Salas DCG3 preamp (line & headphone)

diyAudio Chief Moderator
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If you will also use high current demand headphones its better to have the thicker DC cables. DCSTB's outputs were made to match the DCG3 power inputs positioning when those PCBs come close together so to minimize cabling for that same reason. On the AC side you are alright with those cables you have in the photo.
 
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Hello all.

After a lot of friendly help from Ian (IDM) I hope to connect up the amp tonight.

I have just measured my Ebay dact type pot and it measure 10k....not the 20k I asked for.
Will it be ok as a test?

Also can someone clarify how to wire the pot please?

If looking at the pot and the shaft is towards...L>R.....input>gnd>output?

Thanks again
 
If you will also use high current demand headphones its better to have the thicker DC cables.

Thanks Salas, I'll be aware of it.

Sold my closed Beyerdynamics dt770 recently and planning to go to US soon. Will probably get Sennheiser from massdrop there, heard that there's a good deal on it.

For now though DCG3 will connect to my build of ZenMod's Babelfish J.
 
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Had listened to Massdrop's HD58x I shared my impressions some posts back in this thread. Bit thickly toned and narrow but very satisfying bass, strong rendering of voices and instruments, clean apart some smear around 5kHz, focused center stage, and coherent overall. There's a grill side dust foam pads removal mod with some felt or foam patches on the transducers backs that makes it more open and neutral but many like it stock for overall ease of listening.

DT770s I also have (82Ω). They are unique among budget closed backs for sub bass non smeared treble and wideness. Best comfy ear pads in class too. Their V shaped mids respond to EQ and when filled out some with a bit of treble trapping also, the result is very clean and wide, very comfortable, large sound. Great for films. The rumble Fx in action movies etc. come through. But the noisy outsiders don't come in yeah!
 
diyAudio Chief Moderator
Joined 2002
Paid Member
Hello all.

After a lot of friendly help from Ian (IDM) I hope to connect up the amp tonight.

I have just measured my Ebay dact type pot and it measure 10k....not the 20k I asked for.
Will it be ok as a test?

Also can someone clarify how to wire the pot please?

If looking at the pot and the shaft is towards...L>R.....input>gnd>output?

Thanks again

10K may come across bright with this preamp (depending on synergy with your speakers room sound) but electrically its alright for a test. I don't think that those Ebay thingies differ from the norm in wiring requirements. When we look to a volume pot's back, left pin is input, middle is output, right is GND. When not mounted on grounded chassis we connect that rightmost pin to the pot's metal body with a short wire also. Not to buzz, especially when we touch it.

*To know a pot's nominal value measure between its outer pins.
 
Had listened to Massdrop's HD58x I shared my impressions some posts back in this thread. Bit thickly toned and narrow but very satisfying bass, strong rendering of voices and instruments, clean apart some smear around 5kHz, focused center stage, and coherent overall. There's a grill side dust foam pads removal mod with some felt or foam patches on the transducers backs that makes it more open and neutral but many like it stock for overall ease of listening.

DT770s I also have (82Ω). They are unique among budget closed backs for sub bass non smeared treble and wideness. Best comfy ear pads in class too. Their V shaped mids respond to EQ and when filled out some with a bit of treble trapping also, the result is very clean and wide, very comfortable, large sound. Great for films. The rumble Fx in action movies etc. come through. But the noisy outsiders don't come in yeah!


I was quite impressed with DT770s once I got them, 82ohm version as well. Used them for couple of years or so, but felt like I get tired of over extended bass and V shaped sound after several hours of listening. That's why I am switching to open back, like HD58x or HD6xx. Do you think Sennheisers are less tiring than DTs?
 
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I was quite impressed with DT770s once I got them, 82ohm version as well. Used them for couple of years or so, but felt like I get tired of over extended bass and V shaped sound after several hours of listening. That's why I am switching to open back, like HD58x or HD6xx. Do you think Sennheisers are less tiring than DTs?

Sans EQ the HD58x is way more soft & natural than a DT770. Their closed backs are not as good again. But closed back is indispensable when we need block outside noise or not to be a nuisance to others.
 
Main board ready to be mounted with mosfets to the sink. This one is much heavier than for ultra-bibs, though the mosfets are off center I think it should be fine. Gonna place it vertically to shield from AC wiring/transformers.
 

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diyAudio Chief Moderator
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Struggling still....so it plays music so that is something.

Still have a hiss issue and then some horrible noises further up the volume range.

I hope some of you could maybe find the time to have a quick watch of this video I made to help diagnose?

Thanks

YouTube

Is there wiring/continuity from line out grounds to the preamp's chassis? If not arrange so. Could also be the uncased amp not interfacing too well as an alternative scenario. Do you have another different technology amp to hook up? Or can you put 1k resistors in series with the line outputs to see if they damp something in the interface? So to check/exclude that scenario.