Rebbi, One thing I do before soldering any part be it a resistor or capacitor into the circuit, I measure it with my DMV to make sure it measures what it is supposed. That will give you added peace of mind. Some parts will not measure correctly once they are installed. This will also sus out any parts that are defective before they are installed.
What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?
Hi, Gang,
I response to my recent review of the Reference 3A De Capo BE speaker, someone wrote that if you really want to hear them sing, you should try them with a SET amp, or words to that effect.
That got me thinking. The De Capo's are 92 db efficient, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems kind of borderline for low-power SET amps.
In any event, right now I'm running mine with a pair of Manley Mahi mono-blocks. They are switchable from triode (20 watts) to "ultra linear" (40 watts). I run them in triode all the time, and in my room, the volume knob almost never goes past 9 o'clock; more would just be too loud.
All that said, what do you guys think of running the De Capo's with a SET amp? And if I did, what's the best bargain in SET's these days?
Thanks!
I response to my recent review of the Reference 3A De Capo BE speaker, someone wrote that if you really want to hear them sing, you should try them with a SET amp, or words to that effect.
That got me thinking. The De Capo's are 92 db efficient, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems kind of borderline for low-power SET amps.
In any event, right now I'm running mine with a pair of Manley Mahi mono-blocks. They are switchable from triode (20 watts) to "ultra linear" (40 watts). I run them in triode all the time, and in my room, the volume knob almost never goes past 9 o'clock; more would just be too loud.
All that said, what do you guys think of running the De Capo's with a SET amp? And if I did, what's the best bargain in SET's these days?
Thanks!
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- 600 posts total
Jetrexpro, I haven't taken it to that level but I have been very, very careful to read the instructions several times before making anything permanent. In some ways, this is - so far, anyway - an easier kit to build than my Bottlehead Seduction phono preamp, which I built 4 or 5 years ago. I seem to remember having to solder teeny little components on to the leads of valve bases in a rather cramped space that was very challenging. So far, the nice, clean layout of the 300 B driver PCB, which is what I'm currently working on, is making this an easier process. The only thing that's been at all frustrating is that there have been a few design changes to this 2014 edition and I'm working with a combination of the 2010 edition of the manual and a beta of the 2014 manual. Sometimes it's been a little confusing but Brian is very accessible to his customers so I've never gotten stuck for too terribly long. |
Lots of new posts on the Audionote Kit 1 build blog. Enjoy! |
Map, At this point, with the 3 PCB's all built up, most of what's left is "inter-wiring," that is, doing the wiring between the various PCB's themselves and between the driver PCB and the 300 B hard-wired "tag strip." There's also a little wiring and connecting to be done at some of the valve bases. The last step is to solder in the big Mundorf caps and install the RCA connectors, speaker posts and volume pot. Then, I'll take various measurements to see if all looks well. After that, it's add in the tubes and power up. So I'd say I'm more than 2/3 of the way into the build, but there's still a good deal more to do. And I'm a slow worker! ;-) |
- 600 posts total