Orders are now being accepted for the  NEW 2025 StereoCoffee 

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WHAT ARE THE AUDIBLE IMPROVEMENTS TO THIS UNIQUE 2025 PASSIVE LDR KIT? 

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The 2025 ‘Red Board’ 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.

 

If your speakers and amplifier are up to it, the extreme dynamic contrasts of some performances, that previous LDR designs tended to attenuate, now have the power to surprise physically and emotionally.

 

• Subwoofer to main speaker bass ratio can be optimised to match your own preferences or equipment characteristics

• Deeper, controlled, lower bass is accurately defined, while the detailed mids are available without losing any sparkling highs. The famous, absolutely silent background with zero audible distortion remains.

• If you enjoy live acoustic instrumentals, the presence of subtle internal resonances within bass drums and acoustic bass adds realism and a perceived physical depth to the instruments

• An enormous dynamic ratio without any noticeable distortion to the limits of speakers or amplifier is remarkable

• The obvious Instrument/performer positioning and separation is surprising due to the way the StereoCoffee digs deeper into the background of recordings revealing nuances that are often inaudible

Please contact me to discuss compatibility, input/output requirements etc. before you place your order. dbxrecord@gmail.com

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Why does the StereoCoffee exist?

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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. Complex, highly refined power supplies provide the correct ratio of clean current to the signal and shunt anodes to suit various loads under all conditions for a wide range of line level sources and amplifiers.

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Chris Daly (Designer)

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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 NEWLY PERFECTED 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 unique 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 internal or external external controls to adjust the balance. 

 

NEW Refined FINISH Adjustment: Allows control of bass impact, weight and detail reveals more and can be adjusted to your personal preference. NOTE: This is NOT a tone control!

 

START Adjustment: 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.

 

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!