[just4just]

I have just sold my naim nait 3 amplifier
as i want to buy a aska 55 amplifier

I got abit confused on the pricing page
and as my eyesight is not very good
and the writting very small
i thought i would post my question here

the upgrades that one can have
do you chose one of them or both???
i mean do you chose Nirvana Upgrade:     
or a Nirvana Plus Upgrade:  as they both have two different prices
if i wanted the    Nirvana Plus Upgrade: option
would it cost 330 plus 130???


also i saw something that read that you can have the aska 55 as a 25watt amp
has anyone had this option?

i happen to have a pair of fostex horn speakers so i think that option
would suit my speakers more then the 55watts option

also one last question
and this may sound silly
but can i use any pre amp i chose with the amplifier
including a line level one or does it have to be a pre amplifier
from asken???


anyway advice or help i would be most thankful for.

Thankyou
Jason

[fajimr]

but can i use any pre amp i chose with the amplifier
including a line level one or does it have to be a pre amplifier
from asken???

hi jason... let me just answer the last question for you and others can comment on the 25w version for your speakers.  I currently have a 55 with BOTH upgrades, making it a 55 Nirvana Plus (or 55N+).  You can buy the 55, the 55+, or the 55N+.  If you read back through older comments you'll see that each upgrade seems to be significant.  So if you can go for the N+ that would be the best  .  But if you can't at this point, you could buy the 55 and then upgrade later (meaning you would have to desolder some of the parts and insert the new ones). 

I am currently running my 55N+ WITHOUT a preamp and it sounds wonderful!  I have a couple of volume pots to control the volume but other than that I simply run my CD right into the amp.  I do have the GK-1 preamp that I will build soon but right now I am happy with the amp as it is.... it's that musical    

good luck with the decision making process... ask lots of questions- there are a bunch of great people here who have WAY more experience than me and will be able to help guide you.....

jim

[just4just]

Thanks for the advice Jim

i have only just learned how to solder (self taught)
and have no idea how i would desolder????

So if i understand you right.
I would need to add the cost of both upgrades if i wanted both
making it $460?

 

[jules]

to de-solder ... get yourself some solder wick. This is just a piece of flat braided copper ribbon that you apply between the iron and the soldered connection. It's solder blotting paper [for those who remember the stuff  ]. I get mine from Michael Percy www.percyaudio.com/ . While at it you might like to get some Cardas solder ... it's easy to work and generally well regarded.

You can buy solder suckers but a good one is costly and they require some skill. They can also lift the foil from the board.

Jules

[just4just]

Thank's jules.

May i ask does solder wick get rid of the past solder 100% or does it just cover over it?

Thank's

Jason

[jules]

removes 98.669% ... or so 

You need to play around with it a bit to get the max out of it. It soaks the solder up quite quickly and easily but you might need to stop, snip a bit off the end of the braid and have another go. Sometimes it's sort of possible to wipe the joint by slowly moving the braid along between the iron and the connection, but not always.

You finish up with clean components that are lightly tinned.

Jules

[fajimr]

jason

I would suggest getting some cheap little soldering project kits and practice soldering and desoldering... I only had to desolder a couple of times when I made mistakes    Its not that difficult but some practice on a cheap little set would give you a little more cofidence and skill. 

But then again... the desoldering only comes if you decide to upgrade later (or make a mistake during the process).  I found a couple kits on the internet for a few dollars US...

here are a couple old thread that I started about being a newbie...

on soldering:  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=18730.0

on find a multimeter (to test):  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=18225.10

as for pricing... from the aksa site:

        Standard:                  $AUD  430
        Nirvana Upgrade:        $AUD  135
        Nirvana Plus Upgrade:  $AUD  330

that means take the base model and add the cost of the upgrade that you want: + 135 for Nirvana or +330 for the Nirvana Plus (which includes the Nirvana).  The total cost for a 55N would cost 565 AUD and a 55 N+ would be 760 AUD.... at least I hope I have that right.  I am sure hugh will correct me if I don't 

[just4just]

thanks jules

i fully understand now
both what desoldering does and the pricing

i will do some desoldering practice though
just incase i make some mistakes

thank's again

Jason

[AKSA]

Jason,

All advice given is spot on - thank you very much Jules, Jim!

Do a little soldering practice just to get up to speed on the construction.  It pays off.  Try buying a simple kit for $20 from a kit stockist, like Radio Shack, or Tandy, or Jaycar, etc, and just get familiar with the process and the jargon.

It's not hard, but like anything, it's a discipline, so it will take a bit of time.

Cheers,

Hugh

[just4just]

i will do hugh
Though i would value advice on the pre amplifier
part of my question.
As i can not work out if i have to use a asken pre ampilifer
or can i use any pre amplifier?

I have never used a pre amplifier in my life,
so i am not sure if the cd player ect lead will go into the
back of the power amp or the pre amplifier.
If it feeds into the back of the power amp.
Then can i just get away with making a pre amplifier
with just a volume control???

Please be gentle with me if what i just said is very dumb

Jason

[jules]

Jason,

you don't have to use an Aspen pre-amp with the power amp but of course, if you liked the power amp, you'll love the pre-amp 

The power amp doesn't have a volume control but what you can do is to use a volume control as a pre-amp [passive]. This is pretty easy and you might even choose to put the vol. control in the same box as the amp. This just happens to be what I'm doing at the moment and it's a good way to get an idea of the sound of the amp unadorned.

If you go this way, you feed the signal to the vol. control and from there to the amp.

If you get a full pre-amp. You feed the signal to the pre-amp [plug the leads into], the vol. control is then included in the pre-amp and finally the signal from the pre goes on to the power.

The GK-1M pre-amp also lets you select between 5 different sources by having a series of RCA plugs on the back along with a slection switch inside.

Jules

[AKSA]

Jason,

My apologies - any preamp will do the job;  the AKSA is designed for conventional line level inputs, such as a CD/DVD player and any preamp.

Cheers,

Hugh

[fajimr]

so i am not sure if the cd player ect lead will go into the
back of the power amp or the pre amplifier.
If it feeds into the back of the power amp.
Then can i just get away with making a pre amplifier
with just a volume control???

jason

here is the basic scheme of things: source --> volume control ---> amp
For many people this means CD (turntable) --> preamp --> amp

you need something between your source and your amp to control the volume or you will .... actually I am not sure what would happen but I imagine you could destroy your speakers, your eardrums and make instant enemies with your neighbors... probably all three 

you can simply plug your CD directly into your amp IF your CD player has a volume control.  If that is the case, you would not need anything at all.  This was the situation I had with an old Tjoeb CD player I had.  The volume wasn't very precise and jumped quite a bit between each step but it worked. 

So here are your options as I see it:
1. Directly use your CD player into the amp (if it has volume control as I just said) or
2. Use the preamp of your choice (as Hugh mentioned) between the CD and amp or
3. Build in a volume pot into the amp as Jules suggested or
4. Add an attenuator (would serve the same role as the volume pot above) between the CD player and and Amp (this is what I did- it would cost USD 80 + shipping  http://mysite.verizon.net/vze4c5pt/ ).  For this option you simply plug the attenuators into the amp inputs and then the interconnect cable from the CD into the attenuator.

make sense?? if not, ask more questions...

[andyr]

I have just sold my naim nait 3 amplifier as i want to buy an aksa 55 amplifier

also i saw something that read that you can have the aska 55 as a 25watt amp
has anyone had this option?

i happen to have a pair of fostex horn speakers so i think that option
would suit my speakers more then the 55watts option

Thankyou
Jason

Hi Jason,

As an ex-Naim owner, I know you'll be happy with the sound of your AKSA!     (I compared one of my Naim 250s to Hugh's 55 before I made the jump!!)

No-one seems to have answered your Q about tha AKSA 25 ... so I will.  Yes, I have one ... I have a 100, a 55 and a 25 in my 3-way active setup (the 25 powers my Maggie ribbons).  The 25 is simply a 55 with lower +/- DC rail voltages ... and, yes, you can buy it in its 'base', 'N' or 'N+' form.

It is "sweeter" - by which I mean even more nice sounding - than a 55.  Hugh likens it to "a SET (Single-Ended Triode) on steroids".  If your fostex horn speakers really can be driven adequately by a 25w amp then it would be a good choice ... but, remember, a 55w amp will give you more "headroom" for orchestral crescendos and sudden loud transients (the 25w amp may run out of steam on these?).

Good luck!   

Andy