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Post by Mr Whippy on Jul 20, 2020 11:11:40 GMT
May 1989 issue. Cover price £1.60! Front cover splash: How Much?!
This passive preamp costs £795. Why?Page 53. Heading: Cello EtudeThis passive preamp costs £795. Does it raise performance to new heights, or High End-manship to new levels of absurdity?
Keith Howard.It had a 59 position switch with a resistor network made of undisclosed resistor types. There were 4 inputs connected to a switch with gold plated contacts and a single pair of output sockets. He found it lacking in comparison to the £30 Hifi Answers 'Hot Pot', which used a pair of DNM plastic pots. Summary: "The specific conclusion of this review, is that the Etude cannot be recommended. More than that I care not to say about the product, it's price, and those who make and sell it. Each reader can draw his own conclusions there. But I will observe how, yet again, HFA finds cause to question the presumptions which motivate and guide the design of such expensive products. The Etude should be, as any high end product, a benchmark that though enjoyed by the few can be admired by the many. That it so obviously falls short of that measure is a cause for concern. It deals the image of high end in particular, and quality hifi in general, another blow it could well do without".
One thing I liked about HFA was the manufacturer was always given a right of reply and Mark Levinson himself replied in the 'Comeback' section of that same issue. He described the process of comparison that they carried out with lot of other passives available at the time, comparing playback of master tapes both directly into power amps and via the passive under test. They were chasing the high end pro market more than enthusiasts and were looking for accuracy. I think Keith Howard may have been (subconsciously) pursuit of 'flavour' rather than fidelity. I was right in saying it was considered outrageously expensive! I did remember that much! |
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jul 20, 2020 11:24:24 GMT
The other case. Doesn't quite have the appeal of the original, but... Both cost about the same: ebay.co.uk/itm/142976220182Originally, it had the Cello signature and knobs, but it's been changed.  |
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Post by ChrisB on Jul 20, 2020 11:30:13 GMT
I don't think vagaries were part of the equation in the minds of the makers of the Etude, as it was expected to be part of a Cello system and the mix and match approach that us folks use was tangential to its intended purpose.
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jul 20, 2020 11:33:51 GMT
Anyone remember Hi-Fi Answers' Hot Pot? Anyone buy it?
Made me own with Alps pots. Don't know what the HP used.
Tad disappointed. The usual findings with passive types.
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Post by ChrisB on Jul 20, 2020 11:51:06 GMT
See above - it used a pair of matched DNM devices in a plastic case. One pair of inputs one pair out.
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Post by MartinT on Jul 20, 2020 11:55:58 GMT
I tried making a passive using Alps Blue pots. In the end, I scrapped using passives as they just don't do it for me SQ-wise.
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Post by bigman80 on Jul 20, 2020 12:02:35 GMT
I tried making a passive using Alps Blue pots. In the end, I scrapped using passives as they just don't do it for me SQ-wise. You're not gonna get the sq from an alps blue No matter what you put it in. I'll post a unit to Jules for private evaluation, when I have one build and ready, unless it's possible feed back then he can tell everyone lol, then you can have a listen too, if you want?. Just for interest, no sales malarkey etc. Im not interested in selling any ATM so just for fun. See what happens? |
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Post by MartinT on Jul 20, 2020 12:27:32 GMT
Go for it, Oliver.
I'll decline a trial, thanks, on account of using digital volume and an XLR buffer, which makes things trickier for connecting up alternatives.
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Post by bigman80 on Jul 20, 2020 12:32:49 GMT
Go for it, Oliver. I'll decline a trial, thanks, on account of using digital volume and an XLR buffer, which makes things trickier for connecting up alternatives. Ah, no problem... |
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jul 20, 2020 12:48:25 GMT
See above - it used a pair of matched DNM devices in a plastic case. One pair of inputs one pair out. Sorry. Just skimmed over it, doing some weeding. Alps' audiograde type pots - Blue/Black Beauty/Velvet types, and some others - were conductive plastic type. One time a mini comparison of pots was done. I think Jimmy Hughes took a fancy to a Penny & Giles item. |
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Post by MartinT on Jul 20, 2020 13:27:29 GMT
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Post by bigman80 on Jul 20, 2020 13:45:11 GMT
See above - it used a pair of matched DNM devices in a plastic case. One pair of inputs one pair out. Sorry. Just skimmed over it, doing some weeding. Alps' audiograde type pots - Blue/Black Beauty/Velvet types, and some others - were conductive plastic type. One time a mini comparison of pots was done. I think Jimmy Hughes took a fancy to a Penny & Giles item. I've seen Penny and Giles pots mentioned before..May have been your good self. Thanks for the reminder...i will have a scout around |
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Post by user211 on Jul 20, 2020 17:36:16 GMT
Hm Alps Blue are metallised conductive plastic.
What I do know is they go noisy. So it is true conductive plastic? Surely not.
By themselves Alps blue don't sound great. However, once they get wrapped up in a circuit any sort of result is possible.
I had a passive using Penny & Giles plastic pots and they sound fabulous. A Mod Squad.
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jul 20, 2020 17:54:26 GMT
Go and ferret and you'll be able to answer your own question.
As said, a number of Alps pots use/used conductive plastic. And just because one goes noisey, it hardly equates to it not being conductive plastic. Of course it could have been a fake and who's to say what the construction might have been - without disassembling it.
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jul 20, 2020 18:00:58 GMT
Sorry. Just skimmed over it, doing some weeding. Alps' audiograde type pots - Blue/Black Beauty/Velvet types, and some others - were conductive plastic type. One time a mini comparison of pots was done. I think Jimmy Hughes took a fancy to a Penny & Giles item. I've seen Penny and Giles pots mentioned before..May have been your good self. Thanks for the reminder...i will have a scout around Perhaps your memory isn't as hot as I imagined. No. I can't take credit for mentioning P & G before. As far as I can remember, I've never mentioned the name before. Another for your scrapbook: Sferince. French. Decades ago they used to held in certain regard by some. I was always going to build a passive with them, but never got round to it. Don't know if they're still going. |
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Post by puffin on Jul 20, 2020 18:14:10 GMT
Anybody here use an LDR passive pre?
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Post by bigman80 on Jul 20, 2020 18:21:28 GMT
Anybody here use an LDR passive pre? Nope...tried them....wasn't a fan |
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Post by julesd68 on Jul 20, 2020 18:26:20 GMT
Ah yes, I remember when these amps first surfaced they did cause a few 'audiophile arguments' ...
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Post by puffin on Jul 20, 2020 18:30:31 GMT
I made one years ago for peanuts when the guy on Diyaudio made his design public and I am still using it. I mention it only in relation to Passive Preamps. IMO it sounds nothing like any other Passive I have tried...and I like it  |
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Post by bigman80 on Jul 20, 2020 18:30:35 GMT
Ah yes, I remember when these amps first surfaced they did cause a few 'audiophile arguments' ... Yes, lots of unsafe, illegal and dangerous comments. Unfortunately, mostly true but not entirely. However, it was the listening that undid them for me. I had 4 here in total. 2x The Truth preamps...one early edition, one late edition and two LDR stereo Coffee ones. Both professionally built. They were all massively bass heavy in my system. Veiled too. The Truth preamps were worse than the stereo coffee but the construction quality of both Stereo coffee were really poor. Literally just built on breadboard. Thats how they come in kit form and if bought direct. I compared them to a Goldpoint Passive pre, Firebottle KiN and Dave Slagle Autoformer preamps. |
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