Mezmerize DCB1 Building Thread

Well I built a case today. My usual, Diamond in the rough style. 2U size.

I didn't have any chassis mount RCA jacks so I just wired in some cords so I could play it and make sure there were no problems. I have to admit, I haven't been this pleased with a piece of gear in a long time. Everything just sounds amazing through this unit. I tried to leave room in the case for a phono pre.





 
Well I built a case today. My usual, Diamond in the rough style. 2U size.

I didn't have any chassis mount RCA jacks so I just wired in some cords so I could play it and make sure there were no problems. I have to admit, I haven't been this pleased with a piece of gear in a long time. Everything just sounds amazing through this unit. I tried to leave room in the case for a phono pre.

Cool :-0
 
Not sure about the diamomd cut finish but nice build otherwise.

I'm another of the team that runs almost stock, I'm running 10R, which keeps everything cool.

The diamond plate works for me. :D
I started on the case at about 11AM this morning. If I had the RCA's it would be finished now. Try that with any other material. Besides, I like the look. :p

I wish I had known how cool it runs. I wouldn't have mounted the bottom. I ran it for over 4 hours with no heatsink at all and I think my finger was warmer than the MOSFETS. I went ahead and bolted them to the floor because I had them there but I doubt it will make any difference.
 
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Well I built a case today. My usual, Diamond in the rough style. 2U size.

I didn't have any chassis mount RCA jacks so I just wired in some cords so I could play it and make sure there were no problems. I have to admit, I haven't been this pleased with a piece of gear in a long time. Everything just sounds amazing through this unit. I tried to leave room in the case for a phono pre.

JBL & B1. Surely a California pedigree sonic den. ;)
 
I suggest you move the Mez right up tight to the input/output sockets.
Very short close coupled wires for every input.

Move the transformer to the diagonally opposite corner. Keep the mains AC tight to the right hand side. And ensure all AC cables are close coupled pairs.

Thanks for your concern. I will probably not change the locations. I have zero noise or hum. I will use shielded cable for all the audio leads from the board to the jacks which is better than I have right now.

Stuey,

I would recommend making that a priority. This has improved the sound of all of my amps.

Blessings, Terry
 
I've made similar comments in the past. The positioning of the mains transformer is not too critical here as the B1 has no gain and is almost impervious to noise. It's only a puristic and generally good practice approach to distance the main transformer as far away from the electronics as possible.
 
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Thanks for your concern. I will probably not change the locations. I have zero noise or hum. I will use shielded cable for all the audio leads from the board to the jacks which is better than I have right now.

Blessings, Terry

Terry,

Andrew only meant if you move the board closer to the input/output RCAs you would need to move the transformer.
And I agree with Andrew completely. If you have very short wires it affords much higher quality wires and no need for shielded cables. 2 or 3 feet of silver wire can make this an "A" class preamp!

Rush
 
I'm not going to worry about two additional inches of wire inside my case when I will likely have a 6' coax lead between the B1 and the amp.

I did notice something this morning. When hooking up the transformer, i noticed that it has an extra wire, purple in color. On the lable it is called a shield and shows it between the primary and the secondary. I connected this to earth ground. I heard a little static this morning when the shaft on the volume control touched the case so I started probing around and saw 26Vac between center tap and the case. As a matter of fact, I see the same 26vac from the + and - rails and case. No DC however. Thinking this may have something to do with the purple wire I snipped it and then the voltage went up to 36VAC. I checked and there is no measurable current. Is this due to no star ground? Is is ok to connect the center tap on the B1 to earth ground?

Thanks
 
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Many builders connect the PCB ground to the mains earthed chassis too. Either from where its marked CT at the trafo's secondaries PCB connector, or from the mid non marked larger test pad near the 10R markings in vicinity of the 100uF PSU termination capacitors. A transformer's static shield cable should tie to the mains earth.