Weller WD1001
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=271260096374
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Friday, September 30, 2011
Sound Shocker on sale.
Save $5 on the original Sound Shocker.
Now only $24.99
It’s time to move out the last of the original Sound Shockers to make room for the new version. So….until the current stock of Sound Shockers is gone, you can save $5 on the original Sound Shocker. Right now there’s only a few dozen left.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
It's about time.
OK. So I totally forgot that I even had this blog.
Guess it’s time for an up date.
First PHP Audio is still in business. Products include custom tube headphone, integrated and pre amps. In addition Sound Shocker is now available in stores in NJ, PA, and GA. Sound Shocker is a portable, passive pre amp that boosts the output of mp3 players (ipods, phones, etc.) to sound about as loud as a CD when played through the AUX channel of your stereo. The product line up now consists of the original Sound Shocker and the Sound Shocker Pro. The Sound Shocker Pro is for use with premium sound systems or those systems with a subwoofer.
When the current stock of original Sound Shockers is sold, it will be replaced with a new “more mobile friendly” version that is about half as wide. I’ll post a picture soon.
Another store in NJ now has Sound Shockers. Auto Audio located at 124 Hwy. 35 in
A website dedicated to just Sound Shocker and accessories, www.soundshocker.com will be up soon. In the meantime check out www.phpaudio.jigsy.com
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Peregrine Part 1
Is the Peregrine the perfect headphone amp? NO! So why should you get one?
First, no amp will satisfy everyone. Don’t expect any amp to make a poor source or headphones sound great. It’s just not going to happen. What an amp will do is provide the extra power to drive your headphones properly. By doing so you will get the best performance out of the equipment you have. The Peregrine includes features such as two switches for impedance matching. Impedance matching……What’s that? The Peregrine employs what I call “Safety first” design. Most all tube amplifiers use high voltage that is typically greater than 300Vdc. OTL (Output Transformer-Less) designs use an output capacitor to isolate you from these high voltages. Most other designs that do use an output transformer have the primary side of the transformer connected directly to the high voltage. In both cases a single component failure can result in high voltage directly at the output. The Peregrine uses output capacitors and toroidal output transformers. The result is that NO SINGLE COMPONENT failure can put high voltage on the output. These transformers provide isolation and efficiently transfer power from the output tubes to the headphones. The two switches allow you to change the turns ratio and output resistance in order to get the maximum performance out of your headphones. So, if your headphones are 32 ohms or 600 ohms, you will find a setting to get maximum performance out of them. Maximum performance is NOT ear-bleeding sound levels. The Peregrine will drive most headphones well past the sound level that anyone should listen. Maximum performance has much more to do with the level of detail and sound stage of the music.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
It all starts here.........
PHP Audio is the result of years of searching for home stereo equipment and never really being satisfied. When I first ventured back into the world of tube audio I found a joy of listening that I had forgotten. Yes, I grew-up in a time with radios, record players, and black and white TV’s that all had to “warm-up” before you could use them. When a tube did die, you could pull out the usual suspects and simply go to the local TV shop. Once there you'd plug them into a "tube tester", find the bad or weak tube, buy the replacement, and you were off to the races.
If you’ve never heard a quality tube stereo or have forgotten that you can have that “live” sound in your living room, you owe it to yourself to discover the engaging sound of tubes. Not all tube amps are the same and, just like anything else, there are good and bad examples. With tube systems there is a very pronounced synergy to the overall system. All components are significantly more important to the overall result than with solid state equipment. The ‘70s saw the proliferation of high power, solid state amplifiers and as a result speaker makers began making low efficiency speakers. Typically the speakers would have multiple drivers and complex crossovers. All of this can result in very good sounding systems, however there is something magical about one amp powering one driver that brings the music alive. This is where tube systems truly excel. All too often people don’t like tube systems because they are using the wrong speakers.
A great place to start is with a tube based headphone amp. What? Get a $1500 amp, $300 headphones, and $500 CD player just to listen to music! Are you insane? Isn’t just an iPod and earbuds enough? I may very well be insane, however I know what I like. There are times when using the main stereo is just not practical. At night when everyone else is sleeping, when others are watching TV or a movie, or if you live in an apartment, a high quality headphone set-up can be a little slice of heaven. Will it replace my main stereo? NO! But, under the right set of circumstances, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
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