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Post by firebottle on Feb 18, 2020 16:38:23 GMT
 Actually there is a worthwhile little mod that can be done quickly to the Vivant.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 18, 2020 16:43:49 GMT
Found some valve bases and a couple of JBX capacitors in the drawer Awesome    |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 18, 2020 16:46:13 GMT
They are beautiful looking boards Oli, great work. Thanks Simon, Even under my clumsiness they are holding up well lol |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 18, 2020 16:52:00 GMT
Yes, good news indeed but it's really aching now lol Vivant Vs Bigbottle ay!!..... In my opinion, the Bigbottle has the edge. Bass is better defined and the mids and HF are delivered with a slightly higher degree of fluidity. I understand why Alan said the sound is more "relaxed" but I feel a better description is more "refined" And refined is the apt word, as this is what the Bigbottle has been. It was based largely on the Vivant and after 3 lots of revisions, Alan had refined it. In reality, its capable of really rocking and delivers a very decent amount of speed, transients are clearly available and there is plenty of slam and attack, especially in Valve terms. Guitars have a nice balance of string/sound hole to them and vocals are delivered from the chest, throat and mouth, rather than just the mouth, like I've heard with others. I also think the Bigbottle has a degree of maturity about it. I found the Vivant sometimes felt a tiny bit ragged when pushed with busier material, losing a bit of definition. Again, Alan has evolved a couple of idea whilst working on this design, so it sounding more mature stands to reason. The soundstage is also a bit bigger via the Bigbottle, from memory With that said, there is no denying the pair were designed by the same person. They share a lot of similarities and ultimately both achieve something that is very important to us both, they have a really open and spacious sound. Alan is the winner regardless of what I think between the two anyway lol Given the choice.....and remember, I had that choice....I think the Bigbottle edges it. Lalala..no can’t hear you... lalala.. no not listening..🥴 Hahaha, dont worry Steve, get your Vivant modded and we can have a little bakeoff 😉 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2020 16:54:26 GMT
Out of interest, do you have any spare PCBs? I may have 1...... Its completely untested at the moment Edit:: Nope, all are required. Thanks for looking. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2020 16:55:22 GMT
Actually there is a worthwhile little mod that can be done quickly to the Vivant. And I assume that it would carry across to the phonostage in my KIn? |
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Post by firebottle on Feb 18, 2020 17:22:38 GMT
Yes Kevin, your stage is a bit behind now.
@ Oli, I have a bag full of 8.2 ohm resistors, I see you have only fitted one.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2020 17:32:55 GMT
Yes Kevin, your stage is a bit behind now. @ Oli, I have a bag full of 8.2 ohm resistors, I see you have only fitted one. Looks like I will have to plan a trip back at some point. Is there much work involved? And is there a better remote compatible volume pot available? |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 18, 2020 17:56:53 GMT
Yes Kevin, your stage is a bit behind now. @ Oli, I have a bag full of 8.2 ohm resistors, I see you have only fitted one. Awesome, yes I only had one lol |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 18, 2020 18:35:03 GMT
firebottle Dont suppose you have a 56R too? Typically, just looked online and the large heatsink has gone out of production. FFS, this really pisses me off.
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Post by firebottle on Feb 18, 2020 20:16:16 GMT
No problem.
I may have a spare heatsink, I collect them.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 18, 2020 20:43:26 GMT
No problem. I may have a spare heatsink, I collect them. 🤣🤣 |
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 18, 2020 23:50:42 GMT
Shoot me the specs for the heatsink, I have two good suppliers.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 19, 2020 0:25:52 GMT
Shoot me the specs for the heatsink, I have two good suppliers. Here you go. They have them in the USA but £16 just to get it here is ridiculous  |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 19, 2020 0:30:38 GMT
the board looks really good with parts in!
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 19, 2020 0:46:09 GMT
the board looks really good with parts in! Cheers Andy. Its certainly getting there. The black solder mask is very sleek. A nice PCB to work with too. |
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Post by firebottle on Feb 19, 2020 8:30:24 GMT
I would fit a taller heatsink as that regulator runs quite warm.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2020 17:52:06 GMT
I cant seem to find the right heatsink for the 7805 reg, which is boiling my piss no end. Luckily, Alan has one so until I get to see him, this is as far as I can get. Everything is soldered in and ready to be tested one the reg is in. It's a lovely PCB to work on and I think the layout looks the biz now its populated.      |
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Post by karma67 on Feb 25, 2020 17:59:16 GMT
I cant seem to find the right heatsink for the 7805 reg, which is boiling my piss no end. Luckily, Alan has one so until I get to see him, this is as far as I can get. Everything is soldered in and ready to be tested one the reg is in. It's a lovely PCB to work on and I think the layout looks the biz now its populated. it looks lovely mate,love the colour of the vishays too! |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2020 18:40:30 GMT
I cant seem to find the right heatsink for the 7805 reg, which is boiling my piss no end. Luckily, Alan has one so until I get to see him, this is as far as I can get. Everything is soldered in and ready to be tested one the reg is in. It's a lovely PCB to work on and I think the layout looks the biz now its populated. it looks lovely mate,love the colour of the vishays too! Thanks Jamie. Ye, cool green isnt it. Just hope they sound as good as they look. I hadnt seen them before so seeing as I'm trying new stuff, I thought I'd have a go. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2020 18:47:57 GMT
Just out of interest I thought I'd see how much Zfoils would be for the EQ in the Bigbottle. I need a sit down......... £149.50 + Delivery lol  |
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 25, 2020 21:11:41 GMT
How many does it use Oli?
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 25, 2020 21:12:44 GMT
Ah, I see, 6, theyd be about £80 delivered from TX components.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2020 21:32:38 GMT
Ah, I see, 6, theyd be about £80 delivered from TX components. Oh really!? That's really good to know, thanks Simon. |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 25, 2020 22:27:31 GMT
Yeah good tip!
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 25, 2020 22:30:52 GMT
The board looks really good Oliver, great layout and colour etc. 😎
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2020 22:44:10 GMT
The board looks really good Oliver, great layout and colour etc. 😎 Thanks Andy. I'm pleased with it.....now for the performance tests....that's the scary bit |
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Post by electronumpty on Feb 25, 2020 22:56:49 GMT
The board looks really good Oliver, great layout and colour etc. 😎 Thanks Andy. I'm pleased with it.....now for the performance tests....that's the scary bit Well if it sounds a s good as the mk 1 and then some it will be fine. 🙂 With the effort you have put into it to get to this stage it will be worth it! Looking forwards to hearing about developments ! |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 26, 2020 7:13:05 GMT
Thanks Andy. I'm pleased with it.....now for the performance tests....that's the scary bit Well if it sounds a s good as the mk 1 and then some it will be fine. 🙂 With the effort you have put into it to get to this stage it will be worth it! Looking forwards to hearing about developments ! Yes it been a long old road to get to here. It saved my vinyl collection from being dispanded at one point quite recently. I'd decided that Digital was getting so good that I should probably invest in a substantial DAC etc. The performance was so close between the PecanPi and my Vinyl (via the Simaudio) that I felt buying expensive vinyl had become a vanity project. However, Alan had a MK2 Bigbottle built up and told me to listen to it. In the first 30secs I knew I'd just missed that Bigbottle presentation (after selling mine) and instantly the bug came back. The MK3 will be the last version of this phonostage I think. It tiring working for free lol |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 27, 2020 14:10:45 GMT
PCB is now tested and working perfectly
There is a GB over on DIYaudio so we will see how that goes but finally, the MK3 is done and finalised.
That's taken over 2 years and a fair old chunk of money.
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