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:)

 

I was a bit worried that I'd assemble the circuits and then it wouldn't work, but the amp and PSU went without a hitch, worked first time, and then continued to work while I messed around changing a few components here and there...

 

I actually had the most trouble getting the momentary switch to relay working right and the flourescent lights in my bathroom turning off somehow causes enough of a power spike to deactivate the latch!!! I got a suggestion to wire up a 10uF polyprop motor-run cap across the L & N of a mains plug, along with a ~200K 1/2W resistor, and plug it into the same multi-way extension as the amp... I haven't tested it yet as it is a bit random with the light-off turning the amp off, most of the time the amp stays on, but somewhere between 1 in 3 and 1 in 20 times, the power spike turned the amp off... hopefully not anymore...

 

Flourescents have massive current inrush and are about 50% efficient or something aren't they? Pain in the arse for me though, I spent a few days thinking the amp or a component was overheating and switching off...

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I actually had the most trouble getting the momentary switch to relay working right and the flourescent lights in my bathroom turning off somehow causes enough of a power spike to deactivate the latch!!! I got a suggestion to wire up a 10uF polyprop motor-run cap across the L & N of a mains plug, along with a ~200K 1/2W resistor, and plug it into the same multi-way extension as the amp... I haven't tested it yet as it is a bit random with the light-off turning the amp off, most of the time the amp stays on, but somewhere between 1 in 3 and 1 in 20 times, the power spike turned the amp off... hopefully not anymore...

 

Flourescents have massive current inrush and are about 50% efficient or something aren't they? Pain in the arse for me though, I spent a few days thinking the amp or a component was overheating and switching off...

 

So how is the relay wired up? Voltage? Reading over your earlier post, it appears you have a separate circuit for the switch with a transformer. I think I see a regulator and a small filter cap. Surely that regulated AND filtered power source take care of any sort of small voltage drop off the main line?

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That's a very impressive job for sure, I wish I had the patience to tackle something similar :huh: I have to settle for retail products, but am quite pleased with my Sennheiser HD 650's powered by a Musical Fidelity X-CAN (v2).

 

I've never tried the AKG K 701's but would love to give that rig a spin - I may have missed it, but I didn't see anywhere about how it sounds?

 

Fantastic job nrg and it was a very interesting read - thanks. :)

 

(thats not a bad price on the 701's too - where did you get them?)

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Surely that regulated AND filtered power source take care of any sort of small voltage drop off the main line?

yeah lol, you'd think so... using a voltage regulator for the 12v relay control circuit, you have a capacitor before and after the regulator to smooth out voltage fluctuations... I actually increase these from 470uF and 10uF to 3200uF and 470uF (made little or no difference)... also I put Class X capacitors across the Live and Neutral, and across the Neutral and Earth, along with a suppressor (VDR) across Live and Neutral (this reduced how often the amp turned off because of lights, but the problem remained)

 

I've never tried the AKG K 701's but would love to give that rig a spin - I may have missed it, but I didn't see anywhere about how it sounds?

Well, I don't really have much to compare it to, I have used plenty headphones, even now I use three headphones for different purposes (Westone UM2 with Shure Tri-Flange modded to Bi-Flange - for portable use / travelling, Sennheiser HD25-1 II for DJing, and K701 for music/movies/games)...

 

These other headphones are right at the top of their league too, but they are closed in design, so the K701 has a much wider stereo image just for having an open-back design.

 

I don't have the required audiophile vocabulary to waffle on and describe the sound, but the first thing that struck me and my housemates when first testing the amp was how incredibly clear the M

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I don't have the required audiophile vocabulary to waffle on and describe the sound.......

Well I'm not sure I agree with that, you certainly described it well and I get where you are coming from, which is more than can be said of some 'expert' reviewers! :)

 

I love all my headphones, they all bring a smile to my face :)

 

How does your X-CAN v2 compare to other amps or un-amped? Does the valve design change the sound noticeably?

That's something I can also relate too - they do bring a smile to your face.

 

The X-CAN is an extremely good amp - the HD 650's are pretty lame when plugged straight to an ordinary amplifier, I have a Musical Fidelity A3 Amp and A3 CD player, but they don't have a headphone output, so you have no option than to use an amp for cans. The 650's can be hard to drive satisfactorily, probably like the 701's? They just sound lifeless without an amp and you have to turn the volume up, which brings all the associated problems of hiss and distortion.

 

I have tried them through a Cambridge Audio 340 amp which gave a reasonably good result, but when routed through the X-CAN direct from the A3 CD player with Chord Cobra 3 interconnects, the difference is startling! The first thing I noticed was the sound stage, very open and extremely lifelike and transparent. Like the 701's, the open back design just brings music to life. I go to a lot of live performances, everything from rock to classical and have a very wide range of tastes. But I was always disappointed with the sound at home from headphones and could only get what I wanted from my loudspeakers (which really p*#*%s of the neighbours!). With these I feel like I am at a live show. Classical music is especially good with this setup, the 650s have a particularly rich sounding bass which I think is enhanced by the valve design on the X-CAN. Vocals are very good and piano as well, which can often be disappointing through headphones. I think the Cobra 3 interconnect helps too. The final movement of Mahler's 9th Symphony is just spine tingling through them and Pink Floyd just sounds amazing, especially the SACD of Dark Side of the Moon. I'm into a female vocalist called Perla Batalla at the moment and she has a CD of all Leonard Cohen songs - her voice through headphones is like you say "angels singing to me"! I have not tried them through any other headphone amps though, so don't have anything to compare with. I want to give the X-CAN v3 a go, as it's reviewed as a significant upgrade to the v2.

 

I have not really used them with my PC, but might give that a go. I normally listen through speakers in the study.

 

Those 701's look really comfortable too - I think I may have to try some out, we have 2 pretty decent HiFi stores near me, so I think I shall see if they stock them. I really like the idea of making your own amp though and am quite envious of what you have put together there - it looks the business.

 

If you like female vocal and Mr Cohen, then Perla Batalla has an amazing voice, incredibly powerful. She's not known here much, I got her CD's from CD Baby in the US. 'Bird on the Wire' is I think a stunning album, especially 'So Long Marianne' and 'Suzanne'.

 

(her Myspace is interesting - Barack Obama is one of her top listed friends!).

 

Aural ecstasy - it's the way forward..... :D

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Ah, yeah I thought it would be a similar case with the HD650s actually requiring amplification to sound how they should, rather than it being optional.

 

Being able to have the same quality and soundstage as my speakers, but through headphones, at any time of the day is one of the reasons I didn't have a strict upper limit on the budget for this project. I've actually surpassed the fidelity of my speakers now.

 

They are really comfortable, apart from the bumps in the leather headband... I really don't see why they are there because almost all the weight and pressure from the self-adjusting headband comes down in one point at the centre! Imagine pressing your thumb down as hard as you can on the top of your skull, that's how it feels sometimes. It's so stupid, but apparently the leather softens up over time, or I might go and get some leather conditioner to soften it up.

 

The album title "Bird on the Wire" sounds familiar. Probably one that I meant to check out and forgot about by the time I'd made it from the TV to my computer! :lol: Will have to investigate further methinks. I got the Price and McKennitt CDs from CD Baby haha. I found MusicFayre is quite good too, although it takes a while.

 

I too don't really have anything to compare my amp to. I think one day I'd like to compare the sound of a valve amp to my solid state using the same headphones, to see what the difference is...

 

So far, I have the M

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Perla Batalla

 

perla.jpg

 

"Grammy nominated vocalist, composer, and arranger Perla Batalla was born in Los Angeles, CA. Her father was a musician and owned a popular Spanish language record store. She first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen who later encouraged Perla to embark on a solo career. Perla released her debut

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