Tom Adams Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I too wanna say thanks for the write-up and the photos. Took me back to my teens and the building of some Heath Kits. Didn't do drugs in high school.....not with all the soldering fumes I inhaled! LOL...... [] Again - thanks. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 Mark was asking me what I thought about the sound of the Tercel. I thought I would post here an excerpt of the email I sent him. Moved the Tercel and Thorens to the 2 channel system. Here is the deal. The highs are high and crisp. Cymbals, organs, and acoustic guitars are simply awesome. The separation and clarity of instruments is mind-blowing. You step out of the room and just listen and you would swear there was a band and a drum kit in the room. It is live man and it is like sitting in a small club listening to a band 10 feet away. I have been listening to so many different albums and artists it is ridiculous. You have now forced me to buy more albums. Thanks. Mark, I want my Merlin II - WITH a remote. I am not a patient guy. Get busy. Don't forget the integrated either. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Yep! That is exactly how I feel about my BBX w/Cream! I have not played a single CD since I bought the thing and that was over 5 months ago! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Mike---No kidding? That's really great to hear. We only play digital here as background music on Ipods and Macs and so on. Rarely on the main system. md Honest to God, not one CD. Of course, I think the Thorens might have had something to do with that as well, but the fact remains it sounds so good I have no desire to play a CD. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Robert: Great job! The Tercel looks like a very-well-put-together kit. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 What is the chassis made out of? I notice it is not painted on the inside? How about that "Assembled by {name} on {date}" sticker like on Al's crossover kits. Anybody willing to put in 6 to 12 hours of assembly time ought to be able to attach their name on the inside of their handiwork! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Excellent write-up. Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures and do the write-up. Sounds like JM has another winner on its hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Mark: "we need to have good grounds inside." 'Grounds' as in plural? Do you use a ground plane vs single-point-star ground for the Tercel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Pics early in thread show star grounding I believe. Very nice work Robert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 Star ground. Thanks to everyone who has commented so far. Some of you probably know I had been looking at building a DIY kit for quite a while (have to have something to do with this soldering station) and have wanted a phono amp big time. I was thrilled when Mark announced his kits and I have probably driven him nuts chatting about the differing kits he will be offering. I have probably investigated as many kits as Dean as tried out amps. I think Mark offers tremendous value and 'extras' others simply don't. I can tell you all I will be picking up various kits from him as soon as they are available. This thread and the pics was an opportunity to give back to the community I have enjoyed for so long and hopefully lead someone else into the dementia I have suffered with respect to our audio hobby. PS. Now if Craig would offer kit versions of the VRD's.... the real difficulty would be finding someone to translate the manual from Craigspeak. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 What is the chassis made out of? I notice it is not painted on the inside? ============== 16ga. galvanized steel, with hammertone powder coat paint. The insides are not painted because we need to have good grounds inside. Sticker sounds like an excellent idea! md Galvanized, that's good, no need for painting, I was wondering about future corrosion. Yes, the sticker's that come with AL's kits area very simple. They just look like Avery labels printed right off of his computer but I still enjoy the final "signing off" of my hard work and applying the label. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverSport Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 really nice work on what appears to be a great kit...excellent and thanks for sharing... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Per Mark: "The insides are not painted because we need to have good grounds inside." The word is in its plural form -- more than one. Unless the entire chassis is bare metal such as aluminum, which this is not, a common approach is to paint all areas including the inside, leaving ground locations masked off so they can't accept paint. Some preamps/amps use a ground plane vs SPG, the factory Audio Electronics supply AE-1 being one of those. I asked since the deisgner used the term 'ground(s)' rather than 'ground.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 And! I've thought JM kits like this would be a good idea for a long while. It encourages people to learn instead of encouraging them not to. Soldering is not a big deal at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 I understand that. I think you were actually right the first time, though. Bare-metal chassis grounds are also needed for the volume/level controls, as well as the AC safety ground connection. I was in a hurry when reading over all of this, and was just curious by what was meant by 'grounds' rather than 'ground.' Thanks for the explanation. I would love to build one of your kits sometime, Mark. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 Only $499. A bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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