Paradise Builders

Apologies for asking probably stupid quesions but I haven't followed the complete MPP thread. Alfred, you write in the assembly guide "If you want to put the SMD decoupling caps on the bottom side, do that before the heatsink assembly but it doesn’t matter much." What does "if you want to" mean - are the SMD caps optional?

Thanks
Sven

Edit: Nice listening room, Chris.
 
Last edited:
Sound

Cool, tell me more about the sound. This should be encouraging for the other builders.

First, i´am not the guy für big words about sound because in my opinion it´s a very subjectively thing. Secondly, it´s difficult for me in english because i´m not a native speaker, but i will try it:

First impression after powering up was a clear, open sound. After a few hours of listening the paradise sounds clean with a phantastic depiction.The phantom sources of the speakers are exactly represented, so there are many details to hear because there is no overlap or blur effects. Soundstage set back slightly with perfect focus in the middle. In this comparison, for example, loses a pass pearl + ono MC pre.

The tuning of the paradise sounds straight, with no accentuation at any frequency range, very balanced. For some guys perhaps hard stuff, i like it.:p. But this can be tuned with the RIAA caps.

I hear with a Denon DL 103 in a selfmade zebrano wood body, after searching for five years the perfect cartridge class up 1k Euro it´s my choise.

Until now I heard with a pre with INA 103 at the first stage , an OP for microphone amplifier, the concept is also DC coupled and sounds well.
The future will show whether the Paradise will replace this Pre, currently I think yes.

Chris

paradise6.jpg
 
Member
Joined 2005
Paid Member
Sound



First, i´am not the guy für big words about sound because in my opinion it´s a very subjectively thing. Secondly, it´s difficult for me in english because i´m not a native speaker, but i will try it:

First impression after powering up was a clear, open sound. After a few hours of listening the paradise sounds clean with a phantastic depiction.The phantom sources of the speakers are exactly represented, so there are many details to hear because there is no overlap or blur effects. Soundstage set back slightly with perfect focus in the middle. In this comparison, for example, loses a pass pearl + ono MC pre.

The tuning of the paradise sounds straight, with no accentuation at any frequency range, very balanced. For some guys perhaps hard stuff, i like it.:p. But this can be tuned with the RIAA caps.

I hear with a Denon DL 103 in a selfmade zebrano wood body, after searching for five years the perfect cartridge class up 1k Euro it´s my choise.

Until now I heard with a pre with INA 103 at the first stage , an OP for microphone amplifier, the concept is also DC coupled and sounds well.
The future will show whether the Paradise will replace this Pre, currently I think yes.

Chris

very nice! this matches many of the betabuilders' impressions of sound (and mine as well). Nice setup!
Still have a DL103 re-tipped, in aluminum body, waiting for its first usage, so after your experience here I will certainly give it a try.....
 
Member
Joined 2005
Paid Member
Apologies for asking probably stupid quesions but I haven't followed the complete MPP thread. Alfred, you write in the assembly guide "If you want to put the SMD decoupling caps on the bottom side, do that before the heatsink assembly but it doesn’t matter much." What does "if you want to" mean - are the SMD caps optional?

Thanks
Sven

Edit: Nice listening room, Chris.

It doesnt matter much if you put the SMD caps before or after the heatsink, I just find that its a little easier to solder (because the PCB can lie flat - once the heatsink is on there, mounting the caps is a little more complicated). The SMD caps should go on there, quite a few people find that they do not need them but as precautionary measure they should go in, I think.

hope that helps....
 
What cartridge load resistor do you use with the denon dl103 ?

Unexpectedly the normal load impedance between 80 - 100 Ohm, used at my other pre, doesn´t work. The paradise sounds extremly center weighted.

After some experiments, in my setup 2k works very fine.

@ alfred
DL 103: try also a tracking force of 3 grams, sounds better.

Thank you guys for the flowers.

Chris
 
Last edited:
@chiily, IMO you are using BC327/337 with very high Hfe's in the PSU, it is not exactly oscillating but it is regulating as expected in a kind of semi-SMPS-mode (I would call it :)). You could try to use BC's with a lower Hfe or you could try to lower R100, 103, 200 and 203 from 330ohm down to 47ohm. Be sure that C105, 205 are of a high-esr (cheap) type (do not use low-esr capacitors here). Also you could try to add a small (10/20pf or so) capacitor between B and C of Q105, 205.

I've tried paralleling R100, R103, R200 and R203 (under the heatsink) with 50R and I've re-soldered C105 and C205 to the board - the oscillation is still there. :(

I will try a small cap (polystyrene) between the B&C of Q105 and Q205 next.
 
Sandro called in today with his built up Paradise.

He's made a nice job of them, the pre-reg sits in its own case, and is built up using his own pcb and hand wound coils with full wave rectification, this feeds the power out via umbilical to the phonostage proper which also includes two separate CRCRCR smoother boards to further filter the dc before it hits the shunts.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


We plugged in straight in and turned it on and listened to it without any warm up or settling in. he has it set-up for a denon cart at 100 ohms so is a fair way off where I usually have my benz loaded, circa 3-10k and might have rolled things off a little- I've yet to assess what load the Benz LP likes with the Paradise.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


Right from the off the sound was excellent with great separation and good precision. bass is about as deep and extended as I've heard on vinyl, with exceptional texture and nuance all the way down to the bottom. Treble was similarly well resolved and brilliant without being overly etched. The sense of dynamic contrast that the paradise can portray is what really sets it apart for me, even with complex passages it never got bogged down or heavy. It kept a handle on things all the way through 'frame by frame' keep Fripp's guitar separate and positioned forward of Levin's stick bass and rendering all the time signature changes with perfect clarity. It never lost its way.

It's spurred me on to sort out the cases for my own sooner than i thought I would.
 
Sandro called in today with his built up Paradise.

.

Tanks Simon and tanks for coffe (Jlly on proper Bialetti top of stove thinghie, been a long time)
It was a real plesure to pop up meet you and listen to Paradise R2 in a different enviroment.

Just one more confirmation of virtues of Paradise.
And this is just R2 built in a rush R3 is gonna be betterer I am sure:D
 
Hello,

finally got my Paradise running.

There was no way to have it in the same enclosure with the psu, which board I put in the middle always produces heavy hum.
I did rearrange the toroidals and the cabelling, capsuled the psu hermetic with 1.5mm steel, but it was as you promised, the psu and the boards have to go in separate cases.
This is to do for me now.

But I have the Paradise now sitting on top of a lid from a Clarks shoe box, the psu ~1 meter away from it and it is a charm to listen.
A little hum when playing loud, (not used your grounding scemes, I have to improve) but also really warm, deep but tight bass, no sss on the hights, just as I like it.
I have a Ortofon MC10 super mkII installed on a (Trio) Kenwood L07-D, loaded with 47 ohms (I try 100 ohms later).

I did not mind my measurings, which are all not too bad as you said.
And I have the highest hfe on the input, around 520.

This is for now, I ordered steel sheets for the psu housing and speakons for the connections.
Will send pictures after finishing,

best regards and thanks for all your helping and advices,

Christoph