My Take on Threshold NS10

[steenoe]

Thanks for the suggestions Tony, I will try that. There is no bypass for the zeners, so you could be right.🙂 I have my grounding scheme under excamination.

How about bass performance?

Ohh, firm and tight😎 I am really impressed by this little preamp🙂 You can look forward to hear it😉 Now we are at it, with this old Treshold stuff; what about an A400, to go with that preamp?😀 That would make even me sing along😎

Excellent preamp.

Thanks a lot Russ! I made it a bit pretty since it stays in the livingroom🙂

Steen. 😎

 

[steenoe]

I kinda feel like a proud uncle or something seeing those PCBs in there.

Sorry Russ, I missed your post at first. You can be proud allright, the layout is working just great🙂 Thanks a lot🙂 Here is a pic, if you care, of the little champagne-coloured wonder😀

Steen😎

 

[phoneisbusy]

Very nice layout! It looks as if there's a volume pot, a source selector and a control I'm not sure about. Is that a power switch?

I'm following this thread with much interest as I'd like to put together an integrated amp using Russ M-ref amp kit and some preamp circuit. So many interesting project = paralysis... 😉

I notice that many preamp circuits do not have a balance control. Is this handled by pots/switched attenuators on the outputs of the preamp circuits?

regards

Dave

 

[steenoe]

Is that a power switch?

Nope, thats a Neutrik socket for headphones😀 The powerswitch is placed on the rear.
I had to take out the headphoneamp, to make room for the NS10.
I am thinking about, how to get the headphoneamp, back in, though😉 Will probably have to stack the boards, somehow.
You can safely build the NS10, its really great sounding. Its even more dynamic than I would have thought, it drives a ZenV4 amp with no sweat🙂

Steen🙂

 

[apassgear]

Which attenuator are you using Steen?

And another one, what source are you using with with the NS10?

 

[jacco vermeulen]

SteenBoy,

you are mighty fast, really like the knobs.
The same which i happened to receive from jrsun today.
What's the brand of the big MKP turd rolls ?

About the pics:
Al will kick me of this forum of exquisite taste and decorum if i do.

 

[steenoe]

Which attenuator are you using Steen?

I had to take out the Elma, and replaced it with a std. 22k audiotaper pot Sigh, but there wasnt room enough for the attenuator!
The preamp is working really nice with that one though!

what source are you using with with the NS10?

So far, I am only using my CD player, a Denon DCD1450, heavily modded with a LC clock and excpensive opamps🙂 Well I have been listening to this preamp all evening, and I keep pulling out old favourite albums that I want to hear🙂 It tells me that this preamp is just great! I will try it with the Pearl shortly. As good as this sounds, I am sure it will be great with vinyl, also😉 Its more detailed in the topend, than I am used to. The bottomend is just firm and tight as I said. I think I will keep this one for a while🙂 I didnt have the faintest idea, that a small transistor circuit could sound like this. I will agree to what Tmblack and Lumanauw said: It makes CD's sound like Vinyls😎

Steen.🙂

 

[steenoe]

you are mighty fast

I get that a lot, Jacco😀 But not from my girlfriend😀 😀 The knops are actually the same as Jrsun offers! I bought mine directly from Taiwan, though! Also the nice Champagne chassis is from Taiwan. I looked over Jrsun's shoulder to check his prices!! They are totally okay!! You cant even import the stuff cheaper yourself🙂 The knops are solid brass, I think Jrsun listed them as something else! Only trouble with them is, that the hole is not centered correctly! It wobbles in the hole, god darn...... I cant have that.-....😀 😀

Steen🙂
Oh, nearly forgot, the output caps are JCR's or JRC's dont remember😀 But they are out of here when I get the Jantzen's I ordered🙂 Come to think of it, you really need to use good parts for this preamp! The first one I made didnt sound nearly as good.

 

[Zen Mod]

yo,steeeeen my man!

I'm thrilled.......

hehe-but-how,on earth, you calculate 20 mA when you have 10mA from + to - (or vice versa 😀 )?

in that case any decent aleph will have-say-1.5A x2 ......hehe


comparing to BOZ (I'm sure that you make that also) how NS10 MegaClone sings?

for me only one matters-does it sings or not ,you can save all hifififi mumbo jumbo words-we all knows what singing means.....

 

[audiotux]

Hi Steen ,
nice little wonder , you did a very good job !
Thanx for sharing your findings

Greetings from Germany


Jürgen

 

[steenoe]

hehe-but-how,on earth, you calculate 20 mA when you have 10mA from + to - (or vice versa )?

He-he Choky-boy😀 I just meausered 10ma's from the positive rail to ground and also 10ma from the negative rail to ground! Well 10+10 is 20 isnt it😀 Well there you have it, do with the figures as you please, Choky🙂 I kind of like the idea of a shunt reg preceded by a CCS as you said earlier! Hope you will come up with something.
And yes, this baby sings, allright. I am still pulling out old albums I want to hear again this evening😎 Do yourself a favour and build it😀 Its easy enough🙂
Yours truly🙂
Steen.

 

[steenoe]

nice little wonder , you did a very good job !

Thanks a lot, Jurgen. I just like to build stuff, especially if it sounds good too😀

comparing to BOZ

Its more clean and detailed in the topend, no doubt about that. I am amased about this simple circuit!! It simply just sings, right out!

Steen.

 

[Zen Mod]

here it is-takin' in account that you have 2x25VAC iron;


there is also some space for tweaks (feel free to put somewhere few little plastic caps , mebbe even in paralel to 47E ( ?!) .

with more volts than just 35DC,you'll have more ripple rejection

hehe- with more volts on input-I can even recalculate for shunting some 110mA , not just 60......

ps-regarding CCS -mebbe just some old good LM317HV (LM337HV) ,wired for 70mA ,but you then need few volts more ,too.................

 

[steenoe]

here it is

Wow, thanks Choky! Thats fast delivery😀 I will try and mod the supply as you suggest! When we have this psu perfected, I hope Ross'ie-boy will make a lill nice pcb for it😀 Just to keep it in the Choky language😀
On a seriuos note, Choky. That shunt reg supply worked wonders! What a difference! The singing just came through🙂

Steen😎

 

[Zen Mod]

.............................................................

Choky
Prodanovic Aleksandar
YU


"don't use force,
use a larger hammer"

- Choky


"don't use force,
use a larger tube
and IST"

- ZM



http://choky.on.neobee.net
.............................................................


that is approximation of sig in my outgoing mail messages;

according to that - you really need bigger xformer (read my lips - more volts ) and then you'll have full power of shunt reg in action

then you can also xperiment with last cap in chain,or you can go Gainclone route -with minima of uFs......

 

[steenoe]

.............................................................

I can quote that, and yes I know you told us so allready😉 Shunt reg it is. I dont know why it never occured to me before?? I will try and test it on other preamps also😀 HMMMM not to use that hifimumblejumble kind of language😀 😀 But the shunt reg is really great! I cant tell what it is excactly, the music just comes straight out of the bag😀

Steen😎

 

[Zen Mod]

And yes, this baby sings, allright. I am still pulling out old albums I want to hear again this evening😎 Do yourself a favour and build it😀 Its easy enough🙂

Steen.

I didn' even finished my BOZ .....

lookin' this days for upcoming last wooden part for my EMT's wall console , and also for finishing some hokus pokus riaa temporrary substitute

eeehaw -I'm going in LP harvest action-I made arrangement with several mates-"I'll giv'ya CD copy for all yours LPs,if I can take them all...."

nice-isn't it ....

 

[Zen Mod]

I allready see the future in this board-
(tarot or what) :

" steeeeeeeeeen makin' shunt reg for his ZEN Vxxxx,
steeeen makin' shunt reg for his Aleph X
steeeen makin' shunt reg for his Krell KSA250....."

 

[Zen Mod]

btw -shunt reg is (in world of regs) exact pandan to class A amp stage (in world of amp stages)

series reg is kind a AB (?!) or B class stage......


cunning Choky

😉

 

[steenoe]

Choky, do you mean it would sound better with even more volts on the trafo's secondaries? I have 2x25 before rectification at this point! I have a 2x30v trafo also, if that should be better? But thats a 160VA, so its a bit bigger about heatsinking the BD's then? Okay, here is the last pic for today😀 The champagne wonder playing Tracy Chapman right now🙂

Steen😎

Ps no shunt reg for the Ksa 250, cause I aint gonna built it😀
I only built Pass things🙂 Well allmost, at least😱 Please, just take all your friends LP's, they dont know what good is, obviously 😀