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....better parts.Fuses, teflon capacitors, output transistors - even Bybee's "music rails" are just better parts used in a novel way (in power supply).
Pass, Hegel co. are just two that are reaping benefits from this advance. But even Merlin (speaker co.) says that the new capacitors are a big breakthrough, in sound
The Upgrade Co. makes quite a stink about "shielding" the signal path. But it seems to be *parts quality* that is making the difference. That's if we follow the reviews. First review of Upgrade Co. -good, 4 years later -more parts, better sound.
My question is - what took so long for this to happen ?
Edits: 11/24/14 11/25/14 11/25/14Follow Ups:
Designing great sounding amps and preamps is a art form that many don't understand. It's not just about throwing the best quality parts together and having a great sounding amps. The circuitry design power supply design and many other factors are involved. A great amp designer might use a certain type of resistor that is not high tech just because it sounds better with his circuitry. Shindo comes to mind
-it should be something that should be taken seriously. Why would a higher quality part not sound as good as a cheaper one?
If only a cheap part sounds right in the circuit, its a good bet there is a synergy that is causing that to happen, and IME that is never a good thing. Its much better to find out the why of it and sort it out. You should not be forced to put in an inferior part to get the right sound, unless coloration is really your goal.
This brings up the issue of reference. I know some manufacturers that really have no idea what their equipment sounds like on account of the fact that they don't have a good reference. FWIW To deal with the reference issue we made our own recordings which have been issued on LP and CD.
So your saying Shindo (may he rest in peace) didn't know what he was doing when he chose carbon resistors in parts of his designs over modern equivalent. I don't know what you manufacture but Shindo designs are revered all over the world....
To the latter, Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.
just for fun, click the video link on the home page...
Audio porn!
Those hands have no hair on them...
Are they female hands??
Thanks
Mark
No. But he had to put makeup on them.
Really a great piece of marketing...it looks very expensive too...
Thanks again
Mark
very cool, Ralph.
If I ever switch to tubes...
Hi !i think that some old units sound much better than new ones
But i agree that new parts can be better ... technology improves.
By the way i have noticed another thing
i have opened now a lot of amps for curiosity
Even more audiophiles oriented ones have unforgivable weakness in strategic places
an example
I have here a British integrated ... not working
I opened it and i was shocked to see after a let's say a 600VA very nice toroidal diodes so tiny that would be even small for a preamp
I mean ... exactly where big and fat diodes would be mandatory i see these little silly parts ... is this a joke ?
and the brand is a very well reviewed one ... just figure the others
And also the size of the cable used ... i hope they know the Ohm law
Where current is supposed to be bigger (i.e. power supply to the output stages and speaker connections) i would expect good section wires
Instead i see human hair cables ... also in not very cheap units
I have seen connections with the speaker terminals made with aluminum bars ???
And then we wonder why the sound is not exactly nice ?
These commercial units must make a modder droll with excitement ...
I tried ... and destroyed everything.
Thanks a lot.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 11/25/14 11/25/14 11/26/14 11/26/14
Well, maybe not outright technology, but even the new parts they have are benefitting from all the accumulated experience. Old may not be better anymore.
Just got some new op-amps that I'm really excited about. Now, I just have to screw up the courage to unsolder some existing circuits so see what an improvement they can make.
Well better parts are the biggest benficiaries of technology improvments...particularly in materials science.
That being said, many think Paper/oil or paper/beeswax capacitors are still the ones to beat! Tubes have come back with a vengence. Horns have also re-exploded onto the scene. All are about as old tech as you can get.
Even the "new" SIT transistors usd by Pass come from ideas the Japanese had in the 70s (VFETs I think they were called).
Understanding of what makes a part a good part has improved I believe as well as the ability to measure it and characterize it.
That falls under material technology improvements. What I would consider a BIG part in improving audio AND making it cheaper as well. So good things can be made cheaper. But bottom line is quality and design.
Most of these companies, cut every corner to maximize profits.
Damn shame, because we the consumers deserve much better.
OTOH, there are modders and better parts experts that enhance our lives!
A number of the high end electronics companies don't use the items you mention. They do use metal film resistors and good film caps that are not that expensive.
We've had Caddock resistors available since 1987.
We've had to build our own custom wire to do the hookup inside our amps and preamps.
We figured out that power cords and fuses were affecting the sound a long time ago- when the MA-2 was designed in 1989, we set it up with a larger cartridge style fuse as they sounded better than the usual stuff. In addition it uses dual power cords on each chassis to minimize the AC power wiring. The MA-2 was meant to be a flagship and had all the tweaks.
The newer Teflon caps are definitely better than those from 17 years ago!
What about metal film resistors. When used in right positions they can really sing.
Passive preamps with attenuators are also a biggie that I like.
Metal film resistors can also really sound like shit when used in certain places.
A lot of people (myself included) believe they can make a piece of gear sound harsh when used in critical places. The guy that rebuilt your Sherwood (Mike Samra) is a big believer in carbon resistors as he believes they sound a lot more natural than metal film.
Maybe Mikey will chime in here.
I was a vegetarian for 15 minutes, until the main course.......Meat; It's the right thing to do. Romans 14:2
We have found that not all models sound the same either!
The Caddocks are expensive so its an option. We have metal films made custom for us if the Caddocks are not being optioned.
None of this is new. 'Audio Amateur' magazine had many articles on capacitors, shielding, and high quality parts all through the 1980s and 1990s, but that magazine was for those who built their own equipment or modified what are now considered "classic" tube amps. I remember one series of articles on how to gut a Marantz 7T to be able to use the case to make an excellent preamp.
The Upgrade Company has an excellent marketing department with a superb writer. I am sure that many believe the marketing hype which is carefully crafted to promote the most panic in the technically naive and to appeal to those who remember very little of their high school physics.
A lot of the capacitor issues you mention are the very same reason why tube gear gets so much attention. Serious caps in even an average tube stereo and it really would be hard for a solid state unit to match.A lot of newer SS gear uses caps that are, SMD, standard electronic production types or even the dreaded nonpolar electrolytic cap.
Bottom line: good parts SHOULD make for good sound. But yes design can mess things up at times too.
charles
Edits: 11/25/14
"Bottom line: good parts SHOULD make for good sound. But yes design can mess things up at times too."
Parts selection is always a significant part of the design cycle whatever the application. That's the way of it... Knowing what works where is one of the things you get paid for.
Rick
That's why good audio ain't cheap.
Don't forget the use of stiffer power supplies.
since 2007, when it looks like these parts came out)
I sure don't know your criteria, but the tubes, capacitors and power supplies of ARC components, for example, have steadily improved over the past twenty years. Coupling capacitors have transitioned from polypropylene to metalized polypropylene to gold/silver oil caps to teflon. Wima caps were phased in around 2004.
I chose '07 because that's when it seems a new wave of parts came out.The Upgrade Co. for one - they've been around since 1981 - but only in recent years are they attending shows and hence, getting reviewed.
Bybee too - he's not new to audio - but his "music rails" are.
After-market fuses were never reviewed in high-end audio - but they have been in the last 7 years.
Finally, Pass (and John Curl, I think) have been reporting an increase in quality - even if it covers just one stage of their work....
Edits: 11/25/14
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