Nice to see some experimenting/customisation. Do you think this version sounds better/is quieter than earlier versions you built?
As per the formula in the build guide, 1k for R9 should give about 61 dB gain.
As per the formula in the build guide, 1k for R9 should give about 61 dB gain.
Well..... I obviously stand corrected on the gain calculation 😎 👍
As to your 1. question..... Not only think...... it IS more quiet, although this is subjective.... perceived by listening and not
by measure.
Also (again subjective) I tried a couple of other opamps (I did the 2 first with LME49720 also) both NJM-2068 and NJM-2114, the latter
having best spec´s, but it´s incredible, how much more "body" to the sound with the 49720. Compared to the other 2 (of course in
my setup and listening spot) the 49720 sounds "full bodied" and the NJM´s rather anemic i comparison.
I had serious thoughts about where to go, before I did this 3. build. Maybe "lucky punch"....... don´t know, but listening to this
one, I right now can´t think of anything to improve.
Sold my X-Ono clone a couple of weeks ago, and with this build of the Pearl-3 I´m not missing anything..... at all.
I have others "serious" riaa builds in line for later, but for now these are less urgent, than they were a week ago.
I'm currently playing around with OPA627, OPA827 and OPA828. I thought that the 627 was somewhat warmer than the OPA1612 I started with. Maybe bass a little less tight. For my ears a more pleasant sound. 827 sounded very good too. Audio memory is short and it takes some time to swap them, so I mostly go by the first thing I notice after a swap.
Totally agree, and I´m far from done swapping opamps 😛
I have a lot in the waiting line.....AD712, NJM4560/4570/4580, OPA1656, OPA2604, OPA2134, OP275, dual board with LT1122 and 1097 a.o.
but was a little surprised reading the "OpAmp"-shootout earlier in the thread, where a lot of peoples favourite seemed to be the
cheapest, oldest and slowest of them all 😎
Have you tried an OPA1656? I thought that one sounded pretty good.
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In my case, not yet. But I've got that one as well, so I will try it sooner or later.
Regarding Gain - I just set up a P3 for High and Low output MC's. It was a simple matter of changing out R22 from the original 220R with a 330R.
R9 @ 2k2 70dB SE and 76dB BAL
R22 @ 330R
R9 || R22 = 287R 53dB SE 59 BAL
[/td]
R9 @ 2k2 70dB SE and 76dB BAL
R22 @ 330R
R9 || R22 = 287R 53dB SE 59 BAL
[/td]
This is so cool!
Just sitting in my favorite chair listening to some music, browsing my favorite forum and just happen to come across this. Just plug my iPad into the dac and suddenly I get a small glimpse into your listening room and system just like that. Sounds very good through my newly built F5m. Awesome!
Boydk: Your second example is more like my vinyl expectations (by cf. to the earlier Hotel CA) -- you can hear a bit of vinyl noise, but not much for this example that has a large dynamic range. 1984 is an interesting year to speculate on analog vs/ digital mastering.
Your equipment is superb and the special care you take in selecting component parts and developing state of the art PSUs is exemplary.
Your equipment is superb and the special care you take in selecting component parts and developing state of the art PSUs is exemplary.
Hello,
The OPA1656 is my pick of the litter.
In terms of measured distortion they all challenge even the best analyzer.
To me noise is the primary focus. If you run an FFT, for bragging rights I prefer to see less noise. This Pearl 3 is a high gain circuit and is sensitive to input jFET noise as well as Op-Amp noise.
At Burning Amp 2024 Tom Christiansen did a nice presentation on the topic of rolling and selecting Op-Amps. Toms presentation video is likely posted here on diyAudio.
Thanks DT
On the advice of the estimable Boydk, started looking at isolation feet for my VPI turntable. The Pearl 3 offers a wide dynamic range and exceptionally quiet floor. So, after some searching, found these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082J6FV57?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
They make a tremendous improvement in my setup (the Hana ML cartridge brings out the worst in the VPI's noise floor because of its great response) and I suggest they might help any turntable that is making a steady hum when the needle is lowered -- despite how soft that hum might be.
Thanks Boydk!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082J6FV57?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
They make a tremendous improvement in my setup (the Hana ML cartridge brings out the worst in the VPI's noise floor because of its great response) and I suggest they might help any turntable that is making a steady hum when the needle is lowered -- despite how soft that hum might be.
Thanks Boydk!
mhenschel: It's the motor that is independent and sits to the left side of the table. Boydk sent a bunch of Internet references so the problem is well known. Had been using rubber pads on the motor alone to try and kill the hum but they did not completely work. Using the pads quoted above for both the turntable and motor feet (8 altogether) keeps the height correct for the connecting band and completely removes the low-level hum. Since the P3 is so quiet, you notice the difference and Boydk's first DBX example above showcases this sound.
Craig,
I use sorbotane hemispheres 2in diameter. There is a dude that sell these on ebay. I think they are softer than your cork platform and they compress some. I was afraid they would compress too much because the garrard 301 and base I am using comes out quite heavy. They pass the knock on the cabinet test and I can't hear that on the speakers anymore.
I use sorbotane hemispheres 2in diameter. There is a dude that sell these on ebay. I think they are softer than your cork platform and they compress some. I was afraid they would compress too much because the garrard 301 and base I am using comes out quite heavy. They pass the knock on the cabinet test and I can't hear that on the speakers anymore.
Grataku,
Thanks for the reference. Have avoided these in the past because of their half-ball configuration. Want the feet on the (extremely heavy) VPI to rest on a solid, flat dimension. Perhaps the compression you note offers some of this.
The Tuneful Cables isolation pads are working perfectly so far. They aren't compressing much and there is no hum of any kind left. Of course this means that 1) you still hear the vinyl surface noise when it is there and 2) the extraordinary quiet produced by the P3 is most evident. $30 well spent.
BTW, at the same time, ordered a set of furniture sliders for my Tekton Double Impact speakers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDPS396Y?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
These allow you to make subtle shifts on the heavy speakers to improve soundstage and have spent some time investigating angles I thought were poor. Moving from a near-field like triangular position to a halfway position between straight and nearfield has improved the soundstage significantly.
Thanks for the reference. Have avoided these in the past because of their half-ball configuration. Want the feet on the (extremely heavy) VPI to rest on a solid, flat dimension. Perhaps the compression you note offers some of this.
The Tuneful Cables isolation pads are working perfectly so far. They aren't compressing much and there is no hum of any kind left. Of course this means that 1) you still hear the vinyl surface noise when it is there and 2) the extraordinary quiet produced by the P3 is most evident. $30 well spent.
BTW, at the same time, ordered a set of furniture sliders for my Tekton Double Impact speakers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDPS396Y?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
These allow you to make subtle shifts on the heavy speakers to improve soundstage and have spent some time investigating angles I thought were poor. Moving from a near-field like triangular position to a halfway position between straight and nearfield has improved the soundstage significantly.
Thanks for your kind words. I´m happy, you got the result, you did.
As I wrote you, for many years I had a definition of, what was "groove noise", only late in life to discover, that´s it´s a combination
of a lot of different noise sources. Biggest improvement so far was to replace the platter/bearing on my Acoustic Solid Wood Black TT
with a similar height/diameter platter with "maglev" bearing. The improvement of having a close to 10 Kg platter floating on a magnetic
field instead of resting on a cirkonium ball was nothing less than a revelation. Reduced the noise floor to less than half. Next came spring
loaded feet under the TT and then a special hard foam rubber under the motor pod. What´s left now is the actual groove noise, which tells
you, that a vinyl pressing done right/with care can be extremely quiet. All of this helps to bring out the qualities of the Pearl-3, which again
big thanks to Wayne Colburn, is an amazing little piece of art. Did I mention, that I sold my X-Ono clone??
Do I miss it??........... Not at all, and that says a lot 😍