Hi Thorsten... Do you happen to have the scematic for the UVC in the Tram II..?
I would like to dim the blue LED's for the input selector and the volume, they are way to bright for my liking. I suppose there is a voltage drop resistor between the supply and the LED's that can be replaced with a larger value?
Thanks,
Morten
I would like to dim the blue LED's for the input selector and the volume, they are way to bright for my liking. I suppose there is a voltage drop resistor between the supply and the LED's that can be replaced with a larger value?
Thanks,
Morten
Hi,
The Resistors are R8 & R11, original 390 Ohm.
They are one each on the actual controls section (with LED's and rotary encoder) of the PCB.
Ciao T
The Resistors are R8 & R11, original 390 Ohm.
They are one each on the actual controls section (with LED's and rotary encoder) of the PCB.
Ciao T
Just to give an update on this for other Tram owners...
I have replaced the 390 ohm resistors with 2K ohm ones. IMHO this is a good balance: They are visible in day light, and not too bright at night...
I have a funny behaviour of my last assembled Tram. On the start-up volume/selector board occasionally refuses to start. I have the valves working but no lights on the volume/selector boards. Power cycling usually fixes the problem. The controller chip is V2.1 - any insights?
Did not have this with other Trams that I assembled.
Did not have this with other Trams that I assembled.
Any happy Tram owners lurking here? 
No issues for months, etc?
I've just ordered my 2nd Tram. The first had issues but was ultimately reliable after replacing some parts. I see people reporting issues recently but it seems it might be other things to blame in perhaps all cases (bad tubes, bad mains V).
I see talk of biasing now which is odd to me because my unit was autobias. At least I sure thought it was. Did that change?
No issues for months, etc?I've just ordered my 2nd Tram. The first had issues but was ultimately reliable after replacing some parts. I see people reporting issues recently but it seems it might be other things to blame in perhaps all cases (bad tubes, bad mains V).
I see talk of biasing now which is odd to me because my unit was autobias. At least I sure thought it was. Did that change?
My Tram II is running fine.
I've been doing some tube rolling, spurred on by Morten's experiments. I was surprised to find the Mu tube has a noticeable sonic impact (the voltage stayed at close to 120V).
Chinese Mu + US Army 5U4 rectifier + Cunningham 2A3s
- Intimate sound
- Glassy edge - similar effect to microphonics, I had compensated for this elsewhere in my system
Svetlana Mu + Svet 5U3 + Cunningham 2A3s
- Rich and fullsome
- Good bass impact
- Tuneful mid / upper bass
- some mid sounds, eg piano, more distinct than with my 45s
Chinese Mu + Svet 5U3 + Cunningham 2A3s
- still a touch glassy, the Chinese Mu and US Army rectifer have similar characteristcs
Svetlana Mu + Svet 5U3 + Sylvania 45s
- Smooth
- Bass not as agile or powerful as the 2A3s
The Sylvania 45s measure well and are quiet - my other old 45s are noisy so it's great to have a some good 45s at my disposal.
The rolling sessions show how important it is to get the right balance across all 4 tubes with the Mu tube being more important than I had expected.
I've been doing some tube rolling, spurred on by Morten's experiments. I was surprised to find the Mu tube has a noticeable sonic impact (the voltage stayed at close to 120V).
Chinese Mu + US Army 5U4 rectifier + Cunningham 2A3s
- Intimate sound
- Glassy edge - similar effect to microphonics, I had compensated for this elsewhere in my system
Svetlana Mu + Svet 5U3 + Cunningham 2A3s
- Rich and fullsome
- Good bass impact
- Tuneful mid / upper bass
- some mid sounds, eg piano, more distinct than with my 45s
Chinese Mu + Svet 5U3 + Cunningham 2A3s
- still a touch glassy, the Chinese Mu and US Army rectifer have similar characteristcs
Svetlana Mu + Svet 5U3 + Sylvania 45s
- Smooth
- Bass not as agile or powerful as the 2A3s
The Sylvania 45s measure well and are quiet - my other old 45s are noisy so it's great to have a some good 45s at my disposal.
The rolling sessions show how important it is to get the right balance across all 4 tubes with the Mu tube being more important than I had expected.
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Thanks, Clive! That is very helpful.
[In my system previously I was pretty amazed to find the Tram held its own in most ways against a $9K Tom Evans Vibe/Pulse and exceeded it in some. Of course it was not *quite* as extended and tight on the bottom as that piece but what could one expect? The Tram remains my favorite tube linestage of all time and, boy, I have tried a lot of them.]
[In my system previously I was pretty amazed to find the Tram held its own in most ways against a $9K Tom Evans Vibe/Pulse and exceeded it in some. Of course it was not *quite* as extended and tight on the bottom as that piece but what could one expect? The Tram remains my favorite tube linestage of all time and, boy, I have tried a lot of them.]
Yes, the Mu tube does for sure make a difference..! And if you're after a more tight bass I suggest trying out different Mu tubes. As you can see in the tube-rolling threads here on the forum I have tried several different tubes for all the positions in the Tram II. The biggest difference is the triodes for sure, but like Clive, I have experienced noticable differences in sound with different Mu tubes.
The NOS Svetlana's has a richer and more full sound, especially in the bass and midrange.
The NOS Cunningham I have are tighter and leaner compared to the Svetlanas.
For now I'm using Treasure 2A3-Z triodes, RCA 5R4GY rectifier and Cunningham 6AS7 Mu tube. In my system, that is a nice balance... If I use the same Rectifier and Mu tube together with my Sylvania 45's the sound get's too lean. So when using 45's as triodes I use the Svetlana rectifier and Mu tubes for their added richness and their more full sound in the bass...
Bottom line: You better roll all four tubes to get the best balance in your own system..!
The NOS Svetlana's has a richer and more full sound, especially in the bass and midrange.
The NOS Cunningham I have are tighter and leaner compared to the Svetlanas.
For now I'm using Treasure 2A3-Z triodes, RCA 5R4GY rectifier and Cunningham 6AS7 Mu tube. In my system, that is a nice balance... If I use the same Rectifier and Mu tube together with my Sylvania 45's the sound get's too lean. So when using 45's as triodes I use the Svetlana rectifier and Mu tubes for their added richness and their more full sound in the bass...
Bottom line: You better roll all four tubes to get the best balance in your own system..!
Paul,
Possible explanations.
The Tram uses rubber suspension for the tube plate. When new this rubber is quite hard and will with time and heat soften. The wires that "bridge" the rubber mountings, especially their insulation may also slowly become a little softer wit time.
Equally, we have found that Tubes with time become quieter (frying bacon noise and small pops especially) and become noisy again if mechanically disturbed too much. This may relate to discontinuities in the cathode coating and possibly levels of Gas in the tube.
I am not 100% that I have identified these right, however it seems a reasonable set of mechanisms.
Ciao T
Possible explanations.
The Tram uses rubber suspension for the tube plate. When new this rubber is quite hard and will with time and heat soften. The wires that "bridge" the rubber mountings, especially their insulation may also slowly become a little softer wit time.
Equally, we have found that Tubes with time become quieter (frying bacon noise and small pops especially) and become noisy again if mechanically disturbed too much. This may relate to discontinuities in the cathode coating and possibly levels of Gas in the tube.
I am not 100% that I have identified these right, however it seems a reasonable set of mechanisms.
Ciao T
T,
Perhaps no changes were made (you'd know). All I know is that (as you note) DHTs I used with my first Tram almost always had *some* noise (especially at first, before burned in), but this 2nd unit is much quieter. I put the dampers on because I've got 'em but you don't really need 'em.
I do have the unit on a 2" maple slab resting on four Mapleshade Isoblocks which rest on the 2" shelves of my Mapleshade rack.
This is really a world-class linestage. I knew that before, with the first I had, but for whatever reason I am getting even better performance this time around.
Perhaps no changes were made (you'd know). All I know is that (as you note) DHTs I used with my first Tram almost always had *some* noise (especially at first, before burned in), but this 2nd unit is much quieter. I put the dampers on because I've got 'em but you don't really need 'em.
I do have the unit on a 2" maple slab resting on four Mapleshade Isoblocks which rest on the 2" shelves of my Mapleshade rack.
This is really a world-class linestage. I knew that before, with the first I had, but for whatever reason I am getting even better performance this time around.
I have read through this thread with great interest. OK, so there are some issues with some of the amps but if it all worked perfectly, first time and every time, there's be nothing to talk about!
It's reassuring to see the support Brian and Thorsten have brought to this, and that (I think) those who have experienced problems have been able to resolve them.
My contribution... And if I speak out of turn please say.
Would a larger case help with the heat issues? Larger case, more space, maybe larger heatsinks?
Or retain the current case (which is an attractive size), and outboard the PSU?
I'm sure both suggestions will have downsides. I leave it to those with more experience to let me know what they are!
Irrespective, any issues have not put me off. I'm searching for change down the back of the sofa as soon as my wife gets off it!
It's reassuring to see the support Brian and Thorsten have brought to this, and that (I think) those who have experienced problems have been able to resolve them.
My contribution... And if I speak out of turn please say.
Would a larger case help with the heat issues? Larger case, more space, maybe larger heatsinks?
Or retain the current case (which is an attractive size), and outboard the PSU?
I'm sure both suggestions will have downsides. I leave it to those with more experience to let me know what they are!
Irrespective, any issues have not put me off. I'm searching for change down the back of the sofa as soon as my wife gets off it!
Hi Graham,
I run a single pair of 5m interconnects to my 300B amps. I have added a 2nd phono socket connected at the input to these amps, from this I simply take a short cable to the bass amps. My 300B amps are 100k input impedance, my bass amps are 20k so the load the Tram sees is 16.6k. I used to run two 5m pairs of interconnects via a splitter connected to the Tram output, this worked fine too.
If you are building the 2A3 amps then you will have the skills to build the Tram, whether you want to is another matter. The $250 build charge is very reasonable.
Clive
I run a single pair of 5m interconnects to my 300B amps. I have added a 2nd phono socket connected at the input to these amps, from this I simply take a short cable to the bass amps. My 300B amps are 100k input impedance, my bass amps are 20k so the load the Tram sees is 16.6k. I used to run two 5m pairs of interconnects via a splitter connected to the Tram output, this worked fine too.
If you are building the 2A3 amps then you will have the skills to build the Tram, whether you want to is another matter. The $250 build charge is very reasonable.
Clive
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