So I wanted to do something different

[corndog71]

I love my Quickie!  So many kudos to PJ and Doc for this awesome little kit.
Nevertheless I wanted to expand on what was started.  I missed the dual mono pots of my old Foreplay 2.  I used PEC 100K pots.  I liked the idea of switching the signal and ground leads for each source ala Foreplay 3.  Got a fancy Goldpoint selector switch for that.  I learned that the power supply caps don't have to be so big so I opted for a replacement using Erse Pulse X 51uf poly caps.  I wanted dual outputs for potentially adding a subwoofer.  Above all I wanted a more traditional chassis and layout.

So I let all that stew in my head and on paper as I sourced the parts and came up with this.  

Other features include the PJCCS, paralleled D cells for longer play time, Dynamat Extreme lining the Hammond box to help damp vibrations, and a speakon connector which goes to those Power Sonic batteries you guys have seen with my original Quickie.

There are still a few things to take care of:  Peeling off the protective plastic from the box, getting some new tubes, making the front face pretty, and adding some better knobs and finally a 3rd set of input jacks.

So far it sounds good!

 

[earwaxxer]

wow! nice! Watch out Red Wine Audio!

 

[Alonzo]

Great work, great work.  A round of applause from all of us in the cheap seats who love seeing this type of innovation.  You've inspired me to do more with my quickie.
Great job!!!

 

[Paul Joppa]

I am totally lovin' this!

When we came out with the Quickie, I was hoping that (like the original Foreplay) it would be a springboard for experimenting and trying new things. My hope was not in vain, it turns out. :^)

 

[Grainger49]

Well, I like the knobs, very early Levinson looking.  I admire the long shafts to keep the audio path short.

But where are the 9V batteries? 

 

[corndog71]

Well, I like the knobs, very early Levinson looking.  I admire the long shafts to keep the audio path short.

But where are the 9V batteries?  

We don't need no stinkin' 9V batteries!

Eventually I plan on putting the Power Sonic batteries into an enclosure with connections for charging them individually.

 

[corndog71]

After several hours of listening I've found it sounds even better than I anticipated.  Fast!  Wide and deep soundstage!  The Ken-Rad tubes I threw in there were a bit hazy sounding at first but have opened up nicely.  I almost wrote them off when I tried them in my original quickie.  I'm hearing more of that single end triode sound I get from my sex amp.  At first I thought maybe the bass end was lacking a bit.  I could easily discern bass guitar lines in songs but the kick drum sometimes got lost.  Turns out I just needed to turn it up.  I cranked it and kick drums came through with a speed and authority usually associated with high power solid state amps!  Of course the quality of the recording matters too.  So if you want to take your quickie to the next level you may want to try some of these changes.  I can't say for certain but I really think the erse caps made a big difference.

 

[earwaxxer]

Hey Rob - have you tried the chokes? - dont mean to through a hook in the whole thing, but you have so much room in there! I personally, like the sound of the chokes. Sexy, tubie stuff. Like being at a 60's concert. Just sayin. Currious what your take on them are.

 

[corndog71]

Hey Rob - have you tried the chokes? - dont mean to through a hook in the whole thing, but you have so much room in there! I personally, like the sound of the chokes. Sexy, tubie stuff. Like being at a 60's concert. Just sayin. Currious what your take on them are.

I haven't looked at chokes for the quickie but I'm open-minded.  Do you have any recommendations?

 

[earwaxxer]

I just followed the bottlehead crowd to the Hammond 156C. I think they were about $15 a pop.

 

[the dude]

Way to go CORnDAWG!
Like the alternative battery ideas too!

 

[corndog71]

I appreciate all of the kudos from you guys but it aint all peaches and cream.  Despite the improvements in overall sound, the noise floor is higher than it should be.  I'm getting quite a bit of hum and hissing.  I was able to cut some of the hum down by connecting the chassis to the negative side of the 36VDC supply.  I also noticed when I touch the chassis with one hand and touch the top of one of the tubes with my other hand a lot of the hum disappears.  Perhaps having those big caps right next to the tubes isn't such a great idea.  I broke out some tube shields and placed them over the 3S4s and that helped a little but still not really good enough.  I guess this is one of those ground loop issues people talk about sometimes.  My Dynaco MkIVs are on each side of the Quickie and probably need to be moved away further.  So it's still a work in progress.  :-\

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Have you grounded the chassis to another piece of gear?

Having the shields and chassis at earth should be very helpful to you (you may only need the chassis earthed in the end).

Keep going and post back!

 

[Grainger49]

  .  .  .  I also noticed when I touch the chassis with one hand and touch the top of one of the tubes with my other hand a lot of the hum disappears.  .  .  .   

Interesting.  This is the same thing Sam, Denti Alligator, has going on with his Seduction.  I'll be following to see what helps you.

 

[earwaxxer]

The hum from my Quickie disappeared after I grounded it to my DAC. It has to be a very good circuit.

 

[Wanderer]

Somebody yell at me if I am wrong but seeing as the Quickie has a pure DC power supply from batteries (and hum is by definition AC) it cannot, in and of itself, "hum". 

I have gotten some hum when using mine but I have traced it to faulty connections to other gear. The Quickie itself is as silent as the grave. The "Quickie and the dead"? 

 

[corndog71]

Last night I was able to cut down but still not eliminate the hum.  Maybe I need some different tubes. 

I installed tube shields which are connected to the chassis.  Didn't seem to make a big difference if any.

I connected a ground wire from the wall outlet to the negative side of the 36VDC and that dropped the hum level quite a bit but not completely.

I shorted the 2nd set of outputs and that also helped a little bit.

The weird thing is I plugged in my original quickie and got similar noise levels.  This makes me suspect my Dynaco Mk IV amps.  Tonight I'll plug in my Class D Audio SDS-258 to see if the noise levels drop.  I have to admit the power in my current apartment seems pretty dirty which has affected all of my tube amps.  All of my amps were nearly dead quiet at my old apartment. 

 

[Paul Birkeland]

This makes me suspect my Dynaco Mk IV amps. 

Oh yeah, I built some MK IV clones, and dang are they sensitive!!!!  I ended up putting a voltage divider at the input of the amplifier to bump the incoming signal WAY, way down.  I'd temporarily solder in a 100K pot at the input of the MK IV to see if you can rebalance the gain of the amp a bit to offer better noise characteristics.

-PB

 

[corndog71]

Another reason I suspect the Mk IVs is because the level of hum I'm getting seems greater than ever.  Previously I was using my modified Dynaco ST35 and that had a small amount of transformer hum but nothing like what I'm hearing now.  I've used the Class D Audio amp before with my original quickie and that worked very well too.  My ST35 is in the process of being rebuilt with a more ambitious power supply. 

If there's any downside to DIY it's this.  But part of the fun is the journey, right? ;D

 

[corndog71]

It was the Mk IVs.  Now I remember why I haven't been using them.  They really hate the power in this place.

I just plugged in my Class D Audio SDS-258 and there's zero hum and there's just a tiny amount of hiss audible from the tweeters if you put your ear right up to it. 

I disconnected the ground wire and it didn't change.  So I think it's safe to say the Quickie is in the clear!  ;D