Topaz Room
(High Efficiency Loudspeakers and Tube Gear)
The Topaz room was more crowded than the Pearl room. This is probably due to the fact that a larger proportion of the DIY community makes tube gear than solid-state.
The DIY gear brought to the room was predominately loudspeakers and tube pre and power amplifiers. Over half a dozen DIY loudspeaker designs were demo-ed at the show, including 2 pairs of commercial designs for reference. The commercial designs were a pair of Tannoy dual-concentric
and Proac Response 2.5. Three of the DIY loudspeakers were using various Fostex drivers, obviously a
favorite with the local full-range single driver crowd.
A diminutive and cute floorstanding loudspeaker using the Fostex FE103 driver.
A back loaded horn design using the Fostex FE 208 and T90A super tweeter based on a Japanese design. Enclosure uses 0.75-inch marine plywood.
A very tall floorstander in stunning cherry woodwork. It is a TQWP design based on Martin J. King's work using the Fostex FE16 driver.
Due to the popularity of last year's Noising, sponsors came forth and helped made this show even more successful. Here's a showcase of products from AHF Art Audio, a local DIY loudspeakers, tube equipment and parts dealer. For more information please visit
their website.
A beautifully veneered floorstanding TQWP loudspeaker using modified Fostex drivers.
A DIY CD Player using the Philips' top of the line CDM Pro 2 transport.
Various tube line stage/buffer kits
An assortment of various bits and pieces and kits AHF Art also carries.
Two bass reflex designs using vintage Coral Flat 8 and 10 full range loudspeaker drivers. The Flat 10 is the squat looking one on the right sitting on some funky stool as stands and topped off with the AMT ribbon tweeter.
A pair of NR 300B monoblock amplifiers with very professional fit and finish with circuitry that is based on Sun Audio's 300B design (with premium parts throughout).
This pre amplifier has very unique styling, reminds one of oriental temple rooftops. Uses a WE407A tube with the design derived from a Taiwanese website.
It looks a lot bigger than the picture shows and weighs well over 100 lbs! It is a monster version of the Zenlite SE, a Class A Mosfet amplifier. So much weight and it only generates 12 watts. The bright tubes on top are bleeding resistors, not vacuum tubes.
A sealed box design using another full range driver, an Altec 755 woofer.
The vinyl source for most of the demo was a heavily modified Thorens TD150 turntable.
Even the power strip was DIY-ed too!
A Rotel CD player with many mods to the output stage.
Here is a tube preamplifier made with exhibition in mind! You can see look into most parts of the pre! It's a single pre amp with two different line stages using 6SNT and 6J5 tubes.
A single ended tube power amp designed to try out the GT66, 5881 and 6L6 tubes.
A 18W 6C33 amp called the Simplex. The design is invented by Mr. Ari Polisois. It has
three stages (1 6SN7 and 1 6C33) directly connected without any capacitors. It also has "hybrid" SE/PP Output Transformers.
A stunningly beautiful dual mono push-pull amplifier using the 6C33C-B tube.
This is one of the two beautifully finished amplifiers brought by a gentleman. Both amps utilizes parts that were spare bits in his workshop or if bought, the cheapest possible. This one is the EL86 Series Push pull amplifier delivering around 9 watts per channel.
The other amplifier is a 3-watt design using Mullard EL84 in single end mode with a special 'starved circuitry'.
SilverTone Audio, who has been around quietly for two years, were designing and manufacturing their own line of Permalloy Transformers for manufacturers and customization for individual. With the recent move into main-stream audio market, they were showing their new direct coupled "Western Electric Parallel-Feed" Single Ended Tube amplifier. Tube complements featured a 5AR4 rectifier, a 6C45pi input/driver and a mesh 300B output tubes. It featured a very clever layout design where the shortest signal path and noise isolation were achieved by sandwiching three big transformers between two high-grade laser-cut stainless steel chassis. According to the designer, there are total nine transformers! Weighing in at 30 kg this is definitely no "lightweight" amplifier.
Visit their cool site here.
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