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

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

  1. Inoculator

    Inoculator Friend

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    Can't wait to see this design philosophy applied to a @Zampotech power amp someday! (fingers crossed) SW51+ is something truly special, that I cannot stop listening to, I can't wait to see what other original creations come together over time.
     
  2. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    @Zampotech great job! Will the next batch of SW51 have transformers wound on your machine?
    This seems like it was a labor of love.
     
  3. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

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    Love the restoration. It's cool to see the work that makes a small company progress.
     
  4. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    So excited at the prospect of a power amp.
     
  5. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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  6. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I subscribed to your channel and tried to turn on notifications, but it says "This action is turned off for content that is made for children."
     
  7. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    I do not yet know the character traits and habits of this winding machine. Therefore, I will not risk the quality of transformers and have already ordered transformers from a proven company. I will use this winding machine to make experimental transformers for new amplifiers.

    So far, in Russia, you can find tubes for working during the time of several of my lives :)
    But of course your idea is very interesting.
    I look with great respect at the work of the craftsmen who make the tubes.


    Production of gas discharge tubes


    Production of vacuum tubes
     
  8. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    Dear friends

    Some time ago, dear @purr1n wished me to become an oligarch [​IMG] , get rich and invite all of you to Moscow for a glass of vodka.
    Of course, not just for one drink [​IMG]

    I'll take the first step towards it tomorrow . Since last year, I decided to purchase equipment for the manufacture of cases for amplifiers. All this was located in a stopped shop with serviceable equipment. Since November last year, I have been negotiating with the owner of all these machines.
    The negotiations were difficult. Of course, he wanted to sell expensive, I wanted to buy cheaper. Outwardly, our negotiations resembled not even an oriental bazaar, but the mating dances of baboons. We got together, we got apart, we got back together, we scolded each other, we flattered each other. In general, there was a complete set of mutual psychological effects.
    The result of the negotiations has been reached and tomorrow I will start transporting the machines to my territory.

    I'll show you what's included in my purchase.

    Adjustment table

    [​IMG]

    Manual press

    [​IMG]

    Pneumatic press

    [​IMG]

    Drilling Machine

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Corner Cutting Machine

    [​IMG]

    Pneumatic guillotine

    [​IMG]

    Sheet Bending Machine №1

    [​IMG]

    Sheet Bending Machine 2

    [​IMG]

    Welding Machine

    [​IMG]

    Air Compressor

    [​IMG]

    Of course, all these machines need to be cleaned, lubricated, and restored to their normal appearance. Technically, they are fully functional.

    I hope that the transportation will take place safely. I also hope that the inclusion of machines in the new location will also be successful.
    If all this is successful, then I will be able to please SBAF users with various inexpensive amplifiers.

    I also want to inform you that in the coming week, communication by email with me may be sporadic.
    If you write to me and do not receive an answer, I ask you not to be modest and repeat your letter.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2021
  9. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Congratulations. I think you found Cher’s bedroom from the late 1970s!
     
  10. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    You almost spilled my drink @crazychile and my cigar at my local cafe. :p
     
  11. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    Tomorrow I will convey your words to the owner of the machines
     
  12. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    This is going to be two years of meticulous disassembling/cleaning/improving followed by a lifetime of building killer amps. I 100% love how scrappy @Zampotech is. I feel like I'm rooting for the underdog who consistently over-performs.
     
  13. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    No, not two years, just one or two weeks. This is professional equipment that works even if it looks like a rusty kettle.
    For the production of amplifier housings, only two machines from the entire list are required. The rest I took from greed)
     
  14. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    I absolutely love old school machines, down to their last bolt.

    Congratulations on your deal!
     
  15. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Fantastic deal, and exciting for future prospective works of audio art!
     
  16. mdr30

    mdr30 Acquaintance

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    Got an extra Telefunken EF184 (bought a lot of three) if someone is interested.

    On a similar note, among the tube models recommended on page 5 of this thread are several variable gain types (for radio and tv receivers) which normally are not suited to amplifiers. Maybe Zampotech or a resident tube expert know more about this.
     
  17. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Congrats!

    I hope the cleaning lady/man wasn't part of the deal :D
     
  18. Mordy

    Mordy Acquaintance

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    Congratulations on your new equipment - I admire your ambition and determination!
     
  19. robot zombie

    robot zombie Friend

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    I thought about grabbing some to try just because they're apparently polarizing.:p

    I'm running EF184's now, but they're Tungsrams, which with my HD6xxs I would say kind of just open things up tonally. Just stream of consciousness, been using them for a few hours (for clarity - yesterday was stock) and I would describe the bass as being a little fuller but better damped and less bloomy - some actually might not like that, HD6xx midbass bloom can be like a nice warm blanket breathing a little life into things. So a desirable concession - almost a staple of their sound.

    I also notice better delineation in the 'true' treble region and very little change in midrange timbre. It's just a little better extended and 'cleaner'. To me, it corrects some more minor issues I have with the HD6xx's (don't get me wrong - favorite headphone,) without really messing too much with the midrange that makes them so great. They still sound like HD650's... so still somewhat bloomy bass, laid-back presence, and slight upper rolloff. But still got that tasty liquid granule midrange that sounds musical and right with that depth to its presentation of minor details. I can relax with this setup and it will show me everything without smacking me over the head with it. No offensive peaks or tonal weirdness that I can find.

    But then, people who's impressions I put stock in are like 50/50 when it comes to their own feelings on it. Somewhere in this thread it is in there.

    Funnily enough, the Tungsrams kinda sound like what you're describing, but less severe. Like I said, I don't find it to be this grand departure from stock. It's not a different amp. Just that last 10 or so percent of difference. Maybe for me, it's just not altering things I'm as sensitive to, while for others it's hitting those exacting little dealbreakers for them.

    I don't think I'd like a tube that changed the sound as drastically as you describe. Not really what I look to them for. Something more like buying the nice t-shirt instead of a basic one. Still a t-shirt, but maybe it fits a little better and holds up better over time.

    Agh... tube rolling is such a crapshoot, I sometimes question the value of doing impressions on them at all. As pointed out before, this amp takes a lot of tubes that weren't ever really used for related applications. They're common/cheap and there is probably no telling what you're getting from unit to unit (not zamp's tubes, aftermarket.) Ergo, one man's golden tube is another man's stinker. Tradeoff is they are actually priced reasonably, unlike that perfectly plucked, ultra-rare tube driven to extinction by maniacs.

    I mean, it's also a transformer-coupled tube amp with fairly high output impedance, making it a lot more load-reactive. Mix tube swaps in and you get a whole mix of things going on. We could probably have a whole thread on SW51+ tube rolling and fill pages and pages. And it'd probably be a mess where you'd walk away having no idea what to buy, save for a few people here who can just read certain folks impressions like a book and kinda know exactly what they're hearing.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2021
  20. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

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    Is it allowed to ask the status of the 4th batch?
    If not, I blame the Golden Schlong awards for reminding me!
     

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