"Shortest Way" SW51 Amp Impressions (Simple SET Amp)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Hands, Jul 12, 2019.

  1. TheloniuSnoop

    TheloniuSnoop Friend

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    I am curious which shipping service would be best; air or EMS? Thanks.
     
  2. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    Don't be afraid to contact him if you have any questions about the amp. He told me that EMS is faster so I went with that.
     
  3. TheloniuSnoop

    TheloniuSnoop Friend

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    Thanks.
     
  4. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    Dear friends, this time the photo tour will be small, there was no time to take pictures. But still, I will show you the process of manufacturing output transformers.

    The reels arrived in a serious package. The boxes are very similar to the boxes from pistol cartridges.
    [​IMG]

    The reels were placed on soft couches

    [​IMG]

    Initial installation of the cores

    [​IMG]

    Preparation of mounting corners

    [​IMG]

    Each transformer was assembled, the core glued with a solution of polystyrene in toluene and assembled under current.
    The current in the coil attracts the core elements and the Assembly is very dense.
    The screw threads are covered with electrical varnish to prevent unscrewing. Therefore, the amplifiers in the first hours of operation smell of women's nail Polish. These lacquers have the same solvents.

    The collected transformers.

    [​IMG]



    Now about shipping and delivery.
    Delivery times are unpredictable right now. Of the first 10 amps, four are already in their owners ' hands, and six are still on the road.
    I'm sending the last 10 amps now.
    I send amps in a "private person - to-private person" pattern, so sending is slow. If I send all the amplifiers at once, our customs will require a commercial shipment, but this is only possible to the address of a legal entity.
    So please understand and be a little patient, especially since the waiting time for sending is already short.


    About the new batch
    To be honest, I already wanted to stop production, but almost 15 new requests for the amplifier will force me to continue. Therefore, I want to inform you that I am starting to accept applications. So far, only applications, no money should be sent.
    I will accept applications within two or three weeks, then I will start production. Production will not be fast, it will probably take two or three months. Unless, of course, there is some new bird or donkey flu, a volcanic eruption or a meteorite falls.
    If anyone is not afraid of such conditions, I will be happy to accept your request for an amplifier.
     
  5. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    Good things come to those with patience, this amp being a particularly special gem, in my not so humble opinion.
    There are some boutique audio items known to have taken around a year from request to delivery.
     
  6. robot zombie

    robot zombie Friend

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    This is amp is pretty much official SBAF lore at this point. To think this all traces back to a little pet project listed in the "for sale" subforum! That's pretty wild, man. The amp that should not exist... no, was never meant to exist. And yet, here we are. What a journey. I bet when production stops these things are going to become most coveted unicorns. Our not-so-little secret.

    Mr. @Zampotech and friends deserve some serious accolades for this one. I know if it were me, finding myself in this unanticipated situation, I'd be totally lost. But ya'll just hit the ground running and really sorta made SBAF history. "Welp... are we doin it live? I guess we're doin it live now."

    You didn't have to do this, but no doubt a lot of us are glad you did. :bow:
     
  7. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    Thank you, but to be precise, this is a collective project. Without the support of the SBAF team, I would have failed.
     
  8. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    0.1% SBAF
    99.9% Ruslan.

    :bow:
     
  9. TheloniuSnoop

    TheloniuSnoop Friend

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    Amen to that. Zampo, you da' man. :headbang:
     
  10. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    @Zampotech, while it might be true that the SBAF community helped out, the reality is that the SW51 is decidedly not shit. In fact, it's actually pretty frickin' awesome for the price. We wouldn't have recommended something that belongs in the trash.

    In other words, job well done!
     
  11. HotRatSalad

    HotRatSalad Friend

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    Yep there's amps that come and go, all serve a purpose. As we explore different things there's amps you just hang onto. SW51+ is one that will stay for me and glad to have one. Served me well with tons of hours of enjoyment during this crazy 2020.
     
  12. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    I've been rotating between SW51+, DSHA-3F, T4, Zana Deux and Liquid Platinum during this 2020 year of extreme challenges. All provide top notch performance given the appropriate DAC for Synergy. But the level of performance achieved with SW51+ and either Modius Maximus or Bifrost 2 continues to leave me in awe. There are days where I have the SW51+ driven by Holo Spring 2 KTE and simply disappear into musical immersion. Very much needed relief from the harsh reality of a pandemic, planet on fire, political strife, etc.
     
  13. Mordy

    Mordy Acquaintance

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    Received my SW51+ and it now has about 130 hours on it. - it sounds great!
    Rolled a number of 6EJ7/EF184 tubes - if there is interest in my listening impressions from different makes of tubes I could note it down.
    In order to save wear and tear on the tube sockets there is a simple and inexpensive solution: to use 9pin socket savers. A pair could be bought for less than $4 shipped:
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-gold-pl...469460?hash=item548baaa5d4:g:cRcAAOSw8zRcSVKM
     
  14. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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    Not really excited by these.
    A) Not really needed with this amp unlike some others with recessed tube sockets. When using these, 9 times out of 10, the socket comes out with the tube, which is fine with recessed sockets but defeats the purpose with this amp and
    B) Advise checking for shorts before putting into use. I did buy a similar set and had to open 1 up because there were 2 pins shorted together. Someone on sbaf had mentioned this years ago. Thanks to whoever you are.
     
  15. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    I believe @gixxerwimp fried an MCTH with a bad socket saver...
     
  16. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    If people want to use cheap socket savers but avoid the gixxerwimp disaster, open them up and check them out before using. I bought a set of 4 from Amazon (or maybe ebay), cheap like the ones @Mordy linked above, generally good reviews - but 2 of the 4 had decent-sized solder balls rolling around inside.

    Undo the central bolt, pull the bodies apart, and examine the socket-to-pin soldering jobs. There'll be flux you should clean off, and maybe some less than stellar joints. If there are any big bridges like poor gixxer discovered, obviously get out the snips or a hacksaw blade and remove them.

    Or spend more up front for quality pieces from somewhere like Tubemonger.
     
  17. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    The solution suggested by @Mordy will be very useful while the amp owner is still looking for "his tube" and "his sound"
    The socket for the tube on the amplifier does not involve frequent replacement of tubes and sometimes it happens that the contact lobes of the socket expand and lose electrical contact with the tube. I have already had to advise the method of repairing such damage by email.
    Therefore, at the stage of searching for the right tube, @Mordy solution will be very optimal. After the search is complete, of course, the adapter can be removed.
    Of course, before installing, you need to check that the adapter is working properly (I didn't know that there are faulty adapters)
     
  18. uncletim

    uncletim New

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    I wanted to thank Zampo for helping with my special shipping needs, and the forum for the discovery. amp arrived quickly safe and sound.

    liking it so far! using Modius + VO. on the fence about the VO, sometimes amazing, other times wanting just a tad more sparkle. they would be hard to let go tho.
     
  19. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    The transmission report of the amplifiers.

    As of November 9, all amplifiers have been sent, except for the last three amplifiers from the third batch and one from the second batch (this is due to non-guaranteed delivery to the recipient's country.Probably because of the coronavirus restrictions.).
    I send the amps after a message from customs that the previous batch of amps has passed customs. You probably understand that teasing customs is not the smartest and most successful thing to do.

    For those who place an order for an amplifier of the 4th batch, I want to remind you what amps look like without a cat and with a cat.

    [​IMG]


    One more small news. Yesterday I received balanced transformers for the designed SW4 amplifier.

    [​IMG]

    These are balanced transformers from professional Studio equipment. One pair of transformers is the size and weight of a hand grenade. These are not modern transformers that have a microscopic size and weak overload capacity.
    Everything in them is good, but there are two big drawbacks: there are few such transformers and they are expensive. One pair costs almost $140.
    This alone throws the SW4 out of the budget amp class
    When this amp starts to get overgrown with meat and bones, I will open a new topic.
     
  20. Brian D

    Brian D Facebook Friend

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    Eagerly awaiting further news of the SW4. From your earlier impressions of the tube measurements I'm excited for it.
     

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