Something interesting for the New Year.

heiney9

For those who are interested in keeping up with the latest in audio I have found this to be a fascinating read. Couple that with the fact that he was willing to put a six figure investment (of his own money) in specially designed devices shows the dedication and willingness to push for something different and new.

The articles, IMO, should be read in the order I posted them. These inital products will be out of my $$$ range, but someday maybe.

http://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_sit_intro.pdf

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/firstwatt12/1.html

A typical critical comment [of the prototype]:

The amp sounds "big". There is a large, open sound stage that fills the room, that is the first thing that you notice when the amp is plugged in. The effect is a little intoxicating. ...the SIT seems to bring a lot more control & detail to the speaker. The tube sweetness is present, yet the presentation is very clean. This is like a very nice low distortion SET. The SIT presents details, but with proper dynamic contrast. Details do not poke you in the eye, they just naturally unfold as part of the music.

If you like to peek inside and see how an embryo makes it to a full blown product this is a great read.

H9

P.s. 6 figures and a couple years of tinkering. Many ask why some things cost so much, this is why.

heiney9

A note:

I did post this article over the Summer, but since then the prototype has been delivered and there is much more to the article now compared to then.

H9

tonyb

Good read, thanks for posting it.

heiney9

Thanks, I find it intriguing to see how these things unfold. How they are developed, tested, tweaked, etc. NP just has a way of presenting things, without bias, in a very understanding, easy to read way. Most designers either don't take the time to document something like this or think it may not be of interest to the general audio public. Or when they do it tends to be all puffery and marketing speak.

Again, I find it extremely fascinating and I am excited about the future possibilities of this special semiconductor and the unique circuit(s) it will be used in.

One transitor, one gain stage and no feedback.................

H9

tonyb

It will be kinda neat to see how this filters into other products. One thing I saw while reading the 6 moons review, was the comment on how they wish Pass Labs would send them a crappy product once in awhile for review. Feather in the cap for Pass I took it as.

nooshinjohn

Thanks H9... I will give it a read when I get home, but on the surface, it looks like an interesting read.

Tour2ma

Good reads, indeed... Loved the AM radio quip.

Got me curious about the old Sony, Yammie designs. Google led not only to AK (where else), but also to a new to me site...
http://www.thevintageknob.org/index.php
Love the name, although Keiko will certainly be expecting over-40 pin-ups...

tonyb

Ha...The vintage knob....sounds kinda dirty.....I like it. Though I do watch Boardwalk Empire and get my fill of vintage knobs, so to speak.