[AmpDesigner333]

New review (and interview)....
Part 1 of Golden Cherry review in POF: An Interview with Tommy O'Brien of Digital Amplifier Company:
http://positive-feedback.com/interviews/tommy-obrien-digital-amplifier-co/

"....these GOLDEN CHERRY Digital Amp Co. gems may be the single most transparent, uncolored, and precise amplification experience...."

"So what exactly are you doing in your amplifiers (and DACs) that is different from everyone else?"

"I made a cattle-prod circuit from a Radio Shack Electronics Kit"

[jseipp]

Nice interview, personal and with technical descriptions even I can follow!

I'm looking forward to reading the impressions of how your golden boys play with that range of equipment. 

[Shear Bliss VMPS]

A very insightful and in depth interview from Mr. Kipnis into the thoughts and ideals of Mr. O"Brien (Tommy) and the DAC company, very well written and with through responces to questions asked, no yes or no quick one liners either!

After reading part 1 of the interview I get a far better sense of who Digital Amplifier Company is, and the man behind it. A great interview I no doubt will read again and again, looking forward to part 2 now. I can only surmise the Cherry Gold will be a industry benchmark for others to follow!
DW

[AmpDesigner333]

ANNOUNCING our Maraschino Video Series Kickstarter!  A great selection of rewards including:

• Stereo Maraschino
• Classic Cherry Motherboard Upgrade (Maraschino Sonics with Much Power)
• External Linear Toroidal Power Supply for Maraschino
• USB to SPDIF converter
• DAC DAC (both HS and TL types)
• Golden Cherry
• "Megaschino" - Classic Cherry on the outside, Maraschino on the inside
• Some surprises you can add later!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/378044010/maraschino-video-series

[AmpDesigner333]

MEGAschino Cherry ?

Find out:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=149935.0

[AmpDesigner333]

A friend sent me this message....
    (Regarding the MEGAschino motherboard upgrade for Classic Cherry)
"I also wish to let you know how much I respect the fact that you are offering retrofits to the customers of your Classic Cherries.  In a society of disposable everything, it is the rarest of rare to find someone willing to put in the effort to breathe new life into well-used, well-loved products."

Check the rewards to see a very special surprise that we just added:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/378044010/maraschino-video-series

[Shear Bliss VMPS]

I too love the idea of the Megaschino retrofit into the Classic Cherry amps. I just took delivery of the last big Cherry Chassis amp that Tommy built for me, which I call a Super Cherry with a 1800W transformer and Cardas binding posts ... Awesome and still running in.

That I have household obligations at present (new roof) coming May 4th or I would've jumped at the Megaschino mother board retrofit pains me to no end ... hopefully I can get this upgrade done in the near future as I have listened to the 48V Maraschinos on my Acoustat 1100 and they were quite amazing thru them! Basically my system craves big power hence my opting for my Super Cherry.

Tommy are we seeing a rebirth of the big chassis in the new Megaschino amps ??? Keep pushing the envelope Sir!

[AmpDesigner333]

I too love the idea of the Megaschino retrofit into the Classic Cherry amps. I just took delivery of the last big Cherry Chassis amp that Tommy built for me, which I call a Super Cherry with a 1800W transformer and Cardas binding posts ... Awesome and still running in.

That I have household obligations at present (new roof) coming May 4th or I would've jumped at the Megaschino mother board retrofit pains me to no end ... hopefully I can get this upgrade done in the near future as I have listened to the 48V Maraschinos on my Acoustat 1100 and they were quite amazing thru them! Basically my system craves big power hence my opting for my Super Cherry.

Tommy are we seeing a rebirth of the big chassis in the new Megaschino amps ??? Keep pushing the envelope Sir!

Yes, we're bringing the big steel chassis back!  Big transformers, big caps, solid, thick faceplate, heavy, and now with the speed and clarity of Maraschino....  Thanks for your kind post (:

---- added later: By the way, you were driving the Acoustats with the 48V version.  DUAL 60V 1kW power supplies might have given you the "slam" you like, but the raw power of the Classic Cherry is why the MEGAschino was invented.

[Shear Bliss VMPS]

Tommy,

I also agree after listening to the 48V versions, the Maraschino 60V would have given my Acoustat 1100 all the power they likely would ever need.

I do prefer the ease of a single chassis and in a Red faceplate is quite a stunner to behold, my biases are a more manly he-man appearance the big chassis renders, I think a great move putting your new Megaschino into the classic chassis.

Hopefully in the future I can turn my Super into the Mega.
DW

[Shear Bliss VMPS]

Lost perhaps but not forgotten are my VMPS ST/Rs and monitor type 626R speakers which demand big power to sound their best. These loudspeakers played center stage in my audio cave with a Cherry Ultra with totally outstanding results ... until I ... (Well a very long story) both my fault on two occasions ouch!! Both bone head times, All Tommy said was to ship it back and he would take care of it! Anyway this is where the Long story or Saga comes in. Now people Tommy could've ran for the hills, or just more abruptly told me I was S.O.L ..... BUT to his credit hung in their with me. I will not go into the details here other to say we both thought it better to swap it out for the Maraschino 48V versions, which sounded great but didn't possess the shear power my loudspeakers craved and demanded. I mentioned to Tommy if a well cared for Cherry happened to pass thru, to notify me as I was thinking of listing the amps. Not long after Tommy said their was one Classic Chassis left that he could build for me ..... and I Leaped and pounced!!! This amp I dubbed Super Cherry because of the back and forth we both had on this build as I requested of Tommy and the build, big power ... 1800W transformer-check ... Red faceplate ... check ... Custom binding posts, Cardas ... check, the rest was done with magic fingers and mind!! I think we both had a blast with the build!! Just before I received my amp I bought a pr. of Acoustat 1100s and was able to hear them on the Maraschinos which were awesome!! I now understand the upper reach the Maraschinos give effortly thru the panels, outstanding! The upcoming Megaschino will be a monster and contender with whatever is out their to contend with it!! You heard it here first. Tommy IS THE MAN.

DW

[AmpDesigner333]

Check it out!
http://theaudiobeatnik.com/index.php/2017/04/26/digital-amplifier-nears-the-end-of-their-fourth-successful-kickstart-campaign/

[AmpDesigner333]

A friend sent me this message....
    (Regarding the MEGAschino motherboard upgrade for Classic Cherry)
"I also wish to let you know how much I respect the fact that you are offering retrofits to the customers of your Classic Cherries.  In a society of disposable everything, it is the rarest of rare to find someone willing to put in the effort to breathe new life into well-used, well-loved products."

Check the rewards to see a very special surprise that we just added:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/378044010/maraschino-video-series

We'll soon be down to 24 hours left....

As rewards, we have amazing deals on:
    - Linear Power Supplies for Maraschino amps (new product)
    - DAC DAC (TL or HS)
    - KING Stereo Maraschino
    - MEGAschino and Classic-to-MEGAschino upgrades (new product)
    - Golden Cherry (top of the line Maraschino) and Golden Cherry Upgrade (for KING Maraschino owners)
    - Maraschino Module Development Kit (new product for OEMs and DIY)
    - USB to SPDIF Converter (new product)
    - Dual 60V 1kW Maraschino power supply upgrade
    - INSIDER White Paper (only $4)
    - In-Line Maraschino ("hanging" Cherry)
    - KING In-Line Maraschino ("hanging" Cherry)

Here's the link again:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/378044010/maraschino-video-series

DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY !  Thanks for your support.

-Tommy O

[AmpDesigner333]

Some simple answers to recent questions....

Q: Why haven't I heard of Cherry Amplifiers or Digital Amplifier Company before?
A: In a word, ADVERTISING.  We do almost none of it.  Why?  More value for our customers.  Same goes with trade shows.  Here's a little something about the company, and about ME:
http://positive-feedback.com/interviews/tommy-obrien-digital-amplifier-co/

Q: Why are Cherry Amplifiers different?
A: We design for sonics.  Our impressive bench measurements may be a few dB less here and there than the "competition", but very much world class.  Number one is the sound for us.

Q: Are Class-AB or Class-A amps better than Class-D?
A: In some cases, yes, but Class-D can achieve higher levels of sonic performance when done right, aside from some extreme cases in analog amps (the $100k, 300 lb variety?).  However, within reasonable cost constraints, well designed Class-D can outperform conventional amplifiers in every respect that matters for listening.  The problem is that almost all Class-D suffers from a serious design flaw ---- the control scheme, aka feedback topology.  The sad truth is that almost every Class-D designer uses gobs and GOBS of negative feedback and/or complex phase shifting networks to get decent, and sometimes deceivingly amazing bench measurements.  Most audiophiles know the difference between sonic performance and bench measurements, but the misconception of better measurements tending to mean better sound is no coincidence.  Old fashioned amplifiers were much easier to tell apart that way.

Q: Why do you (Cherry Amplifier®) claim better sound than other Class-D amps?
A: Our designs, which are home-grown, are first put together with ideal component values to get noise and distortion well below audible levels, then we tweak the circuits for sonic improvement.  This usually costs us a little bit in the specifications, but is a tremendous advantage sonically.  The other reason is that we DO NOT use gobs of feedback.  We DO NOT use complex phase compensation networks.  Instead, we make our output circuits well controlled and we make our output filters inaudible.  This way, we don't need to put a massive feedback loop around the amplifier, which is the way just about everybody else is doing it, even today after the lessons the 1980s taught us.  Fact is, most Class-D designers weren't designers back in the 1980s.  Not to age myself, but I was, and I remember the strident and screechy sound of the old Adcom Class-AB amps with their obscene amounts of corrective feedback.  Remember that feedback can't correct for errors that already happened, so it changes the future signal such that the average over time adds up to approximately the desired signal.  Did you catch that?  The error happens, then the counter error happens, and all this is going into your speaker, then into your ears!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to ask for more of the same.  Believe me, I could go on and on and on....

-Tommy O

[AmpDesigner333]

I was asked to "put up some numbers"....

OK, using the Maraschino Monoblock board, we measured 125dB SNR and 0.0008% THD+N at 10Wout with component values optimized for bench measurements.

After tweaking for sonics (adjusting modulator, extending frequency response, reducing feedback, etc.), we measured 118dB SNR and 0.002% THD+N at 10W.  Why would any designer do such a thing????

  IT SOUNDS BETTER!

[AmpDesigner333]

Jack Roberts of The Audio Beatnik reviews DAC DAC ---- TL vs HS:
http://theaudiobeatnik.com/index.php/2017/08/02/comparing-high-spec-version-tube-like-version-digital-amplifier-company-dac-dac/

"Both the HS and the TL made it easy to just sit and listen, and I’d say better than most digital sources I have had in my house. Some of these sources cost in up to $40,000, but I did not have them on hand to make a direct comparisons.  However, I don’t remember them being vastly better, if any better at all."

[AmpDesigner333]

A new customer review of the Stereo Maraschino:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=127654.msg1626441#msg1626441

[AmpDesigner333]

We're gathering reference information to help customers understand the options.  So far, we put up info about Desktop Maraschinos.  Please take a look and let us know what you'd like to see on this new thread:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=152409.0

We'd like to compile reference info about the following products:
- Desktop Maraschino
- In-Line Maraschino
- Stereo Maraschino
- DAC DAC
- USB to SPDIF converter
- MEGAschino

Thanks.

[AmpDesigner333]

Something very special here.   First Desktop Maraschino ever built:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=152358.0

[AmpDesigner333]

As we get ready to release the NEW Maraschino Amplifier Module, check out our new description blurb:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=150215.msg1630295#msg1630295

Features and Specifications included !

[AmpDesigner333]

Check out the new CRISPIN amplifier (uses Maraschino Modules):
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=152791.0