2. amps-preamps
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What's inside these aluminum/metal cases?

I have three links below to pictures of amps with their lids removed, one is an integrated, and I am curious to the thoughts of those that have the technical knowledge of amps to discuss the inner componants and order of design.

We tweak our systems with expensive cables, yet I look at pictures such these pictures and wonder what all the signal must go through.

Let me put the disclaimer out, I do not own any of these amps nor did I single them out, I just happen have pictures of them with their "hoods" off, if I had some others, I may of included them as well.

http://brian.grar.com/images/AudioPix/Bryston4bstInside.jpg
http://brian.grar.com/images/AudioPix/ML383-Inside.jpg
http://brian.grar.com/images/AudioPix/Bryston7bstInside.jpg
brianmgrarcom
jeffloistarca
1,004 posts
 
Brian, the Xilinx device is a relatively large square integrated circuit towards the middle back of the ML amp. Xilinx makes chips that are essentially black boxes, you write your own code and add intelligence to your design. the code is held in a PROM and dumped into the FPGA on boot-up. Their largest chip is the equivalent of 5 million transistors! I don't wanna get too carried away with the technical stuff, but if you're interested in finding out more take a look at http://www.xilinx.com
famaraca
38 posts
 
Jeff

Congratulations!Great post
Today some highly regarded High End Amps,are based largely in Integrated Circuits.Very beauty inside,no wires,no resistors,no capacitors,no cooling fans.So what?...
bishopwill
369 posts
 
So what, indeed?

A friend and I opened his $10K+ tube amp a while back. I'm not fool enough to post the name of the amp lest angry owners burn my church down. Suffice it to say that this "cost no object, discrete components of the highest quality, entirely hand-built" device looked like it had been assembled by a Heathkit first-timer. Lots of excess wire, obvious cold solder joints, cheap internal interconnects, power leads tie-wrapped with audio signal leads. Expensive resistors and caps and xformer, yes, but terminal strips, tube sockets and the like appeared to be the cheapest the mfgr could buy.

Boy, was he pissed. Yet the sound was and continues to be SPLENDID.
clueless
763 posts
 
Bishopwill: As you know, that's why the best buy in audio is a soldering iron and a circuit book. Ther's jus somthin bout home cookin. Cold solder joints too? Makes it tough.

(And, there are some other speakers like Ellis' and I believe he makes them, or did make them front ported too. I would have to check w/ an email.)

Cheers
Sincerely, I remain
bishopwill
369 posts
 
Yeah, cold solder joints. Obvious ones. I offered to redo them for him but he was so hacked off that he didn't want to touch anything while he pondered his options--of which he finally decided he had none.

Thanks re Ellis speakers. I've heard nothing but good things about his units. May get on his audition list.

Will
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