DIY AMP's for XLS Encore

mkrawcz · « **Reply #20 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 12:58 am »

Quote from: poseidonsvoice on 21 Dec 2022, 12:48 am

Are the Starkrimsons diy ones you built or are they the stock Orchard Audio versions?

The Stock lower power monoblocks with the separate power supply. I actually thought the new Aiyima A08 pro sounded better. The Aiyima is a shockingly good amp for the price.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 01:19 am »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 21 Dec 2022, 12:58 am

The Stock lower power monoblocks with the separate power supply. I actually thought the new Aiyima A08 pro sounded better. The Aiyima is a shockingly good amp for the price.

Wow. A $125 Chinese brand is better than the Starkrimson on the NX Otica’s. Based on a TPA 3255 chip.

I just got a hot air station with hot plate, etc…as I am doing more pure SMD builds now. I’ll probably tackle a TPA 3255 Class D build for a future project.

Best,
Anand.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #22 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 01:25 am »

Try one

maybe it’s not better, but for the price of the Starkrimsons, it’s a bit of a head scratcher when you hear the two.

Jaytor · « **Reply #23 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 01:43 am »

I still have to think that there is something about the Starkrimson/NX-Otica combination that just doesn't work quite right. There have been so many glowing reviews of this amp that I expected a lot better than what I got.

When I finished the Line Forces, I passed my NX-Oticas to my son. He's driving them with a PS Audio Sprout 100 and really likes them. I haven't had a chance to hear them yet in his setup.

I wish I had taken the opportunity to try the Starkrimson on some other speakers. I have a couple pair of Revels (F30 and F50) and a pair of Totem Mani-2s. One of these might have been a better match. Oh well.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #24 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 01:51 am »

I listen to them through my upgraded Sony cs5s and it’s not that they are horrible. They are actually very detailed, powerful, and clean. But they just don’t present music as realistically as the others. Someone may have a different opinion listening to them.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #25 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 01:53 am »

Quote from: Jaytor on 21 Dec 2022, 01:43 am

I still have to think that there is something about the Starkrimson/NX-Otica combination that just doesn't work quite right. There have been so many glowing reviews of this amp that I expected a lot better than what I got.

When I finished the Line Forces, I passed my NX-Oticas to my son. He's driving them with a PS Audio Sprout 100 and really likes them. I haven't had a chance to hear them yet in his setup.

I wish I had taken the opportunity to try the Starkrimson on some other speakers. I have a couple pair of Revels (F30 and F50) and a pair of Totem Mani-2s. One of these might have been a better match. Oh well.

I’ll probably put mine up for sale in a few months or so. Got too many amps in my stable and more to come!

Pics to wet your appetites (and yes, I mailed my build to Leo for full measurements on his AP to verify I soldered the thru hole and SMD parts correctly [used a stencil]):

Furutech IEC, Furutech I/O, Neotech wire, integrated soft start, blah, blah, blah…

Best,
Anand.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #26 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 02:11 am »

Anand, you got me thinking about these being powered by a linear power supply. I wonder if that will improve them. I may to build out a supply and see.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #27 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 02:15 am »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 21 Dec 2022, 02:11 am

Anand, you got me thinking about these being powered by a linear power supply. I wonder if that will improve them. I may to build out a supply and see.

I was just talking to a colleague about that…just for kicks but I’m buried in amp builds. Let us know your experiences. The reason I built mine this way was to make it as compact as possible. And ripple is extremely low with the Tom Christiansen SMPS design (about 5mV if my memory is right vs ~ 200mV on a stock switcher). Weighs 8 lbs. Easy to carry and ship. Bear in mind that the PSRR of this GaN circuit is very high.

Best,
Anand.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #28 on:** 21 Dec 2022, 07:40 pm »

Quote from: poseidonsvoice on 21 Dec 2022, 01:19 am

Wow. A $125 Chinese brand is better than the Starkrimson on the NX Otica’s. Based on a TPA 3255 chip.

I just got a hot air station with hot plate, etc…as I am doing more pure SMD builds now. I’ll probably tackle a TPA 3255 Class D build for a future project.

Best,
Anand.

What a fun review by Thomas on a TPA3255 design. He's pretty animated:

https://youtu.be/j6j3RRCllSA

He was impressed by Tom's buffered Purifi as well:

https://youtu.be/wUEnZMIZ-XU

Best,
Anand.

wushuliu · « **Reply #29 on:** 22 Dec 2022, 01:04 am »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 19 Dec 2022, 10:27 am

Normally I would second the Neurochrome Mod86, however the LM3886 chip is impossible to get right now and they won’t be available for at least a year.

If you buy the boards/supplies from Neurochrome you can ask Tom if he can help you out with sourcing the chips

Badd99 · « **Reply #30 on:** 23 Dec 2022, 02:04 pm »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 21 Dec 2022, 12:44 am

So I’m listening to the Orchard Audio Starkrimson monoblocks. I will give them some time and hours, but at this point they definitely lack the refinement of my VTV Purifi amps. With the Purifis I think “OMG, she is singing 10 feet in front of me in my room”. With the Starkrimsons, they sound like they have more detail, but something is lost and there is less of a real 3D presentation in between the speakers, it’s flatter. Now, that may not be the fault of the modules. It could be that the Weiss opamps on the input buffer of the purifis are just really good. Peoples impressions may vary based on speakers, but the NX-Oticas “separate the men from the boys” when it comes to amplifiers, preamps, and dacs. You know pretty quickly when something is missing that you had before.

How do these two compare to your folsom 7293 with thr vcaps and silver bypasses?

mkrawcz · « **Reply #31 on:** 23 Dec 2022, 03:15 pm »

Quote from: Badd99 on 23 Dec 2022, 02:04 pm

How do these two compare to your folsom 7293 with thr vcaps and silver bypasses?

The Purifi amps are pretty comparable to the Folsom with the buffers I have. The Folsom is maybe a touch warmer sounding but I can’t directly compare the 2 as I took apart the Folsom so could use the chassis for a First Watt Aleph J. Which, if you like tube amps, that’s a pretty nice choice as well.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #32 on:** 23 Dec 2022, 04:35 pm »

Of course, then I switch from the Purifis to the BHK300s and it’s game over.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #33 on:** 23 Dec 2022, 07:04 pm »

Mkrawcz,

The Aleph J’s are buttery smooth. It was my first “solid state” single ended Class A build. But…The Alpha Nirvana absolutely destroys it in resolution, detail, neutrality and dynamics. On the Aleph J you can play just about anything…but you can walk away from the performance. With the Alpha Nirvana it will hold you to the chair. Depends on what you want really.

Aleph J board with Vcap ODAM:

Alpha Nirvana (designed by Hugh Dean of AKSA), with several parts upgrades:

For a blend of the sonics of the above two designs, Zen Mod’s Aleph J Zen is a good compromise:

Soundstaging is similar on all 3 as a lot of that also depends on your speakers, directivity control, room treatment, etc…that being said, the Alpha Nirvana does do some interesting tricks with placement of performers in the vertical plane.

It’s important to use the right amount of power depending on the loudspeaker:

One thing I have noticed with the NX Otica’s (given the multiple drivers) is that despite the sensitivity, it really does come alive with more power and also higher gain amplifiers. The bass was satisfying with two triple 12 inch OB subs per side, but it really didn’t come to it’s own until two quality sealed subs were also added to the mix. The room is not too large but medium sized, about 14 feet wide, 30 feet deep, 12 foot ceiling. Seating position was about 8-9 feet away. Listened to this setup numerous times. The above amplifiers were very good with the Otica’s but they still felt a little restrained compared to a good 100 watts/ch. That’s where a Class AB design or a well designed Class D pulls through. My buddy currently is enjoying the Denafrips Thallo which is Class A/AB. But he’s building a Purifi Class D out of pure interest

.

Best,
Anand.

Badd99 · « **Reply #34 on:** 26 Dec 2022, 04:58 pm »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 23 Dec 2022, 04:35 pm

Of course, then I switch from the Purifis to the BHK300s and it’s game over.

I thought you said the folsm with the vcap and silver bypass was equal and possibly better than your bhk's?
I have most of all the parts for my folsom build but I'm not sure it's gonna be enough power at 60w a channel for my nx otica with my insane crossovers. I'm using a jbl synthesis s7165 now at 160w/channel now and it really rocks and sounds incredible. That amp was 7k new, I have just two of the amps in use with the other 5 not plugged into power internally so basically a dual mono with each their own massive transformer (just share a single iec power)

I really like to jam loud at times, louder than most. I also want to build the best diy amp I can. Like I said I have 90% of parts for the folsom 7293 build.

Also - do the purifi need the input buffers? If your using a good tube pre (I have a schitt freya+ I have mofded out with all upgraded vcap odam and silver bypass caps) do you really want the added opap buffer? I have collected some of the very best tubes for that pre and spent a fortune on them.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #35 on:** 26 Dec 2022, 07:07 pm »

Quote from: Badd99 on 26 Dec 2022, 04:58 pm

I thought you said the folsm with the vcap and silver bypass was equal and possibly better than your bhk's?
I have most of all the parts for my folsom build but I'm not sure it's gonna be enough power at 60w a channel for my nx otica with my insane crossovers. I'm using a jbl synthesis s7165 now at 160w/channel now and it really rocks and sounds incredible. That amp was 7k new, I have just two of the amps in use with the other 5 not plugged into power internally so basically a dual mono with each their own massive transformer (just share a single iec power)

I really like to jam loud at times, louder than most. I also want to build the best diy amp I can. Like I said I have 90% of parts for the folsom 7293 build.

Also - do the purifi need the input buffers? If your using a good tube pre (I have a schitt freya+ I have moded out with all upgraded vcap odam and silver bypass caps) do you really want the added opap buffer? I have collected some of the very best tubes for that pre and spent a fortune on them.

I suppose it depends on the configration. The Folsom is slightly more detailed and has a similar midrange, but there seems to be some real synergy between the BHK amps and the BHK preamp. No matter what combination of equipment I try with the NX-Oticas, those two together simply create magic for me. Separate them and other amps and preamps seem to start catching up.
The Purifi modules must have an input buffer as they cannot be powered without one. Plus, they have very low gain and cannot be powered to clipping without a buffer with most audio sources on the market. That being said, the Purifi Eval 1 board has a jumper to bypass the gain buffer for equipment that has pro output voltage like the Benchmark LA4 preamp or the Benchmark Dac3L.

Badd99 · « **Reply #36 on:** 26 Dec 2022, 10:41 pm »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 26 Dec 2022, 07:07 pm

I suppose it depends on the configration. The Folsom is slightly more detailed and has a similar midrange, but there seems to be some real synergy between the BHK amps and the BHK preamp. No matter what combination of equipment I try with the NX-Oticas, those two together simply create magic for me. Separate them and other amps and preamps seem to start catching up.
The Purifi modules must have an input buffer as they cannot be powered without one. Plus, they have very low gain and cannot be powered to clipping without a buffer with most audio sources on the market. That being said, the Purifi Eval 1 board has a jumper to bypass the gain buffer for equipment that has pro output voltage like the Benchmark LA4 preamp or the Benchmark Dac3L.

Thanks for this write up. Appreciate it.

I wonder what you would think of the schitt freya+ with vcap odams. Really made a big difference in the preamp.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #37 on:** 26 Dec 2022, 11:10 pm »

Quote from: Badd99 on 26 Dec 2022, 10:41 pm

Thanks for this write up. Appreciate it.

I wonder what you would think of the schitt freya+ with vcap odams. Really made a big difference in the preamp.

I have the vcaps in my Freya. Before the upgrade I thought there was a slight loss of detail when in tube mode because of those Wima caps. After the upgrade, I thought there was more detail than in ss mode and I always use it in tube mode. I’ve been on a quest to find another tube preamp that is balanced differential at a reasonable price, but haven’t found it yet.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #38 on:** 27 Dec 2022, 03:44 pm »

Quote from: mkrawcz on 26 Dec 2022, 11:10 pm

I have the vcaps in my Freya. Before the upgrade I thought there was a slight loss of detail when in tube mode because of those Wima caps. After the upgrade, I thought there was more detail than in ss mode and I always use it in tube mode. I’ve been on a quest to find another tube preamp that is balanced differential at a reasonable price, but haven’t found it yet.

Have you looked at:

Bottlehead Bee Pre: https://bottlehead.com/product/beepre2-300b-preamplifier-kit/

Audio Note Kits L5 Mentor Signature: https://ankaudiokits.com/product/pre-amp-l5-mentor/

I have seriously looked at the ANK L5 Mentor myself...

Best,
Anand.

mkrawcz · « **Reply #39 on:** 27 Dec 2022, 04:04 pm »

Quote from: poseidonsvoice on 27 Dec 2022, 03:44 pm

Have you looked at:

Bottlehead Bee Pre: https://bottlehead.com/product/beepre2-300b-preamplifier-kit/

Audio Note Kits L5 Mentor Signature: https://ankaudiokits.com/product/pre-amp-l5-mentor/

I have seriously looked at the ANK L5 Mentor myself...

Best,
Anand.

Yea, the ANK is a little more than I wanted to spend, but I guess that’s probably an endgame preamp so that will probably be it. Plus it has a remote. I’ve also been looking at the 300b monoblocks.