I did not have a PWD - I jumped straight from Oppo to DS. I don’t have anyone near me that I could borrow a PWD from, otherwise I’d be curious to test that myself.
I have my amp at 100%, and DS at 95%-100% when I’m doing critical listening/testing/adjusting.
With the previous sources I’d have amp at 90-95% and Oppo/Otari at 75-95% depending on the volume of the source material. Unless it’s a really loud album, I’d typically find myself at 95% volume on the amp 85% on the Oppo.
I’m going to see if there is a booster I can try out and see if that gets me there, but the PS Audio preamp might be on my radar - though I was hoping not to spend money on another component after the DS.
Wow! It’s been a long road to this kit and it ain’t over yet. I applaud you for having the, well, the balls to scrap a pretty good design for a great one and we are looking forward to hearing this monster. At the same time, would it make sense to produce the SSW/Hypex amp as an intermediate product? Seems a shame to throw it out after all that work if you could produce it at a lower price point, maybe at a less ambitious wattage… just sayin’.
Yeah, I’ve thought about that. Truth is, it sounds pretty damned good and wouldn’t be that expensive. But we can only release so many so often. We’re restrained by our engineering group’s ability to release a product, fully documented, CE approved, all that stuff - and it’s not as simple as you might think. I am restricted to about 4 per year max. Gotta pick your poisons well.
The amp will have three flavors as we always do: 100 volts (Japan) 120 volts and 230 volts.
No, I haven’t yet tested the amp on anything other than the IRS - and then, of course - I lost it. Waiting now for the next version to grace the listening room once again.
Few months ago I drop the Class D just cause I can not be satisfied with any that I’ve heard. Right now I am on final approach on three but decide not to land yet because one configuration that uses a tube pre and Class D power, a combination that really sings to my ears and mitigates all my concerning on Class D amplifiers auditions. That set up will continue under my evaluation and of course I have to open a window for your amplifier.
I recently sold 4 PS Two Cs and 2 PS IVs to bolster the upgrade war chest. They were still delivering a great sound but sadly don’t fetch what they’re worth these days. Someone else’s gain though. If the new amps can show that class we’ll be like pigs in muck!
I’ve been receiving your newsletter for years and thank you for the effort and time you take on it. News of your power amp project made me finally put down my coffee cup and register on this site. As I read your OP, I kept thinking to myself how maybe, just maybe, my quest for a great amp to drive my very difficult Maggie 1.7’s could be finally over.
I was too late to the party with the Classic 250 and have always lamented missing out on the opportunity to own that amp. While reading through your post I became very excited about the possibility that PS Audio was again undertaking a class AB amp. But with a tube front end that news had me positively salivating. The only concern at this point in my journey through your post was - How Much?
Well, I think if you’re successful at meeting your design goals and bring into production a power amp as you’ve described, and you meet the marketplace at the price of around 7K, you’ve got a winner! While I realize that 7 larger ones is no small amount of change for many of us, it really does, in many ways, represent an entry level price in the truly high-end.
I look forward to continued updates on the project as it progresses and finally receiving word that it is actually shipping.
Is there any update on the status of the power amp? Once the class D was abandoned and the project delayed, I started considering getting a Pass .8 series but hopefully if you are close I can wait it out.
Is the switchable tube and SS input still part of the design?
Gotta pick your poisons well.
