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Vanderkley Aurora Amplifier

Mark Sacchetti

Mark Sacchetti

Nov 14, 2002
1,869
887
70
Pittsburgh, PA
homepage.mac.com
#1
New amp coming out in October. Anyone have any info or hands on experience with this new product.
Here's some posted info


•Input for passive/active instruments, 0/-12dB.
•5-band active tone control.
•Loop with dry/wet blend.
•Continuously Variable Damping factor to control speaker damping
•Master volume
•The pre-amp is built up from high-end, discreet audio op-amps.
•Aux in, Send/Return,
•Headphones out with adapter jack to mini jack.
•Transformer Balanced DI out, Pre/post eq, Ground lift,
•Tuner out.
•700 Watt @ 4 Ohm, 1200 Watt @ 2 Ohm.
•Weight less than 5 Kg - tbc
•h x w x d = 9 x 35 x 23 cm
•The power-amp is high-end class D with a switch-mode power supply.
•It is two rack units high and comes with rack-ears for 19" mounting.
•Supplied in a sturdy road case.
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1379186417.816854.jpg
 
#3
Mark Sacchetti said:
New amp coming out in October. Anyone have any info or hands on experience with this new product.
Here's some posted info


•Input for passive/active instruments, 0/-12dB.
•5-band active tone control.
•Loop with dry/wet blend.
•Continuously Variable Damping factor to control speaker damping
•Master volume
•The pre-amp is built up from high-end, discreet audio op-amps.
•Aux in, Send/Return,
•Headphones out with adapter jack to mini jack.
•Transformer Balanced DI out, Pre/post eq, Ground lift,
•Tuner out.
•700 Watt @ 4 Ohm, 1200 Watt @ 2 Ohm.
•Weight less than 5 Kg - tbc
•h x w x d = 9 x 35 x 23 cm
•The power-amp is high-end class D with a switch-mode power supply.
•It is two rack units high and comes with rack-ears for 19" mounting.
•Supplied in a sturdy road case.
View attachment 362327
Click to expand...

Lots of "bull" there!:hiding:
 
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#9
okcrum said:
There's nothing discrete about an op amp. It's a chip with dozens of transistors on it.
Click to expand...

Not always. ;) The term discrete opamp typically refers to an opamp built using discrete transistors and other components rather than a monolithic IC build. John Hardy and Burson are two that come to mind off the top of my head. Expensive would be a given for most builders who would bother to go that route.
 
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#10
Passinwind said:
Not always. ;) The term discrete opamp typically refers to an opamp built using discrete transistors and other components rather than a monolithic IC build. John Hardy and Burson are two that come to mind off the top of my head. Expensive would be a given for most builders who would bother to go that route.
Click to expand...

Why would you do something like this? It seems like building a car from erector set parts. Lower noise used to be the reason, but I Link Removed 30 years later.
 
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#11
okcrum said:
Why would you do something like this? It seems like building a car from erector set parts. Lower noise used to be the reason, but I doubt that's still true 30 years later.
Click to expand...

It's not enough to sound mahvelous, it needs to look mahvelous too? :ninja:

I've never tried one, or heard any that I can remember, but I don't hang much with studio electronics types. Rod does say that they sometimes are advantageous in the article you linked though, and of course noise is only one smallish part of the overall picture.
 
#12
Passinwind said:
It's not enough to sound mahvelous, it needs to look mahvelous too? :ninja:

I've never tried one, or heard any that I can remember.
Click to expand...

Yeah, me neither, not since the Neve boards (and everyone else) started doing it in the 80s for mic preamps. I added a Link Removed to my other post that seems to say there's not much point when you have parts like the the LM4562. But you can always do the old paralleling devices tricks with discrete to knock down the noise figure some.

EDIT: Ha! Nor have I tried any of their gear...
 
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#13
okcrum said:
Yeah, me neither, not since the Neve boards (and everyone else) started doing it in the 80s for mic preamps. I added a Link Removed to my other post that seems to say there's not much point when you have parts like the the LM4562. But you can always do the old paralleling devices tricks with discrete to knock down the noise figure some.
Click to expand...

I edited my post a little after seeing your link. I have great respect for Rod and have built a few of his projects and gigged with them extensively. But back OT, that looks like it could be a pretty cool piece, as it better be for that sort of money.
 
#14
Here is Marc's response to my email asking for info.

You are right, quality comes first at Vanderkley Amplification.

The Aurora amplifier is designed to let you hear every detail in your instruments character and every nuance in your playing.
The headroom is almost limitless for great dynamics and tone, and there is no hiss even at high volumes. The power section is very oversized to give you the same clear, undistorted tone even at extreme volumes.
One unique feature is the CVD circuit, which stands for Continuously Variable Damping. With this you can lower or raise the damping factor of the amp. This has a great effect on your dynamics and tone, from very tight and modern to a more tube like sound and everything in between. This is not some kind of simulation but it is actually controlling the mechanical speaker damping.
Besides the Eq the CVD has a huge impact on your sound and a great tool to solve room acoustics difficulties (dry or boomy rooms).

Best regards,

Marc
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1379232389.525981.jpg
 

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