My Quickie v1.0 came with a red chassis plate. So I decided to run with it.
;D
Here is a list of my mods as compared to stock:
1. I mounted the batteries on the underside. - This was necessary to give me room on the top of the chassis to mount the large film caps. This worked out quite well. I was able to use the extra holes from the 9V battery mounts to run the the leads from the capacitors on the top.
2. Installed a "ladder-style" stepped attenuator. - I chose the one sold by Vintage Audio Lab (VALab) on eBay. Note that VALab is located in Taiwan, not China. I don't say that to make a political point, but broadly speaking Taiwan tends to have better products (as a general rule -- exceptions exist on both sides, and obviously China is also capable of producing highly sophisticated gear). I have a couple of Chinese stepped attenuators and the VALab attenuator is obviously of higher quality, and very easy to wire (the Chinese ones are much less clear). The hole in the chassis only has to be widened by a tiny, tiny bit. The anti-rotation pin fit the stock chassis hole perfectly. For $25, these attenuators are an absolute steal. I have a couple of Alps Blue Velvet pots that will probably never get used now...
3. Installed 2.2uf ClarityCap ESA caps on the outputs. - Thankfully, these didn't need to be mounted or otherwise supported. The leads are stiff and there is plenty of clearance, so I just installed them and they are fine.
4. Replaced the 1,000uf electrolytic caps with 100uf ClarityCap SAs. - I love the fact that these match the chassis plate. Madisound has them on sale for a song. I put felt tabs on the bottom of the caps to protect them from the exposed bolts and nuts from the battery holders underneath. I mounted the caps using 8" mending plates on the back, coupled with zip ties.
5. Installed "upgraded" RCA jacks. - Nothing particularly special, but I like the longer contacts as compared to the stock jacks.
6. I swapped the power and input selector switches. - I don't change sources very often, and I hate reaching behind the tubes to flip the power switch. This is a pet peeve on my Crack as well, although my Decware Taboo is the worst offender here (the power switch is located all the way at the back of a very long chassis, sandwiched between the transformer and IEC. Almost impossible to reach. Dumb.). I'm waiting on my S.E.X. 2.1 kit with C4S and impedance switches, which will probably replace the Taboo.
7. Installed a power LED. - I used this LED. It only draws 2mA, and the luminosity is 1.2 to 2.0 mcd, so it definitely isn't bright at all. Please note that the LED appears much, much brighter in the pictures than it is in real life. In real life, it just gives off a dull glow (the last, dark picture comes closest to how it appears in real life). This is a high efficiency LED. Compare to most "bright" LEDs which are in the range of 350+ mcd. The forward voltage drop is 1.9V. I used a black plastic LED mounting bezel to support it. This is installed in series with the 9V power supply, as suggested by Paul. On the underside, in put shrink tube over the leads, just because I'm a nervous nellie. I installed the LED toward the rear for two reasons: (i) to keep it further away from me, in case it was distractingly bright (it isn't), and (ii) to throw some light on the caps.
To do:
- I'm waiting for my PJCCS kit to arrive. I just hope my mods don't make installation difficult.
- I still need to finish the base. I was originally planning on a dark burgundy stain, coupled with about 100 coats of high-gloss poly (to match my Crack), but I'm rethinking that a bit. I'm trying to decide between bright red enamel, or shiny black lacquer. Your thoughts are appreciated!
- I've ordered a replacement, solid aluminum knob for the attenuator, but it hasn't arrived yet. I prefer round (not wavy) knobs.
- Right now, I just covered the solder joints between the large caps and the leads into the case with electrical tape (ugly). This is only temporary until the PJCSS is installed, at which point I will cover the joint with shrink tube.
- I left the cable tie leads a bit long until the PJCSS is installed, at which point I will really cinch the tubes and clip the cable tie leads.
- ....and finally....I still need to install my Bottlehead flair!
Best regards,
Adam
Underside of chassis plate. The large red caps on the side are 100uf ClarityCap SAs. The smaller silver caps are 2.2uf Clarity Cap ESAs. Note the swapped power and input selector switches.
Underside of chassis plate.
Vintage Audio Lab (VALab) ladder-style stepped attenuator.
LED underside with shrink tube over the leads:
The LED is not as bright in real life as it appears here:
8" mending plates with cable tie mounts.
LED off:
LED on (LED is not as bright in "real life" as it appears):
Upgraded RCA jacks:
This is close to how the LED looks in "real life":

Here is a list of my mods as compared to stock:
1. I mounted the batteries on the underside. - This was necessary to give me room on the top of the chassis to mount the large film caps. This worked out quite well. I was able to use the extra holes from the 9V battery mounts to run the the leads from the capacitors on the top.
2. Installed a "ladder-style" stepped attenuator. - I chose the one sold by Vintage Audio Lab (VALab) on eBay. Note that VALab is located in Taiwan, not China. I don't say that to make a political point, but broadly speaking Taiwan tends to have better products (as a general rule -- exceptions exist on both sides, and obviously China is also capable of producing highly sophisticated gear). I have a couple of Chinese stepped attenuators and the VALab attenuator is obviously of higher quality, and very easy to wire (the Chinese ones are much less clear). The hole in the chassis only has to be widened by a tiny, tiny bit. The anti-rotation pin fit the stock chassis hole perfectly. For $25, these attenuators are an absolute steal. I have a couple of Alps Blue Velvet pots that will probably never get used now...
3. Installed 2.2uf ClarityCap ESA caps on the outputs. - Thankfully, these didn't need to be mounted or otherwise supported. The leads are stiff and there is plenty of clearance, so I just installed them and they are fine.
4. Replaced the 1,000uf electrolytic caps with 100uf ClarityCap SAs. - I love the fact that these match the chassis plate. Madisound has them on sale for a song. I put felt tabs on the bottom of the caps to protect them from the exposed bolts and nuts from the battery holders underneath. I mounted the caps using 8" mending plates on the back, coupled with zip ties.
5. Installed "upgraded" RCA jacks. - Nothing particularly special, but I like the longer contacts as compared to the stock jacks.
6. I swapped the power and input selector switches. - I don't change sources very often, and I hate reaching behind the tubes to flip the power switch. This is a pet peeve on my Crack as well, although my Decware Taboo is the worst offender here (the power switch is located all the way at the back of a very long chassis, sandwiched between the transformer and IEC. Almost impossible to reach. Dumb.). I'm waiting on my S.E.X. 2.1 kit with C4S and impedance switches, which will probably replace the Taboo.
7. Installed a power LED. - I used this LED. It only draws 2mA, and the luminosity is 1.2 to 2.0 mcd, so it definitely isn't bright at all. Please note that the LED appears much, much brighter in the pictures than it is in real life. In real life, it just gives off a dull glow (the last, dark picture comes closest to how it appears in real life). This is a high efficiency LED. Compare to most "bright" LEDs which are in the range of 350+ mcd. The forward voltage drop is 1.9V. I used a black plastic LED mounting bezel to support it. This is installed in series with the 9V power supply, as suggested by Paul. On the underside, in put shrink tube over the leads, just because I'm a nervous nellie. I installed the LED toward the rear for two reasons: (i) to keep it further away from me, in case it was distractingly bright (it isn't), and (ii) to throw some light on the caps.

To do:
- I'm waiting for my PJCCS kit to arrive. I just hope my mods don't make installation difficult.
- I still need to finish the base. I was originally planning on a dark burgundy stain, coupled with about 100 coats of high-gloss poly (to match my Crack), but I'm rethinking that a bit. I'm trying to decide between bright red enamel, or shiny black lacquer. Your thoughts are appreciated!
- I've ordered a replacement, solid aluminum knob for the attenuator, but it hasn't arrived yet. I prefer round (not wavy) knobs.
- Right now, I just covered the solder joints between the large caps and the leads into the case with electrical tape (ugly). This is only temporary until the PJCSS is installed, at which point I will cover the joint with shrink tube.
- I left the cable tie leads a bit long until the PJCSS is installed, at which point I will really cinch the tubes and clip the cable tie leads.
- ....and finally....I still need to install my Bottlehead flair!
Best regards,
Adam
Underside of chassis plate. The large red caps on the side are 100uf ClarityCap SAs. The smaller silver caps are 2.2uf Clarity Cap ESAs. Note the swapped power and input selector switches.
Underside of chassis plate.
Vintage Audio Lab (VALab) ladder-style stepped attenuator.
LED underside with shrink tube over the leads:
The LED is not as bright in real life as it appears here:
8" mending plates with cable tie mounts.
LED off:
LED on (LED is not as bright in "real life" as it appears):
Upgraded RCA jacks:
This is close to how the LED looks in "real life":
