Orders are now being accepted for the 'end game' 2023/24 StereoCoffee
I will personally, hand build your StereoCoffee kit to suit your own requirements, ensuring you receive the latest version available at the time of your order.
Delivery estimated dates may vary depending on customisation requirements and my work load.
The StereoCoffee is basically a highly refined two board DIY audio kit that can be supplied fully built
if required.
My kits are NOT MASS PRODUCED. Every component is individually soldered and mounted on unique custom designed circuit boards.
Each circuit board is individually tested, ensuring that you can enjoy the unique realism of music that flows deep into the background, WITHOUT ANY AUDIBLE DISTORTION, at INTIMATE LOW VOLUME levels as well as extremely HIGH levels.
Please contact me to discuss compatibility, input/output requirements etc. before you place your order. dbxrecord@gmail.com
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As a life long music enthusiast and DIYer, my aim for more than 20 years has been to be able to enjoy recorded music that sounds exactly as it was recorded and be able share it with DIY music lovers for an affordable price. This led to the design of my StereoCoffee passive LDR attenuator.
The introduction of encapsulated LDR’s presented me with a unique opportunity to transfer a signal from an audio source to a power amplifier without any mechanical contacts in the switching or volume control circuitry that could interfere with the audio signal.
Other LDR attenuators have been and gone but the StereoCoffee has evolved through dozens of important improvements over the last 20 years and still going strong.
My focus has been on the power supply and how the performance of LDRs can be optimised without adding any additional components other than two LDRs between each input and output in the signal path.
The NEW mid 2023 version, cheekily nicknamed the END GAME, not just because you won’t need to be upgrading again but because its performance is superior to some high end products at 10 times the cost, according to some of my audiophile equipped owners.
WHAT MAKES THIS PASSIVE ATTENUATOR DIY KIT SO UNIQUE?
The July 2023 ‘end game’ LDR StereoCoffee has achieved a milestone in undistorted lifelike ‘spatial dynamics’ at higher volume levels, that some designers of affordable high end powered preamplifiers struggle to overcome.
SPATIAL DYNAMICS?
We all know that live performances generate a multitude of extreme dynamics bouncing around from the front, rear, sides, ceiling and floor that get recorded along with music but can sound flattened and polite when played back.
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StereoCoffee specialises in hand building passive DIY preamplifier kits that enhance your music listening experience. Our products are designed to bring you spacial audio dynamics, reverberations and enjoyment that you never thought was possible.
We are passionate about delivering lifelike audio experiences that will have you falling in love with music all over again. Our products are perfect for audiophiles, music enthusiasts or anyone else who just loves to enjoy music.
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A live musical performance isn’t a perfect sine wave plot and is flawed by the peaks and troughs from random, colourful explosions of raw energy combined with the ambience of the recording venue.
The July 2023 StereoCoffee presents live music in a special way that doesn’t seem to have any popular audiophile marketing terminology other than sounding ‘alive’.
Recordings, old and new, sound like they have been decompressed and the lack of audible
distortion from the passive attenuation encourages loud listening sessions that draw you inside
performances, without seeming excessively loud.
If you are a fan of premium valve amplifiers I think you will feel at quite at home with the StereoCoffee sonic signature.
The key to StereoCoffee’s excellent, undistorted, punchy performance is the new active
power management circuitry that responds to dynamics in real time by altering and
optimising the current supplied to the LDR anodes, as they are required by the peaks
and trough extremes in the signal.
Unlike many active preamplifiers, the StereoCoffee doesn’t add distortion or harshness at high
volumes, due to the minimum number of components in the signal path. See Illustration >>>
HOW CAN THIS NEW DESIGN IMPROVE YOUR MUSICAL ENJOYMENT?
You can now lift the bass out of the shadows and fine tune it to blend with the delicate mids
you love using the kit’s optional user friendly Start/Finish external controls to adjust the balance.
FINISH CONTROL: Allows control of bass impact, weight and detail reveals more levels that can
be adjusted to your personal preference. NOTE: This is NOT a tone control!
START CONTROL: Allows you to adjust the start position of the volume control to your preferred
starting position if you have unusually high or low sensitivity equipment.
Summary: The unique START & FINISH features give you the means to fine tune subterranean bass to lower mids ratio, where atmosphere of the venue is hidden, while retaining the detail, imaging and lack of distortion in the upper mids, which made earlier StereoCoffees so respected throughout the world.
OWNER TIPS: Due to the exceptional StereoCoffee detail retrieval, good quality audio interconnects are recommended for optimum performance. Australian made Aurealis interconnects don't interfere with the signal and are used by several customers because of their high quality and reasonable cost.
Customers have commented on how Duelund tinned/copper interconnects and internal wiring has helped exploit the latest bass, imaging and dynamic improvements.
Mogami quad microphone wire strands can add more life when used for internal signal wiring or in combination with DIY Duelund 16AWG interconnects.
The world of DIY is your oyster! The stereoCoffee is inexpensive and easy to build so why not have some fun squeezing every drop of audio pleasure from your system !
Chris Daly …soldering on!
(top) 4 LDRs in StereoCoffee 2 channel signal path
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(below) Complex signal path of s/s active preamp
StereoCoffee Kit components
may differ depending on your individual requirements.
Customer built StereoCoffee integrated with a Class D Hypex Ncore 122 module.
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Although the StereoCoffee is a PASSIVE attenuator, 120 watts of power from the small Hypex has no trouble filling a 10x15 metre space with realistic musical performances.
The NEW 'End Game' main Power Control and LDR Circuit boards may look similar to the earlier 'subterranean kit', they have been redesigned to provide a more user friendly way to personalise the adjustable bass/mid bass ratio of your system.
Customer Reactions (previous kits)
October 2022 StereoCoffee
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RichardM - Sydney Australia
"Chris, it’s simply brilliant. Best bass definition and impact I have ever heard from my system, and, as before, that wonderful
sense of openness and clarity so I can actual feel inside the performance so to speak, as if I was in a bubble with the music
surrounding me instead of the sound being “over there”.
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Jean Francois - France
It sounds absolutely fantastic. Amazing clarity and superb dynamic range! Thank you!!!
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Eamonn in Ireland
" what I have listened to is wonderful!!!! "
2022 REVIEWS
John (Fremantle WA Australia):
" But, wow
Your pre amp is next level. I simply cannot believe how much better the setup is sounding and delivering.
I’ve cross tested with a number of different speakers, all of them very rewarding.
Strange thing I’m picking up is increased level of detail at the front end, the sound of a guitar players fingering on the strings, the embouchure of a trumpeter, and the tail end lingering of notes, like the cymbal's ringing on and on- the cymbal's just linger.
And I'm discovering way more from old CD's, oddly the streamer is delivering amazing quality- it sounds like a CD.
Sound stage and overall definition are excellent. It is a staggering achievement Chris, can't thank you enough.
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Rob (Sunshine Coast QLD Australia):
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NOTE: I've had the privilege of completing the first DIY build of the October 2022 DIY StereoCoffee kit, which is a complete redesign and having the fun of adjusting my preferred performance while I am listening, using the external calibrated potentiometers. (SEE PHOTO)
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"The current version allows the dynamic range and character of instruments to flourish with an impact I haven't experienced before in recorded music."
"I have built most of the upgrades over the last 5 or 6 years and each one has been a remarkable improvement to the previous version and I am struggling to explain how the Subterranean sounds to me.
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This 2022 StereoCoffee is no longer polite and presents music as though it hasn't been compressed. The dynamics of live music seem to have been extracted from the depths of the recording and reassembled with all the transparency attributes of and LDR preamp but with more background depth and realism that has usually eluded passive preamps I have built.
To me the most noticable difference was that music somehow sounded more musical and bass had so much impact that my Neat Acoustics SX3i stand mount speakers sounded like I was using a separate subwoofer. The bass has weight and character but doesn't overpower the performance but becomes part of it. My Neats are renowned for powerful bass and lower mids and it was possible to trim the deep bass levels to suit my preference.
Violins and piano in large orchestral works retain their separation, character and harmonics. A crescendo can be overwhelming depending on the recording but without any noticeable audible distortion. Voice is more realistic in my opinion and large drums and tympani have powerful impact but sound unstressed.
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The music I am hearing seems to thrive at higher listenable volume levels because it is so clean and it is still possible to carry on a comfortable conversation.
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Tracks played at lower levels retains the same character...but is quieter."
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NZ Customer (Loaner audition)
Morning Chris,
Sorry been busy, but I can tell you Wow I am just loving this Upgrade, this pre-amp sounds so incredibly real!!
The sound just jumps out at you and the realism is just absurd!!
Even at low volumes the details present is sensational.
Well done mate another great step forward."
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Latest 2023 REVIEWS
Coming Soon
Geoff Lee:
"I have done a lot of listening to the 2022 SC both when its cold and when it is warmed up. When its cold it is slightly but noticeably better than my previous SC. But when it is warmed up it is significantly better than my previous SC.
The main improvement is in RESOLUTION.ie. it can resolve or clarify voices and instruments. This then translates into better sound stage width and depth etc..
It is particularly noticeable in bass as you observed but I think this masks the fact that the RESOLUTION is significantly better.
Now, what do I mean by RESOLUTION?
I mean that voices sound more real and instruments sound more real. Instead of a vocal being hard to understand because the words are indistinct, the words are clearer and easier to understand.
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So to summarise - the old SC is blurry ie. indistinct compared to the new SC."