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Post by electronumpty on Feb 23, 2020 11:05:29 GMT
Yeah will do something more detailed after a bit of time, loving it so far though! 😁
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 23, 2020 11:07:40 GMT
Yeah will do something more detailed after a bit of time, loving it so far though! 😁 I'm really pleased Andy. It's a good phonostage that is completely overlooked because it's not £2k |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 23, 2020 11:21:52 GMT
Yeah will do something more detailed after a bit of time, loving it so far though! 😁 I'm really pleased Andy. It's a good phonostage that is completely overlooked because it's not £2k I belive you, never heard anything at that level though. I'll have to listen through my headphones a bit , they are more revealing than my speakers and will tell me more about what's happening. |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 24, 2020 11:31:51 GMT
Starting to sound pretty damned good now, quiet m ore detail and noticing some very fine nuances , especially with vocals and strings - violins etc. Tres bon!
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 24, 2020 11:38:15 GMT
Starting to sound pretty damned good now, quiet m ore detail and noticing some very fine nuances , especially with vocals and strings - violins etc. Tres bon! When you get some spare moola, drop one of these in: www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=676They can be a smidge microphonic but they are super valves. You will be stunned at how much difference they make to the sound OFC, a Telefunken would be the one to get but at £250 for one valve, it's got a bit ridiculous. |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 24, 2020 12:55:37 GMT
Thanks will consider once things have run in a bit, valve rolling bit of a mine field lol
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 29, 2020 14:42:06 GMT
Ok so Tidied up the wiring today and added an earth to the valve top plate. Just need a dry day now so I can drill the valve holes in the top plate and trim it off.  |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 29, 2020 16:08:59 GMT
Ok a quick update, so I was listening to DSOTM by Floyd and Ziggy Stardust on Thurs night , both recent pressings . What was noticeable was that they both sounded very dark and almost muted at the top end , odd I thought. Anyway payed some stuff for a few hours yesterday and this disappeared, very clear sound great channel separation and fantastic levels of detail. I guess it was part of the burn in process. Feeling I have finally got a stage that can do my ZYX justice , sounds great. Will do a fuller review in time.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 29, 2020 17:14:39 GMT
Ok a quick update, so I was listening to DSOTM by Floyd and Ziggy Stardust on Thurs night , both recent pressings . What was noticeable was that they both sounded very dark and almost muted at the top end , odd I thought. Anyway payed some stuff for a few hours yesterday and this disappeared, very clear sound great channel separation and fantastic levels of detail. I guess it was part of the burn in process. Feeling I have finally got a stage that can do my ZYX justice , sounds great. Will do a fuller review in time. Ye that's quite a common thing when starting from absolutely brand new. Most people never go through it as they shop entirely in the used market. I have know caps that have taken a dogs age to burn in. Expect variance for a few months and the stability will come. |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 29, 2020 17:35:40 GMT
Ha yeah , one of the reasons I like listening to new gaer is hearing it break in and those odd moments it throws up before settling.
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 6, 2020 0:08:33 GMT
Really need some dry weather so I can crack on with the cover 🙄
Had a good listen today and put some nos Tesla pcc88s instead of the Mullards for fun. Sounding pretty damn good in a not ideal position, sat on top of a speaker lol. Hifi suicide right there ....
No issues with microphonics though I can tap the top plate the valves are sat on while it is playing and hear nothing through the speakers. Looks like the silicon suspension grommets on the stand offs are working very well. Will do a more indepth review when I have finished the cover and made a new shelf to do it justice lol. In the meantime sounding great!
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Post by jimbo on Mar 6, 2020 6:47:43 GMT
Really need some dry weather so I can crack on with the cover 🙄 Had a good listen today and put some nos Tesla pcc88s instead of the Mullards for fun. Sounding pretty damn good in a not ideal position, sat on top of a speaker lol. Hifi suicide right there .... No issues with microphonics though I can tap the top plate the valves are sat on while it is playing and hear nothing through the speakers. Looks like the silicon suspension grommets on the stand offs are working very well. Will do a more indepth review when I have finished the cover and made a new shelf to do it justice lol. In the meantime sounding great! NOS Teslas always a good choice in my book. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 6, 2020 8:06:08 GMT
Really need some dry weather so I can crack on with the cover 🙄 Had a good listen today and put some nos Tesla pcc88s instead of the Mullards for fun. Sounding pretty damn good in a not ideal position, sat on top of a speaker lol. Hifi suicide right there .... No issues with microphonics though I can tap the top plate the valves are sat on while it is playing and hear nothing through the speakers. Looks like the silicon suspension grommets on the stand offs are working very well. Will do a more indepth review when I have finished the cover and made a new shelf to do it justice lol. In the meantime sounding great! Ha, you'll just run this one in and then you'll be building the MK3! |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 6, 2020 8:48:58 GMT
Really need some dry weather so I can crack on with the cover 🙄 Had a good listen today and put some nos Tesla pcc88s instead of the Mullards for fun. Sounding pretty damn good in a not ideal position, sat on top of a speaker lol. Hifi suicide right there .... No issues with microphonics though I can tap the top plate the valves are sat on while it is playing and hear nothing through the speakers. Looks like the silicon suspension grommets on the stand offs are working very well. Will do a more indepth review when I have finished the cover and made a new shelf to do it justice lol. In the meantime sounding great! Ha, you'll just run this one in and then you'll be building the MK3! Shhh! don't tell the wif... |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 6, 2020 16:52:20 GMT
Today weapon of mass destruction😜😜  |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 6, 2020 16:55:59 GMT
And we have holes! 2 line up pretty well and 1 is a couple of mil out but i feel quite pleased.🙃 I'll route them out a bit to make more space and also a couple of vent slots somewhere on the top.    |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 6, 2020 17:02:30 GMT
Course i had to have a listen witht the cover on .  |
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 6, 2020 17:41:37 GMT
Course i had to have a listen witht the cover on . Ha, I like it |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 6, 2020 18:00:43 GMT
Course i had to have a listen witht the cover on . Ha, I like it Thanks , got a bit to do in the woodwork dept but feel I have broken the back of it now . |
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 7, 2020 0:36:20 GMT
Thanks , got a bit to do in the woodwork dept but feel I have broken the back of it now . Yes, staring to look like a bit of kit now I may do an exposed valve version next. I mean, the new PCB allows for it! |
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Post by firebottle on Mar 7, 2020 13:35:50 GMT
Does the woodwind sound more 'woody' now?
Looking good.
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 7, 2020 14:46:13 GMT
Does the woodwind sound more 'woody' now? Looking good. It does now on my alternative designer 2by2 rack system. lol Sounding pretty damn good to 🙂 great bit of kit. Need another dry day for router shenanigans now. 🤔   |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 10, 2020 22:44:33 GMT
Ok so thinking about ventilation, how much will it need? Any advice? The valve are reasonably exposed and will be more so once I've routed the holes a bit. There are a number of holes in the bottom for air but I guess I need a slot in the top to allow a bit more airflow , maybe 4/5 inches long. How much will it need? The heatsinks don't seem to get really hot after about an hour so what do I need to take into account, obviously there will be some heat build up inside, but would this be enough to cause issues with components at all? Or don't I need to worry about it?  All opinions welcome as usual!  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2020 6:31:39 GMT
How do you plan to finish the top?
Personally I would add a couple of slots, strategically placed, potentially at the outside extremities of the upper aluminium plate so that the heat can escape.
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Post by jimbo on Mar 11, 2020 7:08:57 GMT
Like the retro wooden sleeve effect, reminds me of my 1970s Prinzsound amplifier.
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 11, 2020 7:18:42 GMT
How do you plan to finish the top? Personally I would add a couple of slots, strategically placed, potentially at the outside extremities of the upper aluminium plate so that the heat can escape. Hi got some veneer so will use that , maple top and front and walnut sides. Thanks for the suggestion. |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 11, 2020 7:20:25 GMT
Like the retro wooden sleeve effect, reminds me of my 1970s Prinzsound amplifier. Thanks! not finished yet but I have a idea for how it will look when done , all in my head lol. |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 13, 2020 22:38:32 GMT
Rats I was listening to this tonight and suddenly the sound cuts out in both channels, no noise or warning. The valves still glow so they look to be ok so I reckon a component must have failed some where.  Swapped to the OTP in and its fine so deffo the BB. I'll have to have a look at it over the weekend to see if I can identify what it is. bugger. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 13, 2020 23:19:17 GMT
Rats I was listening to this tonight and suddenly the sound cuts out in both channels, no noise or warning. The valves still glow so they look to be ok so I reckon a component must have failed some where. Swapped to the OTP in and its fine so deffo the BB. I'll have to have a look at it over the weekend to see if I can identify what it is. bugger. Oh no! Got a multi meter? Check the Fets. It's easy to put too much heat through them when fitting them and it can cause issues. |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 14, 2020 0:04:49 GMT
are they the smd ones ?
Got a multimeter but what do i measure for?
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Swapped to the OTP in and its fine so deffo the BB.