Superphon Revelation MK II PreAmp

I did by-pass the mute switch entirely
I replaced the 2, diode bridges
this will enable me to change the transformer.

I contacted fellow Agoner Thistlehd he has to date modded 3 Superphon Revelation Basics and was very helpful, he told me Stan says up to about a 220va transformer. (single is better than one for each channel)
AN2225 25v 200va 4.5”x2.3” Antek transformer is what Thistlehd used. he says its a Very nice upgrade, so thats the one I purchased.

I also purchased some very nice new RCA input jacks from tctubes.com


I also added a iec plug to the back of the pre to allow a better power cord.

I Finished the mod in Jan.

The caps take a long time to finally break in. The Superphon has been getting better and better ever since, and now this little gem is so much better its not the same pre at all.


I hear more music!!


First you notice so much more energy, drive, impact, dynamics, bottom end has much more weight. You notice cymbals sound more real, you hear more of the cymbal you can hear the bronze if you will.
I hear more skin on drums you really notice the difference between what drums are being struck, and they just sound more real, sound right


another area that stands out is definition between instruments,on horns I now hear 2 Trumpets and a Trombone not just horns, and on many recordings when I thought only one person was singing, I now hear two distinct voices, wow.


I also now hear more of the hall space its hard to describe but like more echo for instance.


It goes with out saying but low level detail is much increased.


The balance with the new stepped volume control its bang on.
so much that I kept noticing that the right speaker seamed weaker and finally realized that my anti skate was set a little to low. when i set it correctly man what difference.
That's how much more info I am hearing.

With the stock volume control my volume was set at 9.30 and was very sensitive, hard to set and get the balance right.
I was always fussing with it and I did not like to change the volume for this reason.
Now the volume goes up to 7.00 and I have it set at 2.30. Changing the volume is a snap, just a click up or down balance is perfect.


I first purchased stepped volume controls with blue non dale resistors off eBay, out of china for 25.00 with shipping. The right volume had to steps that were wide open so instead of fighting over 10 bucks I just ordered the dale resistored ones off eBay instead for 25.00 with shipping, I noticed a big difference right away. much better.


I am not using the phono section in the superphon I am using a Lehman black cube, but I now feel the need to purchase something better to really hear what this pre can do. I will update when I make the change. Thinking of the Jasmine phono because I can mod it lol.


In conclusion if you own a Superphon revelation basic you need to do this mod. first the caps need replacing because they loose ESR over time and just don't work as well as they need to, also caps are much better today.


This mod take this pre and puts in in another zip code, with the price of
HI FI today who knows how much one would have to spend to get this level of fidelity. I only know I am happy as a lark and no longer feel and need to up grade my pre.


 
Au contraire. It would have been great if Superphone had used a "conventional" relay. This is an unusual relay. Altho its pin spacing is standard, and uses a common PCB-mount configuration of 8 pins of standard 16DIP dimension, the pin-out is non-standard. The 12VDC coil is on pins 6 & 12, instead of 1 & 16, and the commons of the relay switches are on 1 & 16.

Certainly, there are several choices of low-signal PCB relays available with similar coil current and sensitivity, but they will require re-drilling the PCB board in an open space, gluing it on, and then hand-wiring it via soldering directly to the pins and the original PCB pads in the correct locations...something I'd like to avoid if there's a drop-in replacement. Instead of grass, this one looks to be a rare orchid.
Good afternoon Sir!

I know that this is an old thread, but I'm in a similar predicament with my Superphon Revelation II, and it's mute relay. Did you make a pinout for the original relay? Mine's bad, and I am trying to replace it. I would appreciate anything that you can find ,after so many years.

Best regards,
David 901-832-7969 Cell
 
Beeger -

If you are still out there, my Dual Basic just dropped a channel. I am about to send it to a repair guy. What parts are you now suggesting he should also replace (due to age and/or upgraded performance)?

He wants to know parts names and values. I am guessing things have changed parts-wise in the Universe since anyone last posted here. Also, a decent schematic would be nice to send his way, and maybe a power supply schematic.

Thank you very much.
 
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volume/balance pot wiring photos

In response to a PM, here's a couple more photos of the wiring to the volume & balance pots.
 

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McCheese, your comment reminded me that I bought a used Superphon Revelation Basic for $200 years ago. The seller said he knew Stan Warren pretty well and had all kinds of gear that Stan built for him, including a pair of custom 200W monoblocks, one of which was destroyed when his cat peed into it! Presumably the amp was off and the cat survived.

One of two preamps I regret moving on, the other being an Audible Illusions 2C.
 
@McCheese- I have repaired/upgraded a number of these. Th ones with the solid lines appear to be the earlier models.


I would be happy to sort it out for you


Peter
QuirkAudio QuirkAudio
Hi, pwdiya12.. I recently acquired a Superphon Revelation Basic dual mono preamp.. saw that you mention that you repair/mod these.. looked up Quirkaudio and can't seem to find any contact info on the site? the preamp i got blows fuses in the powersupply box.. can you send your info? thanks Joe
 
Hi, pwdiya12.. I recently acquired a Superphon Revelation Basic dual mono preamp.. saw that you mention that you repair/mod these.. looked up Quirkaudio and can't seem to find any contact info on the site? the preamp i got blows fuses in the powersupply box.. can you send your info? thanks Joe
Hi Joe- email peter@quirkauido.com or cell- 925 922 9310

Best Regards
Peter
 
Hi, I just serviced a Revelation II with some new electrolytics for a client and I am shocked at how good it is. I was sad to see it go! I came here looking for some schematics to see if I could make my own but i guess the semiconductors are now hard to come by :(
 
^^ update… I am now the happy owner of a Revelation II… bought it from my client 😅

I’ve heard dozens of preamps that have come through my bench and this is the one that stood out above the rest. And i’ve recently done some really nice stuff like AR and Aragon

EA9464B9-31EA-4F4C-9A5C-078A43305948.jpeg
 
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