6L6,
Oh I didnt mean to use your B-1 power supply for BA-3 pre, just wondered if it would help over my notepad unit for my B-1. All I need is a box to put it in. I have extra Peter Daniels power supply boards, and some of Brian-GTs Aleph power supply boards that would be better for BA-3 Pre. Peter Daniels versions would likely be easier and more compact, and have places to mount regulators...
Oh I didnt mean to use your B-1 power supply for BA-3 pre, just wondered if it would help over my notepad unit for my B-1. All I need is a box to put it in. I have extra Peter Daniels power supply boards, and some of Brian-GTs Aleph power supply boards that would be better for BA-3 Pre. Peter Daniels versions would likely be easier and more compact, and have places to mount regulators...
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I've had a Salas phono stage put together run off both batteries and the Salas shunt regs. Not really a fair comparison since the shunt supply is dual mono and the battery supply was single but the shunt supply is far superior. Better dynamics and a bigger soundstage. The batteries (alkalines) are a bit quieter but my only means of testing this is cranking up the volume all the way without dropping the needle. Ultimately I like to leave preamps on all the time to keep them warmed up...batteries are no good for that.
I've used both the lm317/337 regs and the Jung superreg with the Ba-3. Not a huge difference but I prefer the super reg. It seems more detailed and less veiled but the difference is not that great. With the Ba-3, F5 and 90db speakers I cannot hear anything at the listening position with the volume maxed out and no signal. If you put your ear up to the tweeter you can hear a slight noise but both the F5 and the BA-3 are super quiet.
I have had the exact setup you speak of - Pearl 2, B1, F5. Having an active gain stage in place of the B1 was a significant improvement.
The B1 is a quality preamp. Its what you make it.
I agree wholeheartedly.
stepped attenuator for B1
Parts for the BA-3 FE have been trickling in. Anticipating Salas BIB boards and parts from the group buy.
So, I've got these Goldpoint 25K attenuators sitting on the table with no home, wait minute
...wire them in the B1 in place stock PEC pots for comparison. There is a difference, everything seems more clear and detailed. Can't wait to get them in the BA-3 preamp.
Also thinking about trying the B1 powered by batteries. How would I go about wiring that on the Passdiy boards.
Parts for the BA-3 FE have been trickling in. Anticipating Salas BIB boards and parts from the group buy.
So, I've got these Goldpoint 25K attenuators sitting on the table with no home, wait minute
...wire them in the B1 in place stock PEC pots for comparison. There is a difference, everything seems more clear and detailed. Can't wait to get them in the BA-3 preamp.Also thinking about trying the B1 powered by batteries. How would I go about wiring that on the Passdiy boards.
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Having never worked with batteries...I guess my question is do I leave the smoothing caps in the circuit or not?
I left the board as it is, just hooked up the batteries, two observations: one, it sounded better to me with 6L6's regulated power supply, and two, once you have BA-3 done, it wont matter. It is that much better.
Russellc
I did hook the B1 up with batteries and it does make a difference in the sound.
I wonder if Energizers would sound even better than the Ratshack batteries
I used duracells. 6L6 regulated supply worked better. BA-3 Pre makes it a non-issue by a large degree.
I didnt care for B-1 with F-5. BA-3 is wonderful with my F-5! I can hardly wait to get the BA-3 Power Amp done, finishing touches only needed.Russellc
I did hook the B1 up with batteries and it does make a difference in the sound.
I wonder if Energizers would sound even better than the Ratshack batteries
I had the same experience!
I had to search some time for a good external PSU.
Reviving an old one - sorry
I'm building a horn system aka high efficiency so I don't really think I need the extra gain from the BA3 pre. I'll probably end up throwing away loads of it after reading the article on gain structure. I'm using ACA builds to start with so have a whole 5w to play with.
I already have the B1 boards but the BA3 seems to trump it on sound. So is there a way to reduce the gain on a BA3 or will I have to reduce it along the chain? Is it even worth it?
I'm building a horn system aka high efficiency so I don't really think I need the extra gain from the BA3 pre. I'll probably end up throwing away loads of it after reading the article on gain structure. I'm using ACA builds to start with so have a whole 5w to play with
. I already have the B1 boards but the BA3 seems to trump it on sound. So is there a way to reduce the gain on a BA3 or will I have to reduce it along the chain? Is it even worth it?
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