phase linear 400
- Thread starter gene french
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 74,946
- Location
- Gillette, Wyo.
- Tagline
- Halfbiass...Electron Herder and Backass Woof
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2022
- Messages
- 5,580
- Tagline
- music...the healer of souls...
well, i did some experimenting this afternoon....i know...its dangerous but i did anyway....
when i was having trouble with the 4 fin....george was very encouraging .... and prodded me through it...
i want to thank him, first off...and thank those that hung on until i got it...i appreciate...
however, george said that when done i would be so happy because the 4 fin would blow the pioneer out of the water....i was hoping so...
when the 4 fin was first repaired....i started testing....since the sx has its own preamp and i was using that piece of schiit ....i set the volume level on both as close as i could get them....i had an ab switch on the speakers....where i could switch between the sx and the 4 fin....
when others would come over, i would use them as fodder....no one...nada....could tell the difference when i pushed them and switched between units....and two of my subjects record music and play in a band....i will link a video in a minute...i was both thrilled and disappointed at the same time...
i have a lot of respect for the pioneer engineering and design....so, i have two very respectable units....at least equal to each other....that anyone would be proud to own and listen to as a daily driver....well, as you may know...my left watt/vu meter would peg out ....even with all inputs and outputs disconnected....it still went for the fence....therefore this afternoon i took it out of the array....in its place i put the 8 fin...so i have an 8 fin next to a 4 fin phase linear 400....both have manufacturing dates less than a year apart....both are closing in on 50 years....i dont have but one dac....so i used the one schiit dac connected to my schiit preamp....to another ab switch ....then to the 4 fin and 8 fin....as i did not have y cables...yet...on order....
well, i was very very surprised....the 8 fin blew the 4 fin out of the water....even maria said she could not believe the difference....
i have not tested with others yet...but, its really not necessary....there was a noticable difference in the decibel level...and much more robust....
you could actually feel the difference....maybe this is what george was talking about....i was under the impression that the driver boards were electrically the same....upon my research on the wopl build....but, evidently they are not...
the 8 fin is stock...had a few outputs changed out by rob...all i did was install the dc protect board as not to eat my speakers and adjust the bias....just as a precaution....one side was off quite a bit...probably from shipping...but, easily reset and stable after warmup to 350mv....and i let it cook for half an hour our so....the 4 fin has been recapped and has the cap upgrade....other than that and the led lights.....it is stock....
the 8 fin has yet to be recapped .... it is on order as well as joes power supply cap upgrade...and the light board....which will give me another basically stock machine....i will retire the 4 fin when i wrap up the 8 fin...then i want to put the wopl right next to the 8 fin...
so i can compare....as i originally planned....maybe i will gut the 4 fin and upgrade to another wopl....for my system....
i have a 14b board that george sent me...i wonder how hard it would be to swap out the 400c board in the original 4 fin....
all the rest is the same....
i think i will measure the rail voltage of both and see if the transformer is stronger in the 8 fin....
i want to take this opportunity to discover and learn as much as i can....the differences in the generations of amps...
comments are welcome...observations...advice...
take care...
gene
when i was having trouble with the 4 fin....george was very encouraging .... and prodded me through it...
i want to thank him, first off...and thank those that hung on until i got it...i appreciate...
however, george said that when done i would be so happy because the 4 fin would blow the pioneer out of the water....i was hoping so...
when the 4 fin was first repaired....i started testing....since the sx has its own preamp and i was using that piece of schiit ....i set the volume level on both as close as i could get them....i had an ab switch on the speakers....where i could switch between the sx and the 4 fin....
when others would come over, i would use them as fodder....no one...nada....could tell the difference when i pushed them and switched between units....and two of my subjects record music and play in a band....i will link a video in a minute...i was both thrilled and disappointed at the same time...
i have a lot of respect for the pioneer engineering and design....so, i have two very respectable units....at least equal to each other....that anyone would be proud to own and listen to as a daily driver....well, as you may know...my left watt/vu meter would peg out ....even with all inputs and outputs disconnected....it still went for the fence....therefore this afternoon i took it out of the array....in its place i put the 8 fin...so i have an 8 fin next to a 4 fin phase linear 400....both have manufacturing dates less than a year apart....both are closing in on 50 years....i dont have but one dac....so i used the one schiit dac connected to my schiit preamp....to another ab switch ....then to the 4 fin and 8 fin....as i did not have y cables...yet...on order....
well, i was very very surprised....the 8 fin blew the 4 fin out of the water....even maria said she could not believe the difference....
i have not tested with others yet...but, its really not necessary....there was a noticable difference in the decibel level...and much more robust....
you could actually feel the difference....maybe this is what george was talking about....i was under the impression that the driver boards were electrically the same....upon my research on the wopl build....but, evidently they are not...
the 8 fin is stock...had a few outputs changed out by rob...all i did was install the dc protect board as not to eat my speakers and adjust the bias....just as a precaution....one side was off quite a bit...probably from shipping...but, easily reset and stable after warmup to 350mv....and i let it cook for half an hour our so....the 4 fin has been recapped and has the cap upgrade....other than that and the led lights.....it is stock....
the 8 fin has yet to be recapped .... it is on order as well as joes power supply cap upgrade...and the light board....which will give me another basically stock machine....i will retire the 4 fin when i wrap up the 8 fin...then i want to put the wopl right next to the 8 fin...
so i can compare....as i originally planned....maybe i will gut the 4 fin and upgrade to another wopl....for my system....
i have a 14b board that george sent me...i wonder how hard it would be to swap out the 400c board in the original 4 fin....
all the rest is the same....
i think i will measure the rail voltage of both and see if the transformer is stronger in the 8 fin....
i want to take this opportunity to discover and learn as much as i can....the differences in the generations of amps...
comments are welcome...observations...advice...
take care...
gene
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2022
- Messages
- 5,580
- Tagline
- music...the healer of souls...
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2022
- Messages
- 5,580
- Tagline
- music...the healer of souls...
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2022
- Messages
- 5,580
- Tagline
- music...the healer of souls...
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2022
- Messages
- 5,580
- Tagline
- music...the healer of souls...
and i just heard back from the seller of the broken transistor checker...
kinda restores your faith in your fellow man...
i immediately responded and purchase another...
this is the kind of people to do business with...
everyone is your buddy when things are good....
the real friends are the ones that stick with you in bad times!!!
Hi，
Sorry for the inconvenience.
The item may be damaged during the transportation. My apologize firstly.We will refund your money back.Is that okay for you? Cause this item is damaged, we are unable to sell it again. There is no need to return it back.
Is that ok? What do you think?
Have a nice day.
Best regards.
Felicia
kinda restores your faith in your fellow man...
i immediately responded and purchase another...
this is the kind of people to do business with...
everyone is your buddy when things are good....
the real friends are the ones that stick with you in bad times!!!
Hi，
Sorry for the inconvenience.
The item may be damaged during the transportation. My apologize firstly.We will refund your money back.Is that okay for you? Cause this item is damaged, we are unable to sell it again. There is no need to return it back.
Is that ok? What do you think?
Have a nice day.
Best regards.
Felicia
I never had a WOPL build going. I was putting together or well taking apart my PL 700 and just never got back around to finishing it. I cant wait for you to get your stuff from Joe so I can watch your build. I could do a 400 build, WOPL and be happy but really want a PL 700b if I go all out with White Oak parts.