View allAll Photos Tagged preamp
My audio gear from back in the day (about 2001.) Marantz: 3650 preamp, 300DC amplifier, 2130 tuner, 7700 reel-to-reel, 6300 turntable, and 5030B casette deck.
The tuner was connected to a 14-element FM antenna, on a rotor, up on a 50 foot tower. Out on the plains where we live, that buys you a lot of square miles of reception. Within which there were (and still are) exactly two decent FM stations!
Non-Marantz: VHS deck, DVD player, Zenith TV, and Sony Playstation.
This was set up with a 12" passive sub and Linnaem surrounds.
Found this image noodling around in old, saved image directories. I think this was taken with my old E20 digital. Cameras have improved so much!
DIY phono preamp with Tungsram tubes
6x4 rectifier, ECC85 (1962), ECC85 (1957) and MM electrolytic capacitors (1968)
1976
The state of the art preamp from the Sansui "Definition Series" CA-3000. Massive construction and selected components made this unit to legend. It sounds superb until today.
I'm so happy to got this dream amp in a good condition
-
Dieser State of the Art Vorverstärker CA-3000 war das Topmodell aus der Sansui "Definition Serie"
Der professionelle Aufbau mit selektierten Elementen und die massive Haptik hat den Vorverstärker zur Legende gemacht.
Der Verstärker ist in sehr gutem technischen und optischen Zustand - und so klingt er auch.
Mit viel Glück konnte ich mir diesen Traum erfüllen.
MC2015 was launched from 1970 to 1975 with 105 wpc so it's a good competitor to the SU-V8, of course, the tonal quality also relies on the preamp, therefore pairing with C26 or C28 would be appropriate in terms of manufacturer and same year of production.
I sent this combo for clean up the dials and switches after 6 months of enjoyment to fix the weak left channel on both the pre and power amps. Glad that nothing wrong with the caps and other electrical parts so they are in original components and specs.
Listened for about 2 months after brought back from an audio shop, until today when I finished the "A/B test" I know what are different to the 100-watt Japanese amps I owned. For sound characters, if only compare to my Technics and Sony, this Mcintosh combo produces richer, softer tones at all ranges, no harsh in highs while the bass is less solid than the SU-V8*, or I would quote some others' comments of this combo - "produce tube-like sounds", lively and warm in other words I can use. If the Sony is a 2D video player, this combo plays 3D.
Mated with the SL6si, the soundstage presentation was gorgeous. Even without today's test, I found that the C26+MC2105 made my SL6si sounds like having a pair of 8" woofers, especially low-frequency bass in the background. I knew every Celestion SL series speaker owners already mentioned higher power amp will definitely improve the sound from the SLs, among these 100-watt amps, only Mcintosh with 2 soft-drink-can-sized capacitors can do the job right no matter with jazz, classical, or pop music.
Background noise may be the only concern for some owners, a good setting could make it subtle.
*Note: Comparison base on SL6si and 2600 speakers. Different speakers with larger low-frequency drivers and 1-way, 3-way or 4-way speakers will be different.
Canon EOS 50D, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens @ f/16, ISO 400, six seconds exposure using full manual, tripod. Cropped and white balanced using Aperture 3.
This is our home theater core; a Marantz AV7005, which is a preamp / processor unit, and nine MA700 monoblock amplifiers configured for 2,000 watts RMS.
The AV7005 is a current (as of the end of 2011) model; the MA700's are a generation back, but still work with the AV7005's remote control system (D-Bus.)
I've set it all up as a 7.1 system with center, fronts, surrounds and backs at 8 ohms and 200 watts RMS each, while the sub is a pair of series-parallel units presenting eight ohms, with a bridged pair of MA700s dedicated to them capable of 600 watts RMS.
—
I wasn't actually ready to go and do this, but our Denon receiver in the library was "gifted" with some cat vomit through the top cooling vents; I didn't know it had happened, because the back of the receiver was through-wall and in a closet. So the Denon just kept on working until eventually, the acid in the vomit actually ate through some of the Denon's wiring. Nice, eh? Silly cat. So the Denon went downstairs into my shop, where it will likely sit until the weather warms up (our basement is cold! [finally got around to fixing it, March of 2013]), my Sony receiver moved from the theater to the library, and I picked up the Marantz gear to serve in the theater. I can't say I'm depressed over the upgrade, but this wasn't exactly how I thought it would come about. :)
AV7005
----------
The AV7005 is an 9.1 / 7.1 / 5.1 / stereo preamp-processor. It offers USB, XPort, six HDMI inputs, two HDMI outputs, four component inputs, two component outputs, five composite inputs, three composite outputs, two coaxial audio inputs, two optical audio inputs, an optical audio output for recording, a 7.1 channel "aux" input, AM, FM, HD/AM and HD/FM, Internet radio, Pandora client, upnp/DLNA media client, Rhapsody client, iPod/iPad client, Sirius satellite radio client, Apple Airplay client, USB media client, balanced and unbalanced outputs, D-Bus remote control, RS-232 remote control for automation, and 12v trigger in and out for things like screen drop/retract automation, dual front panel displays (one may be hidden), and an illuminated learning remote. It pulls about 60 watts maximum, or 0.2 watts on standby, with a linear power supply that eliminates RFI problems associated with switchers. It uses a wired Ethernet connection for its network functions, may be configured for DHCP or static network connections, and can be remote controlled from a web page provided by an on-board web server, or via a telnet connection if you want to handle things programatically. Both full-page and iPod sized web control systems are provided. It can drive two video zones and three audio zones. It features Audyssey room measurement and compensation, along with by-mode and by-input channel level, tone and equalization. It also has a built-in high end headphone amp (very useful on a unit that has no main amplifiers.) DTS: [HD Master&High Res. Audio/ES/96/24/Discrete&Matrix6.1/Neo:6/Express] Dolby: [True HD/Digital Plus&EX/Pro Logic IIz, IIx, II/Virtual Speaker/Headphone] SACD decode. 192 KHz / 24-bit D/A and A/D conversion. Freq. Response 10 Hz-100 KHz +1/-3 dB. FM mono, 78 dB s/n. FM stereo, 68 dB s/n. HD radio (AM or FM) 85 dB s/n. Component video response, 5 Hz-60 MHz, +0/-3 dB. 22 lbs. Marantz provides a 3-year warranty for the unit to the original purchaser. An optional add-on, the RX101, allows the AV7005 to serve as a bluetooth client. System firmware upgrades are done via Ethernet, and take about five minutes on my 30 Mb/sec connection.
MA700
---------
200 watts RMS into 8 ohms, 300 watts RMS into 4 ohms, or 600 watts RMS, bridged pair, into 8 ohms. Maximum .02% THD at full rated power, or less. Similar amplifier topology to the Marantz 15 amplifier designed by Sid Smith, except the MA700 adds a JFET differential pair cascoded with bipolar devices. D-Bus remote control; THX reference gain setting, THX certified. Unbalanced inputs, binding post outputs. Frequency response is -0.1 dB at 10 Hz, -0.07 dB at 20 KHz, and -0.5 dB at 85 KHz, all measured at one watt. Channel separation is unmeasurable and channel power vampirism is zero (monoblocks FTW), noise is 110 dB down. Absolute noise floor with input shorted is in the 5-75 uV range up to 200 KHz, except between 10 Hz and 40 Hz, where it is in the 420 nV-4uV range. Outputs are triple-parallel bipolar power devices. Power supply is classical linear, so no RFI issues. Protection is smart, with the amp choosing between protection options that include a lower voltage output winding on the power transformer, muting, speaker disconnection, or AC disconnection, depending on the problem type. Sensors monitor DC levels in the signal path, output voltage, and amplifier temperature. D-Bus remote start incorporates a 100 ms delay before passing the signal on, resulting in time-sequenced power up of multiple amplifiers and consequent lower peak source current draw. Standby (red), operate (green), settling (flashing green) LED indicators and hard power switch on front panel.
Configuring two MA700's as a bridged pair is easy: Using the provided switch, set one as master, the other as slave; plug the master's inverted audio output into the slave's normal audio input; jumper the (-) speaker terminals together; wire the speaker (+) to the master (+) and the speaker (-) to the slave (+), plug the preamp output into the master's audio input, and you're done.
Frickelfest (I love it)
sound.westhost.com/why-diy.htm
Why DIY?
Contrary to popular belief, the main reason for DIY is not (or should not be) about saving money. While this is possible in many cases (and especially against 'top of the line' commercial products), there are other, far better reasons to do it yourself.
The main one is knowledge, new skills, and the enormous feeling of satisfaction that comes from building your own equipment. This is worth far more than money. For younger people, the skills learned will be invaluable as you progress through life, and once started, you should continue to strive for making it yourself wherever possible.
Each and every new skill you learn enables the learning processes to be 'exercised', making it easier to learn other new things that come your way.
Alvin Toffler (the author of Future Shock) wrote:- "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."
This is pretty much an absolute these days, and we hear stories every day about perfectly good people who simply cannot get a new job after having been 'retrenched' (or whatever stupid term the 'human resources' people come up with next). As an aside, I object to being considered a 'resource' for the corporate cretins to use, abuse and dispose of as they see fit.
The skills you learn building an electronics project (especially audio) extend far beyond soldering a few components into a printed circuit board. You must source the components, working your way through a minefield of technical data to figure out if the part you think is right is actually right. Understanding the components is a key requirement for understanding electronics.
You will probably need to brush up on your maths - all analogue electronics requires mathematics if you want to understand what is going on. The greater your understanding, the more you have learned in the process. These are not trivial skills, but thankfully, they usually sneak up on you. Before you realise it, you have been working with formulae that a few years ago you would have sneered at, thinking that such things are only for boffins or those really weird guys you recall from school.
Then there is the case to house everything. You will need to learn how to perform basic metalworking skills. Drilling, tapping threads, filing and finishing a case are all tasks that need to be done to complete your masterpiece. These are all skills that may just come in very handy later on.
Should you be making loudspeakers, then you will learn about acoustics. You will also learn woodworking skills, veneering, and using tools that you may never have even known existed had you not ventured into one of the most absorbing and satisfying hobbies around.
Ok, that's fine for the younger generation(s), but what about us 'oldies'? We get all the same benefits, but in some cases, it is even possible to (almost) make up for a lifetime spent in an unrewarding job. As we get older, the new skills are less likely to be used for anything but the hobby, but that does not diminish the value of those skills one iota.
However, it's not all about learning, it's also about doing. Few people these days have a job where at the end of the day they can look at something they built. Indeed, in a great many cases, one comes home at the end of the day, knowing that one was busy all day with barely time for lunch, yet would be hard pressed to be able to say exactly what was achieved. What would have happened if what you did today wasn't done? Chances are, nothing would have happened at all - whatever it was you did simply wasn't done (if you follow the rather perverse logic in that last statement ).
Where is the satisfaction in that? There isn't any - it's a job, you get paid, so are able to pay your bills, buy food and live to do the same thing tomorrow.
When you build something, there is a sense of pride, of achievement - there is something to show for it, something tangible. No, it won't make up for a job you hate (or merely dislike), but at least you have created something. Having done it once, it becomes important to do it again, to be more ambitious, to push your boundaries.
Today, a small preamp. Tomorrow, a complete state of the art 5.1 sound system that you made from raw materials, lovingly finished, and now provides enjoyment that no store-bought system ever will.
Another possible digital preamp render for 2015. Notice the HDMI input for audio signals only. This one is very basic, no extras to provide the best possible sound. ;)
The following photo Is a prototype from a group of headphone amps that I built using similar 1898-1905 Weston Electrical Instrument Company Ammeter Gauges.
This old Gauge acts as a casing & Chassis,
a simple yet transparent OTL circuit design.
This OTL preamp was constructed from odds & ends. The bits and pieces that I used for this project included a wooden cigar box that was used as the base, a gutted out vintage Oster Scientific massage device, which was used to conceal a small transformer that had the adequate secondaries I needed for this project. (4) 2.5" x 6.5" Pyrex cylinders (used in old style kerosene miners lamps) to enclose each vacuum tube. To top off the project, I used this STOTHERT & PITT LTD name plate that sits on top of the Pyrex cylinders. Next I secured the base, Pyrex cylinders and name plate with two copper aircraft turnbuckles, which holds these pieces tightly in place. This preamp also incorporates (3) stereo inputs, Line and headphone outputs, a (3) position selector switch, volume and balance controls. My OTL preamp does it's job well and provides a transparent bridge between the source and the muscle. Note of possible interest: I researched the STOTHERT & PITT LTD name plate and found out that the name plate comes from a machine that the company refers to as a pedestrian maintenance roller used on sports fields etc!.
Antique Sound Lab Wave AV20 Tube Monoblock with NOS Mullard 12AT7 and Electro Harmonix 6L6EH
JD Labs Tube Line Stage Preamp (Sun Audio circuit) with NOS Matsushita 12AU7 and premium volume knobs.
JE Labs stereo preamp dressed in Harana Audio woodwork - loktal 7F7s in the phono stage + 6F8Gs line level
actually the 4th spin of this pcb. almost no changes left for the next rev; this one has all the essentials, now.
biggest change from previous rev: the arduino (atmega 328) chip is now thruhole in skinnydip-28 format instead of smd. the smd was a little hard to solder so this time around, we're trying the old school thru-hole chip version. all else is mostly the same with the exception of the headphone amp section being put on a separate board that mounts to this base-board.
this is all the parts soldered (by hand, this time) to bring the board up the first time and test the digital section. a lot of analog parts are soldered, as well, since they were smd and you have to do the smd's first (then clean the board) before you add thruhole parts. this was also a good time to take a photo of what the board looks like, partially soldered.
What you are looking at is my Jules Verne-esque Acoustically Magnified Listening Apparatus (Headphone Amplifier) that I designed and constructed. The original inspiration came from an old gasoline pump head. This build utilized a simple OTL amplifier circuit with parts consisting of a pair of 6CG7 vacuum tubes driving a pair of 12AU7 vacuum tubes, 3A 400V bridge rectifier and a power transformer concealed inside of a gutted out antique electric motor casing. A pair of small aluminum radiator covers that conceal an array of electrolytic capacitors. The radiator covers and some of the other hardware parts including the tube shields were coated with olive oil and baked in the oven for an aged look. I needed to purchase an 8" x 10" clear glass cylinder which I could not find, so I purchased an 8" x 12" clear glass dome. I was able to cut off the top end of the dome, creating the cylinder that I needed, using a tile saw fitted with homemade jig. Next the glass cylinder got rimmed with some rubber C channel edging. I also came into possession of several 13" copper charger plates. The copper plates underwent a chemical patination process which you can clearly notice in these photos. The bottom plate acts as the chassis base and the top plate acts as a vented lid, sandwiching the glass cylinder and electronic components which are being held tightly together with 8 staggered aircraft turnbuckles. I also incorporated a miniature ceramic base on/off knife switch / fuse holder, RCA input jacks, headphone output jack with volume control, plus I used an old telephony patch cable as the AC power cord. The OTL amp circuit is simple, transparent and of impeccable design.
This was a 386 33Mhz system that I bought off of a coworker. Later I upgraded it to a 486 80Mhz! The Desk was made by Bush and was heavy as hell! I had that desk up until Oct 2013 when I moved out of my previous apartment. I had the bad feeling I wasn't going to find work anytime soon (which turned out to be correct) so I threw it out with a lot of other stuff.
Some upgraded audio components here too, a Hafler DH500 power amp and a NAD preamp. The small speakers on the desk are Celestion 3's. Later in the late 90's I gave the 3's to my brother when I picked up a pair of Celestron 5's on ebay.
myself and my DIY gear at this year's 'burning amp' audio show.
(photo from jason s. at stereophile)
link to article: www.stereophile.com/content/burning-amps-slow-burn
inside the 1U rackmount style chassis is a cirrus 8-channel volume control chip (cs3318) and 2 arduino cpu's. one arduino powers the LCDuino (that I designed along with my partner, ti kan of AMB labs) and another provides a serial interface to the cs3318 chip. the system uses an learning IR remote as well as a remote webserver via any kind of linux box (rasp pi, mini-itx, anything).
the large wooden/plastic box, below, is ti kan's beta22 3-channel headphone amp, which I built several years ago and is the best reference amp that I own. I brought along some sennheiser hd650 phones to demo the system with. the DAC is also an AMB device, the gamma-2 that uses a wolfson dac chip along with some extra interface (remote control) circuitry that I designed. an arduino inside also powers the SPDIF meter (shows the samplerate on the incoming stream, 44, 48, 88, 96, 176, 192; one led for each S.R.)
I'm honored to have been mentioned in this year's stereophile online article.
Cleanup of wiring, using the single IDC 8pin ribbon from the board to the front 'backpack' wiring expander. the rotary encoder and led display are both served over that ribbon cable.
the red round wire is for the headphone-out jack.
Approximate original CDN Pricing in early '90's
(In order top to bottom in stack)
TA-E1000ESD Preamp : $1800
ST-S550ES Tuner : $500
TC-K870ES Tape Deck : $850
DTC-75ES Digital Tape : $ 1200
TA-E80ES Preamp : $1500
CDP-X339ES CD Player : $800
TA-N80ES Power Amp : $1800
Not Shown:
CDP-C79ES : $700
CDP-X77ES : $2200
TA-F530ES : $700 w/Sides
TA-N55ES / N330ES : $800
ST-S730ES : $700
TC-K950ES : $1200
DTC-87ES : $2000
STR-V444ES : $1200
STR-GX909ES : $1500
TC-758 : Unknown
Speakers (Retail prices 2007) :
Polk LSi9 : $1400
JBL 2405H : $ 500
Aurum Cantus Ribbons : $ 400
Polk RTi4 : $ 400
PSB Image (Rear/Center): $ 700
Athena Subwoofer : $ 400
My friend’s vintage collection. Dynaco ST70 and two Dynaco PAS3 tube preamp. One is stock and the other one is upgraded.
Bits and bobs
Pictures taken during exercising my hobby (electronics) and building/disassembling amplifiers and/or upgrading a record player tonearm and pre-amplifier. Anyway, a text was needed, to describe this lot, and here it is (the text and the lot, enjoy the pictures :)).
1976
The state of the art preamp from the Sansui "Definition Series" CA-3000. Massive construction and selected components made this unit to legend. It sounds superb until today.
I'm so happy to got this dream amp in a good condition
-
Dieser State of the Art Vorverstärker CA-3000 war das Topmodell aus der Sansui "Definition Serie"
Der professionelle Aufbau mit selektierten Elementen und die massive Haptik hat den Vorverstärker zur Legende gemacht.
Der Verstärker ist in sehr gutem technischen und optischen Zustand - und so klingt er auch.
Mit viel Glück konnte ich mir diesen Traum erfüllen.