Iron Pre Essentials Kits For The DIYA Store - Register Your Interest

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#4,048
barbosas said:
Hi,

I'm planning my next build which will be the Iron Pre, looking for the convenience of having a remote volume control and I'm planning on purchasing a kit from academy audio but I'm a bit lost on how to connect it to the Iron Pre.

Can anyone give some pointers on how to adapt this to the Iron Pre?

Thanks in advance

This is what im planning to go with:

yvmjSYA.jpeg



https://www.academyaudio.com/product-page/vcx-hi-end-muses-micro-volume-control
Click to expand...
You can check out post 3254 in this thread for some pics on how I did the implementation and power supply. Works well and sounds better than the pot in my opinion. I'm thinking of trying Frank Wilker Muses solution on my next iron pre only because I like the display a bit better.
 
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#4,049
Zen Mod said:
if there is anything else in signal path, besides attenuator itself, it's negating entire concept of Iron Pre

meaning - if there are OP chips in signal path, meh ....
Click to expand...
Good point! I've never seen that module before. I hadn't realized the volume control chip was in the path.

@barbosas , take a look at https://www.amb.org/audio/lcduino1/ You can use this and combine it with the Delta 1 attenuator, or take it one step further and add full logic with the Delta 2 board for source and output selection. It's not a cheap solution, but well supported with currently available parts. The total parts cost is north of $300 USD for everything when I added it up last night
 
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#4,050
Zen Mod said:
if there is anything else in signal path, besides attenuator itself, it's negating entire concept of Iron Pre

meaning - if there are OP chips in signal path, meh ....
Click to expand...

sbelyo said:
Good point! I've never seen that module before. I hadn't realized the volume control chip was in the path.
Click to expand...

Note that the Muses chips employ OP amps only when gain is desired. It can be used without op amps, just the attenuator in the signal path.

Muses can be used either way, i.o.w. with op amps for gain, or without.
 
#4,051
Great news from the Caboose!

I thought the lack of remote, coming from the other preamp, might bother me. Took like hmm... five minutes.

But having two volume controls.... I tried putting a rubber band from left to right knob so when I turn the right, the left comes along.

But... it was dorky... so I took it out.

On the bright side, I got an awesome balance control now.

And there is NO NOISE coming of that baby.

The only upgrade would be more balanced inputs and output and perhaps a tape monitor and a tape dubbing and a bass and treble control and a loudness and, and... and.... how do you say "Origins" and "Zen Amount" in Serbian?

Perhaps a cabinet designed after the old Soviet audio stuff with stuff like "порекла" on it.

But seriously, this thing is deadly quiet... it truly sounds very, very, very good.

Thanks

1728939070762.png
 
#4,052
so, you have Iron Pre (bal) and having 2 sets of outputs is a problem?

As written, totally normal having either 2 pairs of output XLRs or one pair of XLRs plus one pair of RCAs, functional in same time


btw. whatever "Amfiton" I ever heard sounded as drek, and was made as overcomplicated drek

pretty much sole thing worthy, made in old era, was tube amp "Priboi"

divine iron, but rest of it showing too many corners cut

majority of those were reworked, resulting in much better sound quality and functionality
 
#4,053
A First World problem.

I would love to connect in balanced mode the BA3 and the A5s. At the same time, all the time. That way I select which amp/speakers are on by switching the appropriate amplifiers.

So, that calls for an additional balanced output. IMHO, you always have to have at least one SE output to make sure you can drive it with most anything. So that makes it three line level outputs. That lots of "Zen Amount".

Now this is not a real issue, since the A5s are happy running SE with gobs of gain, but the BA3 NEEDS the balanced output.

Gotta go, taking most of the day off... The Allmans are playing right now. Mountain Jam...
 
#4,054
you can make insane number of outputs, but! not used all the time, so necessary switchable (operational/non-operational)........ simply wired in parallel, but through switches/relays

you can make reasonable number of outputs used all the time, simply hard-wired in parallel

main thing to avoid, that's why switching is needed, is fact that some amps when not energized are having inputs behaving as black hole

practically, any amp having JFet input without series resistor of substantial value (say, defining Rin in some arrangements, Aleph J and derivatives) is going to act as that
 
#4,055
Ooops, I should have written A2... not A5.

Well, I got the A2s hooked up right now, via SE and I see nothing untoward happening.

Do you want me to measure its output impedance when turned off?

The schematic shows about 9K to ground on the SE input.
 
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#4,056
Zen Mod said:
practically, any amp having JFet input without series resistor of substantial value (say, defining Rin in some arrangements, Aleph J and derivatives) is going to act as that
Click to expand...


said in opposite way - amps having series resistor as input impedance defining element, will not present black hole for signal, when unpowered

Aleph 5 is example of that, same as practically all Aleph derivatives
 
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