ANK Audiokits Have Arrived! Follow the Build Here

No

 

Yes, you are right. Reliable sources indicate up to 1000 hours.

 

We are all about elegant, high-tech solutions.

 

Good news, I was doing some of the measurements wrong, and last night I confirmed the voltages are all correct, so I completed the build. I will post pictures tonight. Unfortunatley, I cannot test the sound until I finish the preamp, since I don;t currently have one and have no way to attenuate the volume.

 

Man I wished I lived nearby so I could come over and have a listen! It might be just as much fun to see the smile on your face as the music first starts up. It would make my day if I had built them!!

 

I would choose my first record very carefully and enjoy the process of deciding which one is first

 

I've already started the process, but have yet to decide.Since I ecpect this setup to excel at acoustic instruments and vocals, I'm thinking a vocal jazz album. I'm seriously considering one of the 45 RPM Nat King Cole LPs that our host mastered, or Ella Fitzgerald.

 

If you ever get to NYC my door is open!

 

That would be a great start using a at King Cole! I picked up the four record set for $15 from a fellow audiophile that didn't like it. It was a good day!

 

Ray, if I am in NYC, I will most certainly say hello. Might wait til you get a 1000 hours on those caps though

 

So here are the pictures of the first completed monoblock that has passed all of the voltage tests:







Today I got a good start on the second monoblock. Since I documented the build of the first one, I will not be doing this one.

 

Looks great!

Don't be afraid to share the build of the second monoblock. It's quite enjoyable to see it develop, step by step

 

So how does it sound?
Ya must have some mono pressings in the library.
Just kidding, kind of.
Looks great.

 

Loooks fantabulous. Might need a little dusting for the final photos - it's amazing what the camera picks up.

 

True!

 

I am going to set up a sound test this weekend and will report back.

 

Mdelrossi's post made me get off my **** and get the audio test done. I thought I was going to have to wait until the preamp was done, as I don't have a pre (current amp is integrated), but then I remembered that my Nakamichi Dragon has a volume control on the output, so I could attenuate the signal.

The first step was to test the output level with a test tone. I downloaded a I kHz test tone WAV file to my laptop, and connected my portable DAC to the laptop. I then connected a 8.2 ohm resistor to the speaker terminals as a dummy speaker load, and connected my multimeter to the terminals and measured the output while playing the test tone. Here is the test setup:









Output is 8.38 volts AC- Success!!!

Now for some music...

 

I started to make a mix tape for parties and recorded two tracks from my mono Frank Sinatra "Come Fly With Me" reissue LP, that was summed to mono during the taping. The tracks were "Come Fly With Me" and "Brazil". This would be perfect for the audio test. Here is the test setup:





With a lot of excitement and a little trepidation, I hit the Play button. I was stunned by the sound that came out of the one speaker. A little premature to compare to the Woo Audio WA 5 SET, but it sounded fantastic. It was incredibly clear, authoritative and dynamic. The ANK has parallel 300Bs and puts out 20 watts, compared to the WA5s ten watts. The orchestra crescendos were particularly impressive. The background was incredibly quiet, and this was with cassette! I have to say, though, I was impressed with how close the recording on the Dragon came to the source LP. I realized, that I was listening to this without the woofers connected, and the bass was impressive. I can't wait to get the AN-Es done!

BTW the maroon drapes hanging over the subwoofer are sound proof curtains that I pull over the TV for serious listening sessions. They make a big difference.

I couldn't be more happy and excited- now it is time to get the other monoblock finished!

 

Excellent report.

 

This is exciting for you. I do the same to cover my tv by the way. Except that I use a fleecy blanket, that weighs maybe one pound.

I'm getting closer to having my AN E SPE HEs delivered (5-6 weeks away), so I look forward to hearing your reaction to your kit AN Es.

 

Ray,

Looking good. I see you got the Dragon back from the shop, sounds like it's running tip-top based on your recordings. Mine is currently with Willy for a tune-up, eagerly awaiting its return. What are you using for tape? What were you running the record levels up to?

enjoy,
justin

 

Thanks! I am using Sony Metal SR tapes. I did the pre-record calibration for both EQ bias and levels before recording. The meter was peaking at about +7 or 8 dB.

 

You must be dying to get your hands on those speakers! My friend that is letting me use his shop and tools for the speaker build had a plumbing problem and has been tied up working on his house, so I have been unable to work on them. I hope to get back to that build next week.

 

Congrats!!!
Glad to hear it went well. Brazil is one of my favorites.
Now get back to work

 

I like those Sony Metal SR tapes.