ME Amplifiers Owners & Discussion Thread

[woopwoop360]

10 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

Me too, but I note that most of the ME25 has been untouched. All electros are originals (which were carefully designed and chosen by Peter Stein) and not some over-priced, over-rated and under-performing 'audiophile grade' components. This suggests that the mods have been restricted to wiring only.

So not all of a lost then.

Edited October 29, 2024 by woopwoop360

[Andythiing]

1 minute ago, woopwoop360 said:

So not all at a lost then.

Probably best to cut your losses - I’ll give you $500 to take it off your hands

[woopwoop360]

23 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

This suggests that the mods have been restricted to wiring only.

What do you think the reasoning is behing the changing of the wiring? and do you think this would make future servicing any more difficult?

Edited October 29, 2024 by woopwoop360

[woopwoop360]

8 minutes ago, Andythiing said:

Probably best to cut your losses - I’ll give you $500 to take it off your hands

Deleted previous text.. Didn't make sense.

Edited October 29, 2024 by woopwoop360
Stupid text

[rantan]

56 minutes ago, Andythiing said:

I’ll give you $500 to take it off your hands

Oh the humanity!

Who said benevolence was dead?

[Jakeyb77_Redux]

1 minute ago, rantan said:

Oh the humanity!

Who said benevolence was dead?

Never heard of Ben. Was he a good bloke? 

[The_nautilus]

ME1400 Question.

I have a pair of ME1400 that I have been applying the Art upgrades.

I have one black control panel and one gold.

Would anyone be willing to swap?

I am happy with a pair of black or gold faces

Purely cosmetic I know……

 

[georgehifi]

17 minutes ago, The_nautilus said:

Would anyone be willing to swap?

 

Arty @Art Vandelay may have one or the other he "may" sell you perhaps, probably with his mods already done.

 

Cheers George

Edited October 29, 2024 by georgehifi

[Andythiing]

25 minutes ago, The_nautilus said:

ME1400 Question.

I have a pair of ME1400 that I have been applying the Art upgrades.

I have one black control panel and one gold.

Would anyone be willing to swap?

I am happy with a pair of black or gold faces

Purely cosmetic I know……

 

You have 2? That’s just greedy

[The_nautilus]

10 minutes ago, georgehifi said:

 

Arty @Art Vandelay may have one or the other he "may" sell you perhaps, probably with his mods already done.

 

Cheers George

I just meant the faceplate not the amp

[Jakeyb77_Redux]

2 minutes ago, Andythiing said:

You have 2? That’s just greedy

I like his style! 

[woopwoop360]

Which would be my best option for controlling volume, using my dac or the preamp?

 

Should I set the volume high on the preamp and adjust volume by the dac? or fixed the volume on the dac and use the preamp for volume control?

 

The dac I am using is the Lindemann Limetree Network II - Music Streamer.

 

Some specs:

D/A converter
Resolution: 384 kHz/32 bit and DSD 256
Dynamic range: > 120 dB
THD & noise: < 0.003% (@ 0 dB FS)
Clock: ultra-low jitter MEMS
D/A-Converter: ES 9038 Sabre
Output voltage: 2.2 V @ 0 dB FS
Headphone connector: 3.5 mm jack socket
Recommended headphone impedance: 16 - 300 ohms

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Set the DAC output for full volume and use the ME25 to adjust the volume.

[Andythiing]

I might be wrong here but my guess is set the dac volume to full and use the ME as adjustment?? Others with more technical knowledge ….. what zaph said

Edited October 31, 2024 by Andythiing

[woopwoop360]

27 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

Set the DAC output for full volume and use the ME25 to adjust the volume.

Thanks for the confirmation.

This is how I currently have it. Just checking best practice.

Cheers

 

Edited October 31, 2024 by woopwoop360
spelling

[andyr]

9 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

Set the DAC output for full volume and use the ME25 to adjust the volume.

 

4 minutes ago, woopwoop360 said:

Thanks for the confirmation.

This is how I currently have it. Just checking best pratice.

 

Then again:

• any hardware volume control imposes its own sound on the music
• but when they are fully wound 'up' ... they are effectively out of circuit (so no longer have any effect on the music signal).

 

This would suggest you should have the volume control on the preamp set to max ... and use the DAC to control volume.  

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

1 minute ago, andyr said:

 

 

Then again:

• any hardware volume control imposes its own sound on the music
• but when they are fully wound 'up' ... they are effectively out of circuit (so no longer have any effect on the music signal).

 

This would suggest you should have the volume control on the preamp set to max ... and use the DAC to control volume.  

 

Not a great idea, on several levels:

1) Constant volume control changes will be required depending on source selected. Mistakes WILL occur and this will risk speaker damage.

2) The volume pot used in the ME25 is the best available. It introduces no audible distortion.

[andyr]

2 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

1) Constant volume control changes will be required depending on source selected. Mistakes WILL occur and this will risk speaker damage.

 

Surely, ZB ... that's only if the DAC is just one of several sources into the preamp?

 

From the original question, I assumed the OP had only the DAC as a source.

 

2 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

2) The volume pot used in the ME25 is the best available. It introduces no audible distortion.

 

That's an interesting claim.  

 

AIUI, the best-sounding volume attenuator (well, 15 years ago, anyway) was the TKD stepped attenuator - as used by John Curl in his 'cost-no-object' "Vendetta" preamp?  That was AUD500, back then - and even so, John had introduced a tweak for the TKD, to make it sound 'even better'.

 

[woopwoop360]

3 minutes ago, andyr said:

From the original question, I assumed the OP had only the DAC as a source.

The dac is the main source

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Logically, you'd think so. However, there are several problems with that system:

Contacts: Every mechanical contact creates some distortion.

Number of steps: I don't know how many steps the switch you mention possesses, but if it's significantly less than 128 steps, it's ultimate ability to correctly resolve a particular volume setting will be very much hit and miss.

[andyr]

12 hours ago, woopwoop360 said:

The dac is the main source

 

OK - but if you do - especially occasionally - use other sources ... then I would suggest you follow ZB's advice and use the ME preamp volume control to control volume.

 

But why not answer your own Qu as to which is better ... by experimenting!  IE. listening to the same track:

• first with DAC turned up full and ME preamp volume control setting the volume
• and second with the ME preamp volume control turned round fully ... and using the DAC to control the volume.  (But make sure the DAC's volume control is turned right down, to start with!)

 

You should be able to hear which delivers the better sound.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

17 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

OK - but if you do - especially occasionally - use other sources ... then I would suggest you follow ZB's advice and use the ME preamp volume control to control volume.

 

But why not answer your own Qu as to which is better ... by experimenting!  IE. listening to the same track:

• first with DAC turned up full and ME preamp volume control setting the volume
• and second with the ME preamp volume control turned round fully ... and using the DAC to control the volume.  (But make sure the DAC's volume control is turned right down, to start with!)

 

You should be able to hear which delivers the better sound.

 

Great idea.

My tip is that there will be no audible difference. For several reasons.

[Darryl]

If no audible difference just use whatever gives you remote volume control

 

[woopwoop360]

6 hours ago, andyr said:

But why not answer your own Qu as to which is better ... by experimenting!  IE. listening to the same track:

• first with DAC turned up full and ME preamp volume control setting the volume
• and second with the ME preamp volume control turned round fully ... and using the DAC to control the volume.  (But make sure the DAC's volume control is turned right down, to start with!)

Happy to experiment, sound quality wasn't my main concern.  I just wanted some confirmation into best practice without damaging anything.

[woopwoop360]

5 hours ago, Darryl said:

If no audible difference just use whatever gives you remote volume control

The preamp and DAC both have volume control.