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In Reply to: RE: What IS build quality? posted by pictureguy on November 28, 2014 at 19:40:23
of how NOT to build a preamp:
Brian
So much music, so little time!
Follow Ups:
Geez, I built better stuff when I was 12 years old. Whatever it is that you pictured, the builder should be ashamed of himself...
-RW-
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Brian, I told you not the post any photos of my work. Just kidding. I can't fathom how the assemblers knew they had everything right?
And they usually sound very good.
I was 'railing on Brian' about this topic...
I have nearly had to "defend my ideals" or
definitions of home building and optimizing
even higher expectations of $$$ production
made "audiophile gear", as per.
After years of Atma-Sphere, Jeff Rowland
Audio Research, Mark Levinson gear
ownership, I am accustomed to
looking at works of art...
not some twisted Picasso
... that the sound quality is all that really matters. Some would claim that what appears to be sloppy or haphazard internal build quality is actually part of a strategic design wherein sound quality dictates "build".
...for lazy builders or those who wouldn't know how to build a quality product. ;-)
Yup.
This $5495 preamp, reviewed by Stereophile (January 2014), was definitely NOT an example of stellar internal "build quality", according to Art Dudley. And if you look at the photos of it's internals, you'll see that it's build quality does not appear to be all that impressive.
However, the G-1A's designer (who claims to be an "ex-Naval systems engineer" and a physicist), replied in "Manufacturers Comments" of the same issue that the seemingly haphazard use and arrangement of internal parts ("rat's nest" wiring, bare wires, etc..,) is actually the result of a thoughtful and deliberate strategy to produce the best sound possible and that, in any case, the user *does not hear appearances*.
Anything's possible, I guess...
and that is just one case in point.
But that doesn't explain all the other outstanding preamps out there that sound terrific with better 'build quality'. Again, this appears to be nearly a 'one off' or very low volume manufacturer who needs to justify his construction technique.
Do the best sounding preamps in the world need to use this sort of construction technique? I highly doubt it.
All of the wire required to make an orderly layout can be damaging to sound quality.
And that device looks like a good compromise to me.
Neat layouts are good if the device needs to be fixed but offer no advantage sonically.
Some people actually like that the engine in their BMW has to be removed to change the oil pump... until they get the bill.
Are you speaking of all of those ridiculous panels the German's place atop the engines these days should be embarrassing but the owners think its "beautiful? I imagine they do take some time for removal if necessary.
The only correlation could be if a tubed component, which will eventually need replacing of the tubes, had them underneath all kinds of stuff that had to be de-soldered to get to them.
I think there are still some maintenance procedures that require complete removal of PORSCHE engines.
Smart layout and (forethought in) execution is critical...
I'm not gonna even try to defend the wiring job of that Supratek. It appears to be a Cabernet. But, I've owned two Supratek preamps (Chardonnay & Cabernet Dual). They were both high gain, but ultra silent. I owned the Cabernet for almost seven years before I sold it and never once had a single problem with it. I'd still own it today if I had not decided to downsize my system to an integrated. It was a joy to listen to, but I bet it'd be a pain to fix.
Kevin T
"religion is the opiate of the masses"
Give them a wine inspired name and the little darlings will be under your spell.
Good build quality.....
That's not a pre-amp,I think a rat built a nest in there. I was talking to the guys at SMc Audio and was told they use different solder for different parts and different iron temperatures also.
They are putting together a pair of mono blocks for me and I'm very impressed by their dedication and work ethics, they care about the job they do.
Acass.
Did it actually WORK? For how long?
Even if the builder had spent $$$$+ on parts and such, any sembelence of 'build quality' went right out the window with poor (nonexistent) layout.
Too much is never enough
That preamp cost $8000. Pretty on the outside, nice parts quality, $#!7 build quality. Heaven knows about reliability, much less being able to work on it when, not if, there are problems.
Brian
So much music, so little time!
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