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Thank you for watching!

@@brianyee5504 thank you Brian, I could have went longer going further into depth, but I promised to let the gear do the talking, and it definitely did! I’m looking forward to hearing your impressions once your integrated comes home, I think you will be very happy. Plan for some extra time off, I was very unproductive the first week the C312 arrived 😁.

@@MyGrowthRings thank you Scott! I am already subscribed. I have a lot of manual reading and videos ahead of me, thanks for all the helpful information!

@ You are really going to enjoy it: just remember the five point safety check.

Hello Charles, this definitely is though admittedly I still have my eye on the C318, but that is just curiosity. This preamp really does create synergy and pairs well with anything except perhaps tube power amps as you wouldn’t have the full benefit of the C312.

Ok thanks

Hybrid, 2x 6922 per channel tube input stage with a BJT solid state output.

Thank you! Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Looks pretty good from here! Developing nicely. 👍

Thank you Nick! I always love looking at the next piece coming in, as they are all unique in their own way. I am glad for your comment as I'm sure you have experience first hand with some of the benefits of point to point wiring that is more common in old audio or guitar amplifiers.

Typically with my hands. Semiconductors, resistors, and diodes have a greater chance of failure in comparison to capacitors, especially when used in a non taxing and heat free environment. All of the circuits are easily accessible should service be required, by the time the capacitors need service, the preamp will be due for a rebuild / full service in a few decades. It is very rare that any of AGY's equipment requires service, and directly due to how these are built and designed, they will always be serviceable, while I have had to part out other amps where a PCB replacement wasn't available.

Hello Paul, if you hit that subscribe button you might just see this face servicing one of these in 20 years as I am the repair tech for Blue Circle audio components already and I just finished up a repair on a 20+ year old power amp from AGY this week. I would actually much rather service a BC or AGY product because if you have an understanding of component electronics, these all have a logical flow. Have you ever diagnosed a 4 layer class D power amp module? Those are the designs you should be more worried about future serviceability.

​@@quarkhifiMeant a technician, not the technician, you must admit it looks, well... peculiar. I'm sorry, but I do not see any advantage to smothering everything in silicone, other than pandering to audiophile foibles. Well designed two layer, 70um silk screened PCB is more than adequate for a power amplifier, let alone a pre and much easier to work with. I do agree though with your take on SMT, these were never designed with serviceability in mind, short life span, replace when necessary type of affair.

@@paulb4661I think it would be like a decent mechanic who was asked to repair say a 60+ year old hand build engine. They might have never seen the exact engine before but could diagnose the problem and get it running smoothly again. There are only so many ways a properly designed engine (or preamplifier) can operate.

@@jasonwebb6484 I think the steam engine analogy is absolutely beautiful, as long as we include a mention of its performance being taken to new heights by careful application of tar to internal components. With a spade.

Subjective as it is, here goes: I feel that your best looking products were back in the 90’s. The BC3 with its wooden knobs? Gorgeous. From a design standpoint, almost impossible to beat the combination of materials, symmetry and sheer beauty. Heck, to this day I still stare at pictures on the ‘net.

@@lexlarkin Personal taste. I was into symmetry back then. Everything had to be mirror image or bug me to no end. As time gone by mentally I have changed. I am into more random pattern. Sound like oxymoron, isn't it? Random pattern. 😀 I am into mathematical random visually balanced.

Sadly, my design aesthetic hasn’t changed: I still prefer perfection.😊

@@lexlarkin The term perfection has become a moving target a while ago. My mind has become abstract, and it reflect in my current designs. If you see my shoes and clothes painting, those are even more imperfect, as you may see them.

@@angela-gilbert While I’m not on-board with your vision, I certainly respect your decision to pursue it.

Thank you for this information! Very interesting that it is a one off piece and a great example of what is possible for custom work.

Which phono stage did you get?

@@angela-gilbert I just run a Project one for now ..but the one at the store had a type of brushed grey finish and your signature Blue Circe🙂

@@carminedesanto6746 I thought you have got a Blue Circle phono. I was using brushed stainless steel faceplate on a lot of the Blue Circle products.

You’re doing Your hand

They are one of his earlier designs and it is fun seeing the progression of style and build principles compared current models. I’ll admit, I had to look them up a bit myself! I honestly wonder if there is anything AGY hasn’t tried in audio.

@@quarkhifi There are a lot of thing in audio I haven't try.

Winter is coming, I might save some money on heating costs 😆

(as opposed to underkill?)

That is Dorothy, my home office manager 😁

Greetings from Robinson! Thank you for watching, she sounds even more interesting than she looks.

All of the solder joints are perfect, and I would trust the human element here. Many PCBs nowadays are wave soldered and you would be lucky for QC to check every single connection. This can lead to poor connections, cold joints, bridges and a number of other common issues, let alone the tin whiskers from lead free solder that can develop over time. AGY products aren’t built in a rush or by a timeline.

Thank you! It is on the list to do for sure. I bought a wireless microphone but unfortunately the quality was even worse. A good friend of mine donated a microphone, just need an audio interface for it.

To each their own. Batteries have very different sonic characteristics compared to capacitors much in the same way of comparing film to electrolytic capacitors in the power supply. Also as you discharge a battery from use or just being disconnected, your voltage is consistently dropping that will directly affect the amplification stages that expect to see a stable supply. As a battery ages from cycling, it also loses current capability with time. The capacitor packs will last much longer than rechargeable batteries, provide a constant and supremely stable voltage / current delivery capability. The power supply ensures that the pack stays charged and the capacitors stay within the optimal region for performance regardless of the condition of the AC waveform or speed of the rectification stage.

@@quarkhifi Thank you for the explanation. It was a worthwhile thought the OP mentioned.

1. Much slower discharge. 2. Noisier.

Thank you, they are definitely a labor of love, but very much worth it in the end result.

@@quarkhifi understand totally, owning three pair of quad ESL 57 (yes every color) and a pair of acoustat x. All driven by 1987 or earlier gear except for dac, streamer and BT for obvious reasons 😁😎

Gilbert Yeung equipment is built in Canada, but can be shipped around the world. My friend in the UK has a C310 on order being custom built with a couple of extra controls added to the circuit.

@@quarkhifi problem for me is the 6600 is all can get with a little loan from a friend 😊 before i have it will be about 9000 usd. Perhaps i will wait on the purchase of a new preqmp and save up.

@@mrt6349 It would definitely be a worth while investment and upgrade, its like multiple preamps in one! No rush at all, we will be here when you are ready. I do want to note that the full amount typically isn't required to place an order either as each unit is hand made to order and can have a 12 week or more lead time depending on how busy AG is or the payment plan that is set in place.

Thank you! Some Blue Circle designs had class D output stages but AGY has since moved away from them due to longevity concerns, any that have come back for replacement have been converted to an A/B output stage and all current models are class A/B.

Thank you very much! I look forward to doing much more, if for nothing else it means I get to listen to more AGY creations 🤩.

It truly is, and that is part of the beauty. A chassis is just a case, and this style of building allows for greater creativity and the ability to build circuits from a 3D standpoint of how it will best perform, compared to a typical 2D PCB based design.

@@quarkhifi I didn’t mean that in a positive way. For a $10k line stage, I don’t expect 2nd grader silicone putty project and a snake pit of wires inside. Take a look at the Luxman CL-1000 tube preamp. It ascews right angle turns of wires, has 3D layout, and has components that are securely attached to the chassis without chassis resonance. Granted it’s twice the price but there are other preamps that are constructed similarly. I’m not a fan of cheap $70 motorized Alps pot, volume control being one of the most important components in a preamp, in a $10k preamp. There are many better options including stepped resistors, inductive attenuators, light based attenuators, etc. I’m not saying this isn’t a great sounding preamp. But it is designed to color the sound the way the owner likes it, good or bad.

Yes...AGY spritzes Fix-a-flat everywhere as a constrained damping. Surely there must be less amateurish- looking ways to achieve the same. There is zero doubt that the attention to the power supply is unmatched at anything even remotely near the price.

@@JohnLee-db9ztThe Luxman is certainly a fine, world-class preamp. But it does use many printed circuit boards (rigidly bolted to metal casework components) connected to looms of tiny gauge wires by multitudes of cheap push-on plastic wire connectors, with many of the wires tightly zip-tied together, etc. It most definitely does not look DIY. It does look like a clean, neat, factory assembled computer-like audio component. And is this assembly-line product worth it? The performance (based on credible reviews) would indicate that yes, it is. And isn’t that what’s important.

@@jasonwebb6484 all good points on the Luxman. I love the brand and their dedication to sound quality, but at first glance at the unit I can immediately name at least 5 things myself where they cut corners for the sake of assembly and mass production.

Thank you! Sometimes modification is truly the way to go, not everything newer is better. A phono stage is definitely next on my list (besides a cap pack for my power amp!)

Thanks for watching! I will be doing a update soon!

Thank you! I am actually still doing updates and modifications to the QLS and will be doing some further update videos soon! The pots are definately an issue on these and mine were terribly moisture damage requiring a replacement. Ive tried a few so far, but none I am satisfied with. One of the best immediate modifications I could recommend is replacing the capacitors in the crossover, and rearranging the inductors. In their original layout they interact with each other, and the original inductors are already notorious for being out of value over the years. More plans involve an upgrade from the original midrange drivers, and my next video will be an update of what I am using now. Thanks for watching!

Thank you! Microphone upgrade is definitely coming in the future, looking at mid-side or possibly binaural. Happy New Year!