Building a Pearl 2

Thanks 6 l6 ( again)

Hi boss

we meet again, thanks for that, my worry was if I increase the gain of my f5 but already have a noisy source the signal to noise ratio might be exaserrpated by my speakers?(hiss-)

Any one actually useing a Denon DL 103? With a unity gain pre and a f5? And horns?......if so are you ok with that?

HoweverI know 6L6 uses a DL 110 and seems happy with that higher o/p device, so there's the rub-.....I like the sound of the 103 but the the 110 seems more practical given the pass per/power setup...however I have no experience of any of the above cartlidges-in fact I have never even heard a Denon.!!..so I have to take a leap of faith... (But I did this with the pass per and F5 and so far so good...I did waste my money there thanks to Nelson)

But i take 6L 6 point also as an alternative strategy also with the F5 .

Off to the toilet for a think:eek:


Cheers
Johnny
 

6L6

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My Pearl 2 has no hiss. None. No hum either. If listening to the output with my headphones turned all the way up I can hear the popcorn noise of the Jfets, that's it. And that is with a cartridge attached...

Of course, as it's in aluminum, you need to keep it away from any power transformer by about 1M. A steel case would help in that regard.
 
thanks again

HI 6L6,

Thanks, so my fears of internal noise appears to be a non issue, just take sensible precautions with shielding etc (As I have already done)So I shall get a Denon DL 103 (OR 103a?) and just get on with it as you advised, thanks again 6l6...off to scour ebay for a "deal" then.:rolleyes:

best regards
johnny
 
Shelter / Denon 103

Hi Jonny,

I'm running ,a Shelter 501 , Denon 103 and Ortofon Concorde ( Used vinyl and party cartridge . I have very little out when using the Shelter and Denon . I'm thinking I need to build an SUT .

Speakers are 95db - Horns , Pearl 2 ,XA 160 and X2.5 pre . I'm about 30-35 db down on the output when using Shelter and Denon …. I'm loath to open up the Pearl now its running superbly unless I'm guided .


Any suggestions welcome …

Thank you ,Richard
 

6L6

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Rich,

Are you running out of system gain when playing the Denon or Shelter? Can you not just turn up the volume a bit more? It's much, much better to turn up your volume knob than modify anything.

And, with such very efficient speakers, I would find it difficult to believe you are having some lack of volume. :)

The other thing to consider us the coil inductance of the Denon and Shelter are quite different, and a SUT that sounds good with one may not suit the other.
 

6L6

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If you turn the volume to 0.0 is it too loud for continuous listening? I suspect it is.

The difference between -10 and -30 is completely inconsequential, as in both cases, you are throwing away signal in the attenuator. You are not using the gain of the preamp, so your system gain seems quite adequate for the task at hand. (More than enough, actually)
 
6L6 ,

I'm listening now ….. you have a point . I have only just set them up and was
concerned that I was hearing distortion …. I have never aligned a cartridge before . So , I need to ask questions :) thanks for the support .

For critical listening the volume is more than adequate as you rightly mentioned . I need to get another pair of experienced ears .

It sounds pretty darn sweet . Thanks for the panic diffusion :)

Richard
 

6L6

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Do you have the overhang gauge for your turntable? Get the stylus tip aligned to that exact distance and then make the body of the cartridge as parallel as possible in the headshell. That will get you 98% of the way there.

Technics_Overhang_Gauge_pjpeg.jpg


overhang.jpg
 

6L6

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I ordered mine from KAB, but I bet if you put a request on AOS somebody local to you may have one to sell or just give you.

There are a few places in the UK that re-tip, Northwest Analogue and Goldring immediately come to mind. The damn shame is that it's a sliding scale, as MC carts are 100% Veblen priced... But still worth the inquiry.
 
Cheers ,

Ok …. I just set it to 52mm . I did it by eye originally ,but measured ,and made an adjustment .

Where did you get the gauge ? They are ideal for storage -better than kicking around on the shelf …. £ 500 to re-tip the shelter :(

Rich

Just download and print an alignment protractor:

Free Cartridge Alignment Protractors - Vinyl Engine

Won't solve your storage issues, but at least you can get the cartridge set up properly.
 
Hi Johnny,
sorry, a little late, but coming back to your question about the Denon 103 - yes, I am using the Pearl2 with a Denon DL 103 on a 12 inch Audio Technica (ATP 16) arm on a Technics SP 20, with some DIY backloaded horn speakers - the sound is really good!
No hiss at all with the DL 103.
Cheers
Poli
 

6L6

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Hi 6L6,
Thanks man, it was good fun to build. Well, it has its flaws, since it was my first plinth that i built, but it sounds good.
Wow, two SP 10! These are hard to find these days! Prices have gone up for them, so you are a lucky man, congratulations!
They look really cool and I wish you all the best for overhauling them!
Yeah, the ATP-16 are a really good match for the DL 103!
Looking forward to reading about your sound impressions.
Cheers
Poli