[terryw]

...It will be nice to have some reviews of the beast though...
...

Felipe, stay tuned for a more complete appraisal in the next few days. Meanwhile, let me just say that this amp is not simply a refinement of the N+ ... it is in another class. I reserve the right to fine tune gradings after further listening, but after 6 hours of critical listening so far ... AKSA = 7.5/10, N+ = 8.5/10, LF = 9.7/10.

Dammit , just as I am saving my hard-earned dollars for the AKSA 55 N+, out comes the Lifeforce.  As I wanted the best AKSA amp I can get, I now have to decide: do I buy the N+ kit, assemble it, return it and then pay another $750.00 for the Lifeforce?
Hugh, or those that have auditioned the Lifeforce, does the new amp sound substantially better than the AKSA 55 N+ to make the choice between the two a no brainer?

cheers

Terry

[Occam]

Mmmm, Paul ... wot's a "thesbian"?  It sounds like a good word to describe a lesbian actress? 

Andy,

Sorry, my spellig really sux.

thes·pi·an  (thsp-n)
adj.
1. Of or relating to drama; dramatic: thespian talents.
2. Thespian Of or relating to Thespis.
n.
An actor or actress.

[andyr]

Yeah but, Paul, I think you've invented a very appropriate new word!!   

"Thesbian" ... a female thespian who "bats for the other side"!    

Anne Heche is the only one who springs to mind (my reading of the popular mags is not frequent enough to recall any others).

Regards,

Andy

[DSK]

Hugh, or those that have auditioned the Lifeforce, does the new amp sound substantially better than the AKSA 55 N+ to make the choice between the two a no brainer?

YES!

I've been using the 100w N+ for nearly 2 years and the LF is significantly better.

[soitstarts]

And with all the fuss that people are talkin' about, specially Hugh, im feelin' a bit like one of the pirates that has his cut in the treasure !!   (considering Hugh as captain of "Black Pearl"  )

Looking at the prices for the 55w, i think i better start saving my pennies as i will have to upgrade from "just" Nirvana 100w.
It will be nice to have some reviews of the beast though...

Speaking of such.. can we trade in a 100 for a current lifeforce ?

[Hegemony]

Hi All,

I have a Lifeforce in my lounge playing as we speak...it has about 60hrs on it and I promise you it is a significant step up from my 55N+.  It is a significant improvement in every area in my opinion.  It has bass heft too, it will surprise you I guarantee...

I even asked Hugh to keep my 55N+ boards intact as I thought I might really want them back to have a 55N+ as it did many genres quite well....after two days I called Hugh and assured him he could do as he wished with the 55N+ boards.  The LF55 will do everything the 55N+ did plus rock, orchestra etc....it has slam and bass in addition to all the 55 qualities we loved so much.  It is truly still an AKSA though....

It is a stunning piece of technology.  I am happy to audition it for anyone in Melbourne, not that that helps when you can speak to the builder but the offer is there none-the-less.

I think 'effortless' sums this amp up best...

I agree with the following although I think the 55N+ lack of bass capability might widen the gap a bit depending on your favourite genres...if you listen to orchestral music or rock then you would appreciate the LF even more.

AKSA = 7.5/10, N+ = 8.5/10, LF = 9.7/10.

Russ

[AKSA]

Hi Martin,

Just be patient - the 100W Lifeforce will be out in not too long!!

If you wish, the answer is yes, however, but trade-in would be better on the 100W N+!

I feel a bit sheepish about this - coming out with improvements to existing products - but sadly it's all to do with reviving markets and surviving!

Cheers,

Hugh

[Felipe]

hugh,

It was not my intention to call you a Drunken pirate  .... instead a big leader that chooses to share his treasure with us !! 

By the way....WHAT A TURNOVER IN THE WEBSITE !!
Your new designer is quite good....still many mising links and strange formats....but NOW i can say you HAVE a WEBSITE ! CONGRATS !
Very good --> turns your image much more professional and trustworthing !!!!

Keep it up ! Lifeforce...hmm...miiinee....my owwwnnn.....my precioussssss.....

[bluesky]

Dear Hugh and Aksaphile colleagues,

Whilst I am not about to buy one of the Lifeforce amps at this stage anyway, I thought I would ask about a lower powered version similar to the 25 watt version of the Nirvana series.

I remember Hugh stating once that the 25 watt version was like a "2A3 amp with gonads" if my memory serves me correctly, as well as others such as Ginger waxing lyrical about the refinement of these lower powered amps.

The reason I ask is that perhaps one day, deep into the future, I might be able to afford one and it may be mated to a pair of Coral Beta 8 drivers I acquired some time ago and still waiting to be built.  However, I now have someone who has offered to build a set of Hedlund Horns for me (one of the other Dad's on my son's soccer team is a carpenter, how lucky is that!).  These drivers have a high sensitivity of anything from 96dB to 101dB, depending on which source you read, and only need a small amount of power to sing.

Best regards to all,

Bluesky   

[AKSA]

Hi Felipe,

Ah, I know you are kidding around!!  Hell, very little upsets me these days, particularly this sterile medium......  Rest easy, actually I've not been called a leader before;  lest anyone think me clever for this new amp, bear in mind that I cast about in the dark for three years trying to pin the tail on the donkey, and lucked out just two months ago.......  that's not clever, it's just stubborn ignorance!!

What I have discovered is that you must never listen to the popular beliefs.  So often they are wrong.  I'd always felt the weak point of the amp was the voltage amplifier, and popular belief partly agreed, with some saying it was the output stage;  not so, it's the input stage, the diff pair.  It is seriously flawed, and I suspect this is one reason the JLH Class A sounds so good.

I guess this is what is meant by progress being the preserve of unreasonable men......

It's cold and raining in Melbourne at present.  I haven't had a good ride on the Rex in four days and I'm suffering withdrawal.......

Ian,

There is no reason that the Lifeforce cannot be developed for lower power.  I think it would best the AKSA here, too.  So rest assured that in the interests of powering your Hedlund horn something can be done!!

Cheers,

Hugh

[guest1632]

Folks,

At present I'm trying to get as many unbiased informal Lifeforce reviews as I can so that you can make a considered, measured choice.  I'm building up an inventory of tested modules, but am awaiting a new batch of pcbs.  I've started on the wiring instructions, and am also building a complete 100W version.

I'm feeling really upbeat about this amp;  it has extraordinary performance and it's very difficult to imagine I could do any better - I feel as though I've found buried treasure!!

Cheers,

Hugh

Hi Hugh,

Just curious, did you ever look at using Jensen 4 pole caps, or the BHC 4 pole caps? Have been told that using them versus some of the other caps, will make a big difference. Plus, I thought BG was going out of business. the websiteearlier in this thread shows an http://404 error.

Congrads on those life force amps.

Ray

[AKSA]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for your email.

In fact, no.  The Jensens gave me such sticker shock I almost fell over;  and the BHCs, AFAIK, have no distributor in Oz other than RS Components, whose sticker prices are likewise.

One of the sobering things about kits, I've found, is that a vocal few DIYers are very concerned to have the premium products, but few of the majority buyers are prepared to tolerate the inevitable high cost which adds to the kit price.  Right now the market is very competitive;  we have people selling good quality boards (with or without parts) for peanuts, and this certainly throws the spotlight on the cost of a complete kit.  You can stand a few smallish BGs in the upgrade cycle, and I have a considerable stock which it seems is now irreplaceable.  But for the bigger power supply caps, you need to use quality industrial offerings.  The best for the buck I've found are the Nichicon Gold Tunes, but they are not available in Oz and I had to import some from Japan.  I may be wrong, but I don't believe it's viable to use the Jensens in an AKSA power supply, but it could well be viable for that nth last drop of quality for the Lifeforce.  It's worth saying that often topology changes can sidestep these issues;  there are many instances in audio amp design where clever design obviates audiophile parts.  An example might be use of two caps per rail, like the 100W AKSA power supply, with a small resistor or even an inductor between them.  This relegates the first cap after the rectifiers to smoothing duties, while the second is dedicated to signal earth return duties.  There's sufficient evidence around that this works well, and avoids issues of super high quality filtering for the rectifier side, saving half the cost of super quality caps.  However, if this venal aspect truly rankles, it's certainly something an AKSA owner could try for himself, and if he then lets me know his impressions, and they are favourable in comparison to say the Nichicons I offer, then things could change.

Thanks for your encouragement!!  It's strange, sometimes in this business you feel that you are working utterly alone, but then at others I see lots of friends, a large community, and the reality comes home!!

Cheers,

Hugh

[AKSA]

Bill,

Forgive me, I didn't respond to your earlier post.  You wrote this:

Hugh you are really wetting my appetite with this and changed my upgrade path once I get my Timepieces delivered (getting closer now).  Now it looks like I will get someting like a Dennon hometheater receiver, upgrade the front amps to the lifeforce, then get a SB3 as my source for serious listening.  Just hope the price is not too high.  Any plans to produce a version that has a switch so you dont need to pull out the plugs to connect your serious source?

You raise the vexed issue of source switching.  As you would know, this is usually done with a preamp;  source selection on the AKSA Swift, for example, is done with quality relays driven from an ATMEL microprocessor.  There are five sources;  DVD, CD, Aux, Tuner and Phono.  This facility alone is a very good reason to use a preamp, quite apart from it's music enhancing qualities.

Ben and I are working on another product which will integrate Stereo and 5.1 systems.  It will include a (switchable) Hafler matrix to convert stereo to multichannel, use a remote, and utilise flexible, SOTA digital volume controls.  We do not have a release date at this stage, but it will meet a palpable need in the market and with a bit of luck might even be unique.  The audiophile flavour and careful attention to grounding issues should make it a winner, because most multichannel systems do not mate well with two channel - the integration issues are tricky and this should solve that.  HE integration with AKSAs has caused a lot of builders many, many problems, and this is an attempt to resolve that.

That's all I can really offer at this stage.  Tomorrow Ben (Tinker) and I meet for breakfast to continue planning this very project - and to celebrate his just awarded PhD in psychology, the ticket which consumed his youth, majoring in psychoacoustics!  And as if this were not enough, he also holds a degree in Computer Science.....

Cheers,

Hugh

[SamL]

Hi Hugh,

How much heat does the LF amp generate? I am aware that it uses the same heat sink, but my aksa 100n heat sink is inside the case and so far I have no heat problem during summer. Can I do the same with LF?

Sam

[AKSA]

Sam,

Absolutely no heat problem with the LF.  Heat output is almost the same as the AKSA family;  efficiency is almost identical.

Cheers,

Hugh

[AKSA]

State of Play:  Lifeforce

Two more stereo pairs ready for release tomorrow to fill existing orders.  Quite a few more orders in, but a queue is forming as I'm having pcb supplier problems.  I receive another ten pcbs on Wednesday 19th, another 75 hopefully a week later.  From that point forward supply should be resolved.

I've now completed the LF100 watt amp.  This amp is just as refined and polished as the 55, and punches well above its weight, delivering just under 200W into 4R.  Just like the 55, it's the slam and integrity of the bass and the purity of the midrange and top end which truly impress.  It is difficult to imagine why anyone would need more power, but in time I will very likely do more powerful version again.  I will post more details on the website as soon as they come to hand.

Exciting times for Aspen.  I think anyone who gets a Lifeforce will want to keep it for life!

Cheers,

Hugh

[andyr]

State of Play:  Lifeforce

I've now completed the LF100 watt amp.  This amp is just as refined and polished as the 55, and punches well above its weight, delivering just under 200W into 4R.  Just like the 55, it's the slam and integrity of the bass and the purity of the midrange and top end which truly impress.  It is difficult to imagine why anyone would need more power, but in time I will very likely do more powerful version again.  I will post more details on the website as soon as they come to hand. ...Hugh

C'mon now, Hugh,   

What do U mean "punches well above its weight, delivering just under 200W into 4R"??     As I understand it, the "ordinary" AKSA 100 delivers 109w into 8 ohms and 218w into 4 ohms?

Also ... whilst I can agree with your comment "It is difficult to imagine why anyone would need more power" if we are talking about an active setup, for certain passive speakers (like the big Dalis we have both heard), I suspect more really is required.  It's not just about having enough power to drive them without clipping during slow-moving orchestral crescendos ... it's about having enough headroom not to clip during millisecond peaking transients!!   

Regards,

Andy

[AKSA]

But Andy,

I'm confused.......  this is how I feel, not how YOU feel!!   

These are MY impressions only, and they are separate and apart from the measurements....... 

I was actually referring to the perceived power output.  You know....  how it sounds!! 

Cheers,

Hugh

[andyr]

But Andy,

I'm confused.......  this is how I feel, not how YOU feel!!   

These are MY impressions only, and they are separate and apart from the measurements....... 

I was actually referring to the perceived power output.  You know....  how it sounds!! 

Cheers,

Hugh

Hey, Hugh,

As you know, I make my living as a salesman!     So I'm acutely aware of what salesmen say about their products!  But IMO, we consumers of your products expect you (as the designer, not just a salesman of other people's products) to be a bit more factual than just "over-the-top".   

But I also have a DNA history in logic ... which is kinda obtuse for a salesman! 

All I was commenting on was that the measured power output which you have told me of the "original" AKSA - which I have - is 218w into 4 ohms.  Whereas you said the output of the AKSA Lifeforce 100 was "only" 200w into 4 ohms ... so I can't see how this is "punching above its weight"??     But then I'm comparing an AKSA 100 against an AKSA 100 Lifeforce ... mebbe you're just making a general statement about how AKSAs in general punch above their weight compared to other ss amps??   

If so, please elucidate!   

To me, "how it sounds" is entirely a different matter to what its rated-by-the-designer/mfr-power-output is.  As an example, I would suggest your Glass Harmony amps.  As you know, we heard a nominally 30wpc "hybrid SET" amp deliver an entirely more enjoyable listening experience with some Dali speakers than a 750wpc ss amp!

Regards,

Andy

[AKSA]

Hi Andy,

Gadzooks!!  I must be improving - to be described as a 'salesmen' is indeed music to my ears!!   

All I was commenting on was that the measured power output which you have told me of the "original" AKSA - which I have - is 218w into 4 ohms.  Whereas you said the output of the AKSA Lifeforce 100 was "only" 200w into 4 ohms ... so I can't see how this is "punching above its weight"??     But then I'm comparing an AKSA 100 against an AKSA 100 Lifeforce ... mebbe you're just making a general statement about how AKSAs in general punch above their weight compared to other ss amps??

Actually, on the CRO power performance matches the AKSA 100.  Output from the same power supply and into the same load is identical - 218W it is.

1dB points are 25Hz and 65KHz.  Triangulation of a square wave occurs at 58KHz.  Gain is 31dB, just slightly less than the AKSAs which are 31.6dB.

I should have some distortion figures shortly, but it's at least half that of the stock AKSA, which was 0.045% at full power, 20KHz.

But these figures do not convey the scale and integrity of the sound field - which has three dimensions, in sharp contrast to most SS amplifiers - and the punch of the bass and midrange.

It's a good thing I don't sell vacuum cleaners.........

Cheers,

Hugh