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Arkless 640P "Dr T Mode"/current input version interest check

I think it's a good idea, Jez. (Cannot speak to how commercially successful the venture will be, hoping it is, but...) there a a few of these cropping up now. Sutherland engineering has 2 very expensive models (the loco and the little loco--I believe $8k US and $4k US) and then there's the Channel D 2.0 ($2k US), a few others. Bear in mind that a few months after Fremer declared that he cannot see any reason why NOT to do a transimpedence-based phono section (provided the cart in question 'works' with such loading, as you've noted including 'flyers' mentioned above), he then reviewed the PS audio stellar phono section which is NOT a current-mode phono section and basically said it's as good as anything he's ever heard (not really but almost) and certainly implied it was better than both of the offerings, more expensive or otherwise that he recently reviewed that WERE current-mode amplifiers. But I digress.

I think it's a great move because for the prices that we're talking there isn't much out there and if it punches to the weight of a P75 mk 1, 2, 3 or 4, you're talking a potentially very good VFM.

I will say on my P75 v1 (purchased from Joe P here) that the Lyra Delos was VERY loud out of it, but it has something like a 0.6mv output and lower internal impedence. that being said, I really didn't mind. I never found I couldn't get the volume where I wanted it, and on top of that I never got the sense that I was sacrificing gain for detail (although to be fair I never lowered the gain setting to test it out).

Anyway again, I'm sure you'll design something quite lovely and I hope it works out for you.
 
Next I'm altering the spec of my old demo unit to match the spec I currently provide to customers for the Arkless 640P, changing all the old electrolytics etc as a precaution, and putting back all the relay delay circuitry and the relay itself (they are not removed in customers units anyway... it was an attempt to make it lighter and reduce postage!) which are needed in the new transimpedance version. I'm also getting some nice caps in for the new part of the EQ:)

There's just enough people now on the loan list to go ahead with sending it out but if any more want to add their names to the list here then go for it!
 
Hi Jez, I would be interested to hear this, especially in comparison to my Meridian 101 pre-amp with IMCOS module! No rush and happy to be at end of list. Incidentally, I saw you are a Richard Thompson fan - 'Bright Lights' is one of the albums I'd be testing this on. Did you see his Albert Hall birthday gig?
 
Hi Jez, I would be interested to hear this, especially in comparison to my Meridian 101 pre-amp with IMCOS module! No rush and happy to be at end of list. Incidentally, I saw you are a Richard Thompson fan - 'Bright Lights' is one of the albums I'd be testing this on. Did you see his Albert Hall birthday gig?

Yep I'm a Richard Thompson fan, mainly for his acoustic stuff. I saw a few excerpts from it but that's all.
 
About 25 years ago I was doing a job in Grimsby and was finding it difficult to find a hotel for the night when I crossed a line across the road saying I was entering Cleethorpes.

I thought Cleethorpes is a holiday resort - there must be hotels here!

I almost immediately came to s hotel and went in. A sign said it was happy hour with 1/2 price drinks and whilst looking round saw another sign saying "Richard Thompson appearing live tonight".

I booked in!

(The hotel was a dump mind!!)
 
Hi Jez,
I would like to try it please. I am one of the original two pfm members that sent a donor 640P for you to convert and it is still giving sterling service. I also have a phonclone 3 which I bought as a collection of parts from another pfm member, this is a similar design to your new proposal I believe. It sounds very similar to my Arkless but with perhaps a slightly more full bass.
I am using an AT 33PTG at the moment.
So it should be a worthwhile comparison.
Mike
 
Hi Jez - Me too please. It will be interesting to compare to my 47 Labs.
If you recall, you cured a grounding hum on my phonocube a couple of years ago.
 
It's heartening to see such interest:)
However many are I believe, from what has been posted up thread, "just curious" about it and already have phono stages which they are perfectly happy with... some of which are MUCH more expensive than mine... Now obviously I'm trying to earn a living here folks so I'll probably get it to those who are seriously interested in actually buying one first and then let the rest have a listen afterwards:)

All parts to complete it to final spec are now here and it should not be long now before it is ready for first demos:)
 
Yes please, I would be interested in listening to one and possibly buying one if found to be an improvement over my current preamp.
 
For the moment, Jez, put me in the second wave. I'm not using a MC cart at the mo' so others can have priority over me.
 
It's off for initial listening tests with some guinea pigs (better hearing than hamsters) so should be some reports on it before long... followed by some more...

But meanwhile here's another option for ALL versions of the Arkless 640P

X3IBBjB.jpg


A volume control. Use it straight into power amp for most direct signal path etc. It's a 10K pot and so the unit still has pretty low output impedance and should drive anything fine.
£50 extra.
 
Jez's new DrT unit arrived on thursday, after a wipe round bleach the packaging was set aside for a couple of days detox. Cracked it open today and installed it in place of my Paradise.

Theres sufficient gain even with my Benz LP cartridge, 40 ohm internal impedance, so it should have plenty of volume for any other cart. Backgrounds are quiet, timbre is well balanced, it's a touch light in the bass but so is the dv, and kits stage with the Benz LP, it's a real outlier as far as impedance goes.

It does sound very much like kits stage as best as I can recall. Right up there with the usual sub £1k stages in terms of resolution, separation, noise, timing and delicacy.

I'll move it on to mrdog and ynwoan, ortofon black and troika respectively.

Nice work jez, another fine analogue weapon for your armoury.
 
I’ve still got Kit’s stage so should be able to A/B direst compare them....

pandemic allowing of course....
 
Jez's new DrT unit arrived on thursday, after a wipe round bleach the packaging was set aside for a couple of days detox. Cracked it open today and installed it in place of my Paradise.

Theres sufficient gain even with my Benz LP cartridge, 40 ohm internal impedance, so it should have plenty of volume for any other cart. Backgrounds are quiet, timbre is well balanced, it's a touch light in the bass but so is the dv, and kits stage with the Benz LP, it's a real outlier as far as impedance goes.

It does sound very much like kits stage as best as I can recall. Right up there with the usual sub £1k stages in terms of resolution, separation, noise, timing and delicacy.

I'll move it on to mrdog and ynwoan, ortofon black and troika respectively.

Nice work jez, another fine analogue weapon for your armoury.

Very likely some of the difference in bass region was caused by Paradise RIAA inaccuracy , I'm certain Jez calculated and executed almost flat RIAA.
 
Should hardly need a power amp with Troika and Quintet Black if there is plenty of output with the weird Benz cart!
I reckon this bass lightness Si reports is an oddity of the Benz into a current input stage... it has killer bass with loads of slam here at Arkless Towers with my usual Technics EPC-300MC (only 0.1mV for 5cm/s output) and with an Ortofon MC15 Super II I tried. Output is higher than CD player with the Ortofon!

I'm now hoping to get away with the one gain option if I can as changing gain is not straightforward.

Prices are going to be a bit higher than the "guesstimates" made before actually doing the work on the demo unit and finding out exactly what is involved.... £285 for the GTI (current input version) and £70 to convert a standard Arkless 640P to GTI spec. Way less than half the price of its rivals still!

As the Turbo is now available once again I'll do a GTI Turbo for £400.

As in earlier post I can also offer a vol control and that is an extra £50 on any of those prices.

Another possibility that has occurred to me whilst typing this is that as a current input stage needs no cart matching/loading, the MM input sockets, usually used for loading plugs in the standard version, are freed up and there is no reason one couldn't have both sets of Arkless mods done and have separate current input MC stage and normal Arkless 640P MM input (although without the option of changing capacitance loading for MM's as would usually be present in an Arkless 640P obviously but I would fit whatever load was desired). Gawd knows if there is a "gotcha" here that I haven't thought of and I'm not even going to think of a price for this at the moment.
It should be perfectly possible to arrange it for two current inputs, to run two TT's or two arms both with MC carts and switch between them:)
 


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