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first watt f5

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jtgofish said:
I owned an F5.They sound nicely open and clean and image well but are really boring sounding.All the audiophile qualities are there but they just do not engage you with the music and lack vibrancy.Which is a bit odd because they do not sound clinical or mechanical as is often the case with SS amps.There is just something fundamentally musically unconvincing about them.
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I will throw my hat into the "not impressed with Pass" ring, to join the very few hats there!
I built a couple of his preamps and an Aleph 3/30 (input stage of 3 and output stage of 30).
I also found them to be 'fundamentally musically unconvincing'. Great hifi but not musical!
 
I don't recognise the concept of hi fi being "musical" or not personally.
Pass's Aleph 3 is the one I'm most interested in building for myself, and based entirely on Stereophiles rave review...
It's extremely unlikely I'll ever get round to it though as there are more Arkless power amps queuing up to be built than there are Pass designs in existence.
 
Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear..I couldn't remember why I gave up on here (PFM) some years ago, I can now. Nice positive comments to help a DIYer fulfil a project. I'm amazed people with a full order book of amps backing up have time or bother to post. Unbelievable.

Yet again, Sorry I'm done..
 
on commercial (and expensive amps), how do they avoid using screws on the bottom plate (or do they?). i don't recall seeing ugly screws at the bottom of any mark levinson amps. how do they avoid this? are they all tapped holes? what about the transformer?
 
laverda said:
Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear..I couldn't remember why I gave up on here (PFM) some years ago, I can now. Nice positive comments to help a DIYer fulfil a project. I'm amazed people with a full order book of amps backing up have time or bother to post. Unbelievable.

Yet again, Sorry I'm done..
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EH???? Some people post some weird shit! I guess my post could be misunderstood though.. as you comprehensively have done! I don't sell anything for a start... (other than the Arkless 640P phono stage) I have vast amounts of amps I've designed but not built... if I had the time and money I would therefore put it into prototyping my own designs rather than Pass ones. For my own use. IF I thought a particular one was "the dog's bollocks" I may then let a few people hear it with a view to selling a few...
FWIW I have also actually built vast amounts over the years... single prototypes, for my own use. many have sounded bloody marvellous but have not been built with any consideration to appearance or being robust enough to be moved further than from my workbench to my front room.... there is no need to if all I'm doing is trying out the concept...
 
philiphifi said:
on commercial (and expensive amps), how do they avoid using screws on the bottom plate (or do they?). i don't recall seeing ugly screws at the bottom of any mark levinson amps. how do they avoid this? are they all tapped holes? what about the transformer?
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Clinch nuts.
 
philiphifi said:
on commercial (and expensive amps), how do they avoid using screws on the bottom plate (or do they?). i don't recall seeing ugly screws at the bottom of any mark levinson amps. how do they avoid this? are they all tapped holes? what about the transformer?
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Double skinned bottom panel probably.
 
chiily said:
If the F5T is anything to go by the F5 will be fantastic. I'm so impressed with the F5T I may just sell my Avondale Voyages Monos...

For me pricey bits were the PSU and the case. I bought a non-drilled case direct from modushop, cos I wanted a different rear panel layout

Keep us updated with your build, pictures and such like.

2019-11-22_07-45-10 by Garf Arf, on Flickr
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i like your layout. The aluminium base plate is a great idea but i bought the passlabs chassis lookalike so i don't think it would fit. it's be a shame to have to drill holes on the bottom plate though
 
laverda said:
I'll take a look at what I have knocking about but think Ive used all the 18-0-18 I had. If you take a look at the typical Pass PSU schematic you'll see dual primaries with a CL60 in series with these. Or you can use two. Though there are those you say this should not be used but it works and Ive never had a issue and if Mr Pass says do it, do it. IMO In fact I had an issue with a 600VA transformer which kept tripping the RCD in my house fuse board/consumer unit. After installing these CL60 'current limiters' I never had the issue. You can use two smaller transformers 200-250VA. I recall using Nuvotem Talema 2 x115V ac, 2 x 18Vac from RS last year about £50 each I think...Free delivery next day.
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Thank you - could i ask you if i buy the two transformers then presumably i would tie the ground of one to the +ive 18v of the other right. then the remaining two leads will be +18v and -18v... or would i blow everything up! :). if i feed this into one universal psu sold by diyaudio, would this work or do i need to supply two PSUs? Thanks very much
 
philiphifi said:
hi Alan - there is one on ebay http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=174180664248 but it's only 4A which is really low. Why is this?
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Philip
That transformer has 4 secondary's 30V-0-30v (250VA + 250VA) (8.3A + 8.3A) and 18V-0-18V (4VA + 4VA) (450ma + 450ma)
If its the 18-0-18 you are looking for then that ones not much good
What about 2 of these http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=221587713709
Alan
 
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337alant said:
Philip
That transformer has 4 secondary's 30V-0-30v (250VA + 250VA) (8.3A + 8.3A) and 18V-0-18V (4VA + 4VA) (450ma + 450ma)
If its the 18-0-18 you are looking for then that ones not much good
What about 2 of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avel-Y236651-250VA-18V-18V-Toroidal-Transformer/221587713709?_trkparms=aid=555018&algo=PL.SIM&ao=1&asc=20131003132420&meid=0e792665fcf444a386cc1c4c273a88f0&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=12&mehot=pf&sd=174180664248&itm=221587713709&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
Alan
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Thanks Alan - that's in the states. We should be able to get one in the uk?
 
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Arkless Electronics said:
I don't recognise the concept of hi fi being "musical" or not personally.
Pass's Aleph 3 is the one I'm most interested in building for myself, and based entirely on Stereophiles rave review...
It's extremely unlikely I'll ever get round to it though as there are more Arkless power amps queuing up to be built than there are Pass designs in existence.
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Well the Aleph 3 is really boring sounding too.A friend owned one of them.
I think Nelson Pass has designed some really good amps but the F5 and the Aleph 3 are not among them.
I use an Usher R 1.5 which is a Pass /Threshold copy.That sounds very rich and smooth but is still musically involving.
 
philiphifi said:
oh don't say that now s-man! just sugar coat everything.
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Clearly a lot of people do like NP's designs and I am very much in the minority.
The great thing about DIY is that if you don't like it you can always mod it or use the parts for another design.
 
I'm re-working the layout of my M2-X, which takes a Pass design and plays about with it with five different input boards, plus a sixth which can radically change the whole concept. FWIW, my first auditions with one daughterboard pair sounded fine with three different pairs of speakers, but horrible with Majik 140s. Having fallen back on the modded ACAs, they've brought my old Robson standmounts to life. So once again, finding the right match between amp and speakers is crucial, and a single listening session may not be definitive.

Regarding the chassis baseplate, buy perforated ali sheet on e-bay and cut it to size. Simples!
 
jtgofish said:
Well the Aleph 3 is really boring sounding too.A friend owned one of them.
I think Nelson Pass has designed some really good amps but the F5 and the Aleph 3 are not among them.
I use an Usher R 1.5 which is a Pass /Threshold copy.That sounds very rich and smooth but is still musically involving.
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No such thing as a "boring sounding" amp or a "musically involving" amp. "Rich and smooth"?? Ah coloured then!? :D
 
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