So, if it's not DIY Gene, then what?

[manlystanley]

I am in the beginning phase of building my own tube pre-amp. I was ready to pull the trigger on the DIY Gene's kit for the Jadis JP200, but then I read here that he actually ripped off the design from someone else.

So, I'd like to build a high quality preamp, but not sure where an 'ethical' kit is at?

What I'm looking for is: preferably a kit, high grade components, great sound, have tubes, a remote control, and cost around $700- $800.

So, with all of you guys/girls that have built preamps, can you please tell me:

-- What do you like about your preamp?
-- Where you got the components/kit from?
-- How much much did the entire preamp cost?
-- What do you think of the sound?

Thanks so much for your help!!

Best Regards,
Stan

[Bigun]

If you can force yourself to get off the couch and set the volume the old fashioned way


http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobesp.../foreplay3.htm

[boywonder]

Stan: Another very popular (and great sounding) preamp is John Broskie's Aikido. Although it's not a complete kit, you can buy PCB's for either a 9 pin version or an 8 pin/octal version.

Broskie's web site is here: Printed Circuit Boards and Kits

This solution will allow you to figure out how much gain you need, then build the preamp with the correct tube compliment to get that gain, ie high gain for phono preamp, and low gain for line-level preamp.

The Aikido is also very easy to tweak/tube roll and it's very well documented. Do a search here for it. There are also some newer "all in one" boards available at the Tubecad site as well. IIRC, the all-in-one boards are the power supply and tube circuitry all on one PCB.

For the remote control volume, check out the swap meet forum here, as there is at least one member selling kits for that.

[cjkpkg]

+1 on the Aikido. I recently put my 5687 Aikido in a proper chassis with 2 inputs and use JB's PS-3 psu board as well. The PS-3 gives SS rectification and a voltage doubler provides nice clean 12.6VDC for the heaters. You can configure the board to use 6.3V or 12.6V depending on your tube type. Easiest to use 12.6V and then wire parallel or series.

I would suspect that it would not be difficult to integrate a remote for volume and input switching. There are lots of boards out there for that.

[Bandersnatch]

-- What do you like about your preamp?
It sounds good. It drives my active crossover.


-- Where you got the components/kit from?
Ebay, Mouser, Digikey and Hamfests. It has gotten parts from as many different machines as there are parts almost; power TX from one, choke from another, sockets, filament choke( DC heaters ). Misc resistors, coupling caps and volume knob are new.


-- How much much did the entire preamp cost?
I think there is about $200 in it.


-- What do you think of the sound?
It is still in service some months after completing it w/o modification; it sounds great. There is *NOTHING* like it available from anywhere, at any price.
cheers,
Douglas

[cjkpkg]

Yes, I suppose I did not address all the questions...

Aikdio 5687 kit from tubecad.com - ~$130 for pcb, tubes, resistors and caps
Chassis from modushop.biz - 3U with 4mm front ~$80 delivered
PS-3 PSU kit also from tubecad.com - ~$45 delivered
Edcor XPWR 106 550V(275-0-275)@125mA CT & 6.3V@4A - ~$50 delivered
Assorted switches, RCAs, IEC inlet, ALPS pot, knob from Mouser - ~$40 delivered

So lets call it about $350.

I have an old Yamaha CA-810, a chipamp preamp(the UPC search here), Pass JFETBOZ, and the Aikido.

My two favorites are the JFETBOZ and the Aikido. Both have similar warmth and gain. If I could only have one it would be the Aikido. It is dead silent and not at all fatiguing and the only one I dont feel compelled to want to adjust some treble or bass.

[manlystanley]

Thanks for the help! The tip about the Aikido is really great! Here some reviews of the amp. I'm really thinking about building it:

Aikido Amplifier Revisited
Aikido Pre-amp Kit | DMS Audio

Best Regards,
Stan

[TheGimp]

Oooo. Copper tubing shielding. Sweet idea. I've got lots of copper tubing left over from my brewing days just gathering dust.

Polish it with "NeverDull", or polish it and spray it with clear lacquer or varnish to preserve the finish for a nice look.

Also, make sure you solder a wire to it and ground it to your star ground or ground bus, otherwise it is not a good shield.

[manlystanley]

I'm very excited. I've read many reviews and this seems like the way to go. Everything that I've read about the Aikido says it is such a great amp! I've got another question, but I'll go and start a new thread for that.

Thanks so much for your help!!

Best Regards,
Stan

[Speedskater]

We had a very old FM transmitter at the radio station. Many of the signal wires were routed through small copper (I think) tubes. It looked something like a hot rod's engine compartment.