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RE: It would be interesting to hear what Nelson Pass might say...

Posted by Ric Schultz on December 26, 2014 at 19:09:41:
"While I don't pursue the same methods, you are correct that playing with the circuit while listening yields a lot of benefits. I like to concentrate my efforts in my particular style - I leave others to pursue it in their own way.

You are of course free to play with my designs as you like."

The above is the exact email Nelson sent me when I informed him of my intentions to offer mods on the First Watt amps. Basically, what he is saying is that he is not interested in parts and execution.....only circuit design. Once he said that people would send him different caps and resistors to play with and his comment was "why don't they send me better transistors?". He has the world's only stash of power Jfets and had his SITs made custom for him. He likes devices and circuits. Not interested in wires, caps, damping, solder, sound of LEDs, etc. His products sound great because they are made well and the circuits are fantastic and simple and pure......but circuits are only 50%. The other 50% comes from execution. You would die and go to heaven if you heard one of his circuits (or any great circuit) executed to the max.

I have had zero people send me First Watt amps to mod....a couple of people said they would but never did. I mean, you spend $3000 on a low power amp that you may sell shortly (you know, you are looking at less sensitive speakers, whatever) so why invest in an amp that will lose resale value because some "tweaker" made it sound better?

Back in 98 I was going to produce an all out class A amp but could not find the means to get heatsinks and chassis in small quantity with large enough heatsinks......now there are chassis from Italy and China that are made for Class A circuits. So, I have decided to make my own Class A amps now....now finally, people can hear a great class A amp done with great execution. Should be fun.