond promptly.  

Regards,

Vinnie



BATTERY CHARGING INFORMATION

Included with the Clari-T-Amp is an Automatic Charger for its internal 12V SLA battery.  It is a “wall-wart” style charger that plugs into your 120Vac, 60Hz power outlet (North American power), and the cable from the charger plugs into the mating jack on the back of the Clari-T-Amp.

***NOTE: You should keep the charger plugged into the 120Vac power outlet and charger cable plugged into the Clari-T-Amp at all times.  It is best to plug the charger into an outlet that you can easily view (to see the charger’s LED color status).

The back of the Clari-T-Amp contains a simple two-position toggle switch.  When the switch is in the UP position, the Clari-T-Amp is ON and running off of the 12V SLA battery (the blue LED on the front should be ON).  

When the toggle switch is in the DOWN position, a red LED on the charger indicates that charging is taking place. At the end of the charge cycle, a green LED on the charger indicates the battery is fully charged and is being maintained (float charging).

***NOTE: It is completely normal to leave the charger plugged into the Clari-T-Amp when it is finished charging (green LED).  The charger will float charge (maintain) the battery, which is highly recommended before turning ON the Clari-T-Amp again for your next listening session.

***NOTE: If you leave the charger cable plugged into the Clari-T-Amp, the charger must be plugged into a live AC receptacle. If it is not, the battery will slowly discharge through the charger’s internal resistance.

CHARGING HABITS

The 12V SLA battery used in the Clari-T-Amp DOES NOT like to be fully discharged before recharging. It is recommended that your listening sessions last no longer than approx. 6 hours before recharging the battery. Charging takes one hour or less (depending on how long the Clari-T-Amp was on for).  

***NOTE: It is important that you implement careful charging habits in order to get the maximum life out of the battery. When you are finished listening, flip the toggle switch down to CHARGE mode. DO NOT leave the amp ON when not in use!  Also, you do NOT have to wait for the battery to discharge before recharging.

[Dmason]

Audiojerry

It will by all means more than challenge your current amplifier's contributions. You could then put the dough where it ought to be: more powerful speakers. This is all about sensitivity, just like it should have been all along, except cheap watts came on the scene in the 70's, and that ruined everything. We responded with complex crossovers and poorly behaved drivers. The Japanese on the other hand, took the driver technology of the time and ran with it. -But they didnt run too far.  Just as the modern Honda Accord is the Japanese evolution of the '76 BMW 2002, its progenitor, so too the Fostex bicones are the evolution of what they found in our RCA and Philips tube based record player/tuner cabinets in the 50's & 60's. I am just old enough to remember how sweet some of those things did sound.

Now we are attempting to fix all this, and have an arsenal of modern, sensitive drivers capable of effortless communication and of working exceedingly well with this amp.

 Think: "Paradigm Shift" Look at DougS's picture. Now THAT is a speaker that would go well with the ClariT. Everything Old is New Again.

sincerely,

Future Theater Horn Owner

[GHM]

One other thing I've noticed since I got into the single driver/ ClariT camp is the fact I listen at higher volumes now.I suppose it has something to do with extremely low distortion. This is just a guess. I've had several people call the house in the last few days while I listened to music. Their first comment is   "Man that music is playing really loud".

It doesn't seem that loud...I suppose I'll have to buy a SPL meter and see just how high I've been cranking it.

[Dmason]

"Loud Is Beautiful If It's Clean"  -longtime JBL Motto

Yes, I too have been listening louder, with clean amplification and singles.

[RoadTripper]

In my case it is just the opposite. I listen to the Clari-T at much quieter levels than before. I finally found my SPL meter and checked. I rarely get above 80dB.  I have fairly severe tinnitus and my whole problem has been hearing the music. My previous stereos occluded the details so badly that I had to turn things up to hear much over the incessant ringing. But , now, even though the ringing is still there, and actually a lot worse, I can hear the music very well even at nice, reasonable volumes.

FWIW, listen to DMason's opinions. He knows what he is talking about.

[eweitzman]

Tripath amps are just about flat from seemingly DC out to about 70KHz.

This is pure nonsense. The filters between the chip and speaker terminals shown in the application note's reference circuit have the following response:

into 4 ohms:-0.5db@20kHz, -3db@40kHz

into 8 ohms: +0.5db@20kHz, +1.5db@32kHz, -3db@65kHz

into 120 ohms (headphones): +1.5db@20kHz, +10db@53kHz ( this ultrasonic peak may damage ears or phones), -3db@90kHz.

- Eric

[GHM]

Eric, my question is who listens too music at 32 kHz,40 kHz,53 kHz ,65 kHz  and 90 khz.
If I was a dog I might be a little worried.

[eweitzman]

Eric, my question is who listens too music at 32 kHz,40 kHz,53 kHz ,65 kHz  and 90 khz.
If I was a dog I might be a little worried.

1. I was replying to the false statement that the amp is "just about flat from seemingly DC out to about 70KHz".
2. Each of these responses deviates from flat in the audible band starting at about 3kHz, reaching -0.5 or +1.5db at 20kHz.
3. The ultrasonic SPL into high impedance headphones will be twice the figures shown, or about 6db@53kHz. If you're listening to music at about 100db, you may be exposed to 106db of ultrasonics.
4. Ultrasonic frequencies will intermodulate with both audible frequencies and themselves, with difference products in the audible band.
5. There is some research that exposure to ultrasonic frequencies will temporarily decrease your sensitivity to their subharmonics. (eg, if you listen to a loud 40kHz sound, you will perceived the levels of the subharmonics at 20kHz, 10kHz, 5kHz, etc, at lower levels).

Now, nobody I've discussed this with knows if

- your particular headphones will block the ultrasonics, turn them into heat, or turn them into sound at any frequencies above 20kHz and below the peak at 53kHz; or

- if ultrasonics in the first few octaves above audibility will do damage to your hearing.

I won't rehash all the arguments and workarounds. If interested, please see this thread or this thread on headfi. If you have any insights or test gear that can measure for possible ultrasonics with headphones, please join the fray.

- Eric

PS - Tripath's own spec sheet shows a dropoff in the bass of -0.5db at 20Hz that starts at 50Hz.

PPS - For those reading this post out of context, the T-amp only puts out large levels of ultrasonics when driving loads that are significantly different from the 4/8 ohm loading that it's designed for. Most headphones have substantially higher impedance and are thus problematic.

[Dmason]

I was referring to its frequency response in analogical form only, as a comparator to other amp topologies. The word "seemingly" should give you that indication...If you take a step back from your microscope, the specs you quote from Tripath, you will see that at those HF's, overall, its pretty damn flat especially when compared to SS and thermionics.

 ~3db@30KHz?? HK.

[eweitzman]

Just providing the facts. The reader can decide if -3db@40kHz, +1.5db@32kHz, or +10db@53kHz into phones is "just about flat from seemingly DC out to about 70KHz".

- Eric