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In the Forum: Melquiades Amplifier
In the Thread: “Melquiades” amplifier: a year later.
Post Subject: Lack of Melquiades?Posted by Romy the Cat on: 10/5/2006

Interesting….. It is interesting to think about the relational of Melquiades slow take-up. I think that major contributing factor is that guy who calls himself Romy the Cat. Really, I think it’s it. The people who are capable to build amplifiers more or less are centered around the DIY movement and my position regarding the DIYer is well know and it was not once voiced from this site - I generally do not like those freaks. So it is perfectly understandable that if person is wiling to invest himself into multi thousands dollars project then he would like to be handles and treated with respect. I mostly despise them and they just can’t handle it. Here is a very typical reaction of those cretins:

Post by andyjevans: “By the time I had waded thigh high through the pompous definitions of what you should/should not be as a listener, what you should/should not have for speakers, what you should/should not do with bi-amping I'd decided that whoever could digest pages of such claptrap was welcome to the product. “

I think the andyjevans-like are very correct in their reaction. If I were a kindergarten boy and someone would explain to me the Theory of Relatively then I would not be able to connect the said into something the would make sense to me… apparently there are reasons why I look at the DIY crowd with disrespect.

 cv wrote:
I tell you what it is that's putting everybody off, it's that bloody input stage biasing arrangement...

Yes, and I heard a lot of “criticism” about it. “Why, don’t you use a simple automated bias in there?” “where is my Black Gates in catode?” Or as somebody John Caswell  elegantly put: “ Just had a look at the "Melquiades' amp cct and must admit that the bias arrangements for the input valve IMO are just OTT. A simple 3V button cell would provide all the necessary bias for the grid of V3 without the hassle of R10/12 and V2. Similarly I would not bother with the positive side but just put a hi quality C between R3 (and make that about 1M) and R5 and do away with R4/VR1 et al. Shades of the tail wagging the dog here! KISS works a treat.”

Sure, if the design of audio would be supply just the necessary voltages to the necessary parts of the circuits then each audio device would be wonderful. Unfortunately we all know that it is not the case. There is a difference between designing an amplifier and designing Sound by means of amplifiers. I hope John Caswell   with all his ‘Keep It Simple Stupid” would understand it, not to mention that I do not live in the realm of the “Simple Stupid Sound”.

 cv wrote:
…. solid state rectification

….which in combined with fast and soft switching SS diode AND input choke filters produce way more interesting result then tube rectification.

 cv wrote:
…6C33…

Actually the output tube might be whatever they wish… I have chosen the 6C33 for my reasons, other people have their own reasons. Stick in the output stage whatever you which: a properly implemented 2A3, 211 or GM70 and the amplifier should be virtually the same….

 cv wrote:
enormous no-name PSU caps

They are not no-name. They are the well-tested and selected after many months and hundreds and hundreds dollars Nichicons NR and NX. The largest Computer Grade Nichicons are Rolls-Royce among capacitors of Sound is the priority but not a cheap marketing hype. Just no one have sold this fact to the Morons-DIYvers and they “afraid”…

 cv wrote:
6E5p wha? (Can't tube roll that...)

The 6E6P or 6E6P-DR will do tube rolling. Unfortunately no one ever manufacture any tubes of the similar class. The 6E5P and 6E6P are one of the very few tubes that Russians did not steal from West and designed on their own. (BTW the 6C33C is in the same camp)

 cv wrote:
As well as the complexity of the biasing in terms of parts and hassle, it may be a case of "Not invented here" , particularly if its benefits are not theoretically obvious (in addition to its complexity).

Actually it “looks difficult” but in realty it is very simple. To feed gas tube might be made and tested separately. It is practically imposable to do it wrong, and if even you do it then… nothing will happen and it will be no damage to the amplifier or to anything else. The circuit is so stable and so well though that I even pulled the gas tube out of the amps… while the amps were up and running and with the connected speakers! Nothing happen, although I would defiantly do not suggest to try it.

The Cat

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