[AKSA]

Ah, Bill, this is excellent news!!

You can mod tube amps and not get into too much trouble.  But SS is far more critical, the devices are far, far less linear, and you have to be VERY careful with tweaks.

Good news.....  perhaps I should start producing NAKSAs in an attractive enclosure with a volume control, huh?

Cheers,

Hugh

[Johnny]

Something like this? 

Good news.....  perhaps I should start producing NAKSAs in an attractive enclosure with a volume control, huh?

[bhobba]

Ah, Bill, this is excellent news!! You can mod tube amps and not get into too much trouble.  But SS is far more critical, the devices are far, far less linear, and you have to be VERY careful with tweaks. Good news.....  perhaps I should start producing NAKSAs in an attractive enclosure with a volume control, huh?

I wouldn't do that.  Guys fooled by that sort of stuff are not your client base.  And if you check out Mario's latest post he wants to get some of your 100W modules to replace the Teak rubbish his wife uses.  High praise from a died in the wool valve guy.  Oh and I checked on that $6K amp Mario mentioed.  It is now $12K
http://www.warco.com.au/shop/product/bakoon_products_satri_amplifiers/12

I think we can assume when Mario says it bests pretty much all other SS stuff he has heard that includes some pretty pricey stuff.  I do know however he, like me, has heard Mike Lenehan's Macintosh's and overall I judge it to be equal to the NAKSA (the NAKSA to me is slightly less fatiguing and easier to listen to but the Mac's have better grip and power - although at the volumes I listen at that power is useless - which to me makes the NAKSA the winner hands down) so that is possibly what stops him saying they beat all the SS stuff he has heard.  But then again, and I am sure Hugh agrees, once you get into this rarefied territory it comes down more to personal preferences than better in absolute terms.  We can say for 100% sure the NAKSA is up there with the best at any price but the best is far too personal a thing to say that.

Thanks
Bill

[AKSA]

Hi John,

That's pretty, thanks for showing it to us.  You've done a great job, and that volume control does make it much more versatile, something to consider.

Hi Bill,

Yes, Mario has heard 'em all.  To come even close to the Macintosh is a real coup, and I'm pleased as punch.  And while you are right, this may not be my primary market, I do need to widen the appeal.  It's important; no one goes broke selling more amps!!

Thank you again for your great kindness sharing your amp, I'm privileged.

Cheers,

Hugh

[bhobba]

Yes, Mario has heard 'em all.  To come even close to the Macintosh is a real coup, and I'm pleased as punch.  And while you are right, this may not be my primary market, I do need to widen the appeal.  It's important; no one goes broke selling more amps!!

Yep - he has heard all sorts of stuff.  I was just chatting to Mario and I thought I would have to retract the statement about the Mac's since he has not visited Mike yet.  But he has heard them elsewhere.

Yea see your point about selling more - it just makes guys like me laugh - that's all.

Thanks
Bill

[Jens]

Hi Hugh,

I for one am very proud of being the owner of an amp that is ranked on a par with some of the best amps out there - and you have even more reason to be proud of being the author of such a masterpiece 

The success of the N70 certainly bodes well for the advent of the N100, which I think a number of us are waiting for with breaths held. From what you have described so far about the N100 it will have quite a bit more grunt than the N70, which may well make a marked difference for some applications.

Keep up the good work - and enjoy the success 

Cheers,

Jens

[AKSA]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your staunch defence on SNA, I try to tell it how I see it, but your comments were entirely fair!  I feel that the strong H2 of the NAKSA (-72dB or 0.025%) is enough to make it very slightly coloured;  but perhaps my view is informed by the figures, rather than the sound, now there's an irony!!

Thanks Jens,

Flattery indeed.  I'm holding in my hand the almost finished NAKSA 100 proto pcb, soon we shall see.....  I live in hope that it measures up sonically.

Cheers,

Hugh

[Afterimage]

And is coloration always a bad thing?  I don't think so, it depends on what your goals for your system are or how you like to listen.   Colored vs the cold hard truth, doesn't matter, as long as the listener is happy with the sound.

[AKSA]

AI,

It's very hard to argue with that view;  after all, tube amps are colored and they are extremely popular amongst the cognoscenti....  the jury is out, and it all comes back to personal preference, like which violin, or which guitar, or which piano.......

Hugh

[bhobba]

It's very hard to argue with that view;  after all, tube amps are colored and they are extremely popular amongst the cognoscenti....  the jury is out, and it all comes back to personal preference, like which violin, or which guitar, or which piano.......

Exactly.  All amps are colored - its part of the reason they sound different.  The NAKSA's distortion profile being well below .1% is of the order guys like Zigfried Linkwitz claim all amplifiers need to be to basically sound the same.  I do not agree with that as I believe even at that level it adds to the character of an amp.  In the case of the NAKSA I believe its distortion profile is responsible at least in part for its clear, non fatiguing, airy, but lively sound.  Its part of what makes this amp unique.

When you said it was colored Hugh you are of course correct - I just wanted people to understand its coloration is quite low and the impact it has on the sound of the amp is of the subtle kind consistent with its actually fairly low distortion.

Thanks
Bill

[Lindsay]

Hello to all

I have had my Naksa70 up and running for about 6 weeks now and wow what a gem.
The musical qualities of this amplifier have far exceeded my expectations,not that I really knew what to expect. Buying an audio product unheard over the net is a bit of a gamble and in this case one I'm glad that I took.
Hugh has been an absolute gentleman to deal with and the transaction was a breeze.
I found the instructions comprehensive and easy to follow.
One of the first qualities of the N70 that I noticed was the ability to follow a backing vocalist and hear clearly what she was singing, I wasn't listening for this as such it just happened.
Then I noticed that every part of the music has this quality, not to mention it sounds natural and life like.
I could go on ,yet the title of this thread asks for...............

Thanks again Hugh,

Lindsay

[AKSA]

Thanks Lindsay!

Great to hear you love your NAKSA, it's a nice feeling when my little babes do the business for their new owners, thank you for posting your impressions!

Happy listening, and I hope things are back to normal after the Christchurch earthquake.

Cheers,

Hugh

[Jens]

Hi Hugh,

Just had another 'aha' experience with the NAKSA 70 today. Got home from a visit at my mother's a little while ago and fancied some music. I found a CD that I haven't played for a very long time, but which I know very well.

I flicked on the master switch (turns on the entire system), threw in the disc and sat down to work on my laptop. However, I was (and still am) seriously distracted,  because even though the entire system was started completely cold, out flowed the most detailed, full-bodied and spacious music. Frankly, I can hardly believe it's the same CD that I listened to quite a while back (in the pre-NAKSA 70 stone age  )

A huge drum, which was previously just something woolly at the back of the soundstage suddenly came alive and was almost crisp and certainly detailed, a choir which in olden days was just a porridge-like mass, now reveals a multitude of beautiful voices, and best of all, the slightly pumped-up bass that marred this recording is gone

Did I mention that soundstage depth and rendition are at an entirely different level? 

Hugh, if knighthood was available for amp designers, you would have my vote any day! My deepest respect, Sir!

Cheers,

Jens

P.S. The CD is 'Music of the Spheres' by Mike Oldfield - a classical-style orchestral work with lots of details and nice themes. Try it out!

[AKSA]

Aw, shucks Jens,

I can't get through doors, head's too big.....

Many thanks.

OTOH, I was approached by a lady in the Melbourne Audio Club last night who at the unveiling a month ago evinced great interest in buying a NAKSA.  I'd supplied one to her good friend Bill, who is ecstatic about it, and was looking forward to filling the order this week.

She commented that she'd compared it to an !@#$ brand, and found it 'not as warm'.  So she'd bought the other amp, and was no longer interested.

This points up very strongly that tastes, and particularly perception, vary enormously.  It demonstrates that regardless of how good any amp might seem (or speakers, or DVD players, or Phono), there will always be those who love it and those who don't.  Given this diversity of taste and perception, it also explains the very high cost, out of all proportion to ubiquitous digital gadgetry, for example, which does not polarise to the same degree.


Today I will be firing up my production NAKSA 100 to see how it sounds, after a major revision.  It is now quite a bit different to the NAKSA 70;  I could not achieve the same performance as the 70 in my first attempts, so we shall see what happens today!

Thanks for the post Jens, I'm absolutely delighted with your experience with the NAKSA, I'm starting my day very well!!

Cheers,

Hugh

[gaetan8888]

Hello Hugh

Very truth... and that remember me something I've read last week, I don't remember where.

They have done somes listening tests with a good number of teenagers, they ask them to listen CD music on a very good sound system, and after to listen to a mp3 music with a cheap sound system.

Most of them did like much more the sound of mp3 music with a cheap sound system.

Argggg, the next generation of teenager will gone like a music with agressive sound, no soundstage and cold like ice sound quality...

Bye

Gaetan

[AKSA]

Folks,

Brief session today with the NEW NAKSA 100.

Success at last, fourth version.   

Sincere thanks to Romeo, Omar and my Melbourne pals who come round regularly for a listen.

Happy as a pig in mud.......

Hugh

[Jens]

Congrats, Hugh!

Looking forward to hear more about the new beast 

Cheers,

Jens

Folks,

Brief session today with the NEW NAKSA 100.

Success at last, fourth version.   

Sincere thanks to Romeo, Omar and my Melbourne pals who come round regularly for a listen.

Happy as a pig in mud.......

Hugh

[bhobba]

Again congratulations Hugh.  They look fantastic. 

I know Mike has this idea for powering his ML3 reference's by mono-blocks right next to the speakers.  These mono-blocks look perfect for that.  Right now my finances are really at their limit but I can see myself getting a pair for that purpose a bit down the line.

Thanks
Bill 

[sdman]

Kudos to Hugh.
In a space of approx 30sq,in., Hugh has produced two
70W amps,power supply on one board mounted on one heat sink. A well laid out PCB that looks professionaly done, one neat package Hugh. Looks like something that
HP or Tektronix might do.
It's one stunning amp with great detail,smoothiness,musiciality and non-fatiguing after hours of listening. It's like a drink of fine wine going down slowly.
Well Hugh you have done it again,produced a great amp
by thinking outside the box,my kind of man.
You guys better better order one before  the list gets too long and Hugh runs out of energy.

Sam

PS: I gave my old Aksa to my son-in-law

[AKSA]

Gaetan,

Yes, it's very strange the way digital delivery has ruined high end.  However, my friend Steve went to the Denver RMAF last week and tells me that the market is again moving high end;  there is a resurgence of interest amongst the well heeled, and cheaper systems are losing market share.

My children, 23 and 25, are just not interested in high end sound, and rely on nanopods and the like, but I think people with good incomes are more prepared to enter the arena and to pay for it.

Jens,

Thank you for your post;  I have replied privately!

Bill,

One of the issues I faced with the NAKSA 100 was thermal management.  Moving to higher power means that cooling is more important;  and the design forces two heatsinks, not one.  This then means that power supply is a more difficult issue as well, so we need three separate pcbs.  On top of that, the topology is not exactly the same as the NAKSA 70 since the output stage requires considerably more drive.  All these issues make the design more complex but the fact is that more power always requires more complexity anyway.  Still, the entire job has been done with seven active semis, and without a servo, just two up on the NAKSA 70.  Still relatively simple, and therefore reliable and easy to make.

Sam,

Thanks for the fullsome praise.  The board design is extremely time intensive, but for you to compare it with HP and Tek stuff is a great compliment since you are highly experienced in these matters.  The great sonics are the design aim, but the implementation is also important, and where the care taken is evident.  Praise from you is very nice.  Thank you!

Cheers,

Hugh