Post by Donnie on 02/05/25 at 20:39:57
Well I've stepped off into the "Dark Side".
|
Forums
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Solid state curious https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1727060190 Message started by Donnie on 09/23/24 at 03:56:30 |
|
Title: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 09/23/24 at 03:56:30 So Steve is dangling a solid state amp in front of us now. His timing is flawless! The reason that I even bring this up is because I have been reading up on several "Higher End" integrated SS amps as of late. Pass Labs Int-60, Luxman L-509Z, Accuphase E4000 are the ones that are getting the most interest out of me currently. Yes, I currently have a Z-kit 60 that I love and play the hell out of it. But, there is so much out there that everyone carries on about, I'm curious. The biggest thing that I am looking for is enough power to power any speakers that I decide to throw in front of them and, excuse me for saying this, a remote control. I'm getting lazy in my more advanced years! Yep I'm almost 64 years old and I want the luxury of not needing to get out of my chair and walk across the room to adjust the volume up on songs I like and drop it on songs I don't like as much! So that is what I'm looking for, does anyone have any sage advice to keep me from jumping to the dark side? By the way, I'm not considering getting rid of my Torii nor my Z-Kit, I just want something else to contrast with them. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by CAJames on 09/23/24 at 10:55:09 Pre-Decware I had both Pass and Luxman amps, and IMO either would be an excellent choice if you’re #SSCurious. But Decware runs up the score on them. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Tommy Freefall on 09/23/24 at 20:38:36 Donnie, You may want to add ModWright to your list. Dan Wright has experience with tube gear, and he voices his SS amps for a similar sound. https://www.modwright.com/ Another idea is Van Alstine amps. He also has a tube backgound. https://avahifi.com/ |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Lon on 09/23/24 at 21:18:18 As a backup I have a DALAudio chip amp that actually sounds very good. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Kamran on 09/24/24 at 00:17:26 Donnie, I’m curious as well and look forward to listening at the fest. Have you considered getting a preamp with a remote control? |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Steve Deckert on 09/24/24 at 01:58:51 Right now I am testing the amplifier with no tubes in the signal path. The preamp/source is solid state. This is a worse case scenario where if you can like it, you know it's good. 'Like' is defined by spending an entire evening in discovery mode without fatigue or boredom. I am finding that when you pair it with our more efficient single-driver crossoverless stuff it becomes a bit too much of a good thing. Probably in this scenario a tube preamp would make a massive difference. When I pair it with hi-fi speakers in the high 80's / low 90's with crossovers it sounds much closer to right. For me this is easy to understand but harder to explain. It's a voicing thing inherent in transistors vs. tubes. What is interesting is that a Decware tube amp will sound fantastic on either type of speaker, and does. The solid state amp needs the filter of higher moving mass bass drivers combined with crossover losses to get deep into the musical zone. This is just an experiment to see how much of the Decware sound is the point-to-point way we build things. Would a solid state amp designed and built by us sound like it was built by us? It has no purpose other than that. It would take us the same amount of time to build something like this without a circuit board as it does our tube amps so there is no point in offering one unless it was outsourced. As for power, I already know that is not in the cards. Paralleled devices to increase power and lower impedance may kill it. The circuit we have is capable of 120 watts, however that doesn't mean it's going to sound the same at high power as it does at low power. I gradually adjusted this circuit down to 30 watts where it transformed into something pretty damn nice until it clips. My only real interest in this is to see what can happen with reasonably efficient speakers, because power hungry speakers are filters, and paralleled output devices are like stacking windows without cleaning the glass. That world is best left those who have already mastered it. Steve :) |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by bloodlemons on 09/24/24 at 19:13:53 I am curious about the new Vera-Fi Series One A40 Class A Amplifier, but I definitely do not need another amp right now. Still, it sounds like a great design (Hugh Dean-licensed), and the price is reasonable, imo. https://verafiaudiollc.com/products/series-one-a40-class-a-amplifier |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Doug on 09/25/24 at 02:51:37 Since purchasing one of the last available First Watt J2 amps from Reno HiFi nearly a year and a half ago, my 300B amp has has seen little action. The J2 sounds so good fronted by a maxed out ZROCK2 and a CSP3-25th that the 300B spends only a few days at a time in the system before the J2 demands to be put back in for months at a time. In addition to the two Decware pieces playing so well with the J2, the Lii Song Fast 15 drivers also pair up very nicely with the J2. Because the J2 was so impressive right out of the box the first week I had it, I wrote a quick note to Mark at Reno Hi Fi to let him know how much I liked it. He then forwarded my note to Nelson Pass, who then sent a short note to me. In his note, Nelson said that he always smiles when people compare his amps to single ended triode amps. He went on to explain that the comparison is fitting because the J2 amp is single ended and emphasizes 2nd order harmonics. It has very little negative feedback, and is laid out with not much in the signal path except the really great sounding SemiSouth Jfets. He also said that the J2 is his most popular First Watt amp and due to high demand he broke his own rule of a maximum production run of 100 units, and he continued to build more until his supply of SemiSouth Jfets ran low. He did keep enough Jfets on the shelf to handle any repair issues that might arise, although I'm still reading claims that no First Watt product has ever been returned for servicing. I'm probably way off base, but I'm thinking that a full blown Deckert designed solid state amp would sound very much like a First Watt J2. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by CAJames on 09/25/24 at 03:40:59 Quote:
I've heard Nelson geek out out over FETs the way some of us geek out over heritage NOS tubes. He has/had hundreds, maybe thousands of them and if there is any secret sauce in his designs beyond simple circuits with minimum feed back I think it is his selection of the right parts to maximize his design. Note also that while the First Watt designs are all fascinating they are not amps that will "power any speaker" the OP chooses to throw at them. I've posted elsewhere that before Decware I had Pass Labs single ended MOSFET monos that were the best solid state amps I'd ever heard, and with a tube preamp I thought they were pretty close to the last word in transparency and tonal liquidity. After 20something years, and trip back to the factory for overhaul, I started to think about replacing them and I strongly considered something from First Watt, but in the end I choose Decware and I'm really really happy. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Doug on 09/26/24 at 02:02:10 I wish I had one of Steve's 300B amps. Had he been four or five months earlier in announcing his 300B project, I would have been one of the first owners of one. Unfortunately, the 300B itch was more than I could tolerate and I broke down and ordered a Cary 300B integrated, having been without a 300B amp for several years. It's a very fine amplifier, and one of my all time favorites, but I still wish I had a Decware 300B. I am convinced that a Decware amp would be a perfect fit in my system today. We'll see what the future holds. Back to the topic of this thread, I've had my First Watt J2 for seventeen months now but never talked about it here. Seeing that this "Solid State Curious" thread popped up, I thought it would be ok to say a little about my experience with it. To my ears, the J2 is a tremendously musical amp that sounds very much like a well designed SET power amp, and the fact that it is driven so well by the 30-volt-output-capable CSP3 makes me a very happy listener. Those that are SS curious, and already own a Decware preamp, can't go too far wrong with a J2. Prices seem to be fairly steady in the $3,000 range, plus or minus a few hundred dollars, and they do sell quickly. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 11/02/24 at 03:56:19 Has anyone had any experience/listened to amplifiers made by Angela-Gilbert Yeung? They were the brain trust behind Blue Circle. I have been watching Their Youtube videos the last few days and am enamored by the out of the box thinking. They are into huge capacitance on the power supply. Really interesting equipment and not crushingly expensive. They are an entertaining person to listen to. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 11/06/24 at 18:24:54 Well I am really thinking about buying one of these integrated amps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnr1MehjCA&t=336s&ab_channel=Angela-GilbertYeung As luck would have it, the US importer is only 2 hours south of me so I can go listen to some of Angela-Gilbert Yeung's equipment. All of their equipment is made by hand by Angela-Gilbert. They are a somewhat interesting person, a little on the "artsy" side, but from what I can tell, really knows their stuff. Their website:https://www.angela-gilbert.com/home Hopefully a trip to the distributor will give me a idea if the equipment is what I've been looking for on the solid state end of the game. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Gilf on 11/06/24 at 23:45:15 The internal wiring looks like a hot mess (natural bends or not :)) but the artist making them has such an eclectic personality, I’m interested what your impressions are. The external in and out capacitors are a neat concept. I recall you aren’t too far from me, Donnie. Where is the distributor located? |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Geno on 11/07/24 at 00:52:51 Donnie, I remember looking into some of the Blue Circle products several years ago. I was intrigued by some of their offerings. Their ideas for products did seem to come from a very different mind-set. Everything I read about them was very positive. I’ll be very interested in your opinions, if you end up going this direction. Good luck! Geno |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Sadge on 11/10/24 at 06:46:41 Longtime lurker, first time poster. Or I think I might have posted once? Donnie, I have an AG Yeung i800 integrated amp for sale, if you decide to go in that direction. It's a good amp, but I prefer to listen to my Decware most of the time. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 11/21/24 at 03:07:16 Well in eight to ten weeks my curiosity for a solid state amp will be satiated. Money has changed hands and the process has begun. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 12/11/24 at 03:05:20 Well my Angelica-Gilbert Yeung SS Integrated amp is currently being built, and low and behold it is being featured on YouTube. This morning it popped up on my YouTube recommended shorts to watch. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/g3xWzJ0UwZQ Angelica-Gilbert said some very nice things about me on the video, obviously They don't know me well! The Amp has a separate power supply and over two million microfarads of capacitance. Point to point wiring and is all done by Angelica-Gilbert themself. It is what I would think Decware would build if they were in the Solid State business. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Tommy Freefall on 12/11/24 at 03:29:38 Congrats Donnie! Exciting stuff. Please keep us posted on your experience with this component. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Geno on 12/11/24 at 03:32:19 Nice Donnie! But your new nickname is ‘Red Sillycone’ :D |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by CAJames on 12/11/24 at 03:57:16 That is pretty cool. Well done |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Kamran on 12/11/24 at 04:41:46 I’ve been following them for a while—very intrigued by their personality and work! Staying tuned! |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Gilf on 12/11/24 at 11:47:08 Ha! That video cracked me up while drinking my morning coffee and sweeping the cobwebs out of my eyes. Reminded me of this one: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=THNPmhBl-8I&pp=ygUSc25sIHJvY2tldCBzY2llbmNl Congrats. That’s pretty cool to see your amp being built. Can’t wait to hear your impressions. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by ArtMan on 12/11/24 at 17:47:17 You're famous, sort of. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 01/10/25 at 03:29:01 Here is a interesting video discussing measurements of audio equipment. Angela-Gilbert has a somewhat different view of what is measured. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07gtbKzfxPU&ab_channel=Angela-GilbertYeung |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Tooppy on 01/13/25 at 21:20:43 I built my FirstWatt F5 before buying my UFO82. After a long period of listening to the UFO, change to Cryotone tubes etc , the UFO had the edge until I decided to upgrade the transformer of the F5...which is slightly more pleasing to my ears now, but both amps are quite similar. The F5 has no capicitors on the signal path, the sound stage is huge. I built my speakers with a single Lii F15 used full range, so no crossover. I have no preamp, I solved the remote problem with the DAC and the RIIA pre. - Being money short, I plan to sell my UFO to upgrade my source, my choice to sell the UFO being that that I know my F5 as I built it and I can put my fingers into it in case of need. It also drives better some others two ways speakers that I built long ago. I didn't put it in the sale section because it is a 240v EU cord so I think not many here could be interested. Moreover I paid some 20% tax over the price so my price proposal can't be attractive here. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 01/23/25 at 18:54:29 There is now a full length video about the soon to be mine solid state amplifier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bA2tvOFLDE&t=12s&ab_channel=Angela-GilbertYeung Hopefully it can keep up with my Decware Torii. I have a thing for handbuilt amplifiers! |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Kamran on 01/25/25 at 17:15:25 Donnie, Thx for sharing. Can’t wait for your impressions! :) |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 01/30/25 at 03:31:42 I'm sure that you are all getting tired of hearing about my almost ready to be delivered SS amp, but there is a new unboxing video from the dealer I am buying it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCXA3GEGOLY&t=54s&ab_channel=QUARKAudio The audio of the video is a bit messed up until the last 10 minutes or so, but the last part of it is the best part anyway. His review makes me salivate at the idea that this is going to be my new amp. Just another week until it is delivered. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Bottlehead on 01/30/25 at 06:53:51 Congrats, Donnie! There is some obvious pride taken in the crafting of those pieces. I’m looking forward to your impressions, as are many others here, I’m sure. Randy |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 02/05/25 at 20:39:57 Well I've stepped off into the "Dark Side". |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Lon on 02/05/25 at 20:44:10 !!!!!! Nice looking. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by CAJames on 02/05/25 at 21:08:38 Yeah, it totally looks like it is from the future. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 02/06/25 at 02:36:09  It ain't too shabby. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Kamran on 02/06/25 at 04:16:35 Congratulations—Looking forward to your impressions, Donnie! |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Sentry on 02/06/25 at 05:39:52 Wow! Twin HAL 5000 computers…must be listening to Miles…they’re kinda blue. 8-) |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 02/07/25 at 03:34:47 Here are my initial impressions of my Angela-Gilbert Yeung i807 integrated amplifier. First, it has a remote control! It is the size of a car key fob and only controls volume up and down. I'm good with that, plus it is RF so you don't need to point it at the amp. Little things like that are nice. It has 80 WPC and I have a feeling that is a very low number compared to what it is really putting out. So it has plenty of oomph to control my speakers. I have ran 3 different speakers with it, one 83 db, another 90 ish db and one pair that are 97 db. It pushes them all well and is black hole quiet even with the 97 db pair. The quietness probably comes from the absolute insane amount of capacitance in the power supply. Angela had said that there was something extra in my "Red Edition" version of this amp. I got the information today of what the extra was. My amp has 1,220,000 uf capacitance on the input stage and 880,000 uf on the output stage. A touch more than stock! If you unplug my amp it continues to play for over a minute just from the the capacitor's charge, crazy! So yes it is quiet. I really notice how quiet between tracks, in that second between songs things go dark, really dark. It is noticeable. So how does it sound? Well no complaints yet. The imaging is phenomenal, width, depth all there. Bass control is better than I've ever heard in my room. I've lost the bit of boominess that I have had since I turned my room around. I guess that comes from controlling the woofers better? I guess I should say what I am using equipment wise with the amp. Dell laptop playing JRiver/ Wyred 4 Sound USB cable/ Denafrips Ares II DAC/ Blue Jeans Cable LC1 RCA/ Angela-Gilbert i807/ Blue Jeans Cable Canare 4S11 speaker wires/ Troels Gravesen SBA-761 speakers Now you want the downsides of this amp. Well it sure isn't cheap. All in is almost $10K . I kind of look at it this way, I raced motorcycles at a fairly high level for 30 years. 10K ain't squat racing. You spend that kind of money in just transportation getting to the races. The amp isn't as fat sounding as my Torii, we shall see if I like that kind of voicing, and perhaps things will change as burn in continues. So there you go, that is what I think after 1 full day of listening to my Angela-Gilbert i807. Will it replace my Decware Torii, hell no. It will be used to compare and contrast. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Tooppy on 02/07/25 at 08:25:52 May be you should work on the source now. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by CAJames on 02/07/25 at 15:18:03 Dang, that's a lot of farads. My 100W Pass monos had like 1/8th of a farad of capacitance and I thought that was a lot. What do you know about the preamp section, I can't find any info online? For most of my audio life I thought a tube preamp and a class A SS power amp were the answer to all my problems...until I discovered Decware. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 02/07/25 at 19:08:00 CAJames, My amp is pure solid state. AGY does make some preamps and integrateds that do have tubes in the preamp section. But in saying that there are tubes in the pre section is kind of misleading. They mix the tube and solid state together and you are able to vary the amount of "Tubieness". It is kinda cool, kinda weird. If anything, Angela-Gilbert approaches amplification with a different mindset. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Doug on 02/16/25 at 00:23:30 Donnie, how are you and the new amp getting along? Are you ready to make additional comments about its performance? Your amp--well, I think it's your amp--made itself known on YouTube way before it reached you home. I have to say........that is one impressive amplifier. I do have one last question, and I'm not being weird or judgmental. On the maker's website two individuals are mentioned--Angela Yeung and Gilbert Yeung; are they one and the same person? Anxious to hear how the amp is sounding! Doug |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 02/16/25 at 02:38:43 Doug, I am truly enjoying my Angela-Gilbert amp. The more I play it the better it gets. Quietness and power while still being very easy to listen to are it's hallmarks. And yes, Angela and Gilbert are both the same person. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Dennis on 02/26/25 at 04:33:37 Hi Donnie, Just like to hear how your AGY amp is breaking in? I’ve ordered a C310 Preamp custom w dual resistor ladder attenuator volume knobs and a SP capacitor pack 36. Including the external power supply should give me nearly 4 million capacitance. It’s going to drive my Torii V and some Jeff Rowland monoblocks. I’d love to hear you describe the sound of your AGY amp as there really isn’t much written or reviews on the sound of the new AGY line. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 03/11/25 at 17:18:02 Some photos of the guts of the amp section of the RED VERSION of the AGY i807.   Any technology I don't understand must be magic. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Dennis on 03/11/25 at 19:07:09 Hey Donnie, Now I see why it's called Red edition. Looks like meaty amp for sure. I heard AGY's stuff has long break in, is the sound changing much? How long was your wait time, VS what he estimated? |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 03/11/25 at 23:32:08 Dennis. Break in hasn't been difficult at all. The amp had around 200 hours on it after Angela and the dealer ran it in for me. I've put another 200 hours on it and everything has settled down pretty well. Quark Audio really went out of their way with this amp. I was the first customer to buy an AGY amp from them, so when it arrived the owner brought it over and set it up in my listening room. As far of delivery, they quoted ten to twelve weeks and delivered in ten. Angela builds everything by hand, but I notice that she tends to do everything in batches, building several things at a time. Also, she works 7 days a week, living a somewhat monk like existence. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Tommy Freefall on 09/06/25 at 23:25:34 Hey Donnie, now that you've had your AGY amp for about 6 months or so, curious as to your thoughts about it |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 09/07/25 at 03:17:34 Tommy, I am very happy with the i807. As I have stated before, it's most astonishing feature is how quietly it plays. It is absolutely silent between notes and between tracks. Another thing is that the bass control is outstanding. I had been experiencing blubbery bass on several pairs of my speakers but now things have really tightened up. My room had been under suspicion since I turned everything around 180 degrees, but the AGY amp has fixed my problems. Bass boom has disappeared. The woofers are better controlled. I have a feeling that the, some would say crazy, amount of capacitance is the real secret behind everything that makes AGY equipment work, in my i807's case 2.1 million microFarads. The amp will play for almost a minute with the plug pulled from the wall! The down sides are both minor and major. The remote is a key chain, I haven't lost it but a friend did once, it turned up under my chair. But at least I have the ability to control the volume and it is a radio transmitter, not infrared, so I can change the volume from another room. The other thing is the price, I'm into this thing almost $10K. Not complaining, I had the money, but it is a big chunk to spend. I keep reading about how everyone is adding this box or that snuffer to their equipment to help quiet them down, I just kind of chuckle to myself as this totally quiet amplifier plays day in and day out, nothing extra needed. Life ain't too bad around here! |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Lon on 09/07/25 at 11:38:53 Sounds like an amazing amp. Good to know that if you spend that much on an amp you won't need additional power refinement. (I'd probably spend that on a source before an amp, it's just been my experience that improving the source pays biggest dividends, but all systems are different). |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by CAJames on 09/07/25 at 15:34:46 Wow, 2 Farads of capacitance is kinda mind blowing. Nelson Pass was pretty pleased that my Single Ended Mosfet monoblocs had 0.1 Farads. But, I think most amp designers will tell you that what the amp really does is "play" the power supply so it isn't surprising that it sounds great. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by donovan on 09/21/25 at 08:07:35 I haven't been around in a while, as I sold off my tube gear. Just saw this thread and thought I would weigh in on solid state. I love solid state! As long as it is a discrete circuit with good transistors it betters tube gear IMO. Chip amps (i.e. Texas Instruments LM series) do not do much for my ears. I'm currently running: Sparkler Audio S502 "Ether II" - Pure signal path integrated, no caps or transformers in the way. Crystal clear and balanced sound. Japanese perfection! Nelson Pass ACA Mini - If you're like me and can't afford First Watt, this little kit gets you into the NP sound for $130. No chassis and it looks cool that way. Some DIY'ers put it in a wood or 3D printed case. Both amps love driving open baffle Lii F-15s. |
|
Title: Re: Solid state curious Post by Donnie on 12/09/25 at 02:08:50 I am slithering deeper and deeper into the snake pit that is solid state amplifiers. Recently I acquired a $175.00 Ampapa D1 amp. This is one serious amplifier, it has multiple VU meters that output on the front screen. It sounds pretty OK, nothing to write home about, but not terrible. I'm just using it for a bedroom system, so it doesn't need to knock my socks off (well, technically my socks are already off). The bluetooth hooks right up to my phone and plays without hiccups. It has lights inside the amp and a glass top to show everything off. I think that the VU meters are the big selling point, there are 6 or seven of them that can be brought up, I guess that is kinda cool. I just ordered me some TRS to XLR cables so I can hook my Denafrips DAC to the amplifier. I'm sure that will improve the playback by 220%! Anyway here is the link to the AMP. https://doukaudio.com/products/ampapa-d1-hifi-bluetooth-amplifier-with-digital-vu-meters-hpf |
|
Forums » Powered by YaBB 2.2.2! YaBB © 2000-2008. All Rights Reserved. |