The AMP project... the final chapter has begun.
nooshinjohn
Posts: 25,447
Well gents, the clock is ticking now and the final chapter of this project has begun. They are asssembled and ready for the final journey to meet with Bob and be tested, signed and put to use as the last amplifiers I will ever buy for two channel audio. From a purely cosmetic standpoint, I think they rival any commercially produced amp, including the new line built by the man himself. Each time I look at them, I find it hard to believe that it was my own two hands that designed the look and assembled them.
I started this new thread for this project because this is really a new phase of this project, as there are no more mock-ups, tests or alterations to be made at this point, just final wiring inside, inspection and testing to bring them to life. Next week, I will travel with them to Snohomish and work with the master and hear them sing. The coming days will be among the most treasured of my life, as it is not every day you get to work side by side with a legend and fufill a dream. I will post lots of pics of the completion process, and report back my impressions of the experience. I am also looking into loaning the twins out for a series of week-long in-home demos to local SoCal Polkies so they can also chime in here with their thoughts and opinions on these.
Let the journey begin!
I started this new thread for this project because this is really a new phase of this project, as there are no more mock-ups, tests or alterations to be made at this point, just final wiring inside, inspection and testing to bring them to life. Next week, I will travel with them to Snohomish and work with the master and hear them sing. The coming days will be among the most treasured of my life, as it is not every day you get to work side by side with a legend and fufill a dream. I will post lots of pics of the completion process, and report back my impressions of the experience. I am also looking into loaning the twins out for a series of week-long in-home demos to local SoCal Polkies so they can also chime in here with their thoughts and opinions on these.
Let the journey begin!
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
Post edited by nooshinjohn on
Comments
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Man - those amps are freakin sick!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Beautiful work, I am in awe. To work alongside Carver would just be a truly memorable experience that you deserve after all the hours and work you have put in.
P.S.-- take pics or it didn't happen2-ch System: Parasound P/LD 2000 pre, Parasound HCA-1000 amp, Parasound T/DQ Tuner, Phase Technology PC-100 Tower speakers, Technics SL-1600 Turntable, Denon 2910 SACD/CD player, Peachtree DAC iT and X1asynchorus USB converter, HSU VTF-3 subwoofer. -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I am also looking into loaning the twins out for a series of week-long in-home demos to local SoCal Polkies so they can also chime in here with their thoughts and opinions on these.
Ohhhhh yeahhhhhhh :evil: -
polkfarmboy wrote: »Ohhhhh yeahhhhhhh :evil:
Not to be too much of a jerk there PFB, but given your track record with gear, I have taken the liberty of filing a restraining order against you coming within a half-mile of the completed amps.:razz::cheesygrin:The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
A few more pictures with the tubes and power cords in place...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Just beautiful. A demo of these would probably be all anyone needed to hear to either love or hate the tube sound.
If I am EVER out that way... I'll bring the beer! -
Awesome, you need to get back to cooler country and run those babies all winter long
Congrats2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
As stated above those amps are sick!!
Very nice work John..Polk Audio SDA 2.3tl Fully Hot Rodded. 😎
SVS SB16 X2
Cary SLP-05/Ultimate Upgrade.
Cary SA-500.1 ES Amps
Cary DMS 800PV Network
OPPO UDP 205/ModWright Modification
VPI Scout TT / Dynavector 20x2
Jolida JD9 Fully Modified
VPI MW-1 Cyclone RCM
MIT Shotgun 3 cables throughout / Except TT, and PC’s -
Absolutely beautiful! Your patience, talent, and dedication to this project is about to be richly rewarded in a way you can enjoy every day. You should be very proud and this next week with Bob will be like bringing your child to life (a little like the Frankenstein story, but surely only an odd coincidence).integrated w/DAC module Gryphon Diablo 300
server Wolf Alpha 3SX
phono pre Dynamic Sounds Associates Phono II
turntable/tonearms Origin Live Sovereign Mk3 dual arm, Origin Live Enterprise Mk4, Origin Live Illustrious Mk3c
cartridges Miyajima Madake, Ortofon Windfeld Ti, Ortofon
speakers Rockport Mira II
cables Synergistic Research Cables, Gryphon VPI XLR, Sablon 2020 USB
rack Adona Eris 6dw
ultrasonic cleaner Degritter -
Very nice not bad for a little weekend project. :cool::razz:
BTW: Don't forget to bring a good jacket and maybe an umbrella, Looks like rain this week. And remember up here "we don't tan, we rust"“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
I hope to meet you up there Gimpod, and thanks for the advice.:cool:The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Just awesome!Home Theater
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Sharp LC-70LE847U
Emotiva XPA-5 Emotiva XPA-2 Emotiva UPA-2
Front RTi-A9 Wide RTi-A7 Center CSi-A6 Surround FXi-A6 Rear RTi-A3 Sub 2x PSW505
Sony BDP-S790 Dishnetwork Hopper/Joey Logitech Harmony One Apple TV
Two Channel
Oppo 105D BAT VK-500 w/BatPack SDA SRS 2.3 Dreadnought Squeezebox Touch Apple TV -
Next week really sucks for me as I have appointments at the VA all week.:sad:nooshinjohn wrote: »I hope to meet you up there Gimpod, and thanks for the advice.:cool:“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
Great looking amps as always and I'm looking forward to your visit!
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nooshinjohn wrote: »I am also looking into loaning the twins out for a series of week-long in-home demos to local SoCal Polkies so they can also chime in here with their thoughts and opinions on these.
That's an extremely generous thought considering how long you have labored over these amps. Make sure you get a damage deposit!!
Beautiful workmanship. How about some pics with the lights dimmed and tubes glowing?Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
I don't think John can do that yet, DK, as I assume that they're not really operational until the final wiring and check is done by Carver? Not to take anything away from John's beautiful craftsmanship above, but he'd be "crazy" to pop tubes in and fire them up without having the Master weigh in first.
After all, John may be "good" but Bob Carver, well--none of us are that "good"! lol
Enjoy the time with Carver. Just "how" is it that you know him this well?
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
I might have misunderstood. I thought he was going to do the final wiring himself then take the assembled unit to Carver for testing/tweaking.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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John, they look GREAT! Congrats on getting your projects to this point.
I hope all goes well up there.
I'm looking forward to your write-up when you return.Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
DarqueKnight wrote: »I might have misunderstood. I thought he was going to do the final wiring himself then take the assembled unit to Carver for testing/tweaking.
Maybe you're right there! Perhaps John will clarify.
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I am also looking into loaning the twins out for a series of week-long in-home demos to local SoCal Polkies (exceptions being Endersshadow and IndyHawg) so they can also chime in here with their thoughts and opinions on these.
John, I fixed it for ya
:biggrin::razz:.
Very excited the journey is almost done. Now comes the fun part of that last 10% that takes 90% more effort and restraint than the first 90% lol....
Tell Bob I thank him for the wonderful amps he made, and if he wants to donate one or two to me he's more than welcome lol... :razz:"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Very nice John, congrats. :cheesygrin:
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DarqueKnight wrote: »I might have misunderstood. I thought he was going to do the final wiring himself then take the assembled unit to Carver for testing/tweaking.
They are fully assembled, but the transformers need to be wired in yet and there are a few changes that will be made to correct any mistakes I have made internally. I figure it will take a day per chassis to get them sorted and ready for the bench. I am making the trip up with them so I will be making the fixes per Bob's direction. We have also added a port on the back of the amp for plugging in a meter for setting the bias, and a switch for classic tube or modern tube amp sound that also need to be wired in. Thanks DK and the rest for the kind words. There are too many to thank at the moment, but I can say that if not for the encouragement of many here, I likely would have given up on these right about the time I saw the schematics.
I knew this place was legendary for spending other people's money:cheesygrin:, but it is also the very best forum on the web when it comes to helping each other inprove their listening experience, and the occasional kick in the but from time to time. You guys pushed me from day one to go beyond what I thought I could do and make something will will bring beauty to my life in ways far beyond the music...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Well, after a very slow start and some scheduling conflicts on both sides, I have the twins all boxed up, along with my TGA-7401(for signing purposes) and am ready to hit the road on Thursday Morning at 6am for the 14hr haul to Snohomish. I am filled with an intense level of excitement and a certian amount of trepidation as Bob will be getting his hands on them and appraising my efforts for the first time.
I will be checking in from time to time over the next few days with updates and I will upload a ton of pictures upon my return.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
deleted double postThe Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
This is exciting stuff.
Maybe you've said it here before, but how did you come into assembling these? From a kit? -
Wondered how the project was going. Happy 4th of July to you and I hope you have a great trip with great results on your beautiful amps.2-ch System: Parasound P/LD 2000 pre, Parasound HCA-1000 amp, Parasound T/DQ Tuner, Phase Technology PC-100 Tower speakers, Technics SL-1600 Turntable, Denon 2910 SACD/CD player, Peachtree DAC iT and X1asynchorus USB converter, HSU VTF-3 subwoofer.
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This is exciting stuff.
Maybe you've said it here before, but how did you come into assembling these? From a kit?
They were built by hand via schematics sent by email and popping the top so to speak on some of his tube amps to see how everything is connected.
I believe they have been rebuilt top to bottom a couple times due to part changes after the fact.
John I very much look forward to you finishing these and maybe someday hearing them myself.
Tell Bob to keep up the good work and building cool new products. Ask him specifically about the smaller line source drivers they are working on. 1 Ribbon tweeter with 2 sets of drivers on either side, like a double CRM2.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »They were built by hand via schematics sent by email and popping the top so to speak on some of his tube amps to see how everything is connected.
I believe they have been rebuilt top to bottom a couple times due to part changes after the fact.
Soo... based on a kit or...?
Regardless, I think it would be a great sense of accomplishment to build your own pair of 400w monoblock tube amps. Last amp anyone should ever need... -
This was no kit. thet transformers and the chassis was provided by Bob. All of the parts, including the cosmetics(granite, transformer covers) were things that I fashioned on my own and had made to my specs. Part of the trouble in asembling them was that it seems like the internals keep changing on a daily basis. I just was inside a set of the new 305's(upon which these are based) and found that there are several more changes made to them from the last drawings I have.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »This was no kit. thet transformers and the chassis was provided by Bob. All of the parts, including the cosmetics(granite, transformer covers) were things that I fashioned on my own and had made to my specs. Part of the trouble in asembling them was that it seems like the internals keep changing on a daily basis. I just was inside a set of the new 305's(upon which these are based) and found that there are several more changes made to them from the last drawings I have.
Makes sense now. Thanks for the explanation.
Sometimes, it's who you know. And in this case, That's real special what you were able to do on behalf of Bob.
Enjoy the trip. Looking forward to the pictures.
