advertisement


Quick INCA TECH The Claymore question

TheMJ

TheMJ

pfm Member
Hi Guys,

Wonder if you could help with my quick Inca Tech Claymore question.

I am lucky enough to have one of these fabulous little amps. From what I have read they were all manufactured with ALPS Volume pots; is this the case ?

If it is true, mine must have been modified at some stage as it does not have one.

I am hoping to get a definitive answer from somebody who knows.

Thanks for your help :)

Mike
 
Hi Mike - I believe Colin Wonfor (the chap who designed the Claymore) frequents this forum so may be worth firing a pm off to him?
 
Cheers Richard and James,

Looking like it could be a yes then, although I will try and find out definitively from Colin.
 
I'm on my third Claymore, keep coming back to them!
Mine have all been "Issue 6" as found printed roughly in the middle of the circuit board. AFAIK this was the final version.
All of them have come with the type of Alps vol pot that James linked to. I also have a photo of an issue 3 that clearly shows a similar type of vol pot.

I only had reason to replace the pot in my current Claymore, the one that came out was a 20K but I have no idea if this is standard or a tinkerers replacement, as this amp was bought as dead with signs of poor work inside.
I replaced the pot with a blue Apls 50K, which does not sit at exactly the correct position for the shaft to have the vol knob refitted (snadge too short).Solution, mount the pot to the case and use fly leads to the board.
Colin has been inside mine as well, he even marked the Blue Alps as "Non standard". ;) He's a very nice guy to deal with and may just spot this thread!

Hope that helps.
 
At the risk of nabbing Mike's thread (hope he doesn't mind!)...

Now it looks like my Exposure rig is mostly sold, I'm after a good integrated - I know plenty about the Exposures, but am also looking, to keep my options open, at the Claymore and an Onix OA21. Of course the Nait 2 would be another option but whilst I know it's a super little amp, it just doesn't have anywhere near the oomph I need.

There's what looks like a very clean Claymore on 'that' auction site, and there's also an OA21 lurking on the web which looks good. I know the Onix reasonably well, a friend has owned one (along with the SOAP) for many years and love it for its dynamism and superb phonostage. Don't want to spend more than 300 quid really, as 1. Our boiler's been playing up and is due to be fixed tomorrow (£££!) and 2. I want to leave something behind for my vinyl front end.

Thanks all. :)
 
Personally prefer the OA21, having had both here at the same time. Claymore probably has more low end grunt, onix tighter and leaner. You'll pay more for the OA21 now though, especially if it has soap.
 
Thanks JE - I'm wondering also in fact how these would compare with an Expo Super XV, an amp I know very well having owned one several years ago.
 
I also have a soft spot for the Onix but have never compared it directly to an Exposure or Claymore.

I have compared the Claymore to Nait1 & 2, Exposure X & XV (standard).
Naim I just don't like so it's a lost cause on me.

The Claymore has more authority than the above Exposures and seems faster , this is despite me being a HUUUUUGE Exposure pre/power fan, but will have to wait for when funds next allow:(
 
cjarchez said:
I also have a soft spot for the Onix but have never compared it directly to an Exposure or Claymore.

I have compared the Claymore to Nait1 & 2, Exposure X & XV (standard).
Naim I just don't like so it's a lost cause on me.

The Claymore has more authority than the above Exposures and seems faster , this is despite me being a HUUUUUGE Exposure pre/power fan, but will have to wait for when funds next allow:(
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments - v useful. As many folk will know, I'm also a die-hard Exposure fan, so jumping to the Claymore will be a little bit of a gamble. Still, it's not megabucks so will be fun to try out.

I always liked the Nait 2 (I've owned a CB and Olive one - the CB was from new) but when it boils down to it, its lack of power and therefore dynamic headroom are huge minus points for me, especially as I can now turn the wick up to more realistic levels.

The Exposure X I bought after my CB N2 was an ear-opener - all the Nait's get up and go, but with more authority, tonal density and speaker driving power.
 
In my experience the Claymore sits squarely between the Exposure and the Nait, combining the best traits of both, the speed and timing of the Nait with the grunt of the Exposure (and I like Exposure, not so much Naim). The more I listen, the more I like the Claymore; I really can't believe the quality of the amp for the money. Looks retro fab as well !

Thanks for your input cjarchez. Colin informs me (you're right, he is a very nice, helpful guy) that all bar the first 100 had mini Alps pots (they had Welwyn type).

Cheers

Mike
 
That sounds quite promising Mike - how long have you had your Claymore now?

I've no doubt paid slightly over the odds for mine, wished (as usual!) I'd put a lower offer in but if the amp sounds like a good 'un then it'll be worth the outlay. From your description, and that of others, it sounds like it's going to be a cracking little amp with real driving power. :)

Oh...and it releases funds to throw at a turntable. :)

TheMJ said:
In my experience the Claymore sits squarely between the Exposure and the Nait, combining the best traits of both, the speed and timing of the Nait with the grunt of the Exposure (and I like Exposure, not so much Naim). The more I listen, the more I like the Claymore; I really can't believe the quality of the amp for the money. Looks retro fab as well !
Click to expand...
 
I've had mine just over a week now Richard and I am still being surprised by how well it does what it does. I am by no means of the rose coloured glasses / old kit is best mentality, but this amp has equalled/bettered anything I have owned up to the mid / late £100's of pounds mark and, more importantly, is exactly the sound I like.
The phono stage is a corker to, as good as, if not better than my Clearaudio stand-alone stage.
I'm well pleased !
 
Gromit, do take the lid off and check all the caps before powering up. Make sure there's none bulging/leaking. Could probably do with a service by now. If anything it's an excuse to have a gander inside ;)
 
James Evans said:
Gromit, do take the lid off and check all the caps before powering up. Make sure there's none bulging/leaking. Could probably do with a service by now. If anything it's an excuse to have a gander inside ;)
Click to expand...

Will do. :)

If it sounds good in my system I may well look into getting it serviced aswell, fairly soon. Also would make it easier to sell on if it didn't work out.

Looking forward to this! Memories of it being praised to the skies back in the 80's. :)
 
James Evans said:
Gromit, do take the lid off and check all the caps before powering up. Make sure there's none bulging/leaking. Could probably do with a service by now. If anything it's an excuse to have a gander inside ;)
Click to expand...

Very wise advice, looking in mine it could probably do with a recapping in the near future (one of the big ELNA's looks to have a very slight bulge) :eek:)
 
Finding decent 4700uf 63v caps at 25mm dia is a pain, or at least it was when I was doing mine. The psu decoupling caps for the phono board (front left) could probably usefully be upgraded to something like pana fc. They're also a right pig to take apart. From memory there's a definite sequence you need to go through.
 
I wonder if Colin would be willing to do the work on these? It's definitely not something I'd want to tackle myself (I can just about solder an RCA plug!). :D
 
When did you do yours James ?

James Evans said:
Finding decent 4700uf 63v caps at 25mm dia is a pain, or at least it was when I was doing mine. The psu decoupling caps for the phono board (front left) could probably usefully be upgraded to something like pana fc. They're also a right pig to take apart. From memory there's a definite sequence you need to go through.
Click to expand...
 
Probably about 4 years ago now. Still got it going strong, although in a rather butchered form! At some point I need to dive back inside and remove a load of the superfluous crap I put in there in the process of learning/experimenting. Amazed it's still alive actually. At one point I did something that made the output stage run so hot I couldn't touch the amp. Everything still survived. Also shorted the power switch across the case while still plugged in and shot flames under the pcb. No lasting damage there either (except my brown trousers ;) ).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top