Melody Amps

Discussion in 'Hi-Fi and General Audio' started by Alex S, Jan 25, 2006.

  1. Alex S

    Alex S User

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    Has anyone heard any? The SP3 looks fun for under 400 quid (+ shipping).
     
    Alex S, Jan 25, 2006
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  2. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 26, 2006
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  3. Alex S

    Alex S User

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    Hi DT, I see you've got the Esound CDP - how highly do you rate that?
     
    Alex S, Jan 26, 2006
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  4. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    Well, I'm a die-hard advocate of the use of good DVD players for CD playback and usually never recommend stand-alone CD players under a certain price. IMO they very rarely offer a worthwhile improvement to justify the outlay.

    The E5 is the exception to that rule. It is the best value CD player in the world (IMO) at the moment, and can comfortably outperform cd players in the £2k-£3k area. It certainly wees over my (still very acceptable) 963SA & 900V at red book. You just have to hear the bass and rythm this thing has - WOW! :eek:

    OK, it's an ugly mother, but it is an absolute no-brainer for the money (£450). I strongly recommend you buy one now before cattylink get a UK distributor, because you'll then be looking at £850 minimum. They have a genuine 240V model now BTW.

    DT
     
    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 27, 2006
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  5. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 27, 2006
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  6. Alex S

    bottleneck talks a load of rubbish

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    thats the boy. A 300B driving an 845, and volt meters too.

    now we're talking :D
     
    bottleneck, Jan 27, 2006
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  7. Alex S

    Alex S User

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    Fantastic! I'm particularly impressed with the preamp's 'ponderancy' of 21.5Kg.

    BTW about 2K + shipping through Ornec.
     
    Alex S, Jan 27, 2006
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  8. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    Blimey - so about £2.7k including shipping & taxes! Designed & built in the UK, that pair would set you back at least £10k.

    Have to say though - the pre-amp looks like overkill with like, 8 tubes & 21kg weight, especially when compared to something like the EE minimax!

    DT
     
    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 30, 2006
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  9. Alex S

    bottleneck talks a load of rubbish

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    I like the look of the kit below. £1200 as a kit, or £1700 built up... tempting!

    http://www.bluebellaudio.com/new home.htm


    although clicking on their 'resistors' and 'capacitors' page, they do seem to stock mostly maplins-grade components, so thats probably what you would get.
     
    bottleneck, Jan 30, 2006
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  10. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    Yep, looks like very good value indeed. Are they 2A3 or 300B's next to the transformers? Given the voltages involved, is this something you'd want to build yourself?

    Re component quality - I'm sure he'd be willing to use premium diodes/caps/wiring if a buyer requested it?

    DT
     
    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 30, 2006
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  11. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 30, 2006
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  12. Alex S

    bottleneck talks a load of rubbish

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    yes, I saw those. I believe he is saying its based on the western electric c91 which is I believe supposed to be a bit of a classic. I wouldnt know though. The price looks great though.

    It appears that the 211 amp is being driven by a 300B, which would be a great choice for its linearity and power. It would be a great kit to buy built up and then slowly replace with premium components as the wallet allowed.

    My next power amp will probably be a 211 based push/pull kit with nice premium parts. Should be a bit of a beast. ETA autumn 2006.
     
    bottleneck, Jan 30, 2006
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  13. Alex S

    Dynamic Turtle The Bydo Destroyer

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    211 PP? With big horns? Sounds a bit like overkill to me - wouldn't single-ended be better? Lower distortion & lower cost (only one 211 per channel to feed?)

    I'm waiting on some ming-da 300B PP's. ETA late Feb :(

    DT
     
    Dynamic Turtle, Jan 31, 2006
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  14. Alex S

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    The preamp of huge ponderancy was only 500 quid's worth! Rather alarmingly, the Ornec site seems to have vapourised. . .
     
    Alex S, Jan 31, 2006
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  15. Alex S

    bottleneck talks a load of rubbish

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    Its an interesting point really. When you look at what Americans use to drive big Altec and JBL horn systems with, its invariably got over 50w per channel, often 150+.

    At the moment I use an 80w power amp with them, which uses 6550 in push pull for the first 30w or so, and then is solid state for the following 50w.

    I'd personally use a 300b SET or a 211 SET if the horns didn't have a traditional paper cone for the bass, and were pure horns. I could make the speaker audibly clip with my previous 8-9w 300b SET amp.

    I doubt a 211 SET amp would clip in such an audible way, but I'd bet it would 'thicken' as it used the majority of its power reserve.

    In short I've discovered that more powerful push pull amps distort less with the speakers, and generally I prefer the sound.

    Its worth remembering that I like to listen at realistic volume levels, even at the other side of the house..
     
    bottleneck, Jan 31, 2006
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