and who are you to tell me what to do ? Of course, do as you will. Sit here and troll all day long, and be seen for that. he is not one of the moderators or representatives, spokesmen, or managers of Audiogon I have confirmed this directly. That’s’ literally the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read on here. I’ve never claimed otherwise. I do claim to know how adults of good character behave, and am pointing the way. Those who act like petulant children will be seen as such. The floor is yours to show yourselves to be either. |
leave this thread alone.
and who are you to tell me what to do ? amazing how many keyboard warriors there are out there. |
erik_squires"Feel free to start another thread where you enumerate the causes, and leave this thread alone."
Just so everyone who doesn't understand this group perhaps newcomers can understand you do not need Erik's permission to start a thread or to post in this one he is not one of the moderators or representatives, spokesmen, or managers of Audiogon I have confirmed this directly. |
You bring this on yourself.....and maybe one day you will realize this. Feel free to start another thread where you enumerate the causes, and leave this thread alone. |
I’m sorry, I think you’ve missed a lot of my threads which were pro something, which then the trolls jumped into.
Please don’t blame me for threads the trolls have had to ruin.
Even in this thread, I say "Hey, I saw a cool kit" and some one had to come in and throw shade. I won’t be responsible for the trolls in the peanut gallery who have to find something wrong with it. Trolls are going to troll, but please don’t blame me for their acts.
You bring this on yourself.....and maybe one day you will realize this. |
this is the first discussion i see from erik without negativity. I’m sorry, I think you’ve missed a lot of my threads which were pro something, which then the trolls jumped into. Please don’t blame me for threads the trolls have had to ruin. Even in this thread, I say "Hey, I saw a cool kit" and some one had to come in and throw shade. I won’t be responsible for the trolls in the peanut gallery who have to find something wrong with it. Trolls are going to troll, but please don’t blame me for their acts. |
I've also heard great reports on the Elekit tube integrated amp kits.
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this is the first discussion i see from erik without negativity.
give him a break guys maybe he is tired of arguing.
ide love to buy a used assembled kit .in the world of guitar amps there are good examples of kits by mojotone that you can buy assembled already .i only want to worry about swapping tubes not soldering i'm spoiled and couldn't be bothered it's easy to screw up if you are not experienced in such things and professionals will do a better job.
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The power supplies are external and easily swapped. However if you want to try alternative resistors, caps, and internal wire, de-soldering the original pieces from the PCB is a PITA. Consider researching substitutes for the initial build. The schematics identify the necessary values. I used Welwyn RC55Y resistors in the 1/4W positions(excellent at @$2), an Audio Note Kaisei electrolytic in the large coupling cap position(in parallel with the largest film cap that would fit across the top of the Kaisei), a 4.7uf ClarityCap film cap in place of the small electrolytic at input of signal path, and Panasonic FM or FC electrolytics in the power filtering positions. The point-to-point wiring can be whatever you like.
No, I have not heard the amp equipped with stock piece parts.
These mods add a few hundred bucks to the build.
BTW, these amps have relatively low gain. A preamp with gain may be appropriate when matched with less sensitive speakers. |
@lak
Ignore the upgrade discussions then. Make your build, and then see if you feel like tweaking. For instance, the question of the power supply is something you can experiment later. Is the switched mode supply really worse than linear?
Well, in a year you can build a linear power supply and find out. The neat thing about kits like this is that they are yours. Not just you brought them home from the store, but you put it all together and you can take it apart and change things around.
Nothing on earth gives you this level of first hand experience, far better than merely reading.
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I'm in agreement, for someone that has not built electronic equipment before (myself included), the Kit looks like a lot of fun.
I tend to get confused when people with experience begin talking about upgrades that will increase the level of the builds. I'm in favor of the upgrades but my inexperience makes the upgrades look confusing because I no longer have the step by step directions to follow with the exact parts I need.
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@dutchydog It develops around 16wpc when wired as a bridged or balanced monoblock.
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two things one I've already own a pass lab amp and the second one is 8 watts you would be severely limited to the speakers that you can hook up to it sorry to be such a drag
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Erik,
Your magnanimous gesture of encouragement has not gone unnoticed by we audio serfs.
Perhaps you need to understand that you share the same spot in the audio food chain as everyone else on this site. |
when Erik first joined this site , he was real big on pushing the diy speaker build and putting pillows between the speakers . it also seemed that he always had an answer for everything.
after a while I thought maybe it’s just me as I was growing tired of him and his threads as it seemed he was just trying to stir the pot on here......but with the recent pass labs amp thread and now this one, he obviously has nothing better to do.
have seen it many times where a member will wear out his welcome here and threads will get ignored and that member will eventually go away...... |
@mrdecibel exactly. @erik_squires why do you start this thread? Need attention? Your approach is not appropiate.
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@audioman58
Wow....that’s a heavyweight mod!
There are some mods recommended for the ACA on DIYaudio that I’ve considered. It’s nice to know there are some DIY people on here. |
Teradak also makes some nice once’s with RCore trannys. Look on eBay! |
Nice kit I built the bigger 25 watt class A - F6 you can mods them before you build I put dual dual piltron transformers or a bigger single,
you can put Vishay naked resistors, in any area 1/2 watt or less which adds
nice resolution use only 1% resistors ,and Top Belleson regulators , Neotech -0 Crystal copper Teflon wire , for sure buy a Furutech Copper IEC input ,
night and day better sounding then cheap stock tinned input
and use the New top synergistic Research Orange fuse
use good caps , brand name poly coupling caps , and electro Lytics
Swiss Elna, Nichicon gold power caps. That’s if you want to squeeze the most fidelity out of it . Max it out while you are building it t may cost a few hundred more but you will thank yourself later !! |
@auxinput I’ve had good results with the Chinese Zerozone LPS in other applications. It’s a modest gambit to order two and compare to the Meanwell SMPS. I’ll make that comparison and report back.
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@erik_squires .....I will no longer give my time to you, or your threads....As I do not feel most of them are " worthwhile ", and you are, well, you can guess what I am thinking...............Happy ? Enjoy ! MrD. |
@mrdecibel
How I spend my time each day, whether or not I'm listening to music right now is zero of your business. Z-E-R-O.
I suggest if you'd like to see audiogon go another way you contribute your own worthwhile threads.
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@jl35 Nelson conceived this as an entry-level kit.. The associated blog reveals that most problems result from bad solder joints. Most problems are remediated by re-flowing the joints. I suggest that you use a magnifier lamp or loupe and solder each joint on both sides of the PCB. The kit has a low parts count and good videos for guidance..
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@erik_squires , I do not need a response to my apology, but, you create more threads than anyone else here on the "Gon, which is " time ". I mentioned before to you, when do you take time to listen to music ? I " take " at least an hour a day. Enjoy ! MrD. |
Excellent kit!
I have been using one ACA (stereo) with a pair of custom designed wide band speakers with wonderful success. I’m thinking of building a dual mono pair for another system.
I have been using the supplied Mean Well power supply, but have some interest in a linear design. As mentioned above, if it’s good enough for Mr. Pass, it’s good for me, so I’m thrilled with the sound.
What speakers are you using with the ACA? I’ve been listening to a lot of high efficiency/sensitivity speakers and would love to get your recommendations. |
@erik_squires then why start this thread ? There’s a reason I didn’t respond to your apology, and here it is. I won’t be policed by you or anyone else. I started this thread because it looked fun and I like sharing fun projects. I especially like to encourage people to DIY things so more Audiophiles will have first hand knowledge. I can’t believe I have to explain that. Nor do I need to justify to anyone that I have my hands full with non-electron bearing projects, but I still really really like this project kit idea. I can do both. I can want stuff I can't have right now. |
I was just making a joke on the SMPS. I would build a LPS for this amp also plus use upgraded caps, resistors and wiring as @dgarretson has done. What a gift to DIYers from Mr. Pass. |
OH, also, have I mentioned to you guys about the six monoblock amps I have in the apartment gathering dust, in addition to the stereo amp I'm listening to right now?
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I have to say, they do have a point, Eric.
Bob |
Can an inexperienced solderer build one ? |
@erik_squires It takes around 8 hrs. to build two of ’em-- not much of an investment of time. BTW, for me an illuminated magnifier is essential for proper soldering.
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the time you spend on threads, you could build an amp, then report back... |
@erik_squires then why start this thread ? |
@erik_squires time should not be an issue, as you can build it at your own pace. Really can't have one more project taking up another piece of furniture for six months! :) No, this is one more project I simply can't start. :) |
@erik_squires time should not be an issue, as you can build it at your own pace. But energy.....yes, I understand that very well. At 65, my soldering skills ( eyesight, steady hands, and patience ), are not what they once were. Very different than applying Dynamat around horns and equipment chassis’s, as I still often do, for myself, and clients. I do agree with the above posters, as it is worthwhile to do, " if you can "..... |
I built a stock stereo unit, (except for the wiring)
from the very first pre-order batch. What a fun build and this thing really sounds GREAT...within it's power limitations.
I tried quite a few different speakers with it and you do indeed need to match carefully, but WOW, the ACA is pretty killer with the right speakers.
HIGHLY recommended for the fun of building it and a +1 for the sound! |
I built a pair of the current 2.0 version for a bedroom system, substituting Audio Note electrolytic and ClarityCap film coupling caps, Welwyn resistors, and silver wiring throughout. It's an easy build and a sweet-sounding and resolving amp. Apart from its power limitation, it acquits itself honorably relative to the XA-160.8 monoblocks in my main system.
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@erik_squires , as an individual who has not found Pass to be your cup of tea, I believe this ACA kit will change your mind << sigh >> I can't tell you guys how sad I am that I actually don't have the time and energy to try this kit. |
@grannyring that is true, but we all know what an over designed power supply can do for the sq of an amp ( any product, actually ). @erik_squires , as an individual who has not found Pass to be your cup of tea, I believe this ACA kit will change your mind, at least understand, what Nelson is all about. I say go for it. I am also, apologizing to you, for my recent negativity I have shown you. Your threads are always interesting, and the " meter " one, is hilarious. Always, Enjoy ! MrD. |
I think it was meant to bring the cost of the kit down to enable more people to experiment with the First Watt type circuit. The power supply in an amp is a significant part of the cost and increases the size of the chassis. In fact, I think the power supply is at least 50% of how good an amp really is.
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Well if the Mean Well SMPS is good enough for Nelson Pass, then perhaps it’s good enough for us 🧐 |
First order of business after you complete it, linear power supply:
I knew someone else would immediately comment on the supply so I left it out of my description. :-) |
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