Ordering/Shipping schedule for Kaiju

[Deke609]

I seem to recall a post late last year from Doc B. to the effect that all products excluding the Crack are now sold during limited ordering/shipping windows throughout the year.  I'm interested in getting a Kaiju. Do I need to wait for a "window", and if so, do you know when the next window will be?


Many thanks,


Derek

 

[Tom-s]

I was waiting for the same window with SII. Turned out it was available all that time. 

As i understood BH doesn't use these specific windows anymore (wise decision if you ask me).

 

[Deke609]

Thanks Tom. That's good news. Can someone from BH confirm?


Many thanks,


Derek

 

[Doc B]

No windows except for special offers. We decided it was not the best approach. Our plan down the road is to try to keep a few of each kit in stock when possible. That will be more likely to start after we move into our new facility in the fall. For the next three months we are very cramped for space and that is limiting how fast and how much we can get kitted. For now we are on our standard four weeks to ship, plus or minus a couple weeks.

 

[Deke609]

Cool. Thx Doc. Order placed!

 

[Tom-s]

Another headphone amp Deke? 
What's the plan with the Kaiju?

 

[Doc B]

Thank you, Derek!

 

[Deke609]

Another headphone amp Deke?

Yeah, for now. My living space is a bit too cramped for a speaker setup (plus my house shares a common wall with the neighbors ,,, and I listen a bit loud). But I expect this to change in the next couple of years and then I'll order the Jagers. That's partly how I rationalize getting so many BH amps: a Beepre, 2 x SIIs and a Kaiju should make for a nice setup with the Jagers one day.

What's the plan with the Kaiju?

Pretty much a stock build except for film caps and a bit of grounded copper shielding around signal and heater wiring.  The 10uF parafeed caps limit choices. I briefly thought about the copper Miflex, but they are enormous: 10 cm x 21 cm!  I'd like to try the new ODAM caps by V-Cap, but Chris Venhaus only plans to make a 10uF rated for 400 VDC, not the 600 VDC PJ indicates is needed for parafeed duty.  So I may go with 3 x 3.3 uF 600 VDC ODAMs in place of each 10 uF - but that would be pricey.  Coupling caps will be V-Cap CuTF.


For output tubes, I'm really liking my EML 45B's, so I plan to order some EMLs for the Kaiju. I just need to find out which of Jac's three 300b variants would work. The XLS are stated to be drop-ins for a regular 300B and are overbuilt and so should last a long time.  That would be my first choice, if they can be made to work. It would be great if I could also get the 300b mesh for use in the Beepre -- but from what I've read on this forum, that may not be workable.


cheers,


Derek

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Pretty much a stock build except for film caps and a bit of grounded copper shielding around signal and heater wiring. 

Just so you know, the signal wiring is already shielded in the Kaiju, and the AC heater wiring is also already shielded (provided you install the DC filament upgrade).  The incoming 120V AC wiring is also already shielded.  I know that this won't influence your plans, but it seems worth mentioning for other builders.

The 10x20CM caps might fit, there's a lot of room around the parallel feed cap area.

The EML45B will not work in the Kaiju (filament). 

This is the EML tube that you want to use in the Kaiju.  The rest of them start deviating pretty hard from what a 300B actually is.  Many of them will work on the AC heated kit without the DC filament upgrade.

 

[Deke609]

Many thanks again, PB.

Just so you know, the signal wiring is already shielded in the Kaiju, and the AC heater wiring is also already shielded (provided you install the DC filament upgrade).  The incoming 120V AC wiring is also already shielded.  I know that this won't influence your plans, but it seems worth mentioning for other builders.

Yes, quite right. Adding copper shielding is just a "thing" I like to do for fun and extra "insurance" (but PB will tell you, probably quite rightly, that such additions increase the likelihood of something going wrong - e.g., shorting something with the added copper -- so far I've been careful and lucky).

The 10x20CM caps might fit, there's a lot of room around the parallel feed cap area.

Wow, you're not kidding. Just looked at the completed Kaiju pic in the manual and there's a lot of space. I need to see where the DCF board goes, but if it's not in the way, I think the Miflex KPCU 10 uFs might be a go!


And a big thank-you and thumbs up for the OT layout -- the output impedance wiring faces outward from the edge of the chassis, so changing impedances down the road will be relatively easy (Adding the impedance switches to my already completed SII-2A3 was a real PITA soldering-wise. I wasn't clever enough to see that I could have rotated the OTs 180 deg to make things easier).

The EML45B will not work in the Kaiju (filament). 

This is the EML tube that you want to use in the Kaiju.  The rest of them start deviating pretty hard from what a 300B actually is.  Many of them will work on the AC heated kit without the DC filament upgrade.

Thanks PB - I should have been clearer. I wasn't intending to use the 45Bs in the Kaiju. I'll order the EML 300B's you linked to.


cheers and thanks,


Derek

 

[Deke609]

@PB - Would the same EML 300B you linked to also work in the Beepre? Would any other EML 300B (mesh or XLS) also work in the Beepre?


Many thanks,


Derek

 

[Paul Birkeland]

The Kaiju will be more flexible on 300Bs used than the BeePre.

 

[Tom-s]

@Derek, here's a topic with what i think is sensible to upgrade in a Kaiju (and what i plan to implement in my SII aswel).
https://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php?topic=11590.0

If you look closely you'll notice a few things:
Interstage caps upgrade.
Parafeed caps upgrade.
Last PS cap is a film capacitor.
R1 resistor (i think) for the 5670 is a Dale variety.

(Yes, the most important part are the fancy OPT's, i know)

Other then that, its just tube rolling and your set.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

@Derek, here's a topic with what i think is sensible to upgrade in a Kaiju (and what i plan to implement in my SII aswel).
https://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php?topic=11590.0

If you look closely you'll notice a few things:
Interstage caps upgrade.
Parafeed caps upgrade.

This is true.

Last PS cap is a film capacitor.

This is the cathode bypass cap.

R1 resistor (i think) for the 5670 is a Dale variety.

It's what comes with the kit.

 

[Deke609]

The Kaiju will be more flexible on 300Bs used than the BeePre.

Does this mean that NO EML 300b will work in the Beepre?


Many thanks,


Derek

 

[Paul Birkeland]

The EML300B that is actually a 300B will work in the BeePre.

The other EML tubes are not 300Bs and will not work properly in the BeePre.

 

[Deke609]

@Derek, here's a topic with what i think is sensible to upgrade in a Kaiju (and what i plan to implement in my SII aswel).

Thanks Tom. Nice spot. I read that thread but never thought to analyze the caps. I've got the parafeed and interstage coupling caps covered -- but it never occurred to me insert a film cap as the last cap in the power supply, although I've seen that recommendation before. Since I'm going all out (by my standards), why not? 


cheers,


Derek

 

[Deke609]

Thanks PB. I'll get 2 pairs of the EML 300b - one for the Beepre and the other for the Kaiju.


I'm fussed about getting the for the Beepre b/c my experience with adding V-Cap CuTFs to the BeePre and the SIIs was that the change to the Beepre had the biggest benefit - which makes sense to me since the Beepre is earlier in the chain.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

but it never occurred to me insert a film cap as the last cap in the power supply,

The amp pictured does not have film capacitors in the power supply.  Those are cathode bypass capacitors. 

 

[Alonzo]

The amp pictured is mine, I considered both a change in the R1 resistor and a film cap as the last cap in the power supply.  Would it be worth the trouble?  Not to me, what is there is fine, for power supply, if you have problems then you should go with the DC upgrade or bypass with a nice film cap (and I didn't want to bother PB anymore).  For the resistor, I didn't think the BH supplied one needed upgrading.  YMMV, etc, etc.
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