Yes, fast shipping indeed.
About the kit, everything looks okay. Nice PCB by the way.
I'm not sure if I will use the two supplied Silmic's, maybe I will go for Nichicon FG in that spot. Also I'm thinking about to put some Caddock's in the direct signal pat instead of the supplied resistors, although there are some Dale's in the kit.
@bcmbob
Some nice soldering there.
Regards
About the kit, everything looks okay. Nice PCB by the way.
I'm not sure if I will use the two supplied Silmic's, maybe I will go for Nichicon FG in that spot. Also I'm thinking about to put some Caddock's in the direct signal pat instead of the supplied resistors, although there are some Dale's in the kit.
@bcmbob
Some nice soldering there.
Regards
Thanks for the complement VT. A good clean up helps me see any mistakes. My process:
1. A toothbrush and denatured alcohol. Flux sticks to bristles, so avoid build-up.
2. Modified toothbrush handle as scraper. Fingernail when needed
3. Dow bathroom cleaner (Scrubbing Bubbles - certified for use in Nuke plants) and a soft back brush.
4. I use a wet-dry vac to remove cleaner as most fabrics and paper towels leave a lot of lint.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 as necessary.
6. Polish with a clean - dry shoe brush.
7. Convince yourself that your soldering skills are so good you actually didn't do steps 1-6.
Component side clean up is pretty much limited to wet and dry Q-Tips.
1. A toothbrush and denatured alcohol. Flux sticks to bristles, so avoid build-up.
2. Modified toothbrush handle as scraper. Fingernail when needed
3. Dow bathroom cleaner (Scrubbing Bubbles - certified for use in Nuke plants) and a soft back brush.
4. I use a wet-dry vac to remove cleaner as most fabrics and paper towels leave a lot of lint.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 as necessary.
6. Polish with a clean - dry shoe brush.
7. Convince yourself that your soldering skills are so good you actually didn't do steps 1-6.
Component side clean up is pretty much limited to wet and dry Q-Tips.
Attachments
For what it’s worth –
I have been doing some comparisons of volume control options over the past few days.
1. Alps 27 bare pot (included incorrect link in previous post) – My first Alps unit was very impressive at first listening. The detail was outstanding and the smoothness of the mechanics was impressive. The entire audio spectrum was presented fully with dynamics intact. The clarity and sparkle in the upper registers brought forth some excitement not heard before. I was so impressed I suggested to Dario that some of the cap/resistor mods may need to be adjusted to dial in on what the Alps offered.
2. eBay SDM bare pot – I had to rewire this one as it was controlling the JC-2. Once that was done, a clear difference could be heard between the two. This one sounded as though more of the mid frequencies were getting through, e.g. warmer. The 21 step adjustments are defined and physically perceived when opposed to the smoothness of the Alps. This only means a few minute increments can’t be obtained, but I don’t think that is significant in real world listening situations. The SDM pot allowed a fuller stage than the Alps. The width was about the same but the instruments/voices sounded like they were more spread across the image with this one. I can’t call a winner because again, so much depends on the associated equipment and cap/resistor choices. It will take some time to determine if the SDM pot is actually filtering out some elements of the signal. Either would be a top choice for FE builders who have no need for any gain in driving their speakers to enjoyable listening levels. Some experimentation is advised.
3. The Lighter Note - still shines for simple purity and balance, to my ears. What I said in post #18 is as accurate a description as I can offer so I won’t repeat it here. I also encourage builders to take a serious look at the simpler Lightspeed and similar LDR designs as a less expensive solution for those who prefer a non-mechanical device.
4. JC-2 Pre – I’m impressed as ever with this kit. Yesterday I played some full symphony stuff that sounded distorted (intermodulation) at the top of very loud violin section crescendos. I couldn’t tell if I was pushing the FEs too far with the gain settings or if the noise was coming from the preamp. Lower volume took care of most of it. I realized I was playing through the CD drive on the Music Server, so this morning I ripped it to an uncompressed file with Exact Audio Copy to eliminate that link. It sounds great. The JC-2 has been able to handle all the dynamics, be they crescendos or bursts of percussion or brass. To me, it really sounds like that “straight wire with gain” description mentioned earlier. I have held off buying the Caddocs till Dario and VT67 offer up their reviews after some hands-on time, but I’m hoping they get the same impressions as I have reported. I’m looking forward to tweaking an already excellent addition to the FE builds.
I have been doing some comparisons of volume control options over the past few days.
1. Alps 27 bare pot (included incorrect link in previous post) – My first Alps unit was very impressive at first listening. The detail was outstanding and the smoothness of the mechanics was impressive. The entire audio spectrum was presented fully with dynamics intact. The clarity and sparkle in the upper registers brought forth some excitement not heard before. I was so impressed I suggested to Dario that some of the cap/resistor mods may need to be adjusted to dial in on what the Alps offered.
2. eBay SDM bare pot – I had to rewire this one as it was controlling the JC-2. Once that was done, a clear difference could be heard between the two. This one sounded as though more of the mid frequencies were getting through, e.g. warmer. The 21 step adjustments are defined and physically perceived when opposed to the smoothness of the Alps. This only means a few minute increments can’t be obtained, but I don’t think that is significant in real world listening situations. The SDM pot allowed a fuller stage than the Alps. The width was about the same but the instruments/voices sounded like they were more spread across the image with this one. I can’t call a winner because again, so much depends on the associated equipment and cap/resistor choices. It will take some time to determine if the SDM pot is actually filtering out some elements of the signal. Either would be a top choice for FE builders who have no need for any gain in driving their speakers to enjoyable listening levels. Some experimentation is advised.
3. The Lighter Note - still shines for simple purity and balance, to my ears. What I said in post #18 is as accurate a description as I can offer so I won’t repeat it here. I also encourage builders to take a serious look at the simpler Lightspeed and similar LDR designs as a less expensive solution for those who prefer a non-mechanical device.
4. JC-2 Pre – I’m impressed as ever with this kit. Yesterday I played some full symphony stuff that sounded distorted (intermodulation) at the top of very loud violin section crescendos. I couldn’t tell if I was pushing the FEs too far with the gain settings or if the noise was coming from the preamp. Lower volume took care of most of it. I realized I was playing through the CD drive on the Music Server, so this morning I ripped it to an uncompressed file with Exact Audio Copy to eliminate that link. It sounds great. The JC-2 has been able to handle all the dynamics, be they crescendos or bursts of percussion or brass. To me, it really sounds like that “straight wire with gain” description mentioned earlier. I have held off buying the Caddocs till Dario and VT67 offer up their reviews after some hands-on time, but I’m hoping they get the same impressions as I have reported. I’m looking forward to tweaking an already excellent addition to the FE builds.
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I received my JC-2 kit this week and my lighter note kit last week so I am excited to get to work on both of these. I am on vacation this week so hopefully I will have time to populate both of the boards. I have a good start on an enclosure for the lighter note and all of the small parts needed to finish it, so it will be done first.
It will be interesting to compare these two when they are done. I am debating on whether or not to replace some of the components on the JC-2 right away or wait and install some sockets at the critical points and do some swapping.
I am hoping to have at least one of the pres completely finished by the time the fe boards arrive. We will see though.
It will be interesting to compare these two when they are done. I am debating on whether or not to replace some of the components on the JC-2 right away or wait and install some sockets at the critical points and do some swapping.
I am hoping to have at least one of the pres completely finished by the time the fe boards arrive. We will see though.
That's encouraging. Very happy to hear the LNs are moving again. Both of those are top of the line. Reminds me I haven't tried using them in combination with the FEs.
Good luck with your builds.
Be sure to follow Uriah's instructions on limiting the amount of heat on the LDRs. Use either good liquid or paste flux when you solder them. Put the solder on the tip of the iron and let it flow to the lead/pad. They will tolerate that but not much more. Cat-6 cable is great for connecting the pots. Post or PM me if I can be of any help.
Good luck with your builds.
Be sure to follow Uriah's instructions on limiting the amount of heat on the LDRs. Use either good liquid or paste flux when you solder them. Put the solder on the tip of the iron and let it flow to the lead/pad. They will tolerate that but not much more. Cat-6 cable is great for connecting the pots. Post or PM me if I can be of any help.
Thanks Bob I seem to remember reading that a while back. I will have to go back and read more. Now housing the LN and JC2 in one unit is on my mind. If I did that though I would like the ability to use the LN without the JC2. A simple switching network will be in order.
Just when I think I have a project figured out I have to go and complicate things!
Just when I think I have a project figured out I have to go and complicate things!
You'r not alone. I'm considering complicating things even further by adding the DAC in the same chassis. If I don't build the FEs in a fully integrated design (like the MyRef V1.3s in that thread), it would be great to keep all the wires between Dac, LN and JC-2 internal and as short as possible. Probably won't make that decision till after the FEs and the JC-2 are optimized. A little voice in my head keeps whispering "....Mono-blocks.... Mono-blocks" for the FEs. Time will tell.
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... and I do appreciate that pin-out information. I listened to your "Test Mix" last night. The bass player on the first track is as fast as Jaco. The snipet of the last song was tasty.
To those thinking of using the lighter note or LDR in a enclosure with other devices, remember to place the LDR in the coolest (most vented) part of the chassis.
I have only the basic LDR. I did build it, taking care not to overheat the diodes. Sadly, I have not tested it. I could not get a steady 5V from my regireg so I bought the parts for another one.
I must seem unmotivated but I've been so busy with other things. Yard work, car repair and my job, to name a few.
I must seem unmotivated but I've been so busy with other things. Yard work, car repair and my job, to name a few.
Bob,
Could you add the power supply paths to your diagrams, both hot and neutral (ground if applicable)? Also, use your ohm meter to show signal ground to neutral/ground continuity for each connection. Finally, do you have your dac, pre, and FE's all plugged into the same power plug strip or wall outlet? Sometimes separate power sources can have enough impedance between them to cause problems.
What you should be looking for is multiple paths to ground. I suspect the reason that the walkman as a source doesn't hum is because it is battery powered and isolated from ground. It is likely that you have a ground loop picking up hum between the dac and pre, but that is only a guess.
That said, I am not a expert in this. I won't be offended at all if someone with greater experience jumps in here.
Jac
Could you add the power supply paths to your diagrams, both hot and neutral (ground if applicable)? Also, use your ohm meter to show signal ground to neutral/ground continuity for each connection. Finally, do you have your dac, pre, and FE's all plugged into the same power plug strip or wall outlet? Sometimes separate power sources can have enough impedance between them to cause problems.
What you should be looking for is multiple paths to ground. I suspect the reason that the walkman as a source doesn't hum is because it is battery powered and isolated from ground. It is likely that you have a ground loop picking up hum between the dac and pre, but that is only a guess.
That said, I am not a expert in this. I won't be offended at all if someone with greater experience jumps in here.
Jac
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