The Worlds First Fully Comp PL 400 Using White Oak Components !!!!!

laatsch55 said:
Just bustin your balls Joe. It appeared that hadn't been done today............and all bets are off by the 3rd straight C on the rocks... My humble apologies....kinda.....sorta....
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We all need that every once in a while Lee. Glad the Cs are smooth at least.
 
Just finished 2 400's with Joes new backplane boards and Rev D driver boards. Both had the same 16800 uf filter capacitors 50 amp 1000volt rectifiers and Dons DCP. I did one fully complementry and the other Quasi complementry. In a side by side comparison the fully complementry won hands down. The bass was more accurate and tighter with an airy soundstage and crystal clear highs. It clipped at 276 watts into 8 ohms. I am converting the Quasi to Fully complementry which is very easy to do. Changing the outputs was a snap and changing jumpers and a few other components to make it fully complementry is very easy. I thank Joe on this crowning achievement that has taken this old warrior to new levels. Skratch
 

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Skratch said:
Just finished 2 400's with Joes new backplane boards and Rev D driver boards. Both had the same 16800 uf filter capacitors 50 amp 1000volt rectifiers and Dons DCP. I did one fully complementry and the other Quasi complementry. In a side by side comparison the fully complementry won hands down. The bass was more accurate and tighter with an airy soundstage and crystal clear highs. It clipped at 276 watts into 8 ohms. I am converting the Quasi to Fully complementry which is very easy to do. Changing the outputs was a snap and changing jumpers and a few other components to make it fully complementry is very easy. I thank Joe on this crowning achievement that has taken this old warrior to new levels. Skratch
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Hi Mark
Thanks for the nice post and the photos of your finished project. I am glad you are enjoying the full comp version as I am, it makes quite a sonic difference even though the quasi-comp was very good already.

Joe
 
Gentlemen, I would strongly advise anyone who is going to upgrade their 400 to do the full blown rebuild in the fully complementry design. New filter caps, backplane boards, Rev D driver board, DCP and MJ 95 and 96's output transistors The only things original are the power transformer and VU meters. When you are finished you will have a BRAND NEW Phase Linear 500 that will last you the rest of your life and sound much better than any original 400. The new components are designed for audio not like the old parts that were designed for automotive ignition systems.
 
Skratch said:
Gentlemen, I would strongly advise anyone who is going to upgrade their 400 to do the full blown rebuild in the fully complementry design. New filter caps, backplane boards, Rev D driver board, DCP and MJ 95 and 96's output transistors The only things original are the power transformer and VU meters. When you are finished you will have a BRAND NEW Phase Linear 500 that will last you the rest of your life and sound much better than any original 400. The new components are designed for audio not like the old parts that were designed for automotive ignition systems.
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How do you start it now?
 
with a good 100,000 volt jolt from a kite in a storm....
 
Parts - White Oak

Guys, new to this site and picked up a PL400 at a recycler for $5.00. Unit is in great physical condition but blows the output fuses as soon as its plugged in. I am thinking I would like to totally rebuild this thing with the White Oak components. Looking on the White Oak site I do not see these backplane boards available. Where would I get these and actually I could use a list of exactly all I would need for the conversion.
gene
 
Gene, Joe has not updated his site. You can contact him here, he's Gepetto, through a Pm, or his website.

On what you need for the conversion, how far do you want to go?
 
Thanks Lee
I have PM's Gene about the Backplane Boards. I have been slow to update the website partially on purpose. Since this is such an advanced kit upgrade offering I am carefully monitoring how a couple of the non-forum based user upgrades are going. Have to balance population being installed at any given time with ability to provide quality, timely support to the user community.

Joe
 
I would say slowly Lee, 2 currently in process. I have cautioned the users to take time and follow all directions and ask plenty of questions. The schematic update I did and shared with you was a result of one of those upgrade activities.

The user was having difficulty with the concept of DO NOT POPULATE on the BOM so I did that to try and help out. I think the forum is a big help for education and I encourage users to sign up and share experiences but not all do.

As you, Jer and Skratch will attest, it takes nerves of steel to strip a chassis down to bare metal and start over again. It is worth it but also kind of daunting if you have not done it prior.
 
Daunting until you realize you wont have to duplicate 50% of that point to point you took out!!!
 
If you follow Joe's well written instructions it makes it alot easier.
 
After reading this entire thread, I think I am getting an inkling of understanding how all this works. Question Lee, how did you get yours to push 315w and further back in the thread I see mention of 258 w/ Skratch's. I think my current WOPL pushes about what Skratch's does from Jer's build thread. Does it have to do with what transformer is in it like I have read with the 700's that can push 1000w? Or is it bigger hummers installed as Jer calls them? I am seriously stoked about my new 400 going full comp and the "epicness" he says will result. I still have this silly grin whenever I have Blackie cranked. I am 20ft away from the nearest speaker and my computer desk is vibrating. I can even feel the computer chair vibrating and that is no mean feet through a tile floor

For you guys with the balls to strip a chassis bare and go at it, my hat is off to you. Joe, thanks for making these amps World Class

Listening to Mas Tequila now with the needles swinging at barely 30% and my Son vacated the room

Need some D9's now, the E-712s soak up a lot of power with zero complaints but I think 15" woofs are what is needed

It's funny, remember when I was bitchin' about tripping the speaker protections all the time? Has not happened in months and I have had the needles buried a few times when everyone else was gone. Truly an experience you need to be present for to fully appreciate. My neighbor spent huge money for his system and gets this disgusted look on his face when he stops over. He has a new $4000 Yamaha and he said it's a POS compared to what he hears here. He uses those big powered Mirages and they don't hit like the CV's do so he wants mine when I find some D9s
 
Don't think those D9's won't soak up some juice, I've had some D9's soak up everything a 700 could put out and the 9's were like----"Is that all ya got""

The 315 watts was a direct result of higher rail voltage, and higher gain from the fully comp output section , no PFM involved....
 
laatsch55 said:
Don't think those D9's won't soak up some juice, I've had some D9's soak up everything a 700 could put out and the 9's were like----"Is that all ya got""

The 315 watts was a direct result of higher rail voltage, and higher gain from the fully comp output section , no PFM involved....
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That's why I want a pair, you and Jer and a few others that have them are pretty happy with their performance. Do you guys mod them at all> I heard the highs can be a little harsh, something I have not noticed really with my E-712's but I have the speaker crossover controls set at lowest position and after standing in front of cranked guitar amps half my life, I am sure I am not hearing a lot of things LOL. My right ear "hears" at 50% of what my left ear does. Quite frustrating as I have to turn my head to hear Debbie in the next room
 
I was a truckdriver in the oilfield for 20 years, 16 gauge steel fo the firewall, no noise suppression AT ALL, 90% of the time you were trying to shove your foot through the floorboard, tacked out and screaming. ThE doc did a hearing check and knew exactly what I did for a living, but said evidently I hadn't been doing it for long,(that was after 20 years). I attribute my little loss of hearing to earwax. Everyone who has looked in my ears wants the wax out, I want it in, serves as a tympanic dampning system, prevents overexcursion. When that 55 gal bag blew up right beneath me that had the oxy/acetylene mix in it should have made me deaf, a little bleeding and noty being able to listen to music for 6 months and I was fine...


BTW---the 9's can get a little bright...
 
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