[LFE]

Here is my Clarinet! Well, just the start. It has Cardas and Auricap Caps and Riken Ohm resistors. The rest is stock from the Hagtech parts list. The Cardas 1uf caps are HUGE! I am about to order the IAG cases for the pre and power supply. I will post pictures when complete.

[Eric H]

Looks good!!!  Those Cardas caps are big...  similar to the Jupiters I put in mine...  do the Cardas caps have an outer foil/preferred direction?  What do you have planned for your chassis?

[LFE]

They don't have a preference listed on them, just black sides/bare wire. I am going to use the largest IAG case, skip the balance control and have just volume and select. I ordered 2" bubinga wood knobs with aluminum inlay for the front. I have DACT volume and select switches, I am adding a 3rd output with a selector switch in the rear for a headphone amp out. I am putting the iron in a seperate IAG case (the small  one) with an 8 pole Speakon link between them. I am really excited about getting this togather!

[tanchiro58]

Hi,

I have purchased an assembled Clarinet from an Audiogoner and want to upgrade to Jensen or Audionote 1.0mF/450V and 0.1mF/600V Copper Foil (previous caps are 4xAuricap 1.0mF/450V and two AEN 0.1mF/600V). In your  opinion, would the new upgraded caps help to improve the sound by 50% or more? Or I should just replace the AEN to AudioNote 0.1mF/600V? Do you have any suggestion with any other good brand caps? I am also considering the Mundorf Silver/Oil or Silver/Gold or the Sonicaps. Thanks for your inputs.

[mgalusha]

Another option for the output coupling caps is a pair of Jensen 2.2uF pure copper foil in oil bypassed with a .1uF Sonicap Platinum (teflon film/foil). This is (IMO) a superb combination although the Jensen's are quite large and the combination with the Sonicap's makes it pretty expensive at about USD $60 per channel. The sound however is very good assuming you can make them fit and can stomach the cost.

mike

[bluesky]

Just a note to let you know what caps I used in my construction which is nearly finished.

I used Mundorf Silver Supreme for the main important caps which were sourced from Madisound and I got a 10% discount without even asking!  For the others I used the new Obbligato caps from Diy HiFi supply which now have copper cases and are reputedly very good.

I also used Kiwame resistors which are also reputedly very good and the equal of Riken Ohms.

This combination is much cheaper than some of the other combinations and should be at least as good sonicaly, I hope!

I'll post a picture and audition opnions when it is all finished.

Cheers

Bluesky

[Yoda]

The auricaps supposedly have a specific orientation---check my other thread re cornet2 cap orientation.  black = signal input; red = signal output.

I don't know the traces on the board, but if they are mirror images per channel like on the cornet2, you might have one cap out of the prescribed orientation.

Matt

[LFE]

I will take a look and make the switch. Thanks for the catch!

[RODA]

Your Auricaps are mounted correctly.  

[ohenry]

Here's the start of my Clarinet.  No wild deviations from the plan (I want to make sure it works from the beginning), just a few different parts such as Auricaps, all Panasonic PS caps, Kiwame resistors (thanks to bluesky)  and good RCA jacks for panel mounting.  I'm awating the arrival of a pair of Auricaps for the last two slots (supplier sent the wrong values   ).

BTW, some may notice that the two larger Auricaps have wires emerging from the edge of the cylinder instead of from the middle.  These are from a cap line designed for circuit board mounting and the leads come bare.  The "red" lead is longer which determines it's orientation, thanks to Roger Sheker for the help on those.  And... I used the larger 2.2uF's there because they fit and I had them.

I was impressed by the quality of the Bugle kit and this one further demonstrates that Jim offers boards/kits of the highest quality and value.  Now, time to think about pokng holes in that aluminum chassis...

[ohenry]

I had fun with this one, it sounded great from the start.  Bests my AES 3 6SN7 with the expensive audio note PIO's, hex fred diodes, costly NOS tubes and all the point-to point magic.  It sacifices nothing in tone to the AES 3, but adds wonderful dynamics, texture and quickness.  I'd describe it to be honest and balanced.  

Great bass and smooth highs using kiwame resistors, auricaps, an NOS Sylvania rectifier tube and some new JJ 12AU7's (everything else is stock except the RCA's).  Also, it's very, very quiet.

If you like Jim's phono products, this one is another winner IMO.  Sorry about the fuzzy photo...

[DeadFish]

Great for you, Henry!

Love the handles!!

Now, just wait for it to break in.  

I just cannot wait to get my Cornet 2 done.

Best regards!

DeadFish

[Eric H]

Yes, those look great!  I like the handles - where did you source them from?

Also - any issues with microphonics on your clarinet?  I realize this is usually a tube-related issue but mine is very sensitive to the tube I use in the middle spot especially...

[tanchiro58]

Another option for the output coupling caps is a pair of Jensen 2.2uF pure copper foil in oil bypassed with a .1uF Sonicap Platinum (teflon film/foil). This is (IMO) a superb combination although the Jensen's are quite large and the combination with the Sonicap's makes it pretty expensive at about USD $60 per channel. The sound however is very good assuming you can make them fit and can stomach the cost.

mike

Hi Mike,
How do you bypass the Jensen 2.2uF pure copper foil with a 0.1 uF Sonicap Platinum? Thanks for help.
tanchiro58

[ohenry]

Yes, those look great!  I like the handles - where did you source them from?

Also - any issues with microphonics on your clarinet?  I realize this is usually a tube-related issue but mine is very sensitive to the tube I use in the middle spot especially...

The handles came from Design, Build, Listen:
http://www.designbuildlisten.com/?x=42&y=10

Those guys are nice and it didn't take very long to get them all the way from NZ.

I haven't noticed any microphonic issues with the JJ's or EI's I've tried so far.  In my experiecne, it seems that the best sounding NOS tubes tend to be microphonic.  

[ohenry]

Just a little follow up on the Clarinet.  I have been pleasantly surprised at the increase in the quality of my vinyl playback using the Bugle with the Clarinet.  I don't know if the synergy results from both being Hagerman products, or if the magic is that both components use the same brand caps, or a little of both.  I now prefer playing vinyl over cd's without question and it's quelled my thoughts of making expensive changes to old VPI set up for a while.  I can see a Cornet in my future...

Thanks to Jim for providing so much contentment for so little.

edit- PS - Amperex 12au7's make it sing...

[bluesky]

Hi everyone in the Hagtech community,

I am thinking of trying the Cree diodes (available from PCX) but I have read mixed reports of these so I am wondering if anyone has heard these or have an opinion on whether they would be worthwhile?

The other things I am pondering are to have the tubes cryoed by a company in Sydney who state that their treatment does wonderful things even to average tubes.  I am led to understand that they are taken down to a much lower temperature than normal cryo treatment and that this results in much enhanced sonics from the tubes when treated.

There is also chassis dampening, I could simply paint on some bitumous based auto dampening paint or buy something like Soundcoat.  I have the Lansing chassis by the way, and I'm quite impressed with the quality and finish.

Lastly, I am pondering hard wiring between the Clarinet, Cornet and my amp, an Aksa 55 watt Nirvana Plus.  Although there some other amps in the wings awaiting some suitable chassis including a 15 watt Class A amp, and a Double Darling SET with the help of a friend (who fortunately has much more knowledge and experience than I do).  

My speakers at the moment are the Aksonics kit speakers which are very good.  However I have recently aquired some really nice Coral drivers, including Coral Flat 6's and horn tweeters and a pair of brand new, frequency matched Coral Beta 8's.  These were quite a find (literally), I gather that they were bought in bulk by a chap in Sydney who never got around to using them and they were unearthed just recently.  I will take my time with these beauties to try and make sure I build speaker cabinets that will
do them justice.

Cheers

Bluesky

[hagtech]

other things I am pondering are to have the tubes cryoed

We'd like to know how it goes!  The claims from Cryo dealers are straight out of the con-man's book.  But metallurgy is an odd science, so I am open to it.  The properties of many materials used in a tube can change from cryo, so don't rule it out.  Most feedback I've gotten so far has been towards the positive.  Sometimes, the changes are indeed changes, but not always for the better.  My guess is that it is pretty hard to predict how your tubes will fare.  

So you can live with that expensive tube as is.  Or full speed ahead.  In DIY audio, the rear-view mirror never gets you anywhere.

jh