All: please ignore the trolls. We are here to understand the capability of the unit Mr Kung is representing. There is no interest here in arguments about what curve is best for what record, or who gave their opinion. That is best addressed in another forum. Ditto on the weak political banter. Thanks
Yes. Even if the theoretically correct curve is RIAA, the tonal balance of these early recordings may be off and it is possible that other corrections make it sound subjectively better.
Last edited:
Herb talks about Elekit & Sunvalley in video
Skip to about the 18:50 time on the video.
Stereophile's Herb Reichert on the best cheap stuff to $1,000,000 systems - YouTube
Skip to about the 18:50 time on the video.
Stereophile's Herb Reichert on the best cheap stuff to $1,000,000 systems - YouTube
Was a lot more difficult than initially anticipated (significantly more difficult than elekits) and was very surprised & over the moon for it to work with no issues. in a few days time i’ll write up some notes on the build, mistakes made along the way and things to look out for. The project really turbocharges your soldering skills if you haven't done point to point before.
Last edited:
Hi Neville - i'll set out my advice but it will largely be targeted at people who have had experience building pcb based Elekit amps with the Sunvalley being their first point-to-point build.
If you have built point-to-point before then you'll be totally fine because the color manual is very detailed and clearly set out, and the reference pictures on the first page of this forum thread will help you with the layout.
For people who haven't built point to point before i'd heed the following:
Protect the chassis - The chassis can scratch easily if you aren't careful. Consider how you are going to protect from scratches when moving it around. I used a cardboard piece which slid on the table.
Expectation re time - If you are coming from pcb based like Elekit to Sunvalley - ensure that you budget 3x the amount of time than you think it will take you to finish. It is critical that you don't rush and that you double check as you go. Any expectations you have regarding finishing by a certain day will inevitably make you rush. Point to point is a completely different building experience to pcb.
Point to point solder joints - on pcb builds you don't really need separate flux, however for point to point I found it very helpful to guide the solder flow where you wanted it to go (I used a flux pen). I found this website helpful for the basic concepts of point to point and soldering to lugs: https://www.angelfire.com/electronic/funwithtubes/Soldering.html.
Also, masking tape and clips were helpful in keeping the components in place in 3D space when soldering. The manual specifies that all the joints are to be made on the lugs themselves, however you'll inevitably have to do a few where you join components to their leads. The photos that victor put up for the pre have some helpful examples of joints: Sunvalley SV-Pre1616D Point to Point Prject
Double check as you go - check 1. connection is in the right place 2. quality of the solder joint 3. there is no risk of exposed wires or leads touching other metal things that they shouldn't be touching.
Electrolytic capacitor orientation - as always - don't forget to double check this, in particular the electrolytic caps that aren't on the pcb. Easy to forget when you are in the flow.
If you have built point-to-point before then you'll be totally fine because the color manual is very detailed and clearly set out, and the reference pictures on the first page of this forum thread will help you with the layout.
For people who haven't built point to point before i'd heed the following:
Protect the chassis - The chassis can scratch easily if you aren't careful. Consider how you are going to protect from scratches when moving it around. I used a cardboard piece which slid on the table.
Expectation re time - If you are coming from pcb based like Elekit to Sunvalley - ensure that you budget 3x the amount of time than you think it will take you to finish. It is critical that you don't rush and that you double check as you go. Any expectations you have regarding finishing by a certain day will inevitably make you rush. Point to point is a completely different building experience to pcb.
Point to point solder joints - on pcb builds you don't really need separate flux, however for point to point I found it very helpful to guide the solder flow where you wanted it to go (I used a flux pen). I found this website helpful for the basic concepts of point to point and soldering to lugs: https://www.angelfire.com/electronic/funwithtubes/Soldering.html.
Also, masking tape and clips were helpful in keeping the components in place in 3D space when soldering. The manual specifies that all the joints are to be made on the lugs themselves, however you'll inevitably have to do a few where you join components to their leads. The photos that victor put up for the pre have some helpful examples of joints: Sunvalley SV-Pre1616D Point to Point Prject
Double check as you go - check 1. connection is in the right place 2. quality of the solder joint 3. there is no risk of exposed wires or leads touching other metal things that they shouldn't be touching.
Electrolytic capacitor orientation - as always - don't forget to double check this, in particular the electrolytic caps that aren't on the pcb. Easy to forget when you are in the flow.
Last edited:
Ended up going with the set recommended by victor: 2x gold lion 12ax7 gold pin and 1x nos brimar 12au7, and the we274b pavane rectifier, and the vcap upgrade. Im not the most experienced and can only compare this to the elekit tu8500 phonostage. I find the eq1616 more lively and dynamic.
Only change to the kit was to use hookup wire with slightly thicker insulation between the ac inlet to power switch to fuse. The yellow wire that came with the kit looked like it would be ok for 110V but less so for 240V for australia.
Only change to the kit was to use hookup wire with slightly thicker insulation between the ac inlet to power switch to fuse. The yellow wire that came with the kit looked like it would be ok for 110V but less so for 240V for australia.
Thanks for those tips Wansmith. My point to point soldering is not the best. I came across youtube videos from a technical college way back "basic soldering lessons" 1-9. I am feeling inspired to solder something, anything right now LOL.
I did get the cap upgrade from Victor. Rest of the tubes, I already have in my stash. I am keen to try my Mullard 12au7 as well as Cifte 12au7 .
I did get the cap upgrade from Victor. Rest of the tubes, I already have in my stash. I am keen to try my Mullard 12au7 as well as Cifte 12au7 .
Received my kit from Victor within 3 days. Hard to believe that with the pandemic and customs it only took 3 days 
I noticed that the AC inlet is only 2 prong and no ground prong and the power cable has 3 prong when plugging into AC Inlet on chassis but does not have ground when plugging into the wall, it has a separate earth ground. Not sure I understand this but has anybody just used a 3 prong AC and attached ground to the chassis (scratching off the inside for better connection)?
I noticed that the AC inlet is only 2 prong and no ground prong and the power cable has 3 prong when plugging into AC Inlet on chassis but does not have ground when plugging into the wall, it has a separate earth ground. Not sure I understand this but has anybody just used a 3 prong AC and attached ground to the chassis (scratching off the inside for better connection)?
Attachments
Last edited:
Hi Neville - I noticed the same thing but ultimately did not carry it out.
However, Steve Graham from Wall of Sound did switch the 2 prong inlet to a 3 prong in his build of the preamp kit from the same series: SunValley SV-Pre1616D Tube Line Stage Kit Review | Wall of Sound | Audio and Music Reviews
The relevant quote from that review is:
"The supplied AC inlet was only a 2-pin affair, no ground connection. I consider this unsafe on a metal chassis, so I installed a 3-pin unit. Using a toothed, locking-type solder lug, the AC inlet ground was connected to the chassis where the power supply board grounds to the chassis. (The green wire seen at the lower right corner of the power supply board in the picture above.) A 3-prong AC cord was used, the 2-prong cord supplied with the unit was not."
However, Steve Graham from Wall of Sound did switch the 2 prong inlet to a 3 prong in his build of the preamp kit from the same series: SunValley SV-Pre1616D Tube Line Stage Kit Review | Wall of Sound | Audio and Music Reviews
The relevant quote from that review is:
"The supplied AC inlet was only a 2-pin affair, no ground connection. I consider this unsafe on a metal chassis, so I installed a 3-pin unit. Using a toothed, locking-type solder lug, the AC inlet ground was connected to the chassis where the power supply board grounds to the chassis. (The green wire seen at the lower right corner of the power supply board in the picture above.) A 3-prong AC cord was used, the 2-prong cord supplied with the unit was not."
Thanks for that link Wansmith. That was for SunValley preamp which I read too and it looks like they use similar or exact chassis for this phono preamp. I went ahead with the 3 prong and now started the point 2 point wiring. This is def. not a beginners kit. I had to re-read the manual twice and went as far as translating the parts pages from Japanese to English and even some of the wording in the pictorials.
I think you posted your build comments on the Elekits before, how does this build guide compare to Elekit?
I think you posted your build comments on the Elekits before, how does this build guide compare to Elekit?
I started building many months ago but got sidetracked when work went covid-insane and I had no free time left ... but things have calmed down before the New Year so I took advantage of the peace and quiet to get back to this. I've installed all the resistors based on the diagrams and want to confirm that I'm supposed to have a pair of 220K resistors left over because they were replaced with 100K now. I remember a sheet included with the extra resistors but I measured and organized all the resistors when I started and discarded that paper.
I'm ready to install the green film caps now as soon as I hear back on the leftover 220K (small) resistors. I did install the blue ones (220K) on the power supply board. The extra ones I have are the brown resistors.
I'm ready to install the green film caps now as soon as I hear back on the leftover 220K (small) resistors. I did install the blue ones (220K) on the power supply board. The extra ones I have are the brown resistors.
