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I too have been a fan of NOS and R2R topologies. My last 3 dacs have been this and my current Lampizator Atlantic Plus dac with the upgraded clocks is really something special IMO.
 
Lampi does nice things! I think he goes back to the heydays of CD player modding and took what he learned there to create new things,
I'm growing more fond of the adagio by the minute, effortless dynamics without compression are NICE (especially at 105dB/W)!
 
Lampi does nice things! I think he goes back to the heydays of CD player modding and took what he learned there to create new things,
I'm growing more fond of the adagio by the minute, effortless dynamics without compression are NICE (especially at 105dB/W)!
That’s the beauty of horns and OB speakers in general. Everything is just there with you in the room and no box to hold it all back.
 
the next few days will be our mini audio fest, planning to do a comparison with the original Bionor filter and midrange/tweeter horn , playing with a freaked out active (tube) filter and going crazy testing more bypass capacitors....O and perhas a beer, or two, three.
 
since we got to eat too I did some shopping...perhaps we can electrocute it to medium rare?


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ASR probably means they measure all flavor components to avoid any subjectivity ;-)
Not my scene at all ;-)
 
It's absolutely ridiculous hot, yet the amps keep putting out heat...
couple of tube amps and an active filter so we can test various mid range/tweeters :)
First day was pretty informative, started using a new tweeter and ended up with sonical bliss in the early hours of today.

Today the original Bionor filter and midrange will be compared with the Trionor setup.
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the verdict so far is that the original Bionor filter and mid/high horn is best, the fullrange plus supertweeter approach comes close behind..

second thought, the tweeter plus fullrange speakers is best...
 
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So we ran quite afew comparisons, in depth...using three amps and active and passive filtering.
A Decca Kelly ribbon, Stentorian, JBL 075, JBLxxx (forgot the nr), goto horn tweeter, Klangfilm KL302 with original filter.

final verdict is that the setup as is, with a different tweeter is best.

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after the dust created by the audio fest settled a bit I finally got around to decommission the Khozmo shunt volume regulator (using TX2575 naked z foil) and I'm baffled by the difference. The Adagio uses a clever system regulating the output volume by changing the reference voltage in the R2R ladder, I can vouch for the benefit!

Now I start wondering what difference using the Khozmo attanuator makes when it replaces the Alps motor pot the Adagio is using...using 'digital' volume control is worse than a standard potentiometer, as it affects bit depth/resolution.

 
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last PSU experiments (is there such a thing?), yet another active rectifier (capable of ridiculous burst currents)

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you win some, you lose some, after returning from vacation I wanted badly to seriously listen to some music for the first time in like 3 weeks so i tried to start the server....after half a day of trouble shooting the issue seems to be a hairline fracture in the ATX power supply, sniff....not sure how and why that now is an issue as I turned it off to save some heat during the first week of the heatwave and everything worked just fine....great to have a stereo microscope...
Guess I'll be paying Taiko a visit to see if this can be repaired/replaced.


Meanwhile I bought a Myiami Zero mono cartridge at a great price and some more mono vinyl :) , the cartridge is destined for the RCA 70A turntable but that will only be put in place once the new home is ready (4 months and counting) so I think I'll indulge using it on the L75 meanwhile.
 

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after the dust created by the audio fest settled a bit I finally got around to decommission the Khozmo shunt volume regulator (using TX2575 naked z foil) and I'm baffled by the difference. The Adagio uses a clever system regulating the output volume by changing the reference voltage in the R2R ladder, I can vouch for the benefit!

Now I start wondering what difference using the Khozmo attanuator makes when it replaces the Alps motor pot the Adagio is using...using 'digital' volume control is worse than a standard potentiometer, as it affects bit depth/resolution.


What's the music in this, super chill
 
That is a three Blind Mice recording, The Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio with 'Midnight Sugar' pretty much the most dynamic piano recording I know. TBM are famous for their stellar recording, and contrary to many 'audiophile'' labels that seem to select plastic jazz, pop etc the music is usually good too.
 
Major progress on the new tube amp, one channel is ready so we had a good listening session last evening, errr all night...sound is magical, very clear and detailed, with dynamics that never end or compress, powerful very controlled low ex that extends further than I ever heard. And all of that from approx 2.5W output out of the single tube it uses :)
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is life without any danger fun? All HT is secured, think that the biggest danger would be Mercury vapor in case the rectifier explodes.
 
on the topic of fire hazard.....we inhaled much of a transformer a few days ago....turns out a 12V AC transformer was used for a dual 12V DC PSU and I assume that was the reason for the smoke out....the fuse did not pop, the power did not switch off but the casing was too hot too handle and the transformer went up in smoke ever so gently.....so DIY is likely safer than ready bought products.
( dual 12V regulated ultra low noise PSU for the network router and switch)


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The good news is that the ATX module was not defective, but a wire in the ATX cable was....so no voltage swings etc...I ended up owning two ATX modules so a next experiment will involve both.... one for the CPU and one for the Motherboard.

The power (? is it that at 2W output) is coming together nicely.....I've never heard better dynamics and better low end extension.
 
in the never ending quest for bigger is better I had a custom transformer winder make me new chokes using an exotic core material and some special tricks he uses...needless to say they are even bigger than the Lundahl chunks of iron.

it is ridiculous how much impact on sound everyhting in this linear PSU has...
 

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in the never ending quest for bigger is better I had a custom transformer winder make me new chokes using an exotic core material and some special tricks he uses...needless to say they are even bigger than the Lundahl chunks of iron.

it is ridiculous how much impact on sound everyhting in this linear PSU has...
That doesn’t surprise me at all. Current rules for controlling drivers and bigger in this case anyway is definitely better!
 
I should by now not be surprised anymore, but we're talking about the linear PSU that feeds the Taiko ATX module which feeds the motherboard of my music server. I am hearing the same sonic fingerprint as in my new amp, that contains a huge 400H choke using the same core material by the same maker.
 
Just finished my latest home-brew speaker project. A mere shadow of Marcel's mega speakers.
These are FH3 back loaded horn designs with matched Mark Audio MAOP full range drivers. Total cost around $550. The driver cone is a single oxide crystal. Super rigid but quite delicate. Duelund internal wiring using silver solder. Baltic birch cabinet was professionally cut on a CNC router. Sits on outriggers. Still playing with the internal damping and needs another couple hundred hours for burn in but even at this early stage I'm very impressed with the frequency range. Mike Oldfields Tubular Bells (wow is it really the 50th anniversary since the release of this album in 2023, how time flies) sounds magnificent.

 
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nice! Clean build, and probably lots of fun listening whil the chassis break in!

full range is IMO the way to go, and if possible high efficiency.
if you feel up to it I'd recommend playing around by adding 'wings', for experimenting just use cardboard flaps to extend the baffle, no need to be shy (sweet spot is at about 200cm by 200cm) :angel:
 
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