First Watt F7 Amplifier Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 พ.ค. 2020
- This is a review of First Watt's F7 power amp. I've listened to this amp nearly every day for several months. The F7 is an unusual solid-state, class A design that employs positive and negative feedback. Positive feedback is very unusual for audio amplifiers as it has a tendency to become unstable.
I did not want to open the F7 because I do not own it. Here's a link to The Absolute Sound's F7 review that has a good photo of the inside of the unit: www.theabsolutesound.com/artic...
Corrections:
1) I meant to say that the screws that secure the faceplate are "counterbored", not "countersunk".
2) The signal path boards of the F7 appear to each have 3 transistors, not two, as I state in the video.
As always, thanks for watching and happy listening!
Thanks for the review. I appreciate you demonstrating the power draw at idle.
Glad it was helpful!
A brilliant, In Your Face test! (hehe) This is a really nice fresh channel, keep your style.
Thanks for watching and for your encouraging comment!
Couldn’t agree anymore. The F7 is an incredible amp with a simple topology with only 14db of gain. Pair it with the right speakers and you’ll get great synergy. I had it paired with Focal bookshelves and loved the combo with a tube preamp. Thanks for the review- well done.
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
What pre amp did you use, thanks
Blejzeros Amigos I have and still use an Audio Hungary APR 204 tube preamp. Great, great pre! Thanks
Great review! If I'm not mistaken the FW7 is the best selling Pass amp. I love how it's constructed, no problems with visible fasteners. Nelson Pass is great designer! BTW I built a ''baby'' amp from a Pass kit (Amp Camp Amp) and love it.
Totally agree. Glad you love your Amp Camp Kit!
What is your take on Shitt freya + for f7?
What preamp are folks using to pair with this?
Would it work with schiit freya plus preamplifier? Thanks
Love mine. Feed from an RME adi 2 dac....
Great review.. I think you should do a lot more reviews... You are really good.. Just one tip don't stay that close to camera when talking... If we watch it on tv it becomes very funny. 😉😂 Otherwise exceptional review... But in future if you get products from friends and companies then indepth comparisons will make you great reviewer
Thank you. I realize I'm close. I need a better mic and then it will still sound okay if I move the camera back.
Did you keep that damping material on the horns in the speakers ? I’m thinking about doing the same in my heresy III. Do you reckon it would have the same effect in much closer enclosure?
Cheers
Yes, I kept it. It would be difficult to remove and the Cornwalls definitely sound better to my ears with the Dynamat.
Miccka S 100% works and it’s worth it. Size, in this case, does not matter. It’s all about reducing unwanted resonance of those horn couplers.
If you’re interested in modifications that might work on your specific speakers (HeresyIII), check this thread on Audio Circle:
www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=166996.0
I so want one of these
Idk I have the XPA 300 RMS and I think it is fantastic but I am using JBLS s310 91 DB Sensitivity and I have a pair of McIntosh LS350 89 db Sensitivity and they both sound fantastic I personally like they had Room. Nice video
Thanks for sharing!
You do a grave disservice to F7 with the ARC SP9, air is defiantly not a shortcoming of the F7.
If got tired of SET tube amps, First Watt, Schiit Aegir (in mono), LTA ZOTL 40 or UltraLinear “hybrid” would be my go to list.
I'd like to try a SET (single ended triode) amp with my Cornwalls, but I haven't yet.
The Boston Audiophile IMHO Cornwalls won’t benefit from forward sounding front end. Your combo of AR and FW looks pretty good to me. Not sure you wanna go down that rabbit hole (SET amps). 🤣
To clarify. Not all SET/tube gear has that euphoric feeling that is usually associated with that tube harmonic overtone. Those generic labels are a bit misleading as you probably know. There are really shitty tube amps that sound worst then your average SS amp with forward, bright, sizzling top end. Sometimes they menage to screw up the fundamentals as well. That’s the midrange. Which is a shame. Tube gear is no different. There are those who really get it and those who are in it for an easy dollar. Shitty tube gear might sound like your topical SS amp and vice verse. So be aware of it as it might be a little discouraging when you come across a crappy tube amp. SET designs are typically simple and based on already bulletproof schematics so that might be a way to go. Still, look for something that has reputation, a real person on the other side of a phone and design that is easily serviceable by your local repair shop. What can I say about tube gear.....
it’s not boring, it’s harmonically satisfying but not for everyone.
The Boston Audiophile If you like First Watt amp, perhaps this might interest you. It will save you ton of $$$. I would also get two kits and go for mono block/balance option at double the power (16wpc class A instead of 8wpc)
diyaudiostore.com/collections/frontpage/products/amp-camp-amp-kit?variant=7072933085218
Thanks for warning me. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t buy any old SET amp.
Have you had a chance to listen to the Sit-3?
I haven't, but I'd very much like to.
@@thebostonaudiophile pls do video if you do get one on hand! Right now I run Hersey IV with Pass Xa25!
An excellent review.You must try the Sugden A21, an excellent integrated ClassA amplifier which is far more compatible with all kinds of speakers and is Built to Last.
20 wpc for class A is quite a bit. Looks like a very upgradable and easy to repair/maintain amp.
I you upgrade a Nelson Pass designed unit it will lose resale value.
Ryan William Or void the warranty. However if I believe there’s improvement that I can do within my means... I usually mod/upgrade. I upgraded/modded my Magnepans and Mark Levinson amplifier. I race and rally cars and have a modded upgraded Ferrari F430 which would hurt resale. Oh well... the new Tubi exhaust system was worth it regardless of valuation issues. Plus the new exhaust system is an audio system on its own.
You are paying for the JFET/MOSFET and transformer under the hood. The FETs are custom and very expensive to have small production runs.
Not to mention they are reliable and sound very good! ;)
Do this amp has balscenen inputs?
balanced
@@brahand It does not, just single-ended RCA jacks.
That’s the point that would hold me back. I‘d love to see a balanced input… like on my Pass Labs monos.
Info : 6moons.com/audioreviews2/firstwatt2/1.html
AB
If they sell at, say, $1,000, it will sell like peanuts! Especially, if there is nothing inside. It should be fast to assemble.
its not cheap because firstwatt use custom transistor (sit/vfet) from semisouth
@@annasipul Not in this unit. They use a lateral mosfet I believe which may even still be in production. But you gotta pay the keeper. So even at $3000, it wasn't a bad deal.
@@mikerodriguez5868 oh my bad, you are correct
I could be wrong here, but I clicked the link to see the internals of this amp and then compare it to the internals of a Yamaha as 1100 I recently watched on TH-cam and the Yamaha looks a trillion times higher quality? Might not necessarily equate to sound but that Yamaha is built like a brick shithouse!🤪🤯 Atleast compared to this from what I can see? I mean look for yourself! look up tee -jay the stereo bargain audiophile and look at his tear down and then look at the internals of this thing and this thing isn't cheap? And the Yamaha is an integrated amplifier for the same price if not cheaper! Just makes an average consumer Wonder?
First Watt’s quality is very high, it’s just that their circuits are simple. Some people will want “more” for their money. In audio signal paths, however, “less is more”, often applies.
@@thebostonaudiophile
Thanks!🤗😇
@@thebostonaudiophile Not everyone can pull of what Nelson has done with these simple circuits. You're not just paying for the few quality parts in there, but a master engineer's accumulated knowledge and tinkering. My old Threshold also had quite few parts, but some parts were very huge, and heavy!
@@gylfi6369 Great point!