Zen v.5 - the 'complimentary amp

Paul Barker · Post by **Paul Barker** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:55 pm

I think the t amp mania burned itself out quite early on.

simon · Post by **simon** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:28 pm

andrew Ivimey wrote:But(2) I haven't ever put an SS amp through single driver horns.

I have! I used my old Exposure VI, VII, superVIII with my 208s for a couple of years. Nice, but not as nice as my valves. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Fostex use big Watts SS with their horns...

simon · Post by **simon** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:36 pm

andrew Ivimey wrote:Kate Bush to Metallica to Shostakovich tonight.

Metallica? Really? Not that "'orrible" track you like so much?

andrew Ivimey · Post by **andrew Ivimey** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:00 pm

Simon, I want something to break down!

I just don't trust the sound I am getting. It can't go on like this.

Oh sure I'm thinking, yes, there is a hard SS edge to it, no, can't work etc etc. But it isn't bad.

I am doing Ennio Moricone now. It is too late for Metallica given the neighbours, but yes that track will do.

Need a bit of baroque; Vivaldi or Bach maybe. The clarity is stunning.

simon · Post by **simon** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:33 pm

andrew Ivimey wrote:Simon, I want something to break down!

Send it up here, I'll sort it out for you, easy

.

Yep, they're very clean and remarkable value for money. Guess I'll have to try one at home someday, but I'm still happy with my valves.

pre65 · Post by **pre65** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:57 pm

pre65 wrote: Might try my old QED A240 on the Fostex later !

Started to make my ears ache after 3 tracks !

Initially it sounded very good-BUT !!

pre65 · Post by **pre65** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:36 pm

Hi-tonight i have tried the T amp i acquired some time ago with the VoFos,and i must admit the sound is a lot better than the old QED transistor amp i tried last night.

Not quite up to valve standards but quite nice,and quite a big soundstage.

I could live with the way it sounds !

andrew Ivimey · Post by **andrew Ivimey** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:54 am

Well Metallica got a burst last night. Is it just awful music or I have found a failing in this Passion amp?

Neither I nor the amp liked the experience. Silly heavy metal with fidddlers struggling to counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor (Death's too good for them).

Schubert's Death and the Maiden', Deep Forest 3, Strauss' Alpine Symphony and a Motown compilation all went down very well. I feel compelled to turn the amp up & up and up, but the 208s ( and the neighbours) don't do that LOUD.

When on very quiet it is just tinkly niceness and a bass response that sounds like it is coming from someone else in the room... - ah what about the mid range? to die for.

Am I exaggerating a tad?

One of the screws holding the top plate on to the heatsinks sheared off yesterday. I overtightened things. You see, it can't last!

So much detail though, oooooooer.

You'd have to give me an awful lot of T amps for one of these, Philip.

OTOH a couple of 26s dropped through the letter box this morning...

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:19 am

andrew Ivimey wrote:Well Metallica got a burst last night. Is it just awful music or I have found a failing in this Passion amp?

Neither I nor the amp liked the experience. Silly heavy metal with fidddlers struggling to counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor (Death's too good for them).

Excellent! Metallica...the Vogon Poetry years

As a defender of the Metal-lickers what LP are we discussing here Mr I? Yes, they've done a bit of crud from time to time and they recoreded an entire album without bothering about any mids (...'And justice for all' - but the songs are great if you like arms and legs being blown off and hate yer Mum and Dad!) but on the whole the "Met's" are OK with me.

DTB

pre65 · Post by **pre65** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:23 am

Hi Andrew-can you give me a link to these amp modules you are playing with please ?

colin.hepburn · Post by **colin.hepburn** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:41 pm

Hi Philip
Here you go this zen .V5 is not a true Nelson pass zen 5
http://cgi.ebay.com/Passion-15-MK2-Clas ... dZViewItem
http://forum.analogmetric.com/viewthrea ... a=page%3D1
http://store.analogmetric.com/

andrew Ivimey · Post by **andrew Ivimey** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:14 pm

I wouldn't be that sniffy about a true Nelson Pass ZenV5. I couldn't give a hoot about that, except that the true Path 2 Zen5 may sound even better!

This circuit is minimalistic to say the very least. Less is still more.

This one is a Mk2, where the Mk1 from AnalogMetric was complicated. This Mk1 is the one still featured on the AnalogMetric website.

The PSU though, such as it is, is on the same PCB. A weak point - maybe but it doesn't sound like it is very weak at all. It would be very easy to add a 'proper' Zen PSU.

I am really looking forward to hearing Ed's v4.

colin.hepburn · Post by **colin.hepburn** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:43 pm

Hi all
if your interested in the pass amp here you can get pcbs for the aleph range plus two hybrid 6C33C Hybrid Zen and a 6922 as well as the Hirga Le Monstre and the JLH

http://www.kk-pcb.com/index.html

andrew Ivimey · Post by **andrew Ivimey** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:47 pm

additional note to the heat and the Passion.

If I hadn't got choice in the matter I might be v.happy with this amp. With power to drive it, it really came alive. But I am spoiled for choice and in comparison to the sound of several valve amps I am lucky to be able to play with, the Passion does leave a little to be desired.

Am I getting old and jaded or do I just know what I like? There isn't much that I can recycle on this amp so it certainly isn't for the chop yet.

Laters ...

ed · Post by ed » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:27 pm

I feel a bit of public service braodcasting coming on.......

for anybody serious about Pass zen or aleph please read some background before patronising the kk site posted by Colin......I understand the site is run by Kristijan Kljucaric. Nelson and the DIYers on DIYAudio have serious issues about KK making Nelson's boards for profit......

All the necessary boards, if they are needed, are available from group buys and non-profit initiatives over on the diyaudio forum. Most of the zen projects don't need boards but for those who don't like messing with p2p there are some fantastic boards produced by Peter Daniels and others.....

ok rant over...

Ed

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Zen v.5 - the 'complimentary amp

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