What?! Another headphone amp kit?! Smack me!

Chassis plates finally arrived this afternoon. We should be able to get the final prototype built and photographed for the manual next week before we leave for RMAF. With a little bit 'o' luck we should be able to start shipping kits not long after we get back from RMAF.
 
This has obviously taken longer than I anticipated. The good news is Shawn and I are halfway through the construction of the final production prototype and writing of the manual, and all the parts are here. So we hope to start packing these later this week.
 
Shawn is soldering in the last caps as I write this. Next, on to resistance and voltage measurements. Then I will spend tomorrow processing the last photos and writing like a madman (I'm about 2/3 of the way thru the manual). Hopefully we can begin packing on Monday.
 
Manual is complete and proofed, and the gang started to kit up the parts bags yesterday. Should be ready to ship the first kits in a day or two.
 
Great news. The pics look great. I'll have to start cleaning up the workbench to make room for this next project.
 
I think I have an idea for my wife to get me for a christmas present :-).

Dan, any idea on when the impedance switching boards will be available for s.e.x. 2.1 and stereomour?

-- Jim
 
I have another question about the smack, and if it would be considered a hybrid tube amp similar to those produced by Cavalli Audio.  I dont not know the differences that separate a "hybrid" amp design from that of a traditional tube amp.

Thanks.
 
A hybrid amp typically implies that one of the amplification stages puts the signal through a solid state device. The Smack does not do this. There are solid state devices in the constant current source and shunt voltage regulator, but none in the signal path.
 
Yes, there are quite a few in the field and more shipping this week. It just seems to be taking some time for those who have purchased to post their impressions.
 
What happened to all the Smack builders?  Are your kits collecting dust in the garage? 

Looking forward to seeing some build pictures and impressions.
 
Shawn just completed an assembled Smack that shipped today and we just received an order for another assembled Smack this afternoon (thanks John!), so at least two guys won't have to build them in order to gather some impressions.
 
Yes, mine is still in the box and probably will be for a while yet. Got to get at least one s.e.x. amp and/or stereomour working first and then the Eros.

I'm definitely looking forward to what others say as more people get them built and broken in.

-- Jim
 
@Doc B. - where can I go to find a build manual for the SMACK WOT.  Also, have there been any design adjustments for 'improvements' ?  I have some M-caps I believe upgraded in there and a TKD pot.

Thank you.

Doc B. said:
We just did the test firing of a new headphone amp prototype that I plan to take to the Bay Area Head Fi meet this weekend. The amp is designed as a complement to the Crack OTL headphone amp for high impedance headphones. This new design is a WOT (With Output Transformer) design that has been developed for low impedance headphones. I decided to call it Smack. It uses two 5687 tubes. One half of each 5687 is an active loaded single gain stage that is parafeed coupled to an output transformer. The prototype has a single tap of 32 ohms, however we might alter the production transformer design so that it could be configured for 32, 64 and 128 ohms. The second half of each 5687 is used in an active loaded hybrid shunt regulator. The prototype has been built on a S.E.X. amp chassis and uses the same PT-3 power transformer used in Crack, S.E.X. and Foreplay III. The gain stage and shunt reg use the new Soft Start PC board that we use in the new Paramount.

Unfortunately I only have some inexpensive Sennheiser 201s here today to try the amp with. But even with those it's showing promise. It's dead quiet, seems pretty quick and there seems to be pretty good bass for an amp that's about 2 minutes old. Gonna burn it in a bit and we'll see what folks think at the meet. Before anyone asks, I don't have a firm price. But it would probably hit somewhere in the $350-$400 range.
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