During the pre-production design phase of any amps that build I tend to build some amps that don’t make it into the final design. One such design is a 627X that used the same potentiometer as the MICRO/627ORIGINAL only in a larger case and battery being added. I sold this amplifier a while back to a customer asking for exactly this combination. He wanted to get as close to the original 627 design only with a larger battery so I offered him this Frankenamp. I had noticed the owner posted a pic of it on the head-fi Portaphile appreciation thread but no one noticed other than me and him that this amp was a one of a kind. Recently I saw this amp pop up on UK EBay and wanted to let the buyer know what he bought seeing this is not quite a full 627X but a one of a kind amp. Contact me if you’re out there. Happy listening!
Secret Portaphiles – Frankenamps
Dear Cesar,
I am the new owner of that amp listed on UK Ebay site at around Christmas 2014. I thought I’ve bought a ‘regular’ 627x. I cannot pick up the differences between this and the regular one as I’ve never owned a Portaphile amp before. Should I be worried about it. It has been working well so far. What are the differences between this Frankenamp and the regular 627x technically and sound-wise? Please let me know.
Best wishes,
Sandor
Hi Sandor, no need to worry, the main difference between this amp and an actual 627X is that your amplifier uses the same ALPS potentiometer as the MICRO and 627 amplifiers. It’s still a great sounding amplifier but a little different than the 627X so technically not an actual 627X. This was a prototype of the longer running 627/MICRO before I decided to change out the potentiometer in addition to putting in the bigger battery. I hope you enjoy it!