Stereomour Journey

[ALL212]

I've been collecting parts for a couple weeks - have enough around to start. 

But first I'd like to state this.  I don't upgrade components in the Bottlehead kits because I need to.  What they come with works just fine.  I upgrade because I want to, it adds to the challenge of putting this together and I do have some psychosis that causes me to stray from any given directions  .

Unless you know that a larger gauge wire will fit you should stay with the wire gauge given.  I thought I'd put in bigger ground lines but I couldn't get three 18g wires in the standoffs provided easily.  I have a collection of various chassis wire that I've used over the years and will always go bigger if I can.  The tranny wire isn't near as big as it appears.  It's a cotton covered, plastic insulated 18 gauge.  The ground wire is a very nice 20 gauge silver tinned copper with Teflon insulator.

Inputs RCA's are Cardas GRFA-S and the outputs are Cardas CCGR (I'd probably rethink using these  :-\ - LOTS of heat to get these soldered in solid.).

I'm not sure if my AC run from cup to switch is going to cause a problem but I thought I'd try braiding these larger gauge instead of the shielded provided.  If it gets noisy I'll put something else in  :-[.

Tomorrow starts the input wiring.







I'll be adding to this - so let's call this stage 1.

 

[Moot]

Wow! That's looking great!

What selector switch is that? Is that an Alps volume pot?
Can't wait to see more pics! My kit doesn't ship for a couple of weeks so this is great vicarious fun!

 

[mcandmar]

I like your attention to detail, very tidy

 

[Grainger49]

That is a beauty of a build.  I took my time and dressed up my Eros.  I'm positive it makes a difference.  Now I need to go back and rebuild my Paramours and FP 2.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[ALL212]

Stage 2:
I had to pull the Cardas RCA's as they are just a smidge too big and don't stay centered in the hole - they will ground out.  Put Vampires in - perfect fit.  I also replaced the output wire with the Mogami that I used elsewhere (the blues, green and the red hiding under the blues).  I wired it so the RCA's closest to the output terminals are taken off of the common's on the selector so I can run my Crack on this.  One input for my TT, the other for a Squeezebox/DAC.



She's done.  My cabinet is in the "shop" and being copied into either oak or walnut or whatever my brother decides looks good so for the time being my sound comes out upside down (I turned the speakers over so it's right  )

Volume is Alps Blue and the selector came from GoldPoint

I'm just amazed at the sound - it just shouldn't be this good...  8)  Every minute it runs it gets better as everything starts to break in.  Soundstage is absolutely amazing!!





Bottlehead folks - thank you - this was/is a real treat!!!

 

[2wo]

Just think how it will sound when you turn it, right side up ...John

 

[vetmed]

Not to rain on your parade or sound too anal but running the amp upside down is not recommended, at least for more than a few minutes at a time. If you check some of the data sheets for power tubes you will often see mounting instructions. Almost any tube that generates a lot of heat should be mounted upright, or sideways under certain conditions

Robert Lees

 

[Paul Birkeland]

If you check some of the data sheets for power tubes you will often see mounting instructions. Almost any tube that generates a lot of heat should be mounted upright, or sideways under certain conditions

Upside down is still "upright" to the 2A3.  With no enclosure around the sides, they should stay pretty cool. 

 

[ffivaz]

Very nice build! How did you replace the two 1.2K 10W resistors than are normally between the PS capacitors with... nothing? 

 

[ALL212]

Very nice build! How did you replace the two 1.2K 10W resistors than are normally between the PS capacitors with... nothing? 

Stole the idea - the 270 ohm's off to the side are the equivalent of the 1.2's and 360's you normally put there. 

http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,4192.0.html

 

[ALL212]

If you check some of the data sheets for power tubes you will often see mounting instructions. Almost any tube that generates a lot of heat should be mounted upright, or sideways under certain conditions

Upside down is still "upright" to the 2A3.  With no enclosure around the sides, they should stay pretty cool.

I was watching this pretty carefully - more for smoke pouring out of the top of that table  ??? but the 2A3's run fairly cool - especially out in the open like that.  Overall the entire amp ran cool...then again it is winter and the house isn't exactly 90 degree's inside!

One short WTH moment is at where the ground goes to terminal 8 early in the directions but then the pictures show it on terminal 10.  It's electrically the same so it doesn't matter but it threw me for a loop for about a minute as I went back to check the directions.

Also voltage check on terminal 5 and 6 are reversed from what I could tell.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Also voltage check on terminal 5 and 6 are reversed from what I could tell.

Yeah, we were tweaking the voltages a bit in the manual (an EH 12AT7 tends to have higher plate voltage than an old stock 12AT7), and at some point they got shifted slightly. 

 

[ALL212]

No cabinet yet but a couple blocks of wood sure help.  Some touch-up needed on the paint job but it'll do for now!





Pushing Dahlquist DQ-10's just fine.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Wow, DQ-10's aren't the easiest load!

 

[ALL212]

This shouldn't come as a shock but my DQ's are not exactly stock.  :