Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 21, 2016 10:40:40 GMT
I love the intro, where you say who the amp doesn't suit. Almost Nwav in tone......  |
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juke
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Post by juke on Feb 21, 2016 11:08:59 GMT
The new manual is fantastic Frans, I've no idea how you make the time for everything you do.
Syd
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Post by justinochiu on Feb 27, 2016 8:08:28 GMT
Thanks for sharing this useful information here. Can you please share some of its more details? What are the hardware components used for the Amplifier part? Also the volume control you added is the reliable one? pcb assembly prototype |
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solderdude
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measureutternutter
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Post by solderdude on Feb 27, 2016 12:17:20 GMT
The long awaited desktop manual is available too. The volume control is the same one as used in G1217 amps. They do have some reliability issues in the sense that the L-R tracking difference in the lowest volume settings is not as good as with potmeters of a larger diameter. I know Jeremy pre-selects them and throws out the poor ones. As these potmeters are fairly cheap and when you encounter one it is just a matter of fitting a new one. The ones I have here all work fine. What more details are you looking for ? |
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juke
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Post by juke on Feb 27, 2016 18:06:14 GMT
The volume control is the same one as used in G1217 amps. They do have some reliability issues in the sense that the L-R tracking difference in the lowest volume settings is not as good as with potmeters of a larger diameter. I know Jeremy pre-selects them and throws out the poor ones. Must be the same one in the ifi micro DSD. Very poor for quite a bit of its travel. I don't fancy taking it apart though! Syd |
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 27, 2016 18:13:38 GMT
Syd, just turn the gain down so that the pot goes further up. Ifi recommend that you adjust the gain so that listenimg levels are around 12 to 3 o clock.
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Post by techboy on Feb 27, 2016 18:15:37 GMT
Does the portable Kamaleon have adjustable gain?
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 27, 2016 18:34:38 GMT
No. But the Idsd does.
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Post by techboy on Feb 27, 2016 18:39:04 GMT
Yes. But I see no use of an iFi amp for me.  It will either be a Kameleon 2 or nothing. |
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 27, 2016 18:41:23 GMT
Syd mentioned the Ifi having a poor pot, which is a known issue.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Feb 27, 2016 20:19:39 GMT
The gain of the Kameleon is completely determined by the module, it is not determined by the amp.
The gain can be 'varied' between 0.01x to 100x depending on what module you put in there.
Flexible and customizable.
Should one find the gain of of the 'filter modules' too high or low that filter can be designed with another gain (within limits)
The Kameleon = NOT just another amplifier, but can be used as one... a bit too expensive for solely that purpose.
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juke
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Post by juke on Feb 27, 2016 23:45:35 GMT
Syd, just turn the gain down so that the pot goes further up. Ifi recommend that you adjust the gain so that listenimg levels are around 12 to 3 o clock. Does that mean 'power mode' for gain or is there some other adjustment Ian? It's not a major issue normally, just surprised me on an otherwise great little amp. I only need to turn it down during switch on when I have changed to a different 'phone after using the HE6, which needs a fair bit of boost. I use the iFi as a stage before the Kameleon, a great setup. Syd |
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 28, 2016 8:32:38 GMT
The red switch on the side gives 3 power modes, Syd. Low, standard and turbo. Then underneath, there is a tiny slider that gives you 3 increments in each of these modes. That means there are 9 power settings from turbo, which is way too powerful for most headphones down to iem's.
Low power with the switch underneath also set to low makes it very quiet.
Ifi recommend that the power is set so that your natural listening position is between 12 o clock and 3 o clock. They don't recommend high power if it means the vol pot is down. If you're using it as a preamp into the Kameleon, it might be better to set it nearer the top end for better signal to noise. I'm not sure how the vol pot works with line out though.
It doesn't 'subjectively' feel as good, but I think that's because the volume drops. You can still go a bit too low though if you set it so it's right at 3 o clock and you are say, listening to Radio 3, which has less compression than the other stations, you need more power and you can actually run out of steam, so I up the gain for it. It's quite different for different headphones on the last bit of pot travel. Some go up a lot and others only creep up, so more gain is needed.
Pot issues go through a lot of amps. It's to do with their power as well, which forces you to use the silly part of the pot. Possibly the amps are 'overpowered' for the headphone. Quite funny that manufacturers often go through a batch of volume pots and reject anything that doesn't track so well down low. They actually throw the others away.
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juke
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Post by juke on Feb 28, 2016 10:20:59 GMT
Thanks Ian, I have the ie slider off, I thought maybe there was an internal adjustment I'd missed. I'll pull out the other 'phones and experiment with the ie slider, I must have read the manual which advises 'off' when in the two higher modes, which suits the HE6, then forgot about it. I use the iFi's DAC feature, works great with the Squeezebox Touch, modified to handle 24/192, then into the Kameleon. Perfect set-up for my ears!
Syd
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Feb 28, 2016 10:30:26 GMT
I spoke to Ifi about that switch underneath and they said that it was perfectly ok to use them in the other modes as well. They just said to check that in turbo mode, nothing got hot. So I use mine sometimes at standard mode with the slider switched one or two clicks to control the volume with the Senns. They kind of changed their mind about the use of the slider only in low power. Originally, it was intended for iem use but people have found it more useful to control the vol pot and Ifi agree. For goodness sake, how many people are going to buy a £400 amp for an iem? When I said that to them, they basically said it would be useful for lower impedance headphones which actually, it is. I emailed the guy when I got mine to ask the very same thing.
It's a great arrangement with all of those power controls on the outside to be accessed straight away, depending on what headphone you're using.
Ifi really insist that the power should be set with the vol pot at a minimum of 12 o clock. Then they say that you have the power setting correct for whatever headphone you are using. So I set at 12 0 clock on standard. If too loud, I use the sliders. If too soft, go up to turbo. (I doubt that though) Or if you are using two sliders, go down to minimum power mode with no slider. That even works with the hd650.
If you do that, there are no issues with the vol pot. The main thing is to make sure that there are still some more 'guts' left in the sound if you move the vol pot up. If it only creeps up and doesn't get a great deal louder, I'd suggest moving the mode up to make sure you have lots of headroom.
It's a really versatile and powerful amp. I really like it. I have mine attached to my TV digitally so I can listen to Radio 3 via freeview. It seems to have a better bit rate and sounds pretty good from the Ifi.
I also use it with my Fiios digitally and the computer. Great buy really.
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It will either be a Kameleon 2 or nothing.