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MDAC First Listen (part 00111011)

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A few people on Facebook are advocating that John change the plan from designing the MDAC2 PCB to fit the MDAC case to some other, larger case. Déjà vu! Perhaps these people aren't aware we've already been down this path. Perhaps they're also unaware that changes to the plan will result in significant changes to timescale. Based on the latter alone, I, for one, am against any change to the plan.

I read that too and thought it would be another couple of years added to the project.
 
I read that too and thought it would be another couple of years added to the project.

I am not saying this as a bad mouth but biggest show stopper for me in this project was that there was no way to effect to plans or timelines. Even if there was voting in this thread how to continue, that plan was changed in couple of months without warning. It was couple a years back when I had email exchange with John about exiting this project. He said that he is working on analog board and promised that it will be ready at end of that year so I stayed in project, really hoped that all goes well. Actually we had a gentleman agreement that if board is not ready I get partially refunded. When year turned to next one and in Jan I asked update about analog board: there was changes in project plans and analog board was not ready. :( I was really really frustrated. After pretty many emails I got finally partially refunded as we agreed but that was a big task even there was this gentleman agreement. It is kind of sad to see that this project is in same state than couple of years back but hopefully it will be finished even thought there are some challenges. I had invested in two units, not sure if I am still in project or not, but not going to invest more, maybe there are units for sale at end of this project, then there is place for consideration to buy. There should be room for appropriate discussion and criticism (also would be proper to update this thread), because there has been a tons of understanding in past years. Freeze the project content/plan and make it happen...?
 
Anyone who wanted to change the Mdac2 design to be made in a new box would do well to remember that the excuse for not bothering to make the detox after taking the money off people was that John said that he couldn't get a box made.
 
He could get a box made ... but he decided not to due to the cost. Would have been nice to have let the investors make that decision.
 
If John can't be arsed or shamed into building the darned MDAC2s/VFETs/FDACs that we paid him to develop ages ago, couldn't he supply kits + a partial refund? I would gladly go down to him and help him pack up the kits.
  • Complete BOM + detailed schematics + instructions for trimming and setting up.
  • Matched parts / VFET chips (including the extra matched sets promised as back-up).
  • A nice and sturdy generic enclosure.
  • Wires, nuts, bolts, (toroidal) transformers, psus and all = every component and board necessary for a complete build.
 
The problem is 6 years down the line there still isn't a working prototype. If there was, I might have a small glimmer of hope that one day I'd maybe receive something.

The large number of surface mount components and BGA's mean it's a non starter for self assembly.

John's utter contempt for the people who put money in to this is staggering. He won't come on here and give updates and his promises of keeping me informed by email after he banned me from the facebook group have been almost non existent.
I have received 1 email update with some vague comments in almost a year and that was only because I emailed him asking for an update.

The man is shameless and seems to have no respect for his backers who have put 10's of thousands of £££ into his pocket.

6 years on and not one single person has received what they signed up for, it's just not acceptable and anyone who thinks it is, is living in an alternate reality.
 
Yes. All I have heard of "in the wild" has been upgrades to already modded MDAC2s, like the various "TOY"-upgrades (or whatever they were called).

When John conceived the idea of a limited run of VFET mono amps, he stated that the prototype would be used to test the vastly superior capabilities of the MDAC2/FDAC that he was nearing completion of. He would then be able to build a limited run of VFETs that - hopefully - were to be delivered at the end of the year:

When I enquired in July/August 2014 this is part of the email (or PM) I was sent:

"Please understand that these [VFET] amplifiers are intended to be a very limited hand built reference design and hence the development cost, ie. the PCB design and production is a significant amount when amortised between such a small numbers of units.

[...]

I've selected the very best components for each stage of the design (such as the 4 Pole Tcaps capacitors used in the PSU section, High MU military dual grade Sub Miniature Triode, VFETS in the ClassA stage & NOS MOSFETS for the current dumping stage):-

[...]

These Amplifiers are very much a background project (while the MDAC2 takes shape) – also giving me time to perfect the design; hopefully the first units will be built around Christmas (this year)."

However, John has designed DACs and other stuff for Project and other hifi manufacturers since 2014.
 
Pessimism and insults will achieve nothing.

Travellers through Edinburgh Waverley railway station may have noticed a poster on a pedestrian walkway which says:

'Love will subsist on wonderfully little hope but not altogether without it - Sir Walter Scott'.

'Wonderfully little hope' might be a feeling that you can identify with but when framed in this quote it's positive.

Not only will pessimism and insults achieve nothing, they're potentially capable of reinforcing the problem.

p.s. Any attempt to persuade me that I'm incorrect would underestimate my patience, resilience, pragmatism and wonderfully little hope.
 
Pessimism and insults will achieve nothing.

I wouldn't insult anyone (or at least I hope not) but that sounds rather like Johnson's statement that all we need to be is optimistic and everything will be ok. I _am_ pessimistic, and I think with good, or at least reasonable, justification.
 
I sold my power amp to finance my VFETs and I am now on my third 'temporary' power amp! As casework seems to be the major delay factor in these projects I'd be happy to get my VFETs in an off the shelf box, with just a mains socket, XLR in and speaker out. Don't need any displays or gizmos as it will just sit on the floor behind my speakers - not even bothered by the colour! I think John has the VFET 'designed' at least in his head, so hopefully he can turn it around quickly once MDAC is completed (also starting to panic that my original MDAC wont survive until my MDAC2 appears in its salvaged case).
 
I suggested to JohnW some time back that offering the products in a DIY fashion would suit quite a few of us, assembled and tested boards but no casework done.. Much like a lot of the DIY MiniDSP products etc.
 
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