Buckeye 3 Channel Purifi Amp Review

[howard416]

@Buckeye Amps , maybe a stupid question - any iron/ steel Faston terminals in the signal path, especially on input XLR?

Is this from steel being the primary conductance path for the audio signal? Or is there a contribution if there is steel anywhere near/contacting the signal path? Or merely from surface oxidation from e.g. once the chrome/nickel/copper/whatever plating wears away?

For example, there are many types of connectors that have absolutely no ferrous material in the near vicinity (brass banana plugs, PCB pin headers, etc.). Then there are some connector types that do have ferrous material in them, such as (I assume) Speakon connectors where the wire terminals have steel screws, and terminal blocks such as these where the steel screw is a parallel path of conductance with the brass?

 

[howard416]

Anyone have an idea on this?

 

[Sal1950]

...now I am looking Class D amps to shade my Adcom GFA 5500, which I deary love like a family member...

Classic Adcoms Rule.

 

[EJ3]

Hey!: I recognize that (and, have at times, resembled that):

David Mann ((1940-09-10)September 10, 1940 —(2004-09-11)September 11, 2004) was a California graphic artist whose paintings celebrated biker culture, and choppers. Called "the biker world's artist-in-residence," his images are ubiquitous in biker clubhouses and garages, on motorcycle gas tanks, tattoos, and on T-shirts and other memorabilia associated with biker culture. Choppers have been built based on the bikes first imagined in a David Mann painting.

In the words of an anthropologist studying biker culture in New Zealand, "Mann’s paintings set ‘outlaw’ Harley chopper motorcycles against surreal backgrounds, and distorted skylines, colourful images that celebrated the chopper motorcycle and the freedom of the open road ... Many of his images captured the ‘Easyrider’ ethos – speed, the open road, long flowing hair – freedom." Most of his works were designed for the motorcycle industry, especially for motorcycle magazines.

(I do wonder who the "anthropologist studying biker culture in New Zealand" is)?

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Classic Adcoms Rule.

Yeah, I agree. I remember my old GFA-535 well and fondly. That said, nowadays there are sub-$100 USD Class D amps that perform just as well -- but of course they can't keep your listening room cozy warm when winter closes in like your collection.

 

[Sal1950]

Hey!: I recognize that (and, have at times, resembled that):

David painted a new picture monthly for the centerfold of EasyRiders magazine for 30 years.
I've had that original silkscreen since sometime in the 1970s when EasyRiders was giving them away as
a limited edition subscription perk. Collectors item today.

 

[EJ3]

David painted a new picture monthly for the centerfold of EasyRiders magazine for 30 years.
I've had that original silkscreen since sometime in the 1970s when EasyRiders was giving them away as
a limited edition subscription perk. Collectors item today.

That particular one is one of my all time favorites, I remember seeing it in EasyRiders magazine when that issue came out.

 

[musicforcities]

Classic Adcoms Rule.
View attachment 332677

Unless the models without speakers protection fail in a way that damages your speakers, such as a huge dc spike to you speakers.

 

[musicforcities]

Yeah, I agree. I remember my old GFA-535 well and fondly. That said, nowadays there are sub-$100 USD Class D amps that perform just as well -- but of course they can't keep your listening room cozy warm when winter closes in like your collection.

And have more wpc… amazing to think how far these cheap chip amps have come.

 

[Sal1950]

Unless the models without speakers protection fail in a way that damages your speakers, such as a huge dc spike to you speakers.

Correct, anythings possible, but I've been running GFA 5x5 series amps for 30 years and have yet to have one break, let alone
in a damaging way.
"As I knock wood and my head at the same time."

 

[musicforcities]

Correct, anythings possible, but I've been running GFA 5x5 series amps for 30 years and have yet to have one break, let alone
in a damaging way.
"As I knock wood and my head at the same time."

Have recapped them or done maintenance?

 

[Sal1950]

Have recapped them or done maintenance?

Only checking - setting bias and offset. No soldering.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Only checking - setting bias and offset. No soldering.

My GFA-535 was problem-free for the 10+ years I relied on it. That said, there are Adcom amps that are notoriously failure-prone and so difficult to repair that technicians often have resort to aftermarket PCBs in order to bring them back to life and into spec -- so maybe we've just been lucky.

Adcom GFA 585 Part 1 (of 3) - First Look

 

[Sal1950]

My GFA-535 was problem-free for the 10+ years I relied on it. That said, the are Adcom amps that are notoriously failure-prone and so difficult to repair that technicians often have resort to aftermarket PCBs in order to bring them back to life and into spec -- so maybe we've just been lucky.

Adcom GFA 585 Part 1 (of 3) - First Look

Sorry but senior citizens disease did cause me neglect to mention the GFA 565's which were notorious for capacitor leakage.
To quote the Hoppe's Brain website, a serious Adcom guru,

"Nearly every GFA-565 ever made was affected by a bad batch of leaky capacitors that cause speaker-blowing DC offset to appear on the output. You can try to clean up the original board, but the DC offset issue often persists. The electrolyte actually soaks into the fiberglass, making it ever-so-slightly conductive. This affects the balance of the high-impedance circuitry around the input stage and DC servo. Amps that seem fixed can actually develop DC offset later on, as the electrolyte continues to spread through the fiberglass. It’s a frustrating problem to work on. A new board is the best solution. "

EBFA-565 Replacement Circuit Board for Adcom GFA-565

Adcom GFA-565 replacement circuit board.

hoppesbrain.com

In the long run I would just advise staying away from the 565's unless some very special desire forces you to keep one and want to upgrade it.