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Geshelli Archel2 Headphone AMP Review: another champ?

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The enclosures are DIY extruded aluminium enclosures that are available in many different sizes. They aren't painted at all but anodized and one can get those enclosures in the few colors that the enclosure manufacturer offers. Usually, blank, black, red and blue or red+blue = purple.

examples:

View attachment 36501

An idea for them would be to offer a nicely machined and silk-screened aluminium front panel for just $ 10.- more. I am quite sure it could increase sales quite a bit. Some are put off by front-rear panels.


I thought they were powder coated which to me is paint only a different process of applying it ....
 

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LLL

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This is going to happen for sure. I already made the design and prototypes before this all started. Also including circuit that minimize distortion with protection circuits and everything. I'll only need to do the interfacing with the existing design and the meet rest of specifications. There is of course more stuff behind this. I need to have a internship in order to graduate. They need something to compete with THX, as smsl already have sp200. More of we help each other out.
Ok, you spoke as if you had an arrangement with them already. It sounds like you don't even have contact with them, or am I mistaken? If you don't even have an internship with them and have no contact with them, that's pretty bold that you already made a claim that you would be working for Topping. If I were a manager at Topping, I would not appreciate that.
 

solderdude

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I thought they were powder coated which to me is paint only a different process of applying it ....

On the website they say they are anodized in the US.
Below a fun video to watch... maybe the pic is showing the drying of anodized enclosures as they are dipped in a solution.

 

JohnYang1997

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Ok, you spoke as if you had an arrangement with them already. It sounds like you don't even have contact with them, or am I mistaken? If you don't even have an internship with them and have no contact with them, that's pretty bold that you already made a claim that you would be working for Topping. If I were a manager at Topping, I would not appreciate that.
I do. There will be at least one new product which is updated a30. Let's not continue this topic on this thread. If you have questions, PM me.
 

gikigill

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I'm sorry, you are very wrong. Playmaster designs were not sold by the magazine. Electronics Australia and Electronics Today International had projects they developed and presented each month. I know, I bought them all, and Leo Simpson's baby, Silicon Chip when he decided to set up his own magazine in 1987/8.

Electronic component resellers like Dick Smith Electronics, Jaycar, David Reid, Altronics, and in the case of the Twin25, Applied Technology also offered kits or fully assembled options. Take for instance, the David Tillbrook designed ETI Series 5000 in around 1980 using the then brand new and exciting Hitachi MOSFETs in a 100+100W dual mono power amplifier with excellent specs.

By all means, go to AmericanRadioHistory dot com and download some EA and ETI magazines for free and familiarize yourself with the standard of commercial kits offered during the 1980s and 1990s.


You,re 100% correct expect for the fact that no one made any serious money from them. They were very well made, very high quality but just not commercially viable.

My Beta22 is considered end-game for solid state head-amps but never made the designer Ti Kan any serious money. Its got power, clean sound but no dollars spilling out of it.

Dan from MrSpeakers would be a good example of someone who took a pet project and built a business out of it. I have personally spoken to him and he know what he is doing and what his aim is.
 

Veri

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Ok, you spoke as if you had an arrangement with them already. It sounds like you don't even have contact with them, or am I mistaken?
He's in contact with them of course otherwise he would not say such things.. :)
but yes let's stay OT.
 

Nango

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As for the looks, obviously Geshelli is more focused on what matters most, or at least most important to them.
This is great idea. It is the only way to run their business "as-a-service" (you renew your amp every 3-5 yrs) and not as a product (you buy and dont renew in years), it is the same with Windows 10.
 

Geshelli

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The enclosures are DIY extruded aluminium enclosures that are available in many different sizes. They aren't painted at all but anodized and one can get those enclosures in the few colors that the enclosure manufacturer offers. Usually, blank, black, red and blue or red+blue = purple.

examples:

View attachment 36501

An idea for them would be to offer a nicely machined and silk-screened aluminium front panel for just $ 10.- more. I am quite sure it could increase sales quite a bit. Some are put off by front-rear panels.
We do purchase cut extruded aluminium. The case design is ours and we own the tool. I (Sherri) drill the screw holes, sandblast, wash, bake and powder coat each case. We have two laser cutters in house for the Plexi. We prefer to do it all in house rather than rely on outside vendors. This also allows us to make custom colors for folks.
 

restorer-john

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You can complain all you want, and until you come up with a better product at this price point with a viable business, this is all just talk.

It's a headphone 'amplifier'. It drives arguably the easiest, lowest demand, transducer on the planet. A tiny, lightweight, low powered and benign load that is strapped onto the head and makes only a high SPL within a few mm of the ear. Not exactly earth-shattering is it?
 

solderdude

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We do purchase cut extruded aluminium. The case design is ours and we own the tool. I (Sherri) drill the screw holes, sandblast, wash, bake and powder coat each case. We have two laser cutters in house for the Plexi. We prefer to do it all in house rather than rely on outside vendors. This also allows us to make custom colors for folks.

So they are not anodized as mentioned on the website by an external company ?
The clear, blue and red look anodized or do you offer both standard anodized and custom painted ?

What stops you from also offering an aluminium front plate ?
When you read the comments I think you would agree that offering this as well could possibly only increase sales ?
I am not a potential customer though personally, if I were in the market, would like an aluminium front plate.

I totally understand wanting to do this all in house.
Having to depend on other companies can be a real nightmare when there are little to no alternatives.
 
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GrimSurfer

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So, did they come to the party and offer you a better deal or did they stick to their guns quoting "supply chain cost imposts affecting their bottom line and wage growth pressures etc"?

The good news is that Bryston did promptly reply. The bad news was that they stuck to their guns and said that the rise was necessary to cover their costs etc.
 
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Geshelli

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So they are not anodized as mentioned on the website by an external company ?
The clear, blue and red look anodized or do you offer both standard anodized and custom painted ?

What stops you from also offering an aluminium front plate ?
When you read the comments I think you would agree that offering this as well could possibly only increase sales ?
I am not a potential customer though personally, if I were in the market, would like an aluminium front plate.

I totally understand wanting to do this all in house.
Having to depend on other companies can be a real nightmare when there are little to no alternatives.

Looks like I need to do a website update :). In the beginning we did anodize the cases. The first few times everything was great. Then we had a huge batch come back streaked and unsellable. After some research on alternatives, we discovered powder coating. We bought the gear and Geno built me a booth. We are happy with the ability to immediately add new colors and we have full quality control. Less wasted cases.

For our case design, it's difficult to explain in a forum because the written explanation can come across harsh and that is not the tone I'm trying to convey. When you're out on your own it's so refreshing not to have a Manager or committee telling you what to make, how to make it and why your idea won't work. The simple answer is we wanted to do something different outside the norm. We are proud of what we are creating and we're having fun doing it.
 

solderdude

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Looks like I need to do a website update :). In the beginning we did anodize the cases. The first few times everything was great. Then we had a huge batch come back streaked and unsellable. After some research on alternatives, we discovered powder coating. We bought the gear and Geno built me a booth. We are happy with the ability to immediately add new colors and we have full quality control. Less wasted cases.

For our case design, it's difficult to explain in a forum because the written explanation can come across harsh and that is not the tone I'm trying to convey. When you're out on your own it's so refreshing not to have a Manager or committee telling you what to make, how to make it and why your idea won't work. The simple answer is we wanted to do something different outside the norm. We are proud of what we are creating and we're having fun doing it.


Yes, at my daily work we too had anodizing gone bad, color differences between batches (with blue and red) and clear ones and black ones that were striped or even scratched.

So the answer is 'no' to aluminium frontplates and the reason is 'we want something outside the norm' where the norm is a nice aluminium front :)
I just thought it might increase sales given the reactions on the forum.
 

Labjr

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Seems like anodizing can give disastrous results unexpectedly. Sonic Research is another great company that makes everything in USA. As I play guitar, I bought one of the last Turbo Tuners with an aluminum case. Great product BTW. I've spoken to the owner on a number of occasions who usually takes phone calls himself. He told me he ate over $20K because of poorly anodized enclosures which the manufacturer would not stand behind. Don't know how he made up for that, since his products are so reasonably priced.
 

confucius_zero

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Headphone users are living the golden age of amplification.
Yet some still will deny we've reach endgame technology for hp amps and go after four digit exotic for "flavor"
 

watchnerd

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Yet some still will deny we've reach endgame technology for hp amps and go after four digit exotic for "flavor"

I basically divide the headphone world into two camps: electrostatic vs everything else*.

If you want to go nuts, have an excuse to own a tube-based headphone amp, show some bling, and blow big wads of cash, go electrostatic.

For everything else, just go solid state, which is mature and costs are dropping every year for SOTA. And use them till the caps rot.

*caveat: don't buy weird, hard-to-drive dynamic cans; they're not better than electrostatics.
 

JJB70

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I must admit, I like nice casing and controls, the tactile feel of a product doesn't affect performance but it does make a product nicer and brings a pleasure of its own. I have a JDS Atom, in performance terms I can't fault it but I'd happily pay more if they offered an option in a nice metal case. This Geshelli looks to be another superbly performing headphone amplifier at very modest cost.

Something that Geshelli and JDS both show (and before them, Nwavguy) is that good design need not be expensive and that with good engineering you can deliver a first class headphone amplifier for a very modest cost. Engineering shares something with cooking, great ingredients help but ultimately its about how you use them that matters. Just as a genuinely good cook can make a terrific meal from junk (I knew ships cooks that were brilliant and prepared excellent meals on a very modest daily feeding rate and with ingredients that wouldn't get any stars in foodie magazines) so good design and integration can deliver excellent performance without requiring exotic components. And as with food, if you just throw a lot of very expensive components in the air and see where they land then the result is unlikely to be good.
 

LuckyLuke575

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Not agreeing with you, not at all. I enjoy making a fool of myself, when it comes to discussions; I get to grow from learning.

Your point of view believes that research must serve a practical end. Whose practical end? Yours? There aren't many researches out there that don't serve some purpose, and one of those being our understanding of the world and advancement of knowledge. While there might be some anti-science researches that go on (like homeopathy and junk as such), most researches, even those in humanities, art, history and non-scientific topics, serve many purposes. I'd also argue that building audio equipment at this level of precision serves no practical end; it no longer enhances communications; in fact, I'd argue that old telephone lines are already enough for practical purposes. High-end audio doesn't save lives or involve in any survival mechanism. So, why bother?

Sure, not many EEs end up doing audio; and most are working in areas that are fulfilling market needs (that's why they are being paid). I don't know of any EEs whom are working in researches in "outlandish" areas; could you enlighten me with some examples?
If people are willing ar willing to pay for it, then it worth investing research into it. That includes hifi equipment.

You know its nonsensical comments from people like you that make me want to quit these forums.
 
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