Tennessee Crack Build

[petercintn]

Hey Everyone,

I got my shipment of Crack Thursday.  The box went well but I screwed up the plate and wasted two days painting and then having to get the old paint and poly off and cleaning up the plate to repaint.  Got better paint and started this morning, got four coats on and put in the oven at 200 for two hours.  Came out just fine.  So I got the hardware part done but since I'm a bit tired I'll wait till tomorrow to wire.

The box as I said came out pretty much how I wanted, a little antiqued.  I put some hot water on the bare wood hoping to pop the grain then I put three coats of tung oil on it.  Then I old fashioned white washed it and sprayed some poly on it so the white wash would not fade, after all it's just a little white paint and a lot of water and I was afraid the wash would just wear off.

Here's some pics with some tubes stuck in just for looks.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Looks great!

 

[[email protected]]

I really like the creamy-colored plate.  It looks really good.

I just finished mine about two months ago.  Take your time and double-check as you go.  You'll love the sound when you're done.

 

[mchurch]

Looking good, nice paint job and wood finishing.

Cheers

Mike

 

[bainjs]

Your top plate looks great!  What kind of paint did you use?  I think you may be #3 here in TN.  Grainger's in Knoxville and I'm in Nashville.  We get together every so often to swap tales and listen to various BH stuff.

Joel

 

[Grainger49]

Peter,

Your top plate looks like the same color I put on my Seduction.  However, your finish HAS to be better than mine since mine is full of dust and stuff.  Where it sat, almost on the floor, no one ever looked at it so I got away with it for 10+ years.

Nice clean work, post the goodies when you get to them.

All we need is someone in Memphis to round it out.  I see you are in the upper Cumberland, expect slow today and tonight.  Few who haven't lived here know how long Tennessee is.  It is a good 6 hour drive from one end to the other on interstates!  Longer is you go the speed limit.

 

[ELBEBE1000]

Beutiful, nice job.
Yashin

 

[BNAL]

The finish looks great. Wish I could do a paint job like that.  That is why I went all black.

 

[petercintn]

Thanks for good words.  I finally got this thing working.  Did a few boneheaded things but got them all worked out.  Listening to Porcupine Tree right now with my new amp.  It's dead quiet and I thought that the gain was not enough for the 990's but it was just so clean.  I plugged the phones into the receiver and I could not get it as loud without distortion.  I have the whole volume control to work with.  Sounds great! 

A few more pics

If you are looking you'll find my biggest gaff.  I got her in the right place!

Hey Grainger, I see your in Knoxville, not far from me at all.  I stay in Livingston now but when I was working I lived in Oliver Springs.  I was born a Tar Heel but I chose to be a Volunteer.  It's about the most beautiful place I've been.

Hey Joel, I was just in Nashville, had to go to the VA at Vandy.  I would love to get together and BS.  You just saw all my audio stuff except for the speakers (Polk RTi4s and a cheap Sony sub that sound really nice) but I love to hear ya'll's Bottlehead stuff!  Oh yeah, the paint was some Almond enamel, the True Value name brand X-O Rust.  I just shook the can up, gave it a few wet coats and put it in the oven.  I'm a lousy spray painter.

Thanks to all the Bottlehead team, it was worth the wait.

 

[Laudanum]

Hi Peter.  Nice job.
Are your Beyer 990's the 600 ohm models?  Reason I ask is that I have the 250 ohm 990's (and 880's as well) and have more volume than I could possibly need with a 2 volt source and the 6080 or 6AS7 output tube.  Im running a 5998 which has a higher amplification factor and Crack has a good bit more output with this tube.  That's not why I use it,  I just prefer the 5998.  But the 5998 would allow a bit more "volume" with phones that arent very efficient.  Problem right now is finding one at a reasonable price.

PS.  I do see your gaffe.  Last PS cap.  Glad you figured it out.

 

[petercintn]

Laudanum my Beyer's are the 600 ohm ones.  Just to clarify, this amp is pleanty loud, but I have no distortion even cranked as high as it goes.  And it's so effortless that you just don't realize how loud it is.  The 10:30 position I'm finding might not damage my ears!  BTW, how do you check source's output, just check between the sheid and signal while music is playing?


My oh my!  I was hesitant buying this amp, just couldn't see that it could be that much better than my receiver's phone out.  The whole time I've been waiting and building I've thought, "If this is like the E9 that sent I back maybe I can sell it and git some money back."  Well this big *^*$eating grin on my face and the ghoose bumps testify I was wrong. 

 

[Grainger49]

  .  .  .  

Hey Grainger, I see your in Knoxville, not far from me at all.  I stay in Livingston now but when I was working I lived in Oliver Springs.  I was born a Tar Heel but I chose to be a Volunteer.  It's about the most beautiful place I've been.

Hey Joel, I was just in Nashville, had to go to the VA at Vandy.  I would love to get together and BS.  You just saw all my audio stuff except for the speakers (Polk RTi4s and a cheap Sony sub that sound really nice) but I love to hear ya'll's Bottlehead stuff!  Oh yeah, the paint was some Almond enamel, the True Value name brand X-O Rust.  I just shook the can up, gave it a few wet coats and put it in the oven.  I'm a lousy spray painter.

Thanks to all the Bottlehead team, it was worth the wait.

Peter,

I had to Google a map.  You are about 1/2 way between me (Knoxville) and Joel (Nashville) and, I'm guessing, about 30 miles North of the interstate.  

I am a transplant from Atlanta.  A rare thing to find a native Atlantan over 60.

20+ years ago I helped Kimberly-Clark start up a mill just outside Knoxville in Loudon.  Today they have a problem that no one wants to be promoted out of the mill.  A good buddy finally just told them he would find another job in the area, he wasn't leaving.  It is a great place to live!

 

[Laudanum]

Peter,  there is usually a spec given for output voltage. It's a maximum I believe, not an average.   2 volts is a typical spec. for CD player output but it can vary pretty widely between CD players.  I have a digital player that is spec'd at 2 volts which is what I was using as an example.  My Tjoeb 99 CDP is spec'd at 3.5 volts, pretty darn hot so the "volume" knob on Crack doesnt get goosed too high with that one.  The other two I have are probably closer to the typical 2 volts.  They are in other system.    To measure a CDP I think you would have to use a test disc with 1Khz, 0db test tone and a DVM, measuring AC.  There are probably more accurate, better ways to do it with higher tech gear.    But it really doesnt matter.  I just mentioned it because the 2 volts is typical for CD players and other digital sources.  Discs vary in output and music is dynamic so the spec is nothing more than a number useful as a reference between different players/sources.  Nothing to worry about.  Sounds like you have more than ample output for your 600 ohm Beyers.

Im not surprised that you are enamored with Crack and your Beyers.  It's as if they were made for tubes.  I know that's not the case in reality but I think they are a fantastic match with Crack. 

 

[Grainger49]

I think Desmond is spot on about measuring the CDP output.  A reminder, the meter must be RMS reading on the AC input.

 

[petercintn]

I haven't been able to find the specs on the DAC, which is my source. (Computer > S/PDIF > DAC)  Guess I'll call the guy that sales them cause I've been curious for future upgrades.  But no biggie for now, I ain't upgrading any time soon and speakers come first, or a HD 650 if the prices drop again. 

 

[Laudanum]

With a 1Khz 0 db test tone file, you can probably just measure the output from the DAC just like a CDP.  I would assume you could probably find the test tone to download.  But again, it really doesnt mean much outside of being a reference.  If you have have ample volume, I probably wouldnt even bother with it.

 

[pshinn]

I just love the off white paint you used on the top plate. You mentioned that you baked it in the
oven. What brand and type of paint did you use? Please be specific. I'm about to start a kit build and I think I've narrowed it down to bare or this color. Thanks!