View Full Version : Visit to Andrew R
I had the pleasure of visiting Andrew R and hearing his system Paul (Spur07) was also around. Andrew has a lovelly system that combines the best of modern and old technolgy. His uses a compter and Ipad to control his music It allows for easy access and is an elegent solution. It goes to a huge audio note DAC that was very impressive and then into 2 valve based monos which are Andys own design. Andy is a highly skilled DIYer and they do not use capacitors so creating a very pure sound into his audio note speakers.
It was a lovelly afternoon Andrew played a variety of music and then I played a few tunes I knew. Andrew has a very natural sound that you could eaisly listen to for hours without fatique yet his system also engages you to its not slow and sterile in any way and was able to keep up with everything I threw at it
Thank you Andrew
You certainly get around a bit don't you John! Nice one. Sounds like you all had a great time - we should try and do this sort of thing more often as a community. (I personally hate the idea of a "bakeoff" - a group of like-minded geezers getting together to talk rubbish and listen to some nice tunes is far more civilised! ;))
Andrew's a nice guy (and I believe his valve amps are a bit special). Glad you dudes had a good time! :cool:
Marco.
Yes his valves amp are very good indeed its a very purist approach and everything sounded very musical
I agree this is nicer than a bake off guys chatting music and having a luagh
Cheers John, Paul and Marco,
It was great having John and Paul around - good fun, fine company and awesome tunes.
We started with my PC connected via a coax output from the sound card to my DAC. It's a good sound card (as good as a Mac optical out), but then John connected his laptop via his USB/coax converter. That £20 converter is so much better than my Asus D2 sound card that I literally bought one on the spot (through the wonders of ebay).
I'd like to thank John and Paul for their patience; my new loudspeakers and kit DAC are still running in and going through a good day / bad day phase - but towards the end of the session we really got to hear what it can do.
Andrew
Yes it was interesting as the session went on everything came more on song you could actually hear the new speakers start to break in and open up
Andrew a lovelly host and for me this is what a good session is all about having a good chat listening to good music with good company
I like the sound of that so much more than the so called 'bake-offs'. Glad you guys had a good day and just as a matter of interest, what was the USB/coax converter John used?
'twas this :) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NG-COAX-USB-SPDIF-Coaxial-Audio-Converter-/280713849398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415bd96a36#ht_1458wt_689
Andrew
Thanks Andrew, I have looked at those a couple of times, but decided against it - I might have to give one a try now :)
Mark also uses one and liked it a lot
a group of like-minded geezers getting together to talk rubbish and listen to some nice tunes is far more civilised! ;))
That's how it should be i think as well Alex, just need to find some friends i suppose :(
Ali Tait
24-07-2011, 21:59
You certainly get around a bit don't you John! Nice one. Sounds like you all had a great time - we should try and do this sort of thing more often as a community. (I personally hate the idea of a "bakeoff" - a group of like-minded geezers getting together to talk rubbish and listen to some nice tunes is far more civilised! ;))
Sounds a lot like our diy get togethers, apart from copious amounts of beer!
Went to Andrew and meet up with Puffin
The mods Andrew has done to the amp has really improved Andrew system. The valve mono blocks are very clean and detailed The soundstage has dratiscally changed, one of the issues in the past has been the bass, but no longer, no timing issues and plently of nice detail
Its been interesting hearing how these amps have developed over the last few months into something very special
Andrew is a great guest and was really nice meeting Puffin and Andrew's friend
sorry i couldn't make it this time, would have been good to meet up with you guys again, and i haven't seen Rob for ages.
Andrew's valve mono blocks are very special indeed.
realysm42
09-07-2012, 08:20
Is there a thread on these valve monos? I'm very interested to have a read...
I am not sure but be great if Andrew consider this if not
sorry i couldn't make it this time, would have been good to meet up with you guys again, and i haven't seen Rob for ages.
Andrew's valve mono blocks are very special indeed.
The changes to the mono has improved things further since we last met Andrew
The playstation that Rob brought was really nice
Andrew, I need to come over again....know why? I made my own USB to SPDIF converter for about £5. We need a "bake-off"! Not that I am into computer audio (cough, cough):D
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/saxonsex/SPDIF001.jpg
Is there a thread on these valve monos? I'm very interested to have a read...
Hi Realysm42,
No thread yet, but will do one soon.
@Puffin, will definitely do another session. Does your converter do hi-res?
Andrew
I thought I'd do a commentary on some of the iterations to the design.
1. First build. An ecc99 voltage gain, directly coupled into an ecc99 driver with interstage transformer neatly splitting the two halves into a pair of 6B4G output valves and output transformer. Using Sowter iron and no capacitors in the signal path.
2. Tried a 6h30p instead of the ecc99, but the 6h30p was dull and boring. The ecc99 had more get-up and go, sounding quite flat earth (typical Linn/Naim rhythm & tunes), with better hear-through transparency.
3. The ecc99 tube had noticeable glare, apparently that valve is really susceptible to R.F. - it tries to amplify it at the detriment to the audio signal. Adding a ferrite bead improved things, but that was not really enough.
4. Added a second choke to the power supply. Originally it was a CLCRC topology (Resistor R was quite small, to keep the anode voltage high enough on the input stage). I replace the R with an inductor (L) to make is CLCLC. Result was a more natural presentation, more fluid. The glare was still there :(
5. I took it to Scalford. Great response from visitors, but the glare was still there. Anthony's Copper Amp had better tonal balance and no glare (6sn7's are great input valves) - but my amps did split some opinions.
6. I decided to address the ecc99, by doing two things:
* Replace the offending valve with a 6n6p - a really musical and well balanced Soviet valve
* Added an anode choke (a massive inductor, value = 200H) to the input stage and carefully select a dropper resistor on the anode to give the valve an optimum anode-cathode voltage. It turned out that the optimisation of the anode-cathode voltage was really critical - there is a definite sweet-spot between too dull and too strident.
Step 6 really transformed the amplifiers. John confirmed that there is no fatigue and we could listen to it for hours. At the same time, the instruments had a deeper and more complex tone, where everything was kept in check. It was also really engrossing, coming from the deeper tone with the defter movement in the music and effortless and greater soul-reaching portrayal of the vocalists (John's Diana Krall song sounded **really** sexy).
It just turns on the music like a tap, rather than shouting about it.
Andrew
Yeah Tempation was very sexy
Does your converter do hi-res?
Andrew
48kHz is highest.
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