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Post by zleepy on Jun 20, 2023 8:11:07 GMT
Well, I made up my mind about which power amp to get. I did not fancy any of the amps available locally, new or pre-owned. Admittedly I am heavily influenced by this forum. That's ok though, since every single small or larger investment I have made inspired by the experiences on here has lead to sq upgrades in my system. My choice of power amp is the Neurochrome Modulus 686, following Olis' mantra "do it right, do it once"  . It's not a very involved build as the 686 boards are pretty much plug and play. I predict most of the time I put into this will go into chassis work. I will be utilizing Olis' not yet released amplifier psu for this. I thought this post could be a clever way to put some pressure on Oli to get it done   I have most of the parts in: - 686 boards
- Toroidy traffo (MASSIVE!!  )
- Soft start board
- Viborg XLR input sockets
- WBT Nextgen RCA input sockets
- Furutech IEC socket
- WBT Nextgen speaker terminals
- Power switch, red led of course
- Feet for the chassis
- Triple C wiring for signal input and output
Still missing:
- Chassis, should arrive any day
- PSU
- there's probably some bits I need which I haven't recognized yet.
I have gone pretty bonkers with the parts. Most of them would go under the "audiophool" category. I could have saved several hundreds of euros by going with more sensible parts, but for me this is part of the fun. I like to spoil myself once in a while by doing things like this. The parts are carefully chosen though. They are all as pure copper as I could find. There's always something better, but the price increases exponentially... Looking forward to the assembly once I get everything in . Below some pics of the parts. Will take better pics when I start the build. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you and especially Oli and Alan for being extremely helpful and friendly with any questions I have had, not necessarily related to this project, but in general. Very much appreciated.    |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jun 20, 2023 10:30:12 GMT
It's great to see you taking this project on, Karl. It's EXACTLY what this forum is about, having a go! The PCB for the PSU is part done. I managed to get a bit done before i went on holiday I am home now so will try and make further progress this week  |
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Post by zleepy on Jun 20, 2023 10:35:48 GMT
That looks very nice Oli, I am getting more excited about this build! |
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Post by electronumpty on Jun 20, 2023 22:58:03 GMT
Very 😎!!
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Post by stevew on Jun 21, 2023 8:11:16 GMT
Well done Karl
As a new owner of Oli’s 686 build I can fully endorse the decision you have made.
Mine is still ‘bedding in’ and improving all the while. In practice it means that bass starts to become more obvious yet very balanced in the mix.
For me the combination of 686 and Jason’s Ektas is magical if highly revealing.
The difference in my system has become addictive as I’m sure you will discover. Congratulations
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jun 21, 2023 9:27:00 GMT
Well done Karl As a new owner of Oli’s 686 build I can fully endorse the decision you have made. Mine is still ‘bedding in’ and improving all the while. In practice it means that bass starts to become more obvious yet very balanced in the mix. For me the combination of 686 and Jason’s Ektas is magical if highly revealing. The difference in my system has become addictive as I’m sure you will discover. Congratulations Sounds like you're pleased with it 😊 |
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Post by stevew on Jun 21, 2023 9:56:21 GMT
Well done Karl As a new owner of Oli’s 686 build I can fully endorse the decision you have made. Mine is still ‘bedding in’ and improving all the while. In practice it means that bass starts to become more obvious yet very balanced in the mix. For me the combination of 686 and Jason’s Ektas is magical if highly revealing. The difference in my system has become addictive as I’m sure you will discover. Congratulations Sounds like you're pleased with it 😊 Yeah.. absolutely delighted. The only downside is that it shows up what’s in the system. But to me that’s fantastic as further ‘improvements’ are easily had and obvious. So cables and support accessories etc… oh, yeah and the odd dac here and there. |
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Post by zleepy on Jun 21, 2023 10:30:32 GMT
That's reassuring to hear, thanks for the feedback Steve! |
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Post by zleepy on Jun 29, 2023 15:34:30 GMT
Small update. Chassis arrived. It took an ETERNITY for it to travel from China to Finland.  If you order anything from Alixpress, don't be in a hurry. You will suffer. Someone has packed this with passion. The parts are individually packed first in newspaper, very tightly and neatly. Then in plastic foam, very tightly and neatly. Then inside an inner crate of styrofoam. Then in the actual box. Takes some time to unwrap but rather this way than a poor packaging job. This means now I'm missing only the PSU. Looking at you Oli  . |
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Post by Bigman80 on Jun 29, 2023 18:46:25 GMT
Small update. Chassis arrived. It took an ETERNITY for it to travel from China to Finland. If you order anything from Alixpress, don't be in a hurry. You will suffer. Someone has packed this with passion. The parts are individually packed first in newspaper, very tightly and neatly. Then in plastic foam, very tightly and neatly. Then inside an inner crate of styrofoam. Then in the actual box. Takes some time to unwrap but rather this way than a poor packaging job. This means now I'm missing only the PSU. Looking at you Oli . ...... Look at him 🤣 |
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Post by robbiegong on Jun 29, 2023 20:47:49 GMT
Parts look quality, trafo looks massive - nice ! What will the amp be pushing out in terms of wpc @ 8ohms ?
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Post by sq225917 on Jun 29, 2023 23:12:47 GMT
Enough.
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Post by zleepy on Jun 30, 2023 5:10:24 GMT
Parts look quality, trafo looks massive - nice ! What will the amp be pushing out in terms of wpc @ 8ohms ? Have a look under "specifications" here: neurochrome.com/products/modulus-686 |
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Post by Bigman80 on Jun 30, 2023 6:31:08 GMT
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Post by robbiegong on Jun 30, 2023 8:58:57 GMT
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Post by Bigman80 on Jun 30, 2023 12:53:00 GMT
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Post by sq225917 on Jul 3, 2023 17:49:51 GMT
Cone on get them chassis out, let's see what you got
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Post by zleepy on Jul 4, 2023 8:28:29 GMT
Cone on get them chassis out, let's see what you got Lol Didn’t bother when I got it because I cannot start the build yet. Might do it anyway, but away from home now. Vacation started this week an we went directly to Greece for a week. Plakias, southern part of the island. Lovely place. |
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Post by electronumpty on Jul 4, 2023 8:51:13 GMT
Cone on get them chassis out, let's see what you got Lol Didn’t bother when I got it because I cannot start the build yet. Might do it anyway, but away from home now. Vacation started this week an we went directly to Greece for a week. Plakias, southern part of the island. Lovely place. Post a link!! |
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Post by zleepy on Jul 4, 2023 9:12:36 GMT
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Post by stevew on Jul 4, 2023 11:28:57 GMT
Cone on get them chassis out, let's see what you got Lol Didn’t bother when I got it because I cannot start the build yet. Might do it anyway, but away from home now. Vacation started this week an we went directly to Greece for a week. Plakias, southern part of the island. Lovely place. Do you mean Plakias in Crete? Wonderful place. Can you bring me back a bottle of the orange Metaxa? We didn’t have enough room in the hold luggage, and it’s too much liquid for the hand luggage. And they don’t sell it in the airport duty free, just the normal 5 or 8 star stuff. No.. you won’t get in trouble. Just carry it through. Chania is a very laid back airport. It’ll be fine. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 4, 2023 12:25:06 GMT
Lol Didn’t bother when I got it because I cannot start the build yet. Might do it anyway, but away from home now. Vacation started this week an we went directly to Greece for a week. Plakias, southern part of the island. Lovely place. Do you mean Plakias in Crete? Wonderful place. Can you bring me back a bottle of the orange Metaxa? We didn’t have enough room in the hold luggage, and it’s too much liquid for the hand luggage. And they don’t sell it in the airport duty free, just the normal 5 or 8 star stuff. No.. you won’t get in trouble. Just carry it through. Chania is a very laid back airport. It’ll be fine. He's in Finland....the postage may be hefty 🤣 |
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Post by stevew on Jul 4, 2023 14:42:07 GMT
Do you mean Plakias in Crete? Wonderful place. Can you bring me back a bottle of the orange Metaxa? We didn’t have enough room in the hold luggage, and it’s too much liquid for the hand luggage. And they don’t sell it in the airport duty free, just the normal 5 or 8 star stuff. No.. you won’t get in trouble. Just carry it through. Chania is a very laid back airport. It’ll be fine. He's in Finland....the postage may be hefty 🤣 Good point ….send vodka. |
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Post by zleepy on Jul 4, 2023 17:35:21 GMT
Haha, Koskenkorva would be more appropriate That's like a cheaper version of vodka. |
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Post by stevew on Jul 5, 2023 8:49:43 GMT
Back to the topic in hand Karl. It’s a great case. Same one Oliver got for me. I know he leans towards the silver/aluminium side, but in the new woke world we are all free to express ourselves as we want. I really like the black. Quite stealthy, and with the badge looks classy. It did arrive with a blemish on the lid apparently, but looks like it polished out nicely.  |
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 5, 2023 11:11:04 GMT
Back to the topic in hand Karl. It’s a great case. Same one Oliver got for me. I know he leans towards the silver/aluminium side, but in the new woke world we are all free to express ourselves as we want. I really like the black. Quite stealthy, and with the badge looks classy. It did arrive with a blemish on the lid apparently, but looks like it polished out nicely. What a sexy build that is....if I wanted a 686, I'd want the guy who built that, to build mine!!! 🤣 |
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Post by zleepy on Jul 6, 2023 8:18:22 GMT
It really looks great I have to say! The milling and badge is the final touch. Mine will be all black, and only an illuminated power button on the front. @bigman80, any way you could ask Angus about the PSU? I have tried to send both him and you pm, but apparently there’s a problem with pm on mobile devices and they won’t get through. Another thing Oli, my brother is interested in something from your garage but same problem I can’t contact you. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 6, 2023 8:24:08 GMT
It really looks great I have to say! The milling and badge is the final touch. Mine will be all black, and only an illuminated power button on the front. @bigman80, any way you could ask Angus about the PSU? I have tried to send both him and you pm, but apparently there’s a problem with pm on mobile devices and they won’t get through. Another thing Oli, my brother is interested in something from your garage but same problem I can’t contact you. I've sent you a message with my number for WhatsApp. There's also my email in my signature if required. 👍 |
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Post by zleepy on Oct 30, 2023 18:02:03 GMT
Gosh, last update to this was in June. Scary how time flies. My family keeps me occupied most of the time and currently there's very little left for my own projects. Anyway, time to resurrect this build thread. I'll try to pick up where I left this in June. At that time I waited for parts, and I did have to wait for quite some time before I could start the build. I started with the most labor intensive parts, the back panel. The tools I had at the time for the job was a center punch, hand drill, and step drills. One can achieve quite good results with these modest tools and I was quite happy with how it turned out.    Up next was stuffing the panel with the connectors and test fit the soft start module. Here I noticed my first mistake. My chassis came incomplete. It was missing the 4 pcs alu bars which connects the back and front panel to the bottom and top plate. I had drilled the holes a bit too close to the upper alu bar. No biggie, and nothing a little filing couldn't take care of .   I was quite happy with the layout of the connectors and the overall look of the back plate. Another thing I noticed was the connectors were all a pleasure to attach. These are the nicest pieces of audio hardware I have handled which doesn't really mean much but nevertheless a nice experience. They are all pure copper down tot he fuse holder and the IEC connector. More to come soon. |
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Post by zleepy on Nov 4, 2023 18:51:47 GMT
The build continues After getting the back panel sorted it was time to do some dry fitting of the traffo, rectifiers and PSU board. The traffo is a 600VA premium audiofile (fool) bling version from Toroidy and it is MASSIVE. So much so that the rather large enclosure feels small after installing it. It comes with a mounting plate, which is needed because the wires exits the traffo on the underside.  
I placed the traffo as close to the back as the soft start mounted on the back plate would allow. I did not expect to run out of space, but the dry fitting of the parts revealed that there was no excess space anywhere.  
In the pic below I have marked out the outlines of one of the alu bars keeping the enclosure together. I removed the anodizing in this area. I did not want to scrape off the anodized layer at random places so I ensured safety ground continuity throughout the case through the alu bars. I did have to scrape the heat sinks as they don't attach to the alu bars.
Below the rectifiers are fitted and the secondaries connected. 
It was a close call, but I did get just enough clearance for everything. At this time I did not think about it, but the on/off switch proved to be a challenge to squeeze in in front of the caps...
 One thing I had decided before starting the build was I wanted the wires directly soldered to the 686 boards. That meant removing the Molex connectors, 3 per board. Yes I know... I am embarrassingly obsessed with these things. My thinking is, any positive effects of the ultra pure triple C input and output wires would be negated by the molex brass pins. So the goal was set, and I was determined to remove the connectors even though Tom from Neurochrome advices against it. To get to the underside of the board one has to dismantle the pcb from the aluminum cradle it's mounted in. That was easy but a little unnerving since I do not have ESD safe straps and equipment. I figured the boards cannot be THAT sensitive... The input connector was a breeze to remove with my desoldering gun. This will be an easy task I thought. Well, no!!  Take a look at the picture below. That's the speaker outputs after removing the solder with the desoldering gun. It's such a snug fit that the desoldering gun wouldn't free the connector.  I came to think of a desoldering trick I learned from youtube. The old copper wire ring. You take a piece of sturdy solid copper wire and bend it to snugly fit the pins you want to remove. Add solder and heat and voilà, the connectors drop right out. Clean the pcb with IPA and you're done. Pleased with how this went I assembled the 686 boards back into the alu cradle and continued with braiding the triple C input wires. 
Yes I know, what a terribly messy table. This table is the only place in the house where tools and parts are allowed so I try to make the most out of it . The drink in the beer glass might actually be cola. That would be an exception, as I try to enjoy a nice ale or two during the sessions.   
After getting the connectors out I started with drilling and tapping the holes in the heatsinks. This proved to be much more challenging than I initially thought.
I did not want the holes to be visible from the outside, so I drilled shallowish holes the best I could with my battery powered hand drill and followed with a normal tap... Big mistake. If one is to tap end holes, one needs an end hole tap which will raise the machined metal out of the hole instead of collecting it inside.
I messed around with the holes quite a bit before I finally managed to do them all. Well, almost all, as I did break one drill tap and left it in the hole. I also lost the threads on a couple of them, and had to enlarge the threads from M4 to M5. If anyone is in the same situation, please be aware that you have to marginally increase the hole size on the 686 alu cradle for the M5 screw to fit...
I don't have good pictures of this process. I think I was so irritated with the tapping that I did not remember to take pics...  This was one of the most diffucult stages of the build for sure.
One of the boards mounted, input wires soldered  Dry fit of the PSU board. PSU wiring braided and ready. The caps felt very flimsy after soldering so I decided to put a piece of plastic foam in between the cap rows and tie them togehter with zip ties. This made a world of a difference. Much sturdier now.  
Speaker output wires soldered to the board. Pic is prior to cleaning the flux with IPA. The wires are SAEC 650 triple C speaker cable wires. They fit the 686 boards perfectly. The only downside I have found with the triple C wires, small or larger gauge, is that the wire jacket creeps a lot when soldered. 
In the pic below the build is almost finished. Well, input wires and power wires still need to be soldered, and the front panel with on/off switch is still missing. 
That's all for now. More to come soon |
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. It's not a very involved build as the 686 boards are pretty much plug and play. I predict most of the time I put into this will go into chassis work.
)
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This was one of the most diffucult stages of the build for sure.