The John Westlake/Lakewest MDAC/FDAC, VFET and Detox
- Thread starter Tony L
- Start date
fred sonnen
pfm Member
Thanks for the update / picures nostromo
Has anything been said about the optional tube output stage from John @ FB in the last 12 months? I hope this is not forgotten in the course of years of development....
Has anything been said about the optional tube output stage from John @ FB in the last 12 months? I hope this is not forgotten in the course of years of development....
nostromo
pfm Member
I don't recall anything directly addressing the tube output stage, although I know it was shown as a concept picture many years ago by John and it looked fabulous with lovely glowing tubes coming out of the top of the case.
I'm guessing: the current situation is that this is now a few rungs back in the plan and if demand is there it will be offered as a couple of swappable modules in the (far) future ... Also, I can't see how the tubes would protrude the case, so a big loss in aesthetics is to be expected if this is the chosen route.
russel
./_dazed_and_confused
It is that bad, I had decent soldering irons, solder wick, solder suckers and hot air guns and I was amazed I didn’t damage anything.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
Thanks Mike, yes Wilkinson's sounds about right. I'm not sure the dac is worth repairing tbh, but i might take you up on the offer if anything else dies.
Ian the amp is a 170 SE, i suppose its nothing fancy in the grand scheme of things, but it was engaging and realistic sounding like no other amp i've had. I've not heard the Exposure 2010S but the test in Stereophile of that amp sounds exactly like the qualities the Magnum has. I have tried Magnum Pre and power amps and one of their Class A amps but neither had the magic of the integrated.
Fred, If your look at the all singing all dancing Project Dac, that has tubes in and is everything the MDAC 2 was supposed to be even the circuit board in it is the same dimensions as the MDAC.
A total coincidence i'm sure.
Ian the amp is a 170 SE, i suppose its nothing fancy in the grand scheme of things, but it was engaging and realistic sounding like no other amp i've had. I've not heard the Exposure 2010S but the test in Stereophile of that amp sounds exactly like the qualities the Magnum has. I have tried Magnum Pre and power amps and one of their Class A amps but neither had the magic of the integrated.
Fred, If your look at the all singing all dancing Project Dac, that has tubes in and is everything the MDAC 2 was supposed to be even the circuit board in it is the same dimensions as the MDAC.
A total coincidence i'm sure.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
At JW is still making improvements on the other project Dac, from the Project website about the 2023 version of the Dac...
Improved 2023 edition of a Modern Pro-Ject Classic... the people on this thread funded the development of the original, give yourselves a pat on the back everyone it's now a classic...
"The chip crisis of 20/21 has hit the Pre Box S2 Digital particularly hard, given its enduring demand. But during the downtime, we and original designer John Westlake seized the opportunity to implement key improvements and refine the design, thus rejuvenating the product almost exactly 5 years after its original introduction"
Improved 2023 edition of a Modern Pro-Ject Classic... the people on this thread funded the development of the original, give yourselves a pat on the back everyone it's now a classic...
"The chip crisis of 20/21 has hit the Pre Box S2 Digital particularly hard, given its enduring demand. But during the downtime, we and original designer John Westlake seized the opportunity to implement key improvements and refine the design, thus rejuvenating the product almost exactly 5 years after its original introduction"
fred sonnen
pfm Member
Yup, thank you. That is in line with my thoughts and assumptions.
misterdog
Not the canine kind
Only 5 years, Pro-Ject did well out of our funding then.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
I think it looks great, a rather elegant design, no doubt it would be many, many thousands from any other manufacturer, Project seem a fairly pragmatic, engineering lead company (no doubt because of their roots in turntables and the owner is a vinyl obsessive), build is in Europe too, why build a 10mm thick alloy chassis if all it's going to do is add cost? I think project own Musical Fidelity? So if they want to make a "built like a tank" chassis they no doubt could do.
Although whether it sounds good is anyone's guess.
I suspect the smaller, simpler JW designed Classic Dac is very good, there was a thread about the older Project Dac somewhere on here and JW/buyers were happy with the sound, the consensus being it was a step up from the MDAC. If one came for sale i might give it a go.
Superior
pfm Member
Hello together, thanks that you still give updates here. From time to time I came here and reed the progress.
My suggestion would be that all sponsors get a discount code for a Pro-Ject Dac and that's it. Everybody would be happy with something in his hands and this thread could be finally closed. Why don't you negotiate something like that when selling the design to pro-ject audio? Ordering, shipment, and aftersale support would also automatically be clarified through Pro-Ject.
I would be happy with something like that.
Maybe something like that would be conceivable.
Greeting
My suggestion would be that all sponsors get a discount code for a Pro-Ject Dac and that's it. Everybody would be happy with something in his hands and this thread could be finally closed. Why don't you negotiate something like that when selling the design to pro-ject audio? Ordering, shipment, and aftersale support would also automatically be clarified through Pro-Ject.
I would be happy with something like that.
Maybe something like that would be conceivable.
Greeting
Tony L
Administrator
To my understanding Project have no stake in this unless it could be proven legally that they profited from intellectual property funded in full by members of this site. FWIW I personally believe this to be the case, but it would take a lot of expensive lawyers and some luck to prove it. Even then one could easily argue that was done unknowingly, all blame for everything lies 100% with John Westlake. He took the money, spent it, and delivered absolutely nothing to those who paid. None of that is on Project.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
Please remeber that some members paid over £6000 for VFETS etc. I know one of members who forked out for VFETs in good faith has since died.
Sloop John B
And any old music will do…
Seems strange now but I remember trawling this thread a good few years ago hoping to find someone dropping out so that I could take their place.
Hard to know if it’s a scam or Walter Mitty but fair play to Tony for keeping this thread running. It would be much easier for him to kill it.
Sad to think people have died waiting for these products but I suspect that may well be the outcome for all who paid.
.sjb
Hard to know if it’s a scam or Walter Mitty but fair play to Tony for keeping this thread running. It would be much easier for him to kill it.
Sad to think people have died waiting for these products but I suspect that may well be the outcome for all who paid.
.sjb