My Gainclone Experiment

I am going dual mono, over three boxes too!
One for each psu and one for both amps.

Now to decide which colour LED to use...

 

Dev,

Some tidy work there sir, nice job Mate

 

Thanks Tony.

Dom, I hear purple is the new blue. I couldn't bring myself to drill holes in the front faceplate, deciding instead not to bother with the LEDs.

At least a couple of guys suggested using 2 or even 3 (after seeing Ian's 47 Labs system) small boxes but couldn't find the boxes I liked.

For future, if I get the itch again, I'd like to put in another pair of amps for biamping or bridging.

 

Lo Dev,

I see you went with Peter's rather nice Audiosector kit.

I built a few of these not long back but decided to do Peters 'Patek SE' implementation which uses Blackgates and scraps one of the capacitors on the amp PCB for even lower component count.



I tried hard to like it but I think the problem was it couldn't driver the ATC drivers I'm using at all well. I even tried SMPS from nuuk here in the UK but still dissappointment:



After that I thought I'd give the LM4870 a go but never actually got around to trying it out because I'd found something in the meantime.



How are you finding them and what are you driving?

 

Hi ShinOBIWAN,

I did order the kit from Audiosector.com. I obviously chose a different one to yours.

I quite like the new amp. I am using them with Tannoy SRM10B monitors. Compared to my previous valve amp, it is much more detailed. I can hear notes that I could not before. The source is a Sony Walkman CDP feeding an Entech DAC. Normally it's the Terratec card in my PC feeding the Entech DAC via optical cable, but since I went with Ubuntu Linux my soundcard doesn't work.

As I mentioned above my only complaint is the pops and crackle I hear from time to time. I used to think it was my old amp, but considering that I hear them with the new amp as well, I think it's most likely to be the source or even mains interference. I have a refridgerator, a PC and other kit well within a couple of meters.

 

Yep I had the same problem wth the GC's when I had them rigged up to the EMU1820m sound interface from the PC. I used a couple of tiny Blackgate NX type caps across the signal input and signal ground for each channel. Problem disappeared.

Sounds like your Tannoys are much better match for the GC's. Judging by the 6moons review these amps really like efficient and easy to drive loads. A friend has the same modules as I posted above on the end of some Wilson Discoveries and they sound really quite marvellous, I never heard that same magic from them unfortunately.

Glad you like them and they really are a bit of a no brainer for the asking price. If you fancy an upgrade then look into swapping the coupling caps to Blackgate 100uf N Types and also get a couple of 1000uf Blackgate standards for the power supply. Alternatively look into a high capacity reservoir and snubber which can do wonders for the bass.

Vikash, who is a member on here, lent me an LM3886 with the snubber PS and it was possibly better than the LM3875 with all the blackgate bells and whilstles. So I don't think you've really heard all the GC has to offer yet.

 

What value were the caps?

 

These ones:

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=61_68_86_94&products_id=484

 

Low impedance loads are definitely a no-no. Kimura of 47 Labs never recommends his amps for speakers with curves which drop below 4 ohms. ATC drivers certainly need far more welly than a GC is designed to produce. Tannoys are an ideal match.

-- Ian

 

A neat job with those loading resistors ShinObiwan!

 

Someone twisted my arm and I upgraded the Gainclone today.

 

Excellent ......and?

 

It's not as good as the Rogue .

It drives the D700s OK. Previously I'd tried it with my TVC and only heard mains hum. As discussed, the mains hum was most likely due to the earthing issue. Today I connected in through an Alps pot (sold the TVC) and it sounded OK.

 

Probably just a little small for the D700s.
What gainclone chip is it?
I know the PSU rails are low.

I thought it was very good though and should be even better now that it has a real PSU

Dont fret over the TVC
Always though they were overrated - I can say that now its done
Decent pot or stepped attenuator should always be better assuming good load matching at either end.

 

I really liked the TVC. I felt it did a "decent" job, without any worries on reliability front (nothing to go wrong really). I remember holding a bake off a few years ago and putting the TVC against a DACT and Glasshouse (Vishay resistor ladder?) volume controls and the TVC was easily the best. The DACT was second.

I wonder how Paul (flapland) is getting on with it.

The Gainclone should be good enough for the new speakers, when I do eventually finish them. To be honest my heart is no longer in HiFi due to recent events, just don't know what to do . I'd just like to sell it all and keep one small system.

 

one small system

In the smaller listening room I'd:

- Keep that Glasshouse stepped attenuator.
- Max out the Gainclone power amp.
- Keep the Meridian dac
- Stream via AE or ATV and whichever music software you prefer.
- Move the SRM10s into the room on Heybrook HB1 stands
- Buy a nice Planar 3/DL110
- All of the above electronics in a nice dark wood cabinet.

Sit back and enjoy.

 

I agree with all of your recommendations (and what I was thinking) except the speakers. My daughter wants to keep the SRM10B where they are. So if CPAs don't work perhaps HPDs?