Analog Domain

[angel]

Here's another pic from a recent photo session - the Calysto in standby:

[Still-One]

This is a very interesting thread. Even though my technical prowess stops at the power button, I enjoy following these discussions.

Jim

[jdandy]

Angel.......Thank you for the explanation of the Analog Domain power supply. Quite interesting, and far different from Bob Carver's switching power supply.

The last photo you posted is beautiful. The Calysto is a very attractive looking amplifier, and the 10 year transferable warranty is impressive. Heavy, too, at 141 lbs, with a shipping weight of 207 lbs.

[angel]

Dan..... switching power supplies are great, and are getting better every day. But... still not reliable enough for me to use them in these products. And then there's the noise / EMI issue - a real headache if you are after extreme specs. The classic over-sized toroidal transformer is still the most reliable, time - proven solution. When the application does not require light weight, as in touring PA gear, for instance, the weight is of no consequence. The advantages of a linear power supply are significant, and we do not skimp on energy storage capacitors either.

The actual shipping wieght of the Calysto is around 75kg - 165 lbs. We were a bit too conservative, as usual, in the preliminary specs, and then we figured out how to optimize the packaging to reduce the overhead. The specs on our web site will be updated soon in this part, we don't want to scare off people...

It's a pity that we have still not found a dealer/ distributor in the US who has the guts to be the pioneer and order a pair, so you can appreciate a no-obligation demo. Long faces are guaranteed, trust me! We recently did a head to head comparison with some 'popular' amps in the same category (don't ask me for the brands, please), and there's no match, to be quite blunt. These babies are the product of over 10 years of research and field tests in the harshest environment - recording studios, and the result has justified the effort. You can't imagine how satisfying it is to hear proffessionals tell me that they are able to work for over 12 hours a day using my custom-built monitoring systems and not feel fatigue.

As far as the 'consumer' market goes, I keep hearing the same old crap story: that we need to be around for 2-3 years, to have reviews in the press and a Distributor. Enter Catch 22: magazines will not write if there is no distributor, and a distributor will not be interested if there are no reviews, dating at least a year back. So, it appears that we'd be stuck at square one even after 3 years..
It's nice that not all people think alike - we already have a partner in HK, other countries are coming up.

This got me thinking: what's a review worth? It's increasingly common to read a rave review of an evidently mediocre product. How do you know that if you were not there with the 'self-appointed Golden Ear' your stomach would not be convulsing with disgust from the sound he's raving about? When the over-hyped piece of **** is in your living room, it's a bit too late, ist't it? So, what's it worth?? And it doesn't take the brains of Einstein to figure out what enhanced the reviewer's listening experience..

Anyway, that day will come. I am a patient man.


Here's how we pack them:

[howiebrou]

Thanks Angel.

I'm going to go and check them out. Do you know if they would be willing to do a home demo? I am more than willing to be your guinea pig!

Howie

Originally Posted by angel

Dear Howiebrou, some good news for you: our Hong Kong Distributor, AudioExotics just received a pair of Calysto amps and has set up a demo system, I believe with Tidal speakers. You could check it out if you'd like to refresh your impressions of ADA amps.

There's also a follow-up on 6moons: HighEnd Suisse 2010 , submitted by a visitor to the recent High End Swiss event. Here's what he wrote:


- not too bad for a first appearance in the homeland of FM Acoustics, Studer, Soulution, and a bunch of other established names in high-performance audio, who were also there.


Incidentally, a lot of people spontaneously came up to shake hands after listening to our setup, saying the same words, more or less. I'd be interested to read any comments if anyone comes across them in the net.

[angel]

Your opinion has infinitely higher value than what a (paid) reviewer would say, Howie, at least for me. The home demo - discuss it with JLam. If you are seriously considering a purchase, I'm sure you will come to an agreement. I'll let him know that you will call.

We're seriously thinking to be at next year's RMAF. If there is interest among the community here, I could come over for a demo early next year, provided there is a suitable venue and suporting equipment - sources, speakers & other stuff. The best evaluation would be to substitute just the power amps in an existing 'top flight' configuration, which has a known performance. Then the differences would be most obvious. One issue that has come up is "local support", which is a justified concern, however, given today's easy access to any part of the globe, it makes little difference where the "support hub" is located. Furthermore, our stuff is "built to last forever". In the extremely unlikely event of a malfunction, we're fully prepared to deal with it swiftly. Customer satisfaction is on the top of my list.

Oh, by the way - we're long past the 'guinea pig' phase. I used professional recording engineers for that, and they not only survived, but are coming back for more!

[-E-]

Customers are always guinea pigs that will find more out about your product than any "professional recording engineer" ever will. It's also the customer's ears you must please.

I'm very pleased to read your commitment to customer satisfaction. I can say that I am very intrigued by your product line and would love to give those tires a kick on our side of the pond.

I'd really like to hear these 4KW amps on a pair of XRT2K's or 1K's... something that can handle the power (not just at peaks but sustained). Would be an interesting demo, indeed.

[angel]

Originally Posted by Vesuvius

Customers are always guinea pigs that will find more out about your product than any "professional recording engineer" ever will. It's also the customer's ears you must please.

I'm very pleased to read your commitment to customer satisfaction. I can say that I am very intrigued by your product line and would love to give those tires a kick on our side of the pond.

I'd really like to hear these 4KW amps on a pair of XRT2K's or 1K's... something that can handle the power (not just at peaks but sustained). Would be an interesting demo, indeed.

Do you believe that the XRT2K's are up to it..?

Ok, just kidding. The nature of music is such that 'average power' will always be below 10-15% of the peak value, or even less over time. The electronics of the Apollo would have no problem delivering a sustained sine wave into 4 ohms (8kW), which would definitely fry the speakers, but that's not music.

The important spec for speaker systems is the so called "1dB compression power" - this is the power level at which the sound output lags behind by 1 dB from what it should be. It is the actual limit of the linear performance range, and when exceeded, the speaker turns into a hotplate. It's very rare to see this specification in 'consumer' equipment, but it's mandatory so you know how far you can drive your speakers and keep distortion within reasonable limits, also to correctly design your system.

[angel]

By the way, I do agree with you regarding the different perspectives of Audiophiles vs. recording engineers.

There's a fundamental difference in the decision-making process: while Audiophiles will be greatly influenced by 'religious aspects', and probably hear a lot more than their ears pick up, when selling to professionals it's an entirely different game. They don't give a sh*t about brands. For them these are tools, and just like with any tool, performance is the top priority. They do not need someone to tell them what they are hearing, because they know what they should be hearing and trust their own ears. Unlike Audiophiles, who will hear anything you tell them, and be easily led by the nose (... and I say this with a deep regret for the state of things in the high end audio market).

I am comforted by the thought that you can't be rich and dumb at the same time. Not for long, at least. So, smart money will find its way to products with genuine value.

[wizard]

Exclusive interview with Analog Domain - Angel Despotov

MONO and STEREO Ultra High-End audio magazine