2. amps-preamps
  3. 156499-2546

Who's Gone Topless?

The idea of this goes back decades. Amps and preamps (for the most part) are designed on chassis free breadboards, then voiced, THEN are packaged inside a chassis, which can be the weakest link to hearing what the designer intended. In most cases the chassis sidewalls and bottom are essential, but the top?


First off, beware that doing so will likely affect your mfg warranty, but, if you live in a pet-free, child-free home, then the benefits can more than offset concerns about something getting in that could harm the components. Case in point my Ric Schultz Class D EVS 1200, dual mono IcePower 120as2 modules. HOWEVER, unlike others using the same or similar modules, Ric then sprinkles many decades of modifying pixie dust all around them which are mounted inside an understated (sans bling) Italian sourced chassis.

When I ordered mine it was mandatory to purchase 2 Cubes ($200) which are to be butted up against each board, requiring the owner to remove the top. After doing so, I was anxious to put it in my rack so I could properly isolate it from bad vibes, when I should have listened with and without the Cubes and top.


Ric is also a proponent of weighing down components, but due to the unnecessarily large chassis, it barely fit in my rack, but I had a 5 pound divers belt lead weight that I squeezed in. Now, because RIc chose to put the mute toggles on the back I placed the amp on the first shelf from the rack's top (but out of sight out of mind: I never mute it when done listening), upon which was my CD player/Transport, which I raised up to provide ~ 2" of air space above the top of the 1200 and the bottom shelf of the player. Even though the rack is open on all sides with plenty of air space all around the rack, the amp ran warm

Fast Forward to yesterday. I was listening to Leonard Cohen Essential songs, mostly instrumentally sparse. I removed the weight; and found the music much more open sounding. Encouraged, I FINALLY removed the top. Honestly, I was not prepared for how HUGE doing so could be. It was like the music went from a confined space to an open air 3 dimensional venue. This is so amazing that I am going to get a handle on it via different music before removing the Cubes. Oh, and the amp is now cool as can be. 


So, if interested, stay tuned
tweak1

Showing 17 responses by djones51

djones51
4,947 posts
 

Really? Why? Could it be, because you don't understand the difference between someone relating their individual personal experience and the release of a statistically valid peer reviewed article in Nature?
 I understand the difference between unsubstantiated subjective claims and verifiable objective phenomena.  

I see. So you're here for all the.... lack of information. You would be content to come here and read page after page of vague useless pabulum.

I'm here for real information not vague useless nonsense about removing case covers and hearing A HUGE improvement in my stereo. If one says I believe there was a slight improvement then it could fly under the radar but to claim HUGE improvements should be fairly easy to quantify. Record a song with top on then off,  Post a link the recording, HUGE improvements should be easily heard on my laptop. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
They can post what they hear and I can post perhaps you heard it for a different reason. No one is obligated to test anything. I've had the top off amps before can't  say it affected the sound, is that my test? 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
Now that makes sense, perhaps it's a lousy designed amp?
djones51
4,947 posts
 
If we don't  try to understand why then what's the point? I guess we're here to...


read page after page of vague useless pabulum.

djones51
4,947 posts
 
I don't  need to prove anything, biases and placebo have been understood in science for decades. It isn't a new theory needing proof.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
No, iPhones must work better with no cover.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I'm fine, thanks for your thoughtful suggestion. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
Gravity holds galaxies together not the universe, it’s expanding. Even if we can't touch, smell or taste we can measure it.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
rodman99999
Newton's Universal law of gravitation can get us to the moon, Mars and points beyond. It works very well on small scales like solar systems and galaxies, though it isn't as accurate on that scale. The only problem is on large scales like a Universe it's wrong which is why our working theory of gravitation is Einstein's theory of general relativity with the cosmological constant. We discovered that Newton's Universal Law wasn't really universal. 

https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/mobile/2015/06/09/does-the-influence-of-gravity-extend-out-forever/
djones51
4,947 posts
 


Same with my breaker box in my room with an audience to hear the change while doing so
 So you're saying you take the dead door off your panel box and your stereo sounds better? Interesting, and you've had a group of people hear this as well? 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I think this is still taught in High School. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I didn't bring up Newton and universes but I wasn't going to let misinformation slide.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
The reason for the perturbations in the orbit are because the mass of planets and the sun warp spacetime, what is happening is they are moving through a curvature of spacetime. On these small scales Einstein’s theory of warping space behaves like Newtonian gravitational pull though Einstein’s is more accurate. Don't have a stroke over it. Yes they are scientific theories and someday one may replace Einstein's theory just as his replaced Newtons. It doesn't mean Newton's doesn't work good enough to get us to planets.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
Just that, WE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING, for CERTAIN.  
Getting to philosophical for me. 

From day 1 owning the EVS 1200 I said the chassis is unnecessarily large, (and the lid has no vents)

I guess it could have  been running hot.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
It would be more interesting if this was all done blind to eliminate sight bias. Get some friends over who have good poker faces and have them do the deeds. If indeed the improvement is HUGE shouldn't  matter.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I wouldn't recommend removing the dead door on a panel box it's earned it's  name. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
It puzzles me why anyone declares HUGE changes without taking into account human biases. Now" I think there was a slight improvement but I  have no way to verify" , elicits no response from me. Extraordinary claims and all, evidence beyond testimony would be a nice change.
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