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- Jan 15, 2018
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Hey ASR! I apologize in advance for being a bit of a knowledge mooch, but I am hoping some of my EE friends on the forum can lend a hand to a layperson on the soundness of a specific amplifier design
Backstory: I am primarily a headphone guy and current owner of a Schiit Lyr 2 hybrid-tube headphone amp (among others). Since recently building my Bottlehead Crack OTL head-amp, I feel the Lyr 2 really under-performs at its price-point. And given the recent Schiit that has come to light, I am not all that keen on keeping their products in my audio arsenal. So, the Lyr 2 has to go, which leaves me with my proud collection of 2c51/5670 tubes (a 6922 alternate) and no amp to put them in. Hence, I am in the market for an affordable amp capable of taking 2c51/5670 type tubes, preferably OTL. Enter Augustica Technologies.
They are a small telecommunications/electronics distributor based in Barrie, ON Canada offering three different DIY headphone amplifier kits available for purchase, either fully or self-assembled, one solid state, the other two OTL. Despite the fanatical nature of the headphone community these days, I was shocked to find there is no information/reviews/experiences with these amplifiers whatsoever on any forum. I am particularly interested in the Corvette model, as it is a 6922-based OTL circuit. After reviewing the information available on the site, a select few YouTube videos discussing the circuit design, the supporting documentation, and some correspondence with a member of Augustica Technologies, I am anticipating making a purchase in the hope of unearthing a true head-amp diamond in the rough the company rep I have been in contact with (who, based on our interactions, I assume is the designer of the amplifier) feels strongly that the amps are a better value that Schiit's products and will outperform them, given they use higher quality components and lack Schiit's minimalist design philosophy.
If the specs on the product page are to be trusted (given my cursory understanding of audio measurements), the Corvette amp offers impressive performance for the price. One particular spec that jumps out is the 230 Ohm output impedance, very high even for an OTL design. I will primarily be using the amp with the 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD 600 series and my 600 Ohm Sennheiser HD 250 Linear phones, so I don't anticipate the damping factor being an issue.
If anyone would be willing to humor me and comment on the soundness of the amplifier design/specifications, I would greatly appreciate it! Otherwise, feel free to ignore and/or chastise me, I understand it is a big ask to go through the documentation, let alone read the novel I wrote above
If/when I purchase the amp, I plan to do a subjective comparison to the Bottlehead Crack and Schiit Lyr 2. If the amp really lives up to my diamond-in-the-rough hopes, and members here are interested, I would be happy to send it to Amir to be measured.
Price for the unassembled kit is $300 CAD (~$240 USD), $500 CAD for the assembled kit (~$400 USD).
Thanks for reading! Below are links to resource materials:
Product page: http://www.augustica.com/corvette-c...fier-corvette-and-transformers-assembled-p-52
User manual, includes circuit operating theory:
http://www.augustica.com/Products/Amplifiers/Corvette/Headphone Amplifier Corvette User Manual.pdf
YouTube video, designer discussing components, specifications, operating theory:
YouTube video, designer displaying "fully assembled" DIY amplifier with expanded PCB (this is what I would be purchasing):
Backstory: I am primarily a headphone guy and current owner of a Schiit Lyr 2 hybrid-tube headphone amp (among others). Since recently building my Bottlehead Crack OTL head-amp, I feel the Lyr 2 really under-performs at its price-point. And given the recent Schiit that has come to light, I am not all that keen on keeping their products in my audio arsenal. So, the Lyr 2 has to go, which leaves me with my proud collection of 2c51/5670 tubes (a 6922 alternate) and no amp to put them in. Hence, I am in the market for an affordable amp capable of taking 2c51/5670 type tubes, preferably OTL. Enter Augustica Technologies.
They are a small telecommunications/electronics distributor based in Barrie, ON Canada offering three different DIY headphone amplifier kits available for purchase, either fully or self-assembled, one solid state, the other two OTL. Despite the fanatical nature of the headphone community these days, I was shocked to find there is no information/reviews/experiences with these amplifiers whatsoever on any forum. I am particularly interested in the Corvette model, as it is a 6922-based OTL circuit. After reviewing the information available on the site, a select few YouTube videos discussing the circuit design, the supporting documentation, and some correspondence with a member of Augustica Technologies, I am anticipating making a purchase in the hope of unearthing a true head-amp diamond in the rough the company rep I have been in contact with (who, based on our interactions, I assume is the designer of the amplifier) feels strongly that the amps are a better value that Schiit's products and will outperform them, given they use higher quality components and lack Schiit's minimalist design philosophy.
If the specs on the product page are to be trusted (given my cursory understanding of audio measurements), the Corvette amp offers impressive performance for the price. One particular spec that jumps out is the 230 Ohm output impedance, very high even for an OTL design. I will primarily be using the amp with the 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD 600 series and my 600 Ohm Sennheiser HD 250 Linear phones, so I don't anticipate the damping factor being an issue.
If anyone would be willing to humor me and comment on the soundness of the amplifier design/specifications, I would greatly appreciate it! Otherwise, feel free to ignore and/or chastise me, I understand it is a big ask to go through the documentation, let alone read the novel I wrote above
If/when I purchase the amp, I plan to do a subjective comparison to the Bottlehead Crack and Schiit Lyr 2. If the amp really lives up to my diamond-in-the-rough hopes, and members here are interested, I would be happy to send it to Amir to be measured.
Price for the unassembled kit is $300 CAD (~$240 USD), $500 CAD for the assembled kit (~$400 USD).
Thanks for reading! Below are links to resource materials:
Product page: http://www.augustica.com/corvette-c...fier-corvette-and-transformers-assembled-p-52
User manual, includes circuit operating theory:
http://www.augustica.com/Products/Amplifiers/Corvette/Headphone Amplifier Corvette User Manual.pdf
YouTube video, designer discussing components, specifications, operating theory:
YouTube video, designer displaying "fully assembled" DIY amplifier with expanded PCB (this is what I would be purchasing):