Noticed my comment made on this video didn’t load (?)…if it shows up, my apologies for the dupe. If not, I wish to reiterate that this is probably the best description/ detailed explanation of a particular AGY piece I’ve seen to date. Angela asked me to have a look and said I’d be impressed by your presentation. Indeed, I definitely was! For what it’s worth, I think Angela chose wisely to have you as a representative of her brand in the lower 48. I wish you great success going forward with your endeavors in the industry and her product line. Thanks!
Love all the armchair audio-electronics engineers. If you really want to dispute AGY’s experience, knowledge, brilliance and craftsmanship - Good luck!
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.
I would love to see the face of a technician tasked with servicing this concoction a couple of decades from now. Sound quality is up for debate, technical specs can be measured, but when it comes to servicing... God forbid.
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.
Thanks for your explanation and delving into the mysteries of AGY products. Do you know what class her power amps are? I am sure I recall her saying that one model Blue Circle was class D and some are class AB, either way I am sure they are unique designs.
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.
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.
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.
I´m also very passionate but this doesn´t mean necessarily that I can match the build quality of some manufacturers 😊 I don´t comment on the final result and I actually like the idea of the silicone but my brain has to adapt to to the messy look 🤯😂 I hope the many solder points are each done perfect because there is much room for human error here 😇
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.
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.
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.
Noticed my comment made on this video didn’t load (?)…if it shows up, my apologies for the dupe. If not, I wish to reiterate that this is probably the best description/ detailed explanation of a particular AGY piece I’ve seen to date. Angela asked me to have a look and said I’d be impressed by your presentation. Indeed, I definitely was! For what it’s worth, I think Angela chose wisely to have you as a representative of her brand in the lower 48. I wish you great success going forward with your endeavors in the industry and her product line. Thanks!
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 🤩.
Love all the armchair audio-electronics engineers.
If you really want to dispute AGY’s experience, knowledge, brilliance and craftsmanship - Good luck!
Thanks for the EDUCATION 😮
I heard this preamplifier with ATC 50ASL active spkrs and it was spectacular!
Greetings from Guelph ☕️🍩
This looks damn interesting!
Greetings from Robinson! Thank you for watching, she sounds even more interesting than she looks.
Interesting, thx for sharing 👍
I know you know what your doing but my heart skipped a beat every time your hand went in the capacitor pack.
You’re doing
Your hand
This looks like the pre amp to have, I wonder how it would pair with the First Watt Sit-4, 10 watts of Class A from Nelson Pass..
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
I would love to see the face of a technician tasked with servicing this concoction a couple of decades from now. Sound quality is up for debate, technical specs can be measured, but when it comes to servicing... God forbid.
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.
Thanks for your explanation and delving into the mysteries of AGY products. Do you know what class her power amps are? I am sure I recall her saying that one model Blue Circle was class D and some are class AB, either way I am sure they are unique designs.
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.
I am in the process of getting a new preamp, had this been in the EU it might have been my next preamp :)
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.
20:04 Audio Kitty 🐈⬛ makes an appearance 😊
That is Dorothy, my home office manager 😁
How do you repair something like that?
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.
I´m also very passionate but this doesn´t mean necessarily that I can match the build quality of some manufacturers 😊 I don´t comment on the final result and I actually like the idea of the silicone but my brain has to adapt to to the messy look 🤯😂 I hope the many solder points are each done perfect because there is much room for human error here 😇
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.
I like your content. It would be nice to upgrade your sound quality.
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.
That is the most DIY looking interior I’ve ever seen.
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.
good lord, a battery will be so much less expensive and far better.
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.
Overkill.
(as opposed to underkill?)