Justin & Jerry's Hifi Blog

[Arkless Electronics]

A bit baffled by this.
Listened a lot more now to the system with the Jez Buffer installed.

It's a bit subtle at first, but after a while the realisation dawns that it has taken the presentation to a whole new level of naturalness. I really enjoyed my system before, but looking back now, in comparison it was kind of electronic and artificial and flat sounding.

Tonality is richer, lusher more natural - my solid state amps are sounding more like a really good valve amp in that regard. Bass goes deeper and tauter. Images are more 3D and naturally present. Transients are faster but without the added edge that can sometimes fool you. The whole thing is more transparent with better separation of instruments from the ambient background.
Jez used the word organic to describe what he was hearing in his system coupled with a passive pre, and that is exactly the word that comes to me now.

This is easily equivalent to a major component upgrade.
I suppose this sort of component is going to be even more system dependent than others (?) but this little gadget is well worth a try, imho.

Make an orderly queue folks, no pushing or shoving... Oh and I've now designed a MkII with no capacitors in the signal path.... but one more SS device is in the signal path to allow it to do this, but should be pretty transparent.

Unfortunately prices start at double what Jerry paid as in my haste to name a competitive price for the job I hadn't thought it through properly and ended up charging only about half my normal hourly labour rate in order to stick to the price I initially quoted

Fancy cases, "boutique" parts and linear regulated supplies (I very much doubt any improvement) available but will greatly increase cost. Just ask.

[Macca]

So how much can you do them for then Jez? I've lost track.

[Arkless Electronics]

So how much can you do them for then Jez? I've lost track.

I'll call it £140 for one identical to Jerry's.... so a tenner less than double what Jerry paid. It's one of those things where if there was a demand for 100+ a month I could get them down to say £40..... but there isn't... and they are entirely hand built, down to the last soldered joint and hole drilled.

[Macca]

Have you done anymore testing with it? You suspected that it was compensating for your very long interconnects.

[Arkless Electronics]

Have you done anymore testing with it? You suspected that it was compensating for your very long interconnects.

No, Jerrys got it! The MkII is only in computer simulation so far. I'm 99% certain it will work great in real life. The one Jerry has is the "purest" in terms of how few active devices are in the circuit but needs input and output capacitors. The MkII in effect is a buffer driving another buffer, so two active stages in line, but by doing so I get to use a trick which allows there to be no input or output coupling capacitors. It is in fact flat to DC. As a generic "family" of circuitry, buffers, when properly designed, have very low distortion and noise etc and very wide frequency response. So good in these areas as to be difficult to measure actually. Hence the plan is that the circuitry itself should be so transparent that having twice as much of it should hopefully be better than having capacitors in the signal path.

My MAIN suspicion in my own set up , if you recall, was that the prototype power amp I'm using prefers to see a low driving impedance.... the 4M interconnects could possibly have been effecting things due to the capacitance....

[Macca]

No, Jerrys got it! The MkII is only in computer simulation so far. I'm 99% certain it will work great in real life. The one Jerry has is the "purest" in terms of how few active devices are in the circuit but needs input and output capacitors. The MkII in effect is a buffer driving another buffer, so two active stages in line, but by doing so I get to use a trick which allows there to be no input or output coupling capacitors. It is in fact flat to DC. As a generic "family" of circuitry, buffers, when properly designed, have very low distortion and noise etc and very wide frequency response. So good in these areas as to be difficult to measure actually. Hence the plan is that the circuitry itself should be so transparent that having twice as much of it should hopefully be better than having capacitors in the signal path.

My MAIN suspicion in my own set up , if you recall, was that the prototype power amp I'm using prefers to see a low driving impedance.... the 4M interconnects could possibly have been effecting things due to the capacitance....

I was wondering if you had got to the bottom of that before you sent it out to Jerry. But I guess no, then, from what you say.

[Arkless Electronics]

I was wondering if you had got to the bottom of that before you sent it out to Jerry. But I guess no, then, from what you say.

Indeed. Could be one of those "subjective things" Seems to work though.....

[Macca]

Indeed. Could be one of those "subjective things" Seems to work though.....

You wouldn't care to have punt at what is going on technically?

Is this a band aid for a flawed system> Is it benign distortion? Are there unknown impedance issues being sorted? I appreciate it would be shots in the dark.

[Yomanze]

Buffer installed. Finally.

Tried it first between my Bel Canto active pre-amp and Pass power amp.
Mmm. Nope. Not beneficial.

Tried it next between my battery powered DAC and the Bel Canto pre.
Nice! - the buffer stays.
Definitely more subtle inflection on dynamics, more 'twang' to plucked instruments. Better delineation of space. More vibrancy, more 'there' there. Better in the room presence. Images are more focused.
Super.
Thanks Jez.

It would be interesting to try it with a passive pre, but I don't have one atm, unfortunately.

It's tidily implemented in the promised cheap plastic enclosure, but will probably be tucked away as it doesn't really match the surrounding bling-boxes.

As your DAC will have a passive output I think the buffer will be bringing a lot to the party, also think it will work well with a passive pre...

[Simon_LDT]

You wouldn't care to have punt at what is going on technically?

Is this a band aid for a flawed system> Is it benign distortion? Are there unknown impedance issues being sorted? I appreciate it would be shots in the dark.

The buffer is mainly for impedance issues I would have thought. Don't most active pre's have buffers at the output? I know mine does, as does my DAC.