Rodman:
I should have been clearer about the photos. The photo of the interior is not of the GCPH, it is the GCHA (page 4 of the manual, under "Questions and answers"). The same photo shows up if you Google the GCPH, and here:
http://hifi-unlimited.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-performance-matters-ps-audio-gcph.html
All the photos of the exterior views are correct.
The photo of the interior shows only two large filter caps, the GCPH has four clustered together. Look at the rear panel. There are only two RCAs, the GCPH has four. In the photo there are no range selection pots (because the GCHA does not have them) nor are there any balanced line out XLRs. The regulators with the heat sinks are not mounted in the same location either.This is clearly not the GCPH.
If we could post photos in the forum, I'd post the ones of my GCPH.
Looks like they removed language of Class A on the website, but they still speak of "balanced" construction throughout. Unless you listen to the video review on Audio Advisor by Ryan Conway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGfpCj3rkVQ
The IC pre-amp (SSM2019) is cited to be "true differential input" by Analog Devices (TI), but it's not truly balanced, because it's output is single ended (not differential). So sorry, the circuit is not fully balanced throughout.
Re cables, anything that cost twice what the GCPH is worth IS stratospheric in my mind, but I have always been one to build my own stuff, including interconnects.
There is no reason for a MM input to have such a high capacitance (100 pF), given the range of what most MM cartridges need. I think they should have made it 20-30 pF to give the user more flexibility in cable selection. I think one main reason it is so high is the concern of the PS engineers for input RF rejection, and they may consider this more important than cartridge loading. I think I have read some comments relavent to this on the Graham Slee forums.
I should have been clearer about the photos. The photo of the interior is not of the GCPH, it is the GCHA (page 4 of the manual, under "Questions and answers"). The same photo shows up if you Google the GCPH, and here:
http://hifi-unlimited.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-performance-matters-ps-audio-gcph.html
All the photos of the exterior views are correct.
The photo of the interior shows only two large filter caps, the GCPH has four clustered together. Look at the rear panel. There are only two RCAs, the GCPH has four. In the photo there are no range selection pots (because the GCHA does not have them) nor are there any balanced line out XLRs. The regulators with the heat sinks are not mounted in the same location either.This is clearly not the GCPH.
If we could post photos in the forum, I'd post the ones of my GCPH.
Looks like they removed language of Class A on the website, but they still speak of "balanced" construction throughout. Unless you listen to the video review on Audio Advisor by Ryan Conway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGfpCj3rkVQ
The IC pre-amp (SSM2019) is cited to be "true differential input" by Analog Devices (TI), but it's not truly balanced, because it's output is single ended (not differential). So sorry, the circuit is not fully balanced throughout.
Re cables, anything that cost twice what the GCPH is worth IS stratospheric in my mind, but I have always been one to build my own stuff, including interconnects.
There is no reason for a MM input to have such a high capacitance (100 pF), given the range of what most MM cartridges need. I think they should have made it 20-30 pF to give the user more flexibility in cable selection. I think one main reason it is so high is the concern of the PS engineers for input RF rejection, and they may consider this more important than cartridge loading. I think I have read some comments relavent to this on the Graham Slee forums.