Vallejos
100+
Roll With the Changes
Posts: 157
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Post by Vallejos on Jan 21, 2009 17:33:51 GMT
Hej Norge! Is that a can of Tyrkisk Peber I spot in the background! My favourite  I´m following your modification with interest since I have bought a solderstation myself but will need some practise before trying to solder a cMoy. Or rather, the cMoy will be my practise  Good luck! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2009 18:03:55 GMT
Curiosity got the best of me...
Wikipedia, "is a strong liquorice candy flavored with ammonium chloride (salmiakki) and pepper"
Anything involving liquorice is a hit with me! yummmm
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Post by krisno on Jan 22, 2009 14:53:16 GMT
Yes, its' Tyrkisk Peber . A famous candy here in the nordic region. I lived 1,5 year in Oxford, UK, and well I could hardly find any liquorice there at all. All there was was the 'sweet' type. The salty flavor is much better if you ask me.
Gonna start soldering a little bymyself now I think. Lets hope I will be OK, if I am brave enough I will do the volume pot, but I guess I won't.
K
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Post by krisno on Jan 22, 2009 15:11:12 GMT
BY THE WAY, guys.... the Pinkie mod package says I should use alchohol isopropanol to clean the board after soldering, can I rahter use this red colored methanol solutuion? It is pure methanol... or will that harm the circuits??
wish me luck....... !
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Post by krisno on Jan 22, 2009 17:56:59 GMT
PSU DONE! I managed to solder that RIFA thing a bit too close to that 'cap', so I had to sqeeze it in there? Hmm, not very intelligent to do really. I had to bend those rifa pin's to make it fit properly, one became shorter than the other.. any problem?  Not my finest work....  Just one more worry, when I solderd some of those ultrafast diodes, I did spend some time 3-4secs, and the diode and some of the caps, well atleast the metal got extremly hot... does that kill the diode/caps?  is that something I shuold worry about now? K |
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Post by beachcoma on Jan 22, 2009 23:28:49 GMT
You could have killed the diodes and caps, but that rarely happens. Unless you REALLY overdid it on the heat. The soldering looks pretty good, and the Rifa doesn't mind a bit of one side leg room |
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Post by krisno on Jan 23, 2009 7:56:04 GMT
How do I know if I killed it? Can I measure them somehow?
They didn't start smoking or anything, but the metal part going into the diodes / caps really became hot extremly fast..
Probably I will be stupid enough to do the volume pot myself, but that is scary stuff....
Mike, when will my tubes arrive? I am pretty confident you will be in for a order on the V2 pinkie also... Do you get the new switch then?
K
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 23, 2009 13:07:27 GMT
Looking very good Kris and very hard to kill a Diode unless you totally fry it which you have obviously NOT done  Of COURSE it will get hot, you are applying molten solder, and it's better too hot for a short period than not enough heat..... the solder appears to have flooded the joints nicely  Your Blue LED and valves shipped yesterday so should be with you next week sometime. Have you fired her up yet? Mike. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 23, 2009 13:10:47 GMT
PS:
Removing the LED....... don't be "gentle" with it. Get yourself a wooden chopping board, place the front panel (face down) on the chopping board and give it a good firm whack..... the LED should pop out..... don't worry you will NOT scratch the face plate if you follow this procedure. If it doesn't budge then pick the faceplate up and whack it down onto the chopping board.... this should definitely free the LED.
You WILL do damage if you start messing about with drill bits etc. a good WHACK is all that is required here.
Mike.
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Post by krisno on Jan 23, 2009 16:15:42 GMT
You guys will be amazed, all done.... and i said what the hell, so I did the volume knob myself also.I just connected it togehter on the desktop, not in the casing. I am not an electrician, but I guess the thing will be grounded through the interconnects.. anyways, I use the same tubes..... I fired it up just now, and it damn works...! I don't think it sounds as bright as before, more body? I am not sure, but still its not perfect. The tubes look in bad condition...  |
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Post by krisno on Jan 23, 2009 16:19:17 GMT
After some thought.... it is alot better... alot more 'alive'! even in 'cold' running and no burn in, though I don't look at burn in as something critical. We learn alot about placebo in the medicine study.
Anyways when I get that LED it will sound amazing.. hehe... j/k. But those new tubes will be good. Amazingy that it works. It really sounds good now.... But I changed the IC's as well, so maybe those play a part?
K
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Post by krisno on Jan 23, 2009 16:22:45 GMT
I just fired up reference recordings - The HOT CLUB of San Francisco... track nr 17, I have never heard anything beeing as alive as what I am hearing now on these AKG 701.... but still lacking some 'drive' compared to the yulong. Awaiting those new tubes, then will see..
also those very expesnvei Tungsram 6922 marked HOVEDSEG are on the way, cosing $110 at tubemonger.com, i paid $72 + shipping....
But still, extremly bright which the Yulong never was. The Yulong was so sweet , whatever volume. Really a nice amp..
K
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Post by krisno on Jan 23, 2009 16:39:53 GMT
But also still very bright, it really has become extremlt 'wide' sounding.... dunno if it is the interconnects or the mod...... It's so wide its difficult to follow everything in a movie, it was a bit narrower or more 'solidstate' before?? anyone?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 23, 2009 19:17:03 GMT
Well done Kris, nice job! It will sound better back in the enclosure as the circuit has a tendancy to pick up RFI when it's naked.... so get her under cover as soon as possible. Forget placebo..... the caps DO take a while to form (or "burn in" as some call it) you will notice it gets better and better and better after around 200 hours of playing (fuller, deeper bass, more dynamic, wider soundstage) really, this is "known" and EVERYBODY reports this to be the case. If the tubes are suspect then they will play a big part in the overall proceedings.... once those russians are fitted I think you'll be a lot happier ..... best thing you can do now is case her up, put some music on loop and get those ELNA caps formed..... All the best, Mike. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 23, 2009 19:18:41 GMT
........... also, take out those yellow 10uF input caps and solder a wire link across the pads... these are not required..... you will notice a pretty major improvement with these out of the circuit Mike. |
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Post by krisno on Jan 23, 2009 23:31:29 GMT
But can I remove those and still feel safe? I don't know if that old NOS dac does not have DC output? Or if I connect it to analog out from laptop, how do I know it's safe??? Aren't they for protection? If tubes are nice I will order another pair + new littlie pinkie for the v2 with this nice new switch.. K |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2009 23:41:12 GMT
Krisno
Now that you have a cheap soldering station, why don't you take the next step and purchase a cheap basic Digital Meter ?
You can then check for yourself in your own particular setup, and make an informed decision. Most capacitors, including the physically larger polypropylene capacitors, do have an effect on Sound Quality.
SandyK
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 23, 2009 23:48:44 GMT
But can I remove those and still feel safe? I don't know if that old NOS dac does not have DC output? Or if I connect it to analog out from laptop, how do I know it's safe??? Aren't they for protection? If tubes are nice I will order another pair + new littlie pinkie for the v2 with this nice new switch.. K Safe to remove them in this instance.... trust me, I know what I'm talking about |
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Post by krisno on Jan 25, 2009 19:11:23 GMT
These 623NP russian tubes, they are not military grade are they? They are normal 3dj8??
Tell me, mike, these new NOS tubes you have, what is average lifespan on them? if 5000 hours, that is like only 8months with continous operation...
Secondly Mike, if you shipped the package with a tracking, can you mail me the tracking number??
K
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 25, 2009 22:04:16 GMT
These 623NP russian tubes, they are not military grade are they? They are normal 3dj8?? Tell me, mike, these new NOS tubes you have, what is average lifespan on them? if 5000 hours, that is like only 8months with continous operation... Secondly Mike, if you shipped the package with a tracking, can you mail me the tracking number?? K Hi Kris, The 6N23P-EB are regarded as "military" spec and the 6N23P "general purpose".... apart from the chrome pins of the 6N23P-EB there is no real difference in construction as far as I can see.... I have been running a pair of 6N23P in one of my v2's for well over 4 years and the sound quality is still top notch..... there is no definitive "lifespan" of a valve, it all depends on the operating environment.... one thing is certain, they "all" drift from their operating specs after a couple of hundred hours of use in a circuit, there is no getting away with this.... they don't "fail" per se, they just slowly drift out of their initial spec and whether you can perceive this audibly is hard to tell...... some people "prefer" the sound of old equipment, maybe it's because the components have drifted out of spec and the equipment is producing a different sound.... who knows, it's one of these things us humans have no control over...... I look at a valve as either working or not working.... if it sounds good then it stays in circuit, simple as that.... I certainly don't count the hours as there are so many variables to consider. You can be assured that the batch of 6N23P I have sourced have "zero" hours on them and I'd expect them to last (from past experience) a good few YEARS in an X-Can.... Stop reading all the shit on the internet Kris and enjoy the equipment without worry..... these valves are designed to be "used" and don't have to be handled with kid gloves. I trust you so have shipped your valves without tracking.... the postal system is very good and normally delivers everything in it's system, the only "missing" items being those declared as not received by the recipient " I haven't received them!" when in reality they HAVE received them...... all postal tracking does is give the SENDER the assurance that the recipient has received the item and the SENDER has to pay £5 GBP for the service...... a waste of money when you trust the recipient How is your amp sounding now? |
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Post by krisno on Jan 26, 2009 19:18:57 GMT
I haven't used it anymore, I am waiting for your tubes and that LED.
I have made you another order, check your paypal. I hope you can send me your newest version, maybe with that cable, atleast that very nice rocker switch.
Thanks!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 26, 2009 21:12:10 GMT
I haven't used it anymore, I am waiting for your tubes and that LED. I have made you another order, check your paypal. I hope you can send me your newest version, maybe with that cable, atleast that very nice rocker switch. Thanks! It was tight but you have got the first pinkie for v2 with the Evolution cable  That's not the completed power supply by the way.... just the rear panel completed.... thought I'd take a pic for you |
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Post by krisno on Jan 26, 2009 23:06:10 GMT
excellent.. thanks, looks good. Is that cable at all bendable? I just want to make sure it is 2meter in length, the cable?
I am looking forward to the new switch also... that is the switch it should have been in the first place, like i said last time. That switch is what makes me want a littlie pinkie with a switch.
The transformer you are using is it good stuff?? Any reason btw you don't use torriodal?
K
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 27, 2009 14:12:03 GMT
.... just the rear panel completed.... thought I'd take a pic for you ARSE CRACK! Man it is showing up on all the fronts. Mike, you do not feel there is any reason to change an older cable for this, do you? I'm gonna unpack yours and fit this cable Miguel so won't ship now until either tomorrow or Friday...... I think you should have one with the new cable |
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Post by krisno on Jan 27, 2009 16:27:58 GMT
Done:  The NOS tubes + light is mounted. I wish I just could say : "this is what I have dreamed of".... The thing has bass, the thing is fun, the thing is dynamic..... most dynamic tube headphone amp I have ever heard. I am much closer to the 'action' after the mod. But still, it really is bright, it really hurts my ears. Somewhat the V8 also, though a little laid back, was somewhat sharp in the treble. BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS! The v3 was also very sweet compared to this.. The NOS dac I have even rolls of the highs, I dunno why this then is so sharp. tube is fatiguing to listen to in the long run but not supposed to be painful.. The opamp based Yulong, was just sweet, not fatiguing, no matter what volume you ran at... that was the amazing thing! Maybe its just lack of power which makes it so sharp?.... the interesting thing about this is that the gain is so tremendous on this amp. If I have volume above 1/4 it will blow my ears off.. Solid state just is way to go.. better positioning, fanastic bass, and just sweet sounding... but maybe its lack of power. I never noticed this sharp on my ears as this v2, and I have tried both v3 and v8, but never with stock PSU!... anyways, if I can take the sharpness out of the equation, this is the best tube amp I have ever heard. Never heard tubeamp where you are so close to the music!! and that is because of the mod.... congratulations, you guys are clever! But for me, this is unusable right now.... damn! spend alot of time and money on this... |
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is that something I shuold worry about now?
Of COURSE it will get hot, you are applying molten solder, and it's better too hot for a short period than not enough heat..... the solder appears to have flooded the joints nicely 
