steve
Rank: Trio
Posts: 206 
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Post by steve on Jul 28, 2015 17:24:58 GMT
THis from someone who posted that a BPS was an isolating transformer of the type used to provide safety (I think bathrooms got mentioned) even though an isolating transformer, in that context, relies on the secondary ground floating and not being bonded to earth. The reason isolating transformers isolate is because, they are different from normal mains where earth provides a path to neutral (to complete a circuit). As it does on a BPS with secondary ground bonded to true earth - to supply a required earth for any class 1 device plugged into it. And whose friend boasts of his tingling experiences from electrocutions. What the bloody hell are you on about Pinkie. I know full well what an isolating transformer is and does, so stop the bullshit. All I meant by the isolating transformer post was that the secondary produces identical voltage to the primary, and said secondary is often made up of two 115V windings in series, so it could be used balanced in a BPS if the builder so desired. And who is this supposed friend who boasts about tinglng experiences from electrocutions? I'll repeat what I said. ANYONE......ANYONE..who is daft enough to poke in a live piece of electrical equipment whilst leaning on earthed metalwork, and relying on an RCD to protect them, is either an idiot or a lunatic with a death wish. in the next breath you talk about electrical safety? You expect to be taken seriously on safety after pulling a stunt like that? dont make me laugh! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2015 17:46:21 GMT
Hi James , There will never be another one of these Amps made by me, today I had a mishap the artwork and the CAD got erased by mistake, and I never backed it up gone forever sorry, you have the only one. Now I shall go into the corner and quibber.
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Post by Sovereign on Jul 28, 2015 17:58:19 GMT
Bloody ell!
I feel a bit privileged there. Just don't give out my address :-)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2015 18:02:38 GMT
James lives at :-
10 Downing Street,
Hell Ville,
Nr London
E1W1S1N1
It close to Kingscross.
He love visits, nice coffee and great cheese
That will fool the James he he
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Post by John on Jul 29, 2015 6:28:08 GMT
Can we get back on track please around talking about the Sega James built from Colin
Richard this is old ground no need to keep going over it
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Post by MartinT on Aug 1, 2015 12:38:13 GMT
The Benchmark's basic quality showed up in the detail it produced - although I much prefer it on the ESL63's to James speakers, which to my ear are a bit "cuppy", and lack the airy "speakerless speaker" of the 63's. The same applies to stereo depth - more obvious on the Benchmark, but even more so on the cling film jobs at my house. It wasn't just that you heard extra things, or even that they were placed more precisely and "independently" with the Benchmark - it was the way each voice or instrument sounded distinctly real. So, as an example - the SECA would produce tight rich bass music, but it wasn't so obvious what sort of bass was playing it. On the Dave Migden tracks (which I know well live, and at the studio) the backing vocals (Dave dubbed in, along with Goldie Reed) sounded like separate distinctly different voices, rather than a backing vocal mix or synthesis of all the voices. This I find very interesting. If we ignore any notion of 'which is better' I suspect that the SECA veers towards the 'big blowsy' presentation of a good valve amp while the Benchmark is probably closer to the highly neutral / detailed but not warm presentation of my Chord. This further piques my interest in the Benchmark, with no slur intended towards Colin and his clearly excellent class A designs. It's just that my personal preference is to add as little as possible to the sound which is why I abandoned valves some time ago and tend to select components which others may find on the cool side if they are used to class A, valves, Tannoys, SPUs or a generally warm presentation. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2015 9:22:56 GMT
"This I find very interesting. If we ignore any notion of 'which is better' I suspect that the SECA veers towards the 'big blowsy' presentation of a good valve amp while the Benchmark is probably closer to the highly neutral / detailed but not warm presentation of my Chord. This further piques my interest in the Benchmark, with no slur intended towards Colin and his clearly excellent class A designs. It's just that my personal preference is to add as little as possible to the sound which is why I abandoned valves some time ago and tend to select components which others may find on the cool side if they are used to class A, valves, Tannoys, SPUs or a generally warm presentation. Read more: theaudiostandard.net/thread/1383/sovereigns-new-40w-seca-class?page=7#ixzz3heCmLJKO" Frankly Martin no not big blowsy at all, it does show recorded crap up very well, it can attack you like real heavy spite filled rock. On classical in can make you feel you are in the front row and alive, BIG BLOWSY no way. The old SECA design as I have said had large caps in there out put there slew rate tamed and were just boring this and the others I have done do not. As a matter of no important Valve Pre are OK by me but transformer coupled tube sound weak and wobbly to me no real grunt or attack. So go and hear a SECA that is DC coupled and has not had it's Slew rate squashed dead. and then say it is Blowsy. |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 2, 2015 10:48:48 GMT
Well then, I just have to hear both the SECA and the Benchmark some time in my life!
It always fascinates me the different ways in which we reach our own favourite way of reproducing music.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2015 16:25:45 GMT
Well then, I just have to hear both the SECA and the Benchmark some time in my life! It always fascinates me the different ways in which we reach our own favourite way of reproducing music. Yes it is very fascinating how some love the sound of Naim or Linn and not tube, and in the 1980's it was FETS or Darlington, But you can't compete with the real life performance of let's say Bing Crosby or those dreaded Beatles.   |
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Post by Sovereign on Aug 2, 2015 17:25:11 GMT
Difficult to say what you mean by a big blowsey sound, as we are all so different and describe things as such. But I wouldn't put it in the same camp as valves, nor would I say it sounds more like a good class A/B amp like NVA or Naim etc, I would say it stands out on its own and needs classification that way. Yes it is big and ballsy, but very delicate and intimate, with a tonal rightness that I haven't heard before, loads of tight grip, speed and punch. I have heard other class A amps and I didn't like them, the bass was Woolley, and the midrange didn't have the immediacy that I really admire of a good A/B amp like NVA. Ive had three top end valve amps in my system and maybe half a dozen excellent A/B amps and the SECA is different and to my ears better then all of them. You will just have to hear it  |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 2, 2015 17:37:39 GMT
Yes, my views are definitely tainted by some of the class A amps I've heard in the past. The one that I did like was the Krell KSA-50, now that's a ballsy amp with limitless grip.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2015 17:40:06 GMT
I used to own an old Inca Design 'ID25' that was nice
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Post by Sovereign on Aug 2, 2015 18:34:31 GMT
I also started using a Croft pre amp that I have had on the bottom shelf of my rack for ages. It instantly dealt away the bass boom I was struggling. Colin did say the passive wet string I was using as a pre was not up to the Jub, now I understand what he means.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2015 19:02:21 GMT
Yes, my views are definitely tainted by some of the class A amps I've heard in the past. The one that I did like was the Krell KSA-50, now that's a ballsy amp with limitless grip. I would agree with this observation Martin, however I would suggest it also had the ability to out Naim, a Naim 6 pack 135 on DBL's in terms of non evasive ear wax removal. There are Class 'a' designs that can cut in the bass and do not have overly rich mid band tones, usually these covered up a lot of rough edges in systems in the late 80's which is why they were popular against the usual transistor offering of the time. My reticence with Class 'a' designs in the perceptual loss of detail as the top end is well rolled off in most cases (I have seen as much as 10dB at 70Khz), plus the heat dissipation requirements are 'large' shall we say. I have a client with those large Krell mono's with the meters on the front 900's? he accepts the fact if he listens to them the for a reasonable length of time it costs him £27 per DAY in electricity. Get it right and they can be great! |
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Post by ChrisB on Aug 2, 2015 20:24:17 GMT
The ones with big oval meters on the front?  The Krell Audio Standard. Sounds somewhat familiar! |
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Post by pre65 on Aug 2, 2015 20:34:28 GMT
I've been absent for a while on here, but I now have a pair of Colin's SECA PCBs in my possession. 
It may be a while before I get round to construction, but I'm mulling over the design features. I want the monoblocks to look good as well as sound good.
No "normal" metal chassis for me, but you'll have to wait a while for details.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 2, 2015 21:16:52 GMT
Good stuff, Philip. Keep us informed |
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Post by Sovereign on Aug 2, 2015 22:02:11 GMT
Sounds good Philip
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Post by Sovereign on Aug 2, 2015 22:24:22 GMT
This I find very interesting. If we ignore any notion of 'which is better' I suspect that the SECA veers towards the 'big blowsy' presentation of a good valve amp while the Benchmark is probably closer to the highly neutral / detailed but not warm presentation of my Chord. Trying to stay as neutral as possible. I found the Benchmark to be very impressive, but then it should be as it costs £3,000 after a while I found it sounded like a very good T amp, being very impressive initially but leaving me a bit disengaged after a while. Martin I will have to hear your Chord, you are obviously taken by it. |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 3, 2015 3:56:14 GMT
Ah right, I can empathise with that. Class T amps leave me feeling the same way.
If you're ever coming Basingstoke way, let me know and pop over for a listen.
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