heady 0 Report post Posted August 28, 2004 Very nice, bpribadi! You probably have to wait for a while for the amp to burn in. My max CMOY took about 3-4 days continuous running to sound its best. Will wait for you to give another review in a week's time? BTW what is the meaning of termination for the DIY interconnects? Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted August 28, 2004 Thanks Heady! You are right, I think the amp need sometime to burn in That's what mukegile told me too. BTW what is the meaning of termination for the DIY interconnects? I mean connect it to the RCA cable Now i'm listening to my Pimeta to let it 'burned in' to sounds better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted August 29, 2004 After around 6 hours continuous 'burning in', I'm glad my Pimeta sounds better now No more harsh treble, or at least, the sharp treble has been reduced a lot, now it sounds smoother, and very 'airy' like you can imagine the space between the singers, and the musicians. I will keep on burning it Now I'm listening Women of Song from Chesky records, and some other albums. More pictures for size comparison with my previous CMoy and ATH-EW9: Just a different angle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted August 29, 2004 bpribadi - your work is very neat and elegant. Good job. And excellent photography too. BTW what's in the black box with the pot? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted August 29, 2004 (edited) Thanks a lot Heady! The story, I have the small die cast casing for a few years in my drawer. So I wanted to use it for a CMoy. But the case is too small for a pot, so I put the pot externally, as well function as interconnect to my PCDP. That's the black box Inside my CMoy: Actually I better don't use the Solen, and put the pot inside... but what's done is done Edited August 29, 2004 by bpribadi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
digi01 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2004 wow,cool machine! excellent photography I am a camera fans too digi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2004 (edited) The Pimeta has been 'burnt in' for about 15 hours. The sound improved, the slightly harsh treble has been smoothen. Let me share my impression from a few hours listening with it. The test gear, Sony XA3000ES (which is going to be sent to my friend this week ), PCDP Panasonic SL-CT810, Grado RS-1, and Audio Technica ATH-EW9. The treble is still a bit sharp, but not harsh. It sounds fast and detailed, pretty good seperation between singers and the musical instruments. Very revealing. It is a 'bright' type of amp. Good and well controled low bass. probably because of the absence of capacitor in the audio line What it lacks to my taste is the midrange, I wish it sounds thicker. Probably the bright treble makes the midrange sounds a bit thin. But it is all within the my acceptable range So still enjoyable to listen to it. Before I continue, I would like to introduce the players and the headphones (base on my listening and taste): Sony XA3000ES: Very natural and very high resolution (you can hear more detail) player, but still has a tad of the Sony sounds. What I mean with sony sounds is, the midrange is a little bit thin, and overall sounds a bit dry. The bass is tight and well controled. Panasonic SL-CT810: Nice sounding player, not as high resolution as the Sony. The treble sounds silky smooth, and the midrange is thick. The bass is fine, but not as tight as the Sony. Not very fast and detailed, but the overall sounds very good for the price. Very enjoyable sounding player. Grado RS-1: Bright, open, very revealing. It has the most amazing bass I ever hear. Good sound stage, and gives more space between the singers and musical instrument than other closed type headphone. It sounds BIG. ATH-EW9: I think this is the best clip on for the price range. Open and bright, but not as open and bright as the Grado. Very nice warmth and thick midrange, good bass, and treble level is just right for my ears. The conclusion: Pimeta with XA3000ES and RS1. A bit out of my taste, the treble became a little too bright and sharp. Still very nice listening to Chesky recordings, but not for some bright recordings. But the detail is amazing! Pimeta with XA3000ES and EW9. The treble is better, it doesn't boil my ears anymore, enjoyable but sound a bit dry. Pimeta with SL-CT810 and Grado / EW9. Not as high resolution as the Sony, but I like the thick and warmth midrange. The Pimeta adds the detail, and makes the SL-CT810 sounds faster and snappier. Better and thicker bass (than without the Pimeta). The Pimeta makes the SL-CT810 sounds better. I guess what I described is more of the sound characteristic of the AD8620 Op-Amp, the Pimeta as general, as it will sounds differently if we use different Op-Amp. AD8620 is bright and fast sounding Op-Amp, good to be paired with players and headphone with thick and warmth midrange. Thanks for reading this long post !!! Any comments are welcome Edited August 30, 2004 by bpribadi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huangyong 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2004 very nice amp.... well done .. nice case too.... good DIY skill and good & "long" review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Q00 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2004 I suspect that the 8620 should settle down abit more if given more burning-in time from what ive read over at head-fi...the bass shud tighten up more and the brightness shud settle a little bit more... my qn to you, is the treble muddy to you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2004 my qn to you, is the treble muddy to you? Not at all. It is good, but I prefer the 'level' of treble to be reduce a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mukegile 0 Report post Posted August 30, 2004 Well.., I've the honoured to audition it personally..., what I can say ..is... 'Very Nice Workmanship and well planed " Bravo Bram...!!... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2004 I couldn't find good ready made short Mini to RCA cable, for interconnect between my PCDP to my HeadAmp. The difficult part is to find a good mini with dual coaxial, the best I can find is this Daiyo cable. So I bought Daiyo cable from SLS, cut the Mini end, and connect the RCA connectors to the other end. Here it is, my DIY Mini to RCA, only 50 cm long. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted October 1, 2004 Hi Bram, Question for you. If the battery supply drop below the regulator setting, what happens? Eg, you set the regulator for +7V and -7V supplied by 15V input. When supply voltage is more than 15V, the regulator will reduce the voltage producing heat. But what happens when the supply voltage drops below 15V. Is the output voltage maintained till a certain point? Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpribadi 0 Report post Posted October 1, 2004 Nope, it will drop accordingly, and not regulated anymore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted October 1, 2004 Thanks Bram. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites