wasn't me cause i am broke. Easy to find a suitable replacement for the big snap-in caps, maybe with higher voltage rating or a bit different capacity.Who stole my Nichicon caps at Mouser, i had them right here in my shopping cart!
Another one from F&T I guess. Mundorfs are more expensive but not by large margin
PSU capacitors can easily be heard, meaning you easily realize the change in A/B comparison. Even series of the same brand can sound different. They don't change the character of the phono stage It's more like finishing touch which can bring the sound to your liking.
I can't talk in absolute terms but only one relative to other and the level of this difference depends on your system.
I recommend to leave it as last mod.
F&T makes Mundorfs (some series are to their specs other just copies) so I don't expect them to differ that much. Once I saw the pricelist for Krummers and they were quite expensive.
I would have suggested a more universal RAW supply pcb that could fit more caps but then again among my favorite ones are screw terminal ones, so it's useless. Even 4 pole ones have different hole arrangement, like T-Nets and Mundorfs.
Edit: I've just remembered another brand with French-like name which were of the same origin. I think nowadays it's not costly just to put your name into the label even from German factory
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The board and kits are shipping out now. I am packing them quicker than the mail-person can pick them up. So, don't get too nervous if they have not shown any activity for a few days.
If you take a look at the BOM, it has been highlighted in a strange way. This reflects the way I packed items on a per-bag basis. No, I don't mark and bag every resistor. You will need your multimeter to be certain of that. I also use a magnifying glass to determine the other TO-92 devices apart, but the 327-40 are pretty clearly labeled. Your eyes are likely better and can tell them all apart.
I suggest you find the most expensive resistors first, the labeled in blue .1% resistors and lay them down first in the appropriate spots.
Rx1-4 R1, R5-6 (as one PRP resistor), R7,R9,R19,R20
Then I would move on to the labeled in Red PS or power supply section.
Then the remaining, labeled in green, signal resistors for the rest of the board - except the R2-3, and appropriate R8, R11 resistors. They come in the 2SK369BL and 2SK170BL bags accordingly. They are measured for the IDSS of your parts. The collet connectors are meant to be used for Q1-Q2, and for C2Y. Since most of you will not be removing these parts a lot, they 3 section ones can be skipped, but recommend them for certain on testing C2Y. You will want to try several values out to get an idea of what sounds best. I did not settle on a value until I had 100 hours or more on C3-C4.
At this point, once the transistors are ready to install, pour the bag into a container, not onto a table or flat surface. The small parts may roll off a table never to be seen again. Trust me on this. Probably should do that with the resistors too.
The 15V diodes are marked in red with a permanent marker pen, and the 12V ones in blue. Those parts are also marked as 12V and 15V in small letters. There is a chance I may have missed coloring one, or colored very little, so use the ones that are colored as guidance.
As Salas has noted in previous build guide - building lower profile stuff first makes sense. Then on to taller stuff. Note the ecaps orientation of course. Those do not all park in the same direction.
As a general note too, do not try to put the 2P terminal connectors back to back if using as one board. It will become a terrible finger puzzle at that point. Just use one or the other, and then jumper. They are not naturally connected, and recommend that you power the supply up before connecting the two together. Make sure it gets some output voltage.
6L6 is going to do a visual build guide later, but I did not send him the kit as it is, so it will likely be more generic in that sense. I also do not know the timeline for that , or any additional notes that Salas may have for tuning, but I have been able to get them to work without much direction.
The parts selection secured is very close to what is listed originally in the BOM. I changed to a Dale 2.2k instead of a Beyershlag 2.2k, and some of the 51.1R and I think the general 100R in the RIAA portion I changed for another Dale/vishay variant. This is good, in general the local supply of some Dale/Vishay resistors is getting uncomfortably low - or with lead times going into 2021. Of course, other brands of resistors can be used here, do not panic. I have not listened to others in the circuit, but there are plenty of decent substitutes for most of the passive parts.
Let me know if there are any other questions about the kit. It's the most parts I ever shipped in a kit, so a mistake in packing on my part is more likely. Let me know if you run into any issues. I hope this helps.
If you take a look at the BOM, it has been highlighted in a strange way. This reflects the way I packed items on a per-bag basis. No, I don't mark and bag every resistor. You will need your multimeter to be certain of that. I also use a magnifying glass to determine the other TO-92 devices apart, but the 327-40 are pretty clearly labeled. Your eyes are likely better and can tell them all apart.
I suggest you find the most expensive resistors first, the labeled in blue .1% resistors and lay them down first in the appropriate spots.
Rx1-4 R1, R5-6 (as one PRP resistor), R7,R9,R19,R20
Then I would move on to the labeled in Red PS or power supply section.
Then the remaining, labeled in green, signal resistors for the rest of the board - except the R2-3, and appropriate R8, R11 resistors. They come in the 2SK369BL and 2SK170BL bags accordingly. They are measured for the IDSS of your parts. The collet connectors are meant to be used for Q1-Q2, and for C2Y. Since most of you will not be removing these parts a lot, they 3 section ones can be skipped, but recommend them for certain on testing C2Y. You will want to try several values out to get an idea of what sounds best. I did not settle on a value until I had 100 hours or more on C3-C4.
At this point, once the transistors are ready to install, pour the bag into a container, not onto a table or flat surface. The small parts may roll off a table never to be seen again. Trust me on this. Probably should do that with the resistors too.
The 15V diodes are marked in red with a permanent marker pen, and the 12V ones in blue. Those parts are also marked as 12V and 15V in small letters. There is a chance I may have missed coloring one, or colored very little, so use the ones that are colored as guidance.
As Salas has noted in previous build guide - building lower profile stuff first makes sense. Then on to taller stuff. Note the ecaps orientation of course. Those do not all park in the same direction.
As a general note too, do not try to put the 2P terminal connectors back to back if using as one board. It will become a terrible finger puzzle at that point. Just use one or the other, and then jumper. They are not naturally connected, and recommend that you power the supply up before connecting the two together. Make sure it gets some output voltage.
6L6 is going to do a visual build guide later, but I did not send him the kit as it is, so it will likely be more generic in that sense. I also do not know the timeline for that , or any additional notes that Salas may have for tuning, but I have been able to get them to work without much direction.
The parts selection secured is very close to what is listed originally in the BOM. I changed to a Dale 2.2k instead of a Beyershlag 2.2k, and some of the 51.1R and I think the general 100R in the RIAA portion I changed for another Dale/vishay variant. This is good, in general the local supply of some Dale/Vishay resistors is getting uncomfortably low - or with lead times going into 2021. Of course, other brands of resistors can be used here, do not panic. I have not listened to others in the circuit, but there are plenty of decent substitutes for most of the passive parts.
Let me know if there are any other questions about the kit. It's the most parts I ever shipped in a kit, so a mistake in packing on my part is more likely. Let me know if you run into any issues. I hope this helps.
Judging from FSP reported builds history, in most systems it should end up sounding balanced for treble between 15.1nF to 15.2nF C2+C2Y total true value. Enough times with a good LCR meter the 1% C2 cap is 15.1nF and fewer times is 14.9nF in my samples. Also finding many smaller deviations and spot on. Maybe that explains why many started with 100pF or 150pF C2Y and stayed there. They could already have had 15.2nF for real vs 15.1nF-15.15nF for nominal.
Nevertheless in UFSP a slightly different C2+C2Y value tendency may emerge or not. Different layout and a newer version shunt PSU, also newer form factor film coupling caps choices, may play a role.
Combined with different cartridges characteristics, the user's geometrical setup, his loading preference, the speakers and room, there's no hard and fast rule for C2+C2Y value. Its just a relatively narrow area of C2Y pF choice for tuning to subjective tonal perfection. Say falling somewhere between 15nF to 15.4nF total as those two numbers are usually extremes.
Nevertheless in UFSP a slightly different C2+C2Y value tendency may emerge or not. Different layout and a newer version shunt PSU, also newer form factor film coupling caps choices, may play a role.
Combined with different cartridges characteristics, the user's geometrical setup, his loading preference, the speakers and room, there's no hard and fast rule for C2+C2Y value. Its just a relatively narrow area of C2Y pF choice for tuning to subjective tonal perfection. Say falling somewhere between 15nF to 15.4nF total as those two numbers are usually extremes.
He has already gone beyond the call with the JFET matching, let alone he has them! I have read that he was experimenting with the values of c2y and c2, I bough the Clarity Cap like he recommended along with the Mundorf Supreme that is in the picture of your build. I copy and paste all the info you and Tea Bag post into a document I use during the build, so I need to make sure I find his posts and coy the data.
I have Vishay Z-Foil resistors for R1, R17, and R1x - R4x which are 1% resistors. The kits have 0.1% resistors for R1x-R4x and R1, are the Z-Foil still preferred?
I have Vishay Z-Foil resistors for R1, R17, and R1x - R4x which are 1% resistors. The kits have 0.1% resistors for R1x-R4x and R1, are the Z-Foil still preferred?
Nothing is a Z-Foil except a Z-Foil. If you got them use them. Terrible value for money, sensitive to scratch, and cheaper really low ppm conventional ones come really close. But they subjectively almost always manage to offer that cherry on the cake effect when installed in important positions. IMHO & YMMV of course.
*R17 is the only one of those sensitive to tolerance but 1% is still OK.
*R17 is the only one of those sensitive to tolerance but 1% is still OK.
Not sure what makes them noticeably transparent in audio when they are surely made for much more demanding precision applications. Especially not for the noise levels of records. Their dimensional stability in proprietary metallurgy has a good side effect maybe. They are certainly not made in the way of the other normal resistors.
The C1 and C2 are all measured. If your above standard neurotic, then you going to be bothered that none of them are exactly the 47 and 15nf. But they are matched between channels, and all within 1% of quoted part value. Which is better than most caps.
I could not effectively measure all the C2Y without up-charging the whole kit for measured caps most of which will go unused (Hopefully future feedback will allow me to stock less values), so I included the 2.5% variance C2Y caps in a number of values to target between 15.1-15.4. 2.5% on a small value is far less deviation than previous unmatched C2 values, since the pf are such small values to begin with, but noticeable to ear.
I would not overthink the C2Y bit, once you have 'burned in' circuit for sometime, try both ~15.1 and ~15.4 values. You will likely clearly hear the difference, and get an idea of which way to go from there. But this later part my opinion only. I will be interested if other people also report back changes here.