Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review

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Niteshade

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nunhgrader

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Re: Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review
« Reply #1 on: 12 Oct 2010, 03:26 pm »
Great review - congrats!

Niteshade

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Re: Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review
« Reply #2 on: 12 Oct 2010, 11:17 pm »


This is a photo of the base model SS-500. Color shown is Durango Copper. I noticed they loaded the wrong photo.

Other options include wood sides, a wood wrap or the complete wood enclosure as shown.

HT cOz

Re: Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review
« Reply #3 on: 13 Oct 2010, 01:12 pm »
Awesome review!  Can you describe how your custom power supply improved the sound?

Niteshade

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Re: Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review
« Reply #4 on: 13 Oct 2010, 01:44 pm »
Class D amplifiers like allot of on-demand current and they do not like voltage sags. The power supply consists of two high current parallel rectifiers. Together, they are rated for 50 amps. That's more current than will ever flow through them, but there's more to it: Diode junctions have resistance. At low voltages, there is a significant drop across these junctions. When in parallel, resistance is dropped in half. That means the amplifier gets a stable voltage and current source. 

The power supply is point to point wired using short runs to further reduce resistance. Lines containing AC are on the opposite side of the chassis from the audio circuits and kept very short as well. The filtering section is just the right size, so that hey can keep up with the amp's power demands while not taking too long to recharge after transients. Filtering stages are not much use if they're too big or small. It's always better to err on the side of too big, but it is completely unnecessary. I like the power supply to be fast and well regulated.

JLM

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Re: Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review
« Reply #5 on: 13 Oct 2010, 05:30 pm »
Good job Blair!

Curious (but glad) as to why you shipped them the digital, not a tube amp.

I wish the reviewer had elaborated more on how the AVA amp (from another Audio Circle member) compared sound wise as they are similar in price and wattage.  From reading both reviews it seems that the Audio by Van Alstine Insight 240 leans warmer and this amp may run cooler (which I'd guess could go better with tubes and higher grade components).

And the reviewer sure likes those Fritz Carbon 7's.  I heard them at the 2010 AKFest and they were quite impressive.  With the Korato amp they easily filled the room and sounded great.  (Don't expect more of a review from a show setting from me.)

Niteshade

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Re: Niteshade SS-500 Stereo Mojo Review
« Reply #6 on: 14 Oct 2010, 10:49 am »
The SS-500 seemed like a good ice breaker to me. More gear will follow and it's going to be all tube based.

I think people say it sounds cool because the highs are so extended. (Extended meaning not rolled off.) The effect can shadow mid-range frequencies. As the same time, there is nothing strident about the high frequencies. It is a unique listening experience. The amount of detail it provides along with ungodly speed makes it ideal for busy music and movies. I also find the space it provides around everything to be captivating.

The Carbon 7's sound like a very good speaker.