Question for AKSA 100 owners

lonewolfny42 · « **on:** 23 Jan 2004, 05:24 am »

Hello , How would you describe the sound of the AKSA 100 with Nirvana upgrade? I'm not familiar with this amp, and wonder what it's strong points are. What would be another amp that sounds similar to the AKSA 100 ? Thanks for a reply !

Rocket · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Jan 2004, 06:40 am »

Hi lonewolfny42,

I've had my aksa 100 finished for 1 year now and originally i bought the stock version. To be honest i bought the amp as i was experiencing major problems with my n.e.w. battery amp (the damn recharge circuit fried my brand new $560au batteries

).

Out of desperation and frustration i bought the aksa 100 after reading previous posts from owners at harmonic discord and audio asylum. As a live in perth (4000klms west of sydney on the indian ocean side of oz) I couldn't demo the amp in perth prior to buying it. Anyway i decided to take a leap of faith and bought one. Hugh was and has been very good to deal with, i'm sure i will be buying another amp and possibly a preamp from him in the future.

Luckily i have a friend who is an electronics diy expert and he built my amp for me.

The stock version sounds very good and i think is better than a modded n.e.w. a-60 amp (originally cost $1500us in the states). a friend of mine who has an n.e.w. a60 bought his amp around to compare it against my aksa. The aksa had a better soundstage, was ever so slightly more transparent and had much much better dynamics. The only area the n.e.w. was better imho was in the high's, which were a bit more refined and sweeter when listening to the n.e.w. Bearing in mind Pat O'Brien of w.a.r. audio modded the n.e.w. amp and it much better sounding than the stock version.

I decided after this mini-shootout between the n.e.w. and aksa to upgrade the amp to nirvana status. I did this in may 2003. After break in (about one hour

), i could easily hear the improvements the upgrades provided. The high's were the major beneficiaries which were much more refined and provided that touch of magic. The bottom end had slightly deeper bass and the amp had a more 3 diminensional soundstage. i now prefer the high's that the aksa amp provides as i think the n.e.w. is probably a bit too sweet for my tastes. The nirvana upgrade is the best $$$ invest i have made in my system.

The addition of the nirvana upgrade improves the sonics of the amp by between 15 - 20% imo .

I believe the aksa amp has an excellent bottom end, midrange, soundstage (lot's better than the n.e.w.) and high's. The amps best feature is in the area of it's dynamics, it really does give excellent Slam to the music when needed.

I have extensively heard the pass aleph 3 (but not in direct comparison with the aksa) and believe the aksa beats it in all areas except in the high's (only by a very slight margin).

sorry about the long reply and best of luck with your decision.

regards

rocket

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Jan 2004, 06:52 am »

Rocket, Thanks for your long reply....this way I can get a handle on the sonic's of this amp. Any shortcomings that you have hear in your amp at all ?

Rocket · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Jan 2004, 07:19 am »

Hi Lonewolf,

I've been busily editing my previous post as i find so many grammatical errors and when i re-read the post i had to re-word some things. anyway all done now and hopefully i don't sound like a complete moron

.

It is difficult for me to tell you what weaknesses the amp possesses, as i don't believe i am a hifi guru and i probably don't have a golden ear but i do know what i like to hear. The aksa is after all a 100 watt amp and obviously will run out of steam eventually, although my speakers are about 90db sensitive the raven 1 tweeter does dip down under 3.5ohm and is a little hard to drive.

I like my system to sound as far as possible (anyway) to be analogue without any traces of digital harshness, to have refined top end and a good 3 dimensional soundstage.

I will tell you though that my system is quite good imo. my system is as follows:

Marantz cd4000 (stock at this stage)
perpetual technologies p3a (modwright level 1)
perpetual technologies p1a and monolithic psu.
n.e.w. p3a tube preamp (oem by cary)
custom made/designed w.a.r. audio speakers
which utilise raven 1 ribbon tweeters and 7 inch focal kevlar drivers in an mtm setup in each speaker (per box the drivers alone cost approximately $400us). As no one else has listened to these speakers on this forum you'll just have to trust me when i say they are exceptional.

I'm only telling you what my system consists of so you don't think i have poor electronics and wouldn't hear the differences anyway.

If i were to get a significant upgrade from my system it would be to replace the speakers or the preamp. the aksa 100 will be staying for a looong time. I think hugh in the future will have a further upgrade to the nirvana which should be excellent as well.

Lonewolf, do you have the opportunity to listen to this amp in your system? This would be the best thing to do.

Best wishes

rocket

JohnR · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Jan 2004, 08:55 am »

Crikey, there must be some owners in New York somewhere!

AKSA · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Jan 2004, 10:04 am »

Rod (Rocket),

Many thanks for appraising Lonewolf on the AKSA 100W Nirvana. I think you summed it up well! Your comparisons were more than meaningful, and should give him a workable picture from which to assess the amp.

Lonewolf asked the deficiencies. This is hard to put one's finger on; but speaking as the designer I could say I'd like to stretch the image a little wider and deeper; the Nirvana goes back about five or six feet in depth, I'd like this to be about double. If I knew how to achieve it, of course, I would! And I'd like the female vocals to be a little more like a single ended triode; but SETs are definitely something special and unique, and I'm not sure I can do it in solid state. (It can be done with hybrids, and it can be expanded considerably with the GK-1, but power amps on their own are tough.)

To my knowledge, John, there are no 100W AKSAs operating at present in NYC. Paul Kaplan in Brooklyn has one I pre-built, but it's not yet in a case and working. Electratig has a 55W, however, which is VERY similar in sound, just lacking a little slam.

It's a damn nuisance not having salons for people to audition AKSAs. However, this is costly infrastructure which must be financed, and it's reflected in the very high price of store bought equipment, from which most of us here shirk with disgust! We can have one, or the other, but we can't have it all!

Those following my car repairs session will be amused to hear I have the entire valve train disassembled - except for one tappet, which is proving impossible to coax out!! So, I can't remove the camshaft. Ain't life grand!

Cheers,

Hugh

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 04:33 am »

Hugh, Thanks for your reply. I have no experience with your amp, so I wondered what it sounded like. And , as with all products, none are perfect, so I asked what owners thought might be any negatives. You brought up a good point, about people not hearing your products. Ever thought about putting an assembled AKSA 100 out on a World Home Audition Tour for Audio Circle members ? Other company's have undertaken such a task, and it has worked out well for all. Just a thought...thanks again for your reply !!

JohnR · « **Reply #7 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 05:24 am »

Have any *kit* manufacturers done such a thing? The thing about DIY is that there's a lot more to it than just the final product. OK, so maybe that makes people who build an amp more positively biased than those who merely buy one, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone dissatisfied with the results of building an AKSA

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 05:45 am »

JohnR, Kinda hard to send a kit around to everybody

...but a finished amp to check out....that sounds right. And , when and if they purchase one , they can have the pleasure of building it. Yes.....

JohnR · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 05:46 am »

Who would pay for the shipping from Australia to the US, and back again?

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 05:49 am »

I would. Its only money. And money buys knowledge. And a lot of other things too

.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 05:59 am »

Quote from: lonewolfny42

I would. Its only money. And money buys knowledge. And a lot of other things too .

In fact...I'll tell you what...If Hugh wants to provide an ASKA 100 built for a AC tour audition, I'll pay the shipping back and forth.You have it in writing right here on AC. I'm serious on this. Just let me know.

JohnR · « **Reply #12 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 06:00 am »

Pity I already converted my 55s to 240V otherwise I might be prepared to send one on tour.

Maybe next time you travel you can see if there's someone where you're going that has one.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 06:09 am »

Quote from: JohnR

Pity I already converted my 55s to 240V otherwise I might be prepared to send one on tour.

Maybe next time you travel you can see if there's someone where you're going that has one.

Your's is not a AKSA 100.

(Travel, who's got time for that...I'm too busy working....that's how I have money

).

JohnR · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 06:15 am »

Building an amp takes time too, dude.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 06:32 am »

Whats this "dude" stuff

........Most likely I could not build it. I would pay someone to build it, for me. I know my limitations. If an amp were to be sent on a tour, others could get an idea of how it sounds in their system, and would either purchase one or pass on it. My main point is how it might sound in my system. Over the last month , I've purchased two pairs of speakers, a DAC, cables, and an amp. Because I want to know how it sounds in my system. I thought a home audition would be good for any and all AC members that might have an interest in this amp. And like I said, I'm willing to cover shipping costs to and fro.

AKSA · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 10:48 am »

Lonewolf,

I will think hard on this. It's a good idea. If you pay shipping, I'll send one to you, and when you've finished you can pass it on to Paul Kaplan, my NYC good friend, who might then be the home base for the US.

Paul, you there, would you be willing to be coord?

Cheers,

Hugh

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #17 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 02:27 pm »

Quote from: AKSA

Lonewolf,

I will think hard on this. It's a good idea. If you pay shipping, I'll send one to you, and when you've finished you can pass it on to Paul Kaplan, my NYC good friend, who might then be the home base for the US.

Paul, you there, would you be willing to be coord?

Cheers,

Hugh

Ok, think hard. The shipping offer is open ended, an written in stone

. It's really up to you.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #18 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 02:29 pm »

Quote from: AKSA

Lonewolf,

I will think hard on this. It's a good idea. If you pay shipping, I'll send one to you, and when you've finished you can pass it on to Paul Kaplan, my NYC good friend, who might then be the home base for the US.

Paul, you there, would you be willing to be coord?

Cheers,

Hugh

Ok, think hard. The shipping offer is open ended, an written in stone

. It's really up to you.

Carlman · « **Reply #19 on:** 24 Jan 2004, 02:39 pm »

Lonewolf,
I have the AKSA 100w/nirvana and have never thought about replacing it. I have also heard YOUR Scott Nixon monoblocks at its previous owner's home. I can tell you that the sonic signature is very similar to the SN however, with a lot more headroom, better bass, more oomph all the way around...

The AKSA is very detailed and neutral. I have compared it to about 6 (or so) different amps and I always like mine better. It gets the music right. If you're looking for an amp under 1500, I don't think you'll find better new or used than the AKSA 100 N... or the new "100N+" that is coming out soon.... I hope...

I would offer to ship mine to NYC but, then I'd have no amp at all.. and how would I break in those Europas?

What are the amps you have now NOT doing for you?

-Carl