tenpercenter
Don't ya rile 'em.....
Original Claymore - good sounding amp with Royd speakers - nice phono stage as well as I recall
IncaTech Retro Claymore
- Thread starter Progmeister
- Start date
Pinky
In suspense, not compressed
Back in the day I had a Rotel 820B then a Creek 4040 and while they were both great amps at their respective price points, when I moved on to a Claymore it whipped the ass off both of them.
Front end was a Pink Triangle/RB300/AT-F5 and speakers Heybrook HB1's then Arcam 2's. I loved that system with the Claymore and I too am tempted by the new version of it.
BTW - the Rotel and the Claymore are still operational but the Creek bit the dust years ago.
Front end was a Pink Triangle/RB300/AT-F5 and speakers Heybrook HB1's then Arcam 2's. I loved that system with the Claymore and I too am tempted by the new version of it.
BTW - the Rotel and the Claymore are still operational but the Creek bit the dust years ago.
S-Man
StrivingON
So did I.
Then I built some Maplin mosfets amps (same circuit as a Claymore) and heard some bass.
cj66
pfm Member
For the amount made and sold a few going pop would very acceptable. If the same amp popped twice I'd be more likely to point the finger at user error. However, you can't please all the people all the time.
I had one back in the 80s that took a big Exposure set up to improve on significantly. I currently have another that had been bodged to death by a hack, brought back to life by me and Colin ( fixed a gain issue I couldn't suss) and has been giving stirling service since.
At one point I owned said Claymore, Exp XV and Nait2 olive at the same time. When knocking down to just one the Claymore won out with ease.
To say a grainy, ear piercing Cyrus 1 was better is quite unfathomable unless the speakers tweeters had blown!
I had one back in the 80s that took a big Exposure set up to improve on significantly. I currently have another that had been bodged to death by a hack, brought back to life by me and Colin ( fixed a gain issue I couldn't suss) and has been giving stirling service since.
At one point I owned said Claymore, Exp XV and Nait2 olive at the same time. When knocking down to just one the Claymore won out with ease.
To say a grainy, ear piercing Cyrus 1 was better is quite unfathomable unless the speakers tweeters had blown!
I still have my Claymore from the 80’s, original owner. It still works, but does now need a service.
Colin, do you still offering this service ? serial number 20047.
It was the best amp in its class at the time, I demo’d It against a Nait, which it beat, also better than an Intek or the creeks. Used my with Celestion SL6S then Epos ES14, which it had no trouble with. I did replace the crimp connections with solder joints inside, big improvement. To the point it was more musical then entry level Exposure pre power set up I tried or a Linn LK1/LK280. Wasn’t until I went to a Karin LK280/spark did I better it, in some ways.
Very musical and natural sounding amp, one of the stand out products I’ve bought over the last 30+ years of HiFi.
Colin, do you still offering this service ? serial number 20047.
It was the best amp in its class at the time, I demo’d It against a Nait, which it beat, also better than an Intek or the creeks. Used my with Celestion SL6S then Epos ES14, which it had no trouble with. I did replace the crimp connections with solder joints inside, big improvement. To the point it was more musical then entry level Exposure pre power set up I tried or a Linn LK1/LK280. Wasn’t until I went to a Karin LK280/spark did I better it, in some ways.
Very musical and natural sounding amp, one of the stand out products I’ve bought over the last 30+ years of HiFi.
The Maplin circuit is a copy from the Hitachi Apps book, but both Maplin and Hitachi assumed the wrong conclusions when it came to driving FET's.
Both used large value resistors on the gate of the FET's and a relative low speed transistor to drive them. Thus a completely NAFF BW and phase changes that altered under dynamic conditions, not good.
I did not, I used a small peak current limiting resistor and a 140MHz 15W driver, a big improvement, the later designs had even better drive techniques and stopped the parasitic oscillation at about 7.5KHz under dynamic low power configuration. And then I could reduce the idle current and the heat dissipation.
As a matter of interest the PCB layout for Maplin was done by my good friend John Dudley, he also did the Claymore PCB layout both using Chartpak Tape, a long job. He did most of the Inca Tech and Magnum circuit board layout in the 1980.s.
And all of the Maplin Kit boards, shame Maplin went.
A good friend.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
I bought a couple of those Maplin amp boards when my local store closed down, paid about 50p each for them the day before they closed. I built then with my daughter to teach her how to solder... are they any good for anything? I’ve never powered them up.The Maplin circuit is a copy from the Hitachi Apps book, but both Maplin and Hitachi assumed the wrong conclusions when it came to driving FET's.
Both used large value resistors on the gate of the FET's and a relative low speed transistor to drive them. Thus a completely NAFF BW and phase changes that altered under dynamic conditions, not good.
I did not, I used a small peak current limiting resistor and a 140MHz 15W driver, a big improvement, the later designs had even better drive techniques and stopped the parasitic oscillation at about 7.5KHz under dynamic low power configuration. And then I could reduce the idle current and the heat dissipation.
As a matter of interest the PCB layout for Maplin was done by my good friend John Dudley, he also did the Claymore PCB layout both using Chartpak Tape, a long job. He did most of the Inca Tech and Magnum circuit board layout in the 1980.s.
And all of the Maplin Kit boards, shame Maplin went.
A good friend.
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
You mean the Maplin mosfet amp boards? They did several other power amp boards/kits as well but the mosfet one was their best seller. Did you get just the boards or the full kits? Even if just the boards then a bargain. Myst, Musical Fidelity and Perreaux (amongst many others) all thought them "good for something"! The output mosfets are now unobtainium but there are direct replacement equivalents available.
I built a set when I was 17 and recall showing them producing sine waves on a 'scope for a parents evening science thingy at 6th form... OMG that makes me feel old!
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
Ah never mind, no they’re not. I just dug them out, they’re the ones that use the TIP142/147 output transistors which I believe are a bit ropey, probably why I chucked them in a drawer and didn’t bother putting power to them. Couldn’t remember what they were. I literally bought them just to teach me to solder... She got a reasonable grasp on it but doesn’t want to earn any money helping build my boards, she prefers it when I just give her money.
PS, I could easily get the same circuit put on a nice high quality through plated fibreglass board. The supplier I use for my boards is very good.
Ah never mind, no they’re not. I just dug them out, they’re the ones that use the TIP142/147 output transistors which I believe are a bit ropey, probably why I chucked them in a drawer and didn’t bother putting power to them. Couldn’t remember what they were. I literally bought them just to teach me to solder... She got a reasonable grasp on it but doesn’t want to earn any money helping build my boards, she prefers it when I just give her money.
PS, I could easily get the same circuit put on a nice high quality through plated fibreglass board. The supplier I use for my boards is very good.
The PCB you bought I think they maybe the Vellerman 100W kit, it was rubbish, sorry.
I do not use FET,s anymore except in my SECA amp and they are IRF? type in a constant current mode, and that can be fun too.
As a matter of interest most TIP142/147 are Darlingtons, not the best things for audio, I have even used IGBT only rated at 1200V 300A small ones.
The SiC type FET,s are magic so was the V FET,s but cost is high. The Russian also did a tube structure design very linear.
And the there was the RCA ECC83 and EL34 tube replacement using FET,s. And Fetlingtons ehhh rubbish.
Harris also did a tube replacement in the early 1980s , I wonder if there is any out there still.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
You’re right, it was. I’ve just had a mountain of things on since I bought and built them with my daughter and wasn’t aware of another amp board. I knew there was a reason I didn’t do anything beyond building them up lol.
I’ll look into the “Maplin mosfet amp”, it would make an interesting project to get some good quality PCBs made up and build some. I have a couple of empty Linn LK cases that were once Intersekt multi room hubs, they’d house them nicely. I might get onto it when I have time (probably not in the next year).
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
Toshiba engaged John Linsley Hood to produce a report on the use of their IGBT's for audio back in the 90's... it mainly proved that they were inferior to either BJT's or Mosfets though!
I like lateral mosfets and use them in many of my power amp designs but unfortunately they are just too expensive, especially when you've paralleled enough of them up to get the Gm you want! Lots of very attractive characteristics though, especially the slight negative temperature coefficient.
foxwelljsly
Me too, I ate one sour too.
I had an Inca Tech Claymore 2 for about 8 years until I accidentally shorted one channel out.
It was part of a secondhand system I bought from Salisbury Hi Fi in 1992 - the rest was a pair of Ruark Sabres and a Manticore Mantra/RB250/AT-F3. Saw me through my years at university. Good phono stage. Slightly over pronounced bass.
I suspect the far more expensive 8000A I replaced it with was a bit of a downgrade.
It was part of a secondhand system I bought from Salisbury Hi Fi in 1992 - the rest was a pair of Ruark Sabres and a Manticore Mantra/RB250/AT-F3. Saw me through my years at university. Good phono stage. Slightly over pronounced bass.
I suspect the far more expensive 8000A I replaced it with was a bit of a downgrade.
russel
./_dazed_and_confused
Quite cheap in quantity https://www.profusionplc.com/parts/ecx10n20 I am sure you could get a few interested in a group buy.
S-Man
StrivingON
I have the apps note that Steve Langdon wrote with help from JLH. Used to work with Steve many moons ago at Tosh, great guy but he sadly passed away too early (cancer :-().
Wish I'd got a few boxes of 2Sk389s and the P-channel and single versions instead of the 20 or so pcs I have. Same for the few Tosh bipolars I have, wish I'd known!!
Bring back green PNPs!
In fact... if I had a box of 2SK389s for every time somebody said "allright Tosh..." to me...
YNWOAN
100% Analogue
I think the reason the ES14 is sometimes thought of as a difficult load is because, rather than being a low impedance design it is a high impedance load over much of its range and so does not encourage the amp to deliver current. At the same time the bass needs a strong grip and the tweeter/crossover slope is not kind to distortion and/or clipping.
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
That's my usual supplier yes but I only buy small quantities and go for the To3 dual die version.... £15 each! Planning on using 3 pairs per channel in my latest class A power amp.... £180 for just the output transistors! up and running very nicely with 1 pair at the moment... good thing I have enough free samples left from years ago of Keith Persin, the MD at Profusion
(i used to put work their way at Alchemist and then at a later EE job in non hi fi audio)It won't be for sale.... I continue to design and build high end hi fi (and always will) but only for my own use... for the time being (Arkless 640P still available).