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DIY six input tube preamp


No.4

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Well, appears my offer of Steak & Amarone has failed.  Is the attenuator from Hattor?  Truly a great job again without a machine shop to tackle all that metal work (not to mention the electronics, wood work and plexiglass).

 

But, I am eternally optimistic.  When you start your next build, keep me on the list for "castoff". 

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Thank you for all the kind words. The attenuator and selector is from khozmo which is the component division of hattor. This attenuator alone is amazing, but it really shines with the ACF-2. 

 

The casework is is a passion of mine, it allows me combine metal and woodwork. I get better with every project.

 

while this pre-amp may not present a sonic improvement to every system, it has greatly improved the sonics of mine.

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certainly impressive and the gorgeous case must aid in reducing sensitivity to microphonics.  I've heard (and owned) a few preamps through the years including Bruce Moore stuff, Tube God's NB1, P-F, Theta, etc. and some homemade stuff.   Although loop feedback isn't popular, it might be fun to do a Stu Hegeman tribute with cascade feedback pair driving passive RIAA per Citation I and IV, but throw out the 1000 contacts and superfluous stage stuff.   I like the idea and sound (and idea) of an anode - follower with low gain vs cathode follower.  My fingers/hands are numb these days and doubt if could solder for more than a few minutes.  I've got a mu-follower RIAA preamp (lumped passive RIAA) w. stepped attenuator laying on the floor gathering dust. It needs some caps soldered and coin cell batteries for one stage's bias.

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On 6/29/2019 at 12:12 PM, Mr. EE said:

I think the construction and wiring job is outstanding.

Is there a better word than outstanding?  If so, I'd certainly use it.  It's refreshing to see such a stellar build.  To top it off, it probably sounds better than it looks.

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On 6/29/2019 at 6:59 AM, No.4 said:

So... after what feels like forever I have finally completed this build. I had to make many changes along the way, but I am happy with the final product. After A great deal of listening I decided the SP-14 circuit was not the best for my system. Too much gain. So I sent it on it’s way and went a different route. In the spirit of keeping this system all tube I opted for a ACF -2 octal from glassware. This is a buffer. There are many options for tubes, but I decided to use 6sn7. I was originally splitting my source signal to an amp for my speakers and sub. This sounded good, but now it sounds much better. The bass is cleaner and my speakers have an increase in detail. I am very happy with the sonic results. I would definitely recommend this project to anyone running multiple amps or driving long cables. 

 

The best best part is I can toggle between sources again without having to change cables. That was getting annoying.

35867EED-9FE8-4B97-9C1A-37CAB316271C.jpeg

Looks stunning.

 

Had much time to listen?

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  • 1 year later...

@No.4, I thought I would revive this thread with a few points;

1. How is you system these days any updates! You only had 10 hours listening time, how was it “broken in”?

2. I’m now in Victoria but still have access to Alberta steaks.

3. The Quintarelli Amarone supply is dwindling, so just thought you should know.

 

Show us your latest work if you have added any!

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@MC39693 I have been able to spend a considerable amount of time with this preamp since my last posts
about it. It has seen almost daily use since I finished it a little over 2 years ago. I am glad to report it is still very transparent to my ears. In the time that has past I have added a DAC to my system and a DSP for my speakers. The pre plays well with every device I have connected to it. My system is at a point where source material quality is very apparent. Poorly recorded material cannot hide.

 

My most recent audio project has been my version of the double stacked heil project. I have been working on a 300b amp for a while as well. Unfortunately my diy audio projects have been idle for too long.

 

A delicious steak and a good red is still tempting. I may have to alter my dinner menu now that I have steaks on my mind.

 

 

F1B21879-7645-4B46-BBE9-753C450C9C7B.jpeg

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@No.4 sorry to have affected your dinner plans or thoughts! Nice speakers!  Look up a wine called Alzero by Mr. Quintarelli... there is simply no way of describing it. After his Amarone or tied with it, best red wine I’ve ever had, subject to future tastings. Only one of those left downstairs, but a friend who has Proac K6 and Octave gear has more!  Glad your pre is still fantastic.

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