[EMM801]

Frank, I emailed you a copy. Schematics are included. Have fun.

As I told Frank, this thing used to be a lot less costly.

[avahifi]

Darn, the .pdf files you have sent me on the K4040 tube amp have all come out blank here for reasons unknown.

Maybe my Mac does not like them.

Frank

[avahifi]

I finally got a good download of the Velleman K4040 tube amp using an old version of Netscape as my web browser.  Neither Safari or Explorere would handle it.  Strange.

I went thru the manual quickly, gee 12 or more LEDs!!  I don't think we will design along these lines.

Frank

[skrivis]

I finally got a good download of the Velleman K4040 tube amp using an old version of Netscape as my web browser.  Neither Safari or Explorere would handle it.  Strange.

I went thru the manual quickly, gee 12 or more LEDs!!  I don't think we will design along these lines.

Frank

Safari on Mac OS X Tiger downloaded it fine first time. The pdf displays properly with Preview and Acrobat Reader. My Mac is an antique. It's a B&W G3 upgraded with a G4. So if it works for me... it should work fine for you.

Maybe you're just computer-challenged or something? It could be all those years working with HP UX. I hear it can cause problems with your mental health.

Maybe Steve Jobs hasn't blessed you properly? On the other hand, I've called him various rude names, so maybe you need to let loose with some expletives in Steve's general direction?

We've got an HP 9000 that's perfect in my opinion. It's sitting in the corner not even plugged in. (And it's a pretty healthy box, 4 CPUs and 16 GB of RAM...). hehe

I'm more of a Solaris guy myself, although Linux works really well. That HP UX and IBM's AIX are like another planet to me.

Oh, BTW, I almost never use IE on Mac OS X. In fact, I think I've only used it to verify problems you were having.

If you want an alternative to Safari, look at Firefox, Camino, or Omniweb. IE is evil. (And MS recently disowned it anyway.)

[skrivis]

Safari on Mac OS X Tiger downloaded it fine first time. The pdf displays properly with Preview and Acrobat Reader. My Mac is an antique. It's a B&W G3 upgraded with a G4. So if it works for me... it should work fine for you.

Maybe you're just computer-challenged or something? It could be all those years working with HP UX. I hear it can cause problems with your mental health.

Maybe Steve Jobs hasn't blessed you properly? On the other hand, I've called him various rude names, so maybe you need to le ...

Ok. I have now tried the pdf with Windoze, Mac OS X Tiger, and Solaris 9 (which is what I'm using to post this.) No problems at all.

So it's either a problem with your Mac or a problem with you.

I'm available for consulting at a modest charge ($150/hr., 2 Hr. Min.) if you'd like to fix this...

[guest1632]

Safari on Mac OS X Tiger downloaded it fine first time. The pdf displays properly with Preview and Acrobat Reader. My Mac is an antique. It's a B&W G3 upgraded with a G4. So if it works for me... it should work fine for you.

Maybe you're just computer-challenged or something? It could be all those years working with HP UX. I hear it can cause problems with your mental health. :)

Maybe Steve Jobs hasn't blessed you properly? On the other hand, I've called him various rude names, so maybe you need to le ...

To momentarily jog off the audio stuff, was not aware that MS was abandoning Internet Explorer. Since they own about 16% stock in Apple, I hope they fix IE. I know nothin about Macs. I did know of a fix if this was within the MS OS. Used to fix them all the time when I did tech support for Win95, win98, WinME and a smattering of XP.

Hi Frank, Say, I don't want to sound to stupid, but where do you get some of your ideas? Do you read a lot of journals, and come up with circuit design? Just curious. I have a little knowledge of circuit design, but have always wondered about where they come up with the ideas? At least I have an understanding of what various components do. Now back to audio.

Ray

[skrivis]

To momentarily jog off the audio stuff, was not aware that MS was abandoning Internet Explorer. Since they own about 16% stock in Apple, I hope they fix IE. I know nothin about Macs. I did know of a fix if this was within the MS OS. Used to fix them all the time when I did tech support for Win95, win98, WinME and a smattering of XP.

Hi Frank, Say, I don't want to sound to stupid, but where do you get some of your ideas? Do you read a lot of journals, and come up with circuit design? Just curious. I have ...

Yes, they hadn't updated IE for the Mac in years, and they finally said they're no longer supporting it. They have a love/hate relationship with Apple. They wish Apple would go away and leave the desktop completely Windows. But they also make money off of software for the Mac. In addition, they want Apple around so they can claim that they aren't a monopoly.

Apple keeps on delivering new features, and they have a very solid OS that's easy to use. MS keeps postponing releases and stripping out features. Then there's the huge blackhole that is Windows "security." Hear the giant sucking sound?

Oh, but it will be fixed in the next release. Yeah, that's the ticket. (They've been trying to convince people of this for years now...)

MS is not going to last forever. They've got one last chance with Vista, if they can actually finish it. If they flub this one, they're going to meet up with the rusty rod of reality and Bill Gates won't be able to sit down...

[guest1632]

Yes, they hadn't updated IE for the Mac in years, and they finally said they're no longer supporting it. They have a love/hate relationship with Apple. They wish Apple would go away and leave the desktop completely Windows. But they also make money off of software for the Mac. In addition, they want Apple around so they can claim that they aren't a monopoly. :)

Apple keeps on delivering new features, and they have a very solid OS that's easy to use. MS keeps postponing releases and stripping out features ...

You probably already knew this, but the Pentium's commercials were mainly done using a Mac down in the basement somewhere at MS.

Now enough MS bashing before the moderator throws us both out.

Ray

[EMM801]

I finally got a good download of the Velleman K4040 tube amp using an old version of Netscape as my web browser.  Neither Safari or Explorere would handle it.  Strange.

I went thru the manual quickly, gee 12 or more LEDs!!  I don't think we will design along these lines.

Frank

I'm sure it would be interesting to hear any comments  you have after seeing the schematics. Odd that the pdf's I sent didn't read right.   (In addition to the suggestions about browsers above, Camino is worth a try, it can be downloaded from Mozilla.)
I don't doubt that AVA can do a better deal, and probably with a lot smaller footprint too. I was just curious about the output toroids and whether AVA planned to use the Dyna reproductions or some other transformer.
There is room in the market for a reasonably priced, reasonably sized tube power amp kit. It will be interesting to see how the mechanical design takes shape.

[plaf26]

There's an interesting discussion about toroid output transformers in a Mar. 6 article titled, "The Do's and Don'ts of Class D Amplifiers" on the AVS Forum.  Doesn't look too encouraging.

[avahifi]

We are going to test toroid output transformers of course.  But they would require a bigger (wider) chassis, more design time before we can release the product, and a higher final price.  We won't go that route unless they are definitely worth it.  That remains to be seen.

Frank Van Alstine

[skrivis]

There's an interesting discussion about toroid output transformers in a Mar. 6 article titled, "The Do's and Don'ts of Class D Amplifiers" on the AVS Forum.  Doesn't look too encouraging.

I think that the info in the article is actually talking about coils wound around a toroidal core. (Switchers are usually chock full of them.) The info is also pretty specific to high frequency use.

I don't see that it's directly transferrable to toroidal output transformers at audio frequencies.

[EMM801]

Here's another all-toroid amp:
http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/models/jd801a.shtml

[plaf26]

How do the Ultimate 70 and the OmegaStar 240EX compare sonically?

[daveshel]

How do the Ultimate 70 and the OmegaStar 240EX compare sonically?

I have both an Ulitmate 70 and an OmegaStar 170EX. The 170EX is more dynamic and has better detail and more punch. The soundstage on the Ultimate 70 is a bit better and the sound is sweeter, so it is better suited for softer sounds. I just got the Ulitmate 70 a few weeks ago and was using it on  my main system for a while, but have gone back to the 170EX. My reference/test music at the moment is Crosby * Nash (untitled, 2004), and those familiar with it will understand this: Lay Me Down sounded great on the Ultimate 70 but Puppeteer needed the 170EX.

[plaf26]

daveshel:
How do you mean "sweeter?"  Can you say more about that?  I'm more familiar with classical stuff than the Crosby * Nash recording you're using for reference.  Thanks.

[daveshel]

daveshel:
How do you mean "sweeter?"  Can you say more about that?  I'm more familiar with classical stuff than the Crosby * Nash recording you're using for reference.  Thanks.

By sweeter I mean the mids and highs are smoother or more liquid. I have some Bach guitar music that sounds excellent on the U-70 because it is not that dynamic. But if I was to play that one recording (Telarc?) of the 1812 Overture, it would sound better on the 170EX. Generally, the U-70 is better suited to classical and the 170EX is better suited for rock. I hate resorting to stereotypes, but it comes down to dynamics and low frequency punch, which  are typically present to a greater extent in rock than classical music.

(Of course, I don't know to what extent what I hear is a result of the difference in power as opposed to the difference between sonic characteristics of the two amps.)

[plaf26]

daveshel:
Thanks for your comments.  I appreciate it.

[avahifi]

Just another progress report.  I am happy to say that the U70 circuits are nice and quiet in the new prototype chassis with the input jacks on the back and the power switch on the front, among other things, and remain awesome sounding. We still have a bit of refinement to do, such as placement of of the bias test sockets, and accomodating more variations of power tube sockets, but progress is being made.

Frank Van Alstine

[daveshel]

daveshel:
Thanks for your comments.  I appreciate it.

It has been two weeks since I made those comments, and I now have more respect for the dynamic capabilities of my U-70. I have been experimenting with different combinations of amps, preamps, speakers and rooms. Maybe there was some break-in or maybe I just finally found the right combination - this room is a bit smaller than the room in which I last evaluated this amp. Tonight I am using it with a stock PAS3 (which may visit Frank this summer) and hearing much more of the punch I was missing earlier.

Or maybe I just turned it up