Ceriatone Forum

I am starting this thread to explain / educate on parts we use in our amps.

If anyone has any question, please put them in. This is your chance to learn about the matter, and dispel the "tales" we have going.

If you are on other forums, and have people wondering, invite them over. I'd also extend the invitation to the perpetrators, so that we can clear the matter.

I will break this up into component types, per thread, so it's easy to see.

Thanks!

Nik

Nik I sense you're a little stressed when talking about parts you use.
I wonder why,... you have no reason to be stressed, you know and many others know as well, that you use the right stuff.
You should not worry about ignorant people telling you your parts suck...
Ignorant people will stay ignorant, even if you get stressed about it... you see, it does not make any sense.
So your best bet is to just state what you are using (like you just did but without the bitching part - BTW you should have done this a long time ago) and for those who know what GOOGLE is... they can check themselves what's all about... if not who can help them really.  ???

Now go and put this info also on your web site asap... many people will not find these posts here and you will get those annoying mails over and over again.
 ;)

Mirc

Thanks.

I want it to be interactive so the discussion can be on going.

Once I have the material done up, I will put on pdf and put it on my website as well.

It wont be a one off thing, as there's a lot to cover.

So the interactive forum can perhaps fill in the gaps.

Stressed? Kinda.

If you scour the forums, you'd see why. You'd see someone starting a thread to ask, and there'd be one poster (usually with low post count) coming in and start doubts.

If someone knowledgable is there to explain the parts, then suddenly it's about patriotism.

I understand abt that, but just get straight to the point.

I respect those who just come out and straight away say something like "Buy American" or wherever local is.

At least, there's no lies involved, and no confusion. And perhaps less snake oil sales.


Thanks!

Nik

It was not the ones who started the doubts who caught my attention on some forums I took time to check. But the answers given by those who own your amps were clear and precise...  If you want to do this as an informational project, carry on... but don't get too much into it if it's only an answer to some desperate poster with known-unknown purpouses...
Your time and knowledge are much too valuable for this..!

Thanks Walt

The thing is like this:

Someone buys the kit, and say he's not knowledgeable in components.

These comments, can create doubts, so maybe he'd be unhappy. It's a bit of psycho-acoustic.

With the explanation, I hope it'd reduce this effect.

We are also working on custom film caps now, more mustard type. Hopefully, that'd make people happier. I guess Mallory 150 is out of fashion? :)

Thanks!

Nik

   The "New Fashion" :
http://www.sozoamplification.com/index.html

Maybe the explanation is good after all... as Nik stated Sozo's can be used under request...

Hi

Yes, we do have a few thousand Sozo caps lying around, indeed! :)

I am trying to make a jig to burn em in.

I guess just hook up AC from the wall to em. But doing em 50 pcs at a time, that might require some thinking on the jig.

Thanks

Nik

nik, any particular reason you have started using carbon-comp resistors? I know these will distort a little when there's a large voltage drop or swing across the resistors.

Take a look at the racing world.  Right now you can build an engine that's a Ford or Chevrolet, Honda etc that contains ZERO parts from any of those companies, it's completely aftermarket yet it's still a Ford, Chevrolet or Honda etc design wise but possibly built with upgrades to make it more suitable for competition use.  I tend to see this as the same thing, an old amp built with modern components and some upgrades to make it more reliable and possibly perform better. 

I don't hear a lot of complaints when it comes to engines and I can't see how it should be any different with electronics. 

Dave,

  It's not the same, I think.

  It's a bit harder to quantify sound and feel. Plus, those involved in racing or building engines would be fairly involved in the trade. It is common for a driver to know the engine pretty well, too.

  In the music industry, the player can know zilch abt the amp, and still play, ie it's not a requirement nor norm to be well versed with the innards.

  The casual musician (there's no casual engine guy, for eg :)) would probably just rely on adverts or what they see written.

Thanks!

Nik

I have seen many upgrade kits for amps. 
Usually cheaper amps that have cheaper components.
But I have not heard the amazing difference in tone, from before and after youtube posts. 

Now it may be a limitation of youtube, but I would think that the companies them selves would sell the deluxe model with the upgrades if it made that much of a difference, that any lay person could say: oh yes that sound so much better.  I mean Fender sells US Strats and Mexican Strats and ppl say the US Strat is so much better but it also cost so much more. 

If I can take a design and sell the ok version for a lower price point and make a profit, and the wow version at a wow mark up, from a business angle I would do it. 
And so would they.  The real answer is that the cheap models can only be improved upon so much with these upgrades. 
They will never sound as good as an amp designed first with the objective to sound fantastic and considerations for cost placed as a secondary concern.   

So Nik build amps with what ever components you choose, because they sound very good to my ears, and I have no idea what putting in the magic components in them would do,
but I trust that you do,
and if you could make your amps even better by doing component swaps you

Thanks Walt

The thing is like this:

Someone buys the kit, and say he's not knowledgeable in components.

Hey Nik, let me say I love my HRM OTS!! Thankyou! Now a question, I have been queried on the quality of the transformers you use as opposed to say a Fuchs or Bludotone? I am not a tech head and do not know what to tell the nay sayers. What would you say?