Sutton's Phase Linear, White Oak 500

[ksrigg]

They look like new! Thank you. And I hate that you have to fool with this dirty, smoked up, ozone smelling mess. I really hate it...but as I told you, it was a BEAUTIFUL sounding amp. Really effortless sounding, with a fantastic FR, top to bottom with no edge at all...just didn't know how loud she was playing until you try to talk to someone. Not possible..

The 700B is a beast and the 400 Series I is a beauty...not that they aren't both beauties and beasts at thhe same time....

 

[laatsch55]

Ready for the caps, then I can tidy up the wires scope and load test and then about 48 hours on the "HORNS"!!

 

[laatsch55]

For anybody who has dismounted and tried to remount a PL Dixon meter, tis a very fine line between having it tight enough to hold AND NOT INTERFERE WITH METER MOVEMENT!!!! The plastic housing deflects to the point it can totally STOP meter movement, AND I'll guarantee you if you have the right torque on em to work they wont survive in that spot during shipment.
Until I come up with somethiong better this is what I've done.
1/16" inch aluminum plate, exactly wide enough to squeeze between the meter well and the inside edge of the bezel. It keeps the plastic from deflecting to the point of keeping the meter from working. Try it fellers you can put some torque on it now.

 

[laatsch55]

Yep Sutton, this is a Sweetie, lots of definition, soundstage, and oodles of "clean". She's bein shook down again. God Particle is goosebumple stuff.

 

[speakerman1]

I noticed his doesn't have the L & R volume knobs. Why does mine? I'm trying to think like Bob. Yea like that will ever happen. LOL

Larry

 

[laatsch55]

This is a 400, they never did unless it was specifically ordered that way.

 

[speakerman1]

I know that ; but why? I keep mine maxed out. So very little resistance. Just wondered the reasoning behind it.

Larry

PS Lee you have a PM and some emails. LOL

 

[mlucitt]

I guess they figured you were gonna run a Phase Linear 2000 or 4000 preamp and that is all the volume control you need. Which begs the question, was there ever a pre without a volume control?

 

[speakerman1]

LMBO no not that I know of. Then why put them on the 700B. LOL
Thanks Mark
Larry

 

[laatsch55]

Turn on/turn off thump comes to mind, course that's a moot point now. The onl;y time I remeber using my amp pots was when I went straight from the Onix to the Spec 2 to check RCA cables.

 

[mlucitt]

With 350 (supposedly, actually more) Watts available per side, I suppose the PL engineers thought there had to be a way to limit the power available to the speakers (of the day) in case someone got a little wild with the preamp volume control. That's why the 700 and 700B knobs are labeled "Level" and not "Volume".

 

[ksrigg]

Could have been a marketing thing as well. I'm not sure who, exactly, the target audience, was for the 700B, but my gues is marketing...really no reason otherwise..

And Lee, the amp looks fabulous....I can't wait to hear her again..Are there "hot" and"cool" trannies on the 400's as well? Is this one a coolie? She sure sounded sweet..

 

[laatsch55]

She's average in the rail voltage department. Still tested at 278, 275.

 

[mlucitt]

OK, we have our first PL 553!!!

 

[laatsch55]

And as pure and clean sounding as you can get. Very nice sounding amp, a wee bit cleaner than the 700's to my ear. Probably due to the treatment of the signal path in the 400's.

 

[ksrigg]

That is what I observed as well. Very clean and sounded ruler flat to me...the 700 seemed to be a little edge-ier...if that is a word...The 400 was just warm and had lots of presense from top to bottom....never harsh..

 

[laatsch55]

Yep, gonna finish the 2nd 400 tonight. Had to set Gibsonians 700 aside for a day or two , it's driving me BugF%$%#. Your 2nd 400 is a very special unit. I'll post some pics of it's unique features in a bit.

 

[ksrigg]

I can't wait to see the unique feature set...got my curiosity up....

 

[laatsch55]

Just got a call fellers, back to the field, got a couple wells froze up from lazy pumpers . I'll be lucky to get in by midnight.........that's why we get the big bucks cause it stops here.

 

[mlucitt]

While Lee is out fixing oilwells, here is something to ponder...

I was re-capping my PL 5000 and I found this, what do you guys think?
[attachment=0:25qbjtuw]Backwards Cap.JPG[/attachment:25qbjtuw]

I didn't see the marking on the board until I lifted this 1uF 50V cap. All the other caps were oriented just fine. Either the cap is in backwards or the board is incorrectly stenciled. An odd one from the folks at Phase Linear (I'm sure the cap is original). I don't have a schematic to confirm the proper flow of electrons and it is not completely obvious from looking at the board (shameless request for a schematic if anyone has one, otherwise I'm going shopping on Ebay for a stupid photocopy that I have to pay crazy $ for).

Mark