[Greg Erskine]

I just updated the link in the previous post.

Sorry andyr, when you mentioned google I thought you were almost there.

[andyr]

Thanks, Greg,

Regards,

Andy

[rabbitz]

The edlerly gents here have taken a great leap of faith when they purchased an AKSA and I'm sure if it didn't meet expectations it would be blurted all over the world.... or do old farts have different hearing. Expensive... pfft... I think not... what can you buy for the same dollars.....  *thinking*..... exactly.

Annoying when someone bags a product and hasn't lived with it as I think the AKSA requires more than just a listen.... you need to spend time going through the music collection to appreciate it. The problem is a lot will believe what they read and that damage is hard to turn around. Part of it I'm afraid, is the Australian tendancy to cut someone down who's had a bit of a success and the belief if it was designed by an Australian, it can't be good.... we're a wierd mob alright.

Street corners Hugh.... hmmm.... one way to get the cash flow going.  

[Grumpy_Git]

Rabbitz

The brits have been putting themselves down better than anybody for years. Hell we even elected a government in the 80's to do it for us! (Maggie was a goddess!)

[PSP]

Hi Rabbitz,

you wrote:   "... I think the AKSA requires more than just a listen.... you need to spend time going through the music collection to appreciate it."

Perhaps, but when I listened to the first 30 seconds of the first CD played on my first 55w AKSA (no stinkin' N or N+ options in the early days) I was blown away with the amazing clarity, sweet high end, layering, punch, and all the beautiful music... yada, yada, yada, and on and on through the whole well-known list of AKSA superlatives).  My AKSA did not grow on me over a period of months, it conquered my heart and mind in about two minutes.

If Aspen gear was way overhyped or overpriced, many of us who have more than one AKSA amp would have bought something else for the second or third amp, and that doesn't seem to be happening all that often.  I wonder why there are so few complaints about Aspen gear?  I wonder why a lot of folks return to buy several more amps?

Peter

[Carlman]

I agree with Peter.. When I got my 100N finished in my garage, using some old Energy speakers on the floor, with a walkman as a preamp/cdp, I was amazed and completely happy with the sound.... I kept the AKSA longer than any amp I've had.... but eventually changed gears a bit.  I decided to try an integrated and leave the DIY scene for a while.

I think now that I know more about DIY, and know what to expect, I might try again but with realistic expectations about the true time and cost to build it.

-C

[Seano]

Not every AKSA owner is a borderline geriatric you know!!

I'm in the mid(ish) thirties and have been an AKSA owner for some time now!

Some of us aren't as used as others.  Although perhaps more well abused!

[Brian T.]

Gentlemen,

I am overwhelmed by all of your responses.   Thank you all very much for taking the time to offer advice and outline your experiences.

Hugh:   Thank you for your kind e-mail this morning.  As stated in the fax, I was intending to confirm my order for the 100W N+ by e-mail but ended up spending the evening at the Vet’s with a sick cat...   (She is now much better by the way!)  I was very interested to read your comments regarding JLH and Ben Duncan.  I built my JLH amplifier from a ‘Hart’ kit shortly after the original article appeared in the August 1982 edition of Wireless World.  (So it has lasted 23 years…not bad!)  I had previously considered a Class A rig designed by Stan Curtis as detailed in Electronics Today International from July 1981 onwards.  However, I wasn’t taken with his power amp design and only built the pre-amp.  This in turn was replaced when Ben Duncan bought out his AMP-01 design in the May 1984 edition of Hi-Fi News.  It is a funny old world.  I built my first amplifier whilst at school in 1968 to a Practical Wireless Design.  This used KT66s for the output, but what really created a buzz was the transistor input.  I had to buy four OC71s which cost me (IIRC) two month’s pocket money.  They were still in glass packages coated in black paint then.  Remember scratching off the paint to produce photo-transistors?!  Nowadays, the transistors are old hat and everybody gets off on the valves!      

Peter:   Many thanks for your critique of the N+ versus stock.  I have subsequently ordered the N+ version.  I was also very interested in your comments about active systems.  I haven’t read any of Jens Thorson's postings, but have been considering Patrick Cazeles approach (http://pcazeles.perso.cegetel.net/acxo.htm) for my ‘work in progress’ media centre.  

EchiDna:   My ART DI/O is still pretty much as shipped.  I have done the usual output voltage divider mod but the rest was waiting for a suitable gap in the leisure hours.  It’ll take even longer now!  

Carl:   My present ‘living room’ is 16’x12’ and the speakers are 10’ apart with the listening position at the apex of the triangle.  For the UK, this size is pretty typical.  I guess across the Pond you would call a room of this size a ‘walk-in closet’!   (A few years ago I was working in Reston VA for Cable & Wireless and I got invited back to a friend’s house to see his model railroad, my other great interest.  It was in the basement which in itself seemed bigger than my house!)  However, I am currently building my ‘retirement’ house in the French Pyrenees.  The French builder thinks that I am mad as the living room size is dimensionally correct for Hi-Fi.  I think he would be more understanding if the effort had been put into the master bedroom...  

Occam:   Glad to hear that you are still using your DI/O.  With respect to the Speaker sensitivity, the Acoustic Research (AR) manual sheet is a little murky.  It quotes ‘DIN’ sensitivity as being ‘8ohms’ with Sensitivity being “The number of Watts necessary to produce a sound pressure level of 96dB at the measuring microphone.”  Elsewhere, Voltage Sensitivity is quoted as being “2.83volts produces 90dB SPL at 1 metre on axis.”  Also, Efficiency is further quoted as being “1Watt produces 87dB SPL at 1 metre on axis”.


Rabbitz:   Already a member of the ‘old farts club’ I’m afraid!  I am getting more like Victor Mildrew every day.  (Do you get ‘One foot in the grave’ in Oz?)

Malcolm, Seano, Jules, Chris and David:   Many thanks for your valuable input.

Best regards to all,

Brian

[JoshK]

Just a comment about love of the AKSA and age.  I am still <30yo (until August) and I heard the AKSA in my system and thought it was marvelous.  I don't own one yet, but I just have too many irons in the fire right now.

[rabbitz]

Brian: We do get "One Foot In The Grave" in Oz but I've never seen it.... this damn hobby takes up too much time. I've got a soft spot for "As Time Goes By".

Good to see some young ones with the taste for AKSA's.... young, but must be very mature..... olds farts in the making  

My comment on the AKSA needing more than a quick listen is really about the appreciation of what the AKSA can do with rediscovering and enjoying the music collection more than the wow factor..... the longer you live with it, the more you appreciate and love it. The initial listen depends on the quality of your previous amplifier and in my case it wasn't substantial but very noticeable..... more enjoyable, brilliant soundstage, emotional and musical but with the same tonal balance..... sounds the same but different. Hugh has asked does it make me cry... not yet, but I've reached for the tissues for some misty eyes on occasions. Had I gone from a midi system or whatever it would have been mind blowing.

I've built 7 power amps in recent times and nothing matches it. I think I'm going have to give up on trying to build something that could beat it but the journey has been fun and has been interesting to hear the different amps with some being a real surprise (ones you don't expect to sound great) and others disappointing (been hyped up).

[soitstarts]

As an "unsophisticated" newbie I usually don't post on this sort of topic but I think I will here.. Firstly, I'm in my early 30s   and have a pretty unusual (I'm told) taste in music. I found that after I put my 100 N into my "system" that my favourite songs/artists sort of got reshuffled. I feel like an absolute nut trying to explain the sound to the people who shook their head when they found I was building and amp.
To tell someone that I hear things I never heard before, that I like the piano a lot more, that I sit and  listen, realy listen, to music a lot more... I just have to stop myself sometimes..

They ask "is it really loud?" (you thought I was unsophisticated?) Ahhh, I don't know, really. I answer..
"What, is it really clear, then?" Ummm, yeah.. but thats not it, either. I say..

You (I can't, anyway) can't explain it... But once you hear it...

We are getting a house Built and my wife is in hospital at the moment but as soon as I can, I will be getting the GK1EL and then put the wife back in hospital when I tell her I want the DAKSA.. I'm hooked. Not because of specs, or reviews, or because someone told me I should be.. I'm hooked because I've heard...

Enough waffle for now...

[andyr]

... To tell someone that I hear things I never heard before, that I like the piano a lot more, that I sit and listen, realy listen, to music a lot more... I just have to stop myself sometimes.. ...

Maaate,

I really think you need to pull yourself together!  Go and read all the posts about AKSAs on aus.hi-fi so you can find out what "sensible" people think about the AKSA sound!  

Regards,

Andy

[PSP]

Soitstarts... your experience mirrors mine, exactly.  As my system improves, I find my musical tastes widening immensely.  It seems like audio excellence allows us to get closer to hearing what the artist intended.  When those audio veils that we all hear about get lifted, sometimes the art is so much more apparent, so much more vital.  It's quite a thrill when that happens, and it has happened a lot over the last few years.

Friends don't get it, or barely get it.  The family isn't sure (although my wife can hear the difference, and appreciates the music).  The family joke is that "Pete is working in the basement on his Time Machine again..."

As long as the solder fumes don't effect my hearing, and the damage accumulates slowly enough to allow a few more years of work, all will be well, yes?

Peter

[EchiDna]

RE the DI/O  - Brian you own it to the DI/O to make some pretty dramatic changes... differences here are not subtle at all.

When mine was stock we did a comparsion locally against a lightly modded version - subtlety is not a word to describe the difference and subsequent changes pushed the envelope further...

WRT your order of an AKSA 100n+ - you'll love it

*another member of the early 30's AKSA fan club*

[SamL]

 I feel like an absolute nut trying to explain the sound to the people who shook their head when they found I was building and amp.

Same here  
They all though I am the 'boy racer' who have a house breaking bass and HT system. Once I told them I do this for a 2 chn system, they all look at me like a nutter.

Sam

[PSP]

EchiDna,
I, too am a DI/O laggard... I've had the stocker in my system for two years (I have the Stancor power supply, removed the tube, shorted (75R) the digital output and have voltage dividers on my DI/O-->GK-1 cable to get the DI/O output voltage to ~2v).  No mods (yet) that involve any new parts or solder...

What mods should I consider next?

Many thanks,
Peter

[EchiDna]

my simple advice would be to join the art dio yahoo group it's a great place to find all the info one could ever need - you can find it here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIOmods/

cheers,

[Foxyb]

Hi Brian,

When you have built your 100N (+), I would be interested in hearing what the differences are between the new one and the JLH.
I currently have the JLH80W mosfet, built in the late 80s, with a decent powersupply (Elna Cerafines plus decent diodes) and feedback caps (Mcaps at some significant cost). It does sound good, very natural, detailed, deep soundstage, but not particularly wide.

I have not the courage to replace it until I can find something significantly better, so I am interested.  My living room is 16 by 12 ft. My system comprises Roskan rok-dp1 cd, audio synthesis dax, JLH 80W with passive pre, and Ellis Audio 1801 floorstanders.

If anyone else has any comments I would be interested.

Regards,
John

[Brian T.]

Hi Brian,

When you have built your 100N (+), I would be interested in hearing what the differences are between the new one and the JLH. ...

Hi John,

I would be delighted to share my experience of the 100N+ versus the JLH.  At the present time, the main PCBs have been assembled and I am trying to decide whether to go for a stainless steel enclosure or one made from ‘frosted’ acrylic.

Brian

[Foxyb]

Hi Brian,

What spec is your JLH? (Mine has a single psu, albeit with Elna Cerafines, fast, soft recovery diodes and 625VA transformer, upgraded electrolytics and feedback cap to poly and tin foil caps.
As per a recommendation of a previous owner in diyaudio, I have effectively disabled the high current regulators, feeding the amp output stage with rectified and smoothed dc from the psu.
This added more detail, speed and depth to the soundstage, with no downsides.

Regards,
John