Spectral Morn
24-01-2009, 15:36
Hi Guys
As promised during the ECOFAN 6A3 amplifier review( http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1599 ) I now have the Boost It gain stage and the Buffer Zone for review. Francis arrived with them this morning, early, with both units having been run in during the past few weeks. I hope to have the full review posted by next Friday(possibly sooner). The Boost It will be hooked up to a couple of power amps (via a Panasonic volume pot. That should be interesting) and the Buffer Zone hooked up to a couple of Compact Disc players, namely the Marantz CD 94 mk2, the Marantz CD 7 and possibly a Chord One. I feel these are the best candidates for a valve buffer stage. Just to get some balance and a comparison product, I will compare the Buffer Zone to the legendary Musical fidelity D10 and PSU, which serves a similar although not identical function.
I also hope to have technical information from Ecofan's Murray Dick as well, throughout the review.
I offer this preview as a wee taster of what is to follow. Text from Ecofan photos from yours truly.
ABOUT THE BUFFER ZONE
The purpose of the boost it and bufferzone is to provide a very high input impedance for a solid state unit such as a cd player or ipod etc to look into. This means the unit is ‘loaded’ as little as possible as it provides its signal to the rest of the system. This gives a much more relaxed and ‘airy’ feel to the music or other content, allowing the player to give its best.
The bufferzone is the more dedicated ‘buffer’ with an input impedance of 1.5MΩ (one and a half million ohms) and an output resistance of 2200Ω across the line. Having zero gain it matches the player to the rest of the system, minimising the losses even across several metres of cable.
Both the boost it and bufferzone units are in correct phase and have a frequency response of 10Hz to 200kHz. The addition of these pro units adds a 6DJ8 valve to each channel, and can give an open ‘valve’ sound to an otherwise bland or ‘dead’ sounding solid state system, be it analogue or digital.
Taken from ECOFAN'S website
Inside View of Buffer Zone
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-6.jpg
Side View of Buffer Zone
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-4.jpg
ABOUT THE BOOST IT
The purpose of the boost it and bufferzone is to provide a very high input impedance for a solid state unit such as a cd player or ipod etc to look into. This means the unit is ‘loaded’ as little as possible as it provides its signal to the rest of the system. This gives a much more relaxed and ‘airy’ feel to the music or other content, allowing the player to give its best.
The boost it does a similar buffering job to the bufferzone, having 1MΩ input impedence, with the cable seeing 3300Ω at the output. This unit has 18dB of gain, which can be useful if the inputting player has its own volume control and you have a pair of powered speakers, or a stand-alone power amp. It thus eliminates the need for a preamp if only one source is required, or it can provide a welcome boost to a ‘passive’ preamp or selector box. Can provide some extra ‘zing’ to an otherwise bland system, and has been tried in situations such as those above and found to be indispensable.
Both the boost it and bufferzone units are in correct phase and have a frequency response of 10Hz to 200kHz. The addition of these pro units adds a 6DJ8 valve to each channel, and can give an open ‘valve’ sound to an otherwise bland or ‘dead’ sounding solid state system, be it analogue or digital.
taken from ECOFAN'S website
View inside the Boost It
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-2.jpg
Side view of Boost It
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-3.jpg
Photos of Buffer Zone on top of Marantz CD 94 mk 2
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-9.jpg
View of above but from the rear.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-7.jpg
Regards D S D L---Neil :)
Edit No part of this review can be reproduced without written permission...content is copyrighted to ...NK
As promised during the ECOFAN 6A3 amplifier review( http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1599 ) I now have the Boost It gain stage and the Buffer Zone for review. Francis arrived with them this morning, early, with both units having been run in during the past few weeks. I hope to have the full review posted by next Friday(possibly sooner). The Boost It will be hooked up to a couple of power amps (via a Panasonic volume pot. That should be interesting) and the Buffer Zone hooked up to a couple of Compact Disc players, namely the Marantz CD 94 mk2, the Marantz CD 7 and possibly a Chord One. I feel these are the best candidates for a valve buffer stage. Just to get some balance and a comparison product, I will compare the Buffer Zone to the legendary Musical fidelity D10 and PSU, which serves a similar although not identical function.
I also hope to have technical information from Ecofan's Murray Dick as well, throughout the review.
I offer this preview as a wee taster of what is to follow. Text from Ecofan photos from yours truly.
ABOUT THE BUFFER ZONE
The purpose of the boost it and bufferzone is to provide a very high input impedance for a solid state unit such as a cd player or ipod etc to look into. This means the unit is ‘loaded’ as little as possible as it provides its signal to the rest of the system. This gives a much more relaxed and ‘airy’ feel to the music or other content, allowing the player to give its best.
The bufferzone is the more dedicated ‘buffer’ with an input impedance of 1.5MΩ (one and a half million ohms) and an output resistance of 2200Ω across the line. Having zero gain it matches the player to the rest of the system, minimising the losses even across several metres of cable.
Both the boost it and bufferzone units are in correct phase and have a frequency response of 10Hz to 200kHz. The addition of these pro units adds a 6DJ8 valve to each channel, and can give an open ‘valve’ sound to an otherwise bland or ‘dead’ sounding solid state system, be it analogue or digital.
Taken from ECOFAN'S website
Inside View of Buffer Zone
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-6.jpg
Side View of Buffer Zone
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-4.jpg
ABOUT THE BOOST IT
The purpose of the boost it and bufferzone is to provide a very high input impedance for a solid state unit such as a cd player or ipod etc to look into. This means the unit is ‘loaded’ as little as possible as it provides its signal to the rest of the system. This gives a much more relaxed and ‘airy’ feel to the music or other content, allowing the player to give its best.
The boost it does a similar buffering job to the bufferzone, having 1MΩ input impedence, with the cable seeing 3300Ω at the output. This unit has 18dB of gain, which can be useful if the inputting player has its own volume control and you have a pair of powered speakers, or a stand-alone power amp. It thus eliminates the need for a preamp if only one source is required, or it can provide a welcome boost to a ‘passive’ preamp or selector box. Can provide some extra ‘zing’ to an otherwise bland system, and has been tried in situations such as those above and found to be indispensable.
Both the boost it and bufferzone units are in correct phase and have a frequency response of 10Hz to 200kHz. The addition of these pro units adds a 6DJ8 valve to each channel, and can give an open ‘valve’ sound to an otherwise bland or ‘dead’ sounding solid state system, be it analogue or digital.
taken from ECOFAN'S website
View inside the Boost It
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-2.jpg
Side view of Boost It
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-3.jpg
Photos of Buffer Zone on top of Marantz CD 94 mk 2
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-9.jpg
View of above but from the rear.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-7.jpg
Regards D S D L---Neil :)
Edit No part of this review can be reproduced without written permission...content is copyrighted to ...NK