[samplesj]

I've had the Cornet2 done for a week or so, but I've been tied up with work and fixing my Chime.  I finally got around to getting these pictures up on the web.

I mostly stole the tweaks from previous posters, but I'll relist them here

I can't really compare this to a good phono stage, but it sounds very good to me.  I previously had this turntable running through a Denon 4086 to my GR Research AV/3s in the HT system.

Here is what I changed:

• Mundorf Silver/Oil caps for the output caps (C208)
• Sonicap Gen 1 for B+ supply (C206/200)
• Sonicap Platinum for the interstage caps (C203)
• Sonicap Gen 1 for the eq (C202/204)
• Corcom filtered/switched/fused power inlet
• Vampire internal mount copper RCA jacks

Pictures (click on description for full sized picture):
power input, tx, and input jack wiring close up

caps and front of board close up

Closeup on rack

Full equipment rack


Anyway, thanks Mr Hagerman for another great sounding design!

I've done a bit of tube rolling and I've ended up with a JJ GZ34 (over Sovtek 5Y3 and 5AR4), JJ ECC82/12AU7 (over RCA blackplate), and 2 short plate Mullard ECC83/12AX7s (over Sovtek LPS and JJ).  Still got more tubes coming.  I figure I'll try several different tubes and sell the extras (its worth the small resale loss to hear the different flavors)

[gurevise]

Samplesj,
I see white diffusers on the wall behind the stereo system racks.
What kind are they? Could you share your experience of using them?

Thanks
Sergey
Dayton, OH

[samplesj]

Samplesj,
I see white diffusers on the wall behind the stereo system racks.
What kind are they? Could you share your experience of using them?

Thanks
Sergey
Dayton, OH

Its a 2 wide x 2 high patch of RPG Skylines.  My full system details are in my sig line.

I considered building the wood clones, but it was just too much weight.  At the time I didn't have a lot of free time either.  I was looking at a tedious painting project to get the wood ones to look nice so I bit the bullet and bought the rpgs.

You can only see a bit of the speakers, but like my system says I'm running Magnepan 3.6s so conventional wisdom says diffusion behind them.  The rear wave gives them part of their spaciousness and absorption would just kill that.  They seemed to help with detail and imaging and I didn't really notice any shrinkage of the overall sound.

[amandarae]

Nice!

Thanks for the pics.

[samplesj]

Nice!

Thanks for the pics.

Actually thank you for your older build thread where I lifted a lot of the cap change ideas.

[machine]

Nice work!

How long did it take you to build it once you started?

I have a Cornet2 kit and was wondering about the build time - I've heard it takes about 2 days if your reasonably handy.

Have the suggested Auricap upgrade, but was thinking of switching to SoniCaps.

[samplesj]

Well..........

I can't really help much with how long it would take because I started this as a 3-in-1 project.  I built all three boards at the same time and stuffed them in a single box.  I just didn't plan for where the outputs needed to be and where I put the power inlet.  In the end I saw a very long battle with hum and probably never getting rid of it all without recasing so I could move things.  Once I decided I needed to recase I split them back out into three just so it wouldn't be an issue.  And even though I had varying levels of hum with the 3-in-1, ALL 3 of the kits I've build are totally quiet in their own box.

The Cornet2 board is very well laid out (they ALL are).  I actually soldered all three in 2 evenings after work.  Now the metalwork can be a killer, but go ahead and buy punches.  New Greenlees are crazy expensive (EACH), but used ones pop up on ebay or you can buy the cheap chinese junk from Harbor Freight if you have one local (just watch pricing they play games with web price vs local price by having different models - I thought I was getting mine for $20, but they rang up $30).  You will REALLY be glad you did.  They work so much better than a step bit.  I'd dulled my big step bit enough for it to start catching and yanking the metal plate before I'd even finished the first set of holes.

Overall the 2 day thing is probably not that far off, if you are good with metalwork OR you have the right sized square punch for the IEC inlet.  The 1-1 drill guides are an AWESOME touch that really helps.

Personally I always sub Sonicaps for Auricaps based on other projects where I've used them.  I'd probably have stuck with just Sonicaps, but I saw Amandarae's build thread where he actually did some comparisons so decided to give the Mundorfs a try.  I don't really have much exposure to oil based caps.  There are some Jensen PIOs in my crossovers, but they came that way from the guy I bought them from so I didn't get to hear what it sounded like before them.  Overall I'm really happy with the sound so it was a good experiment.

[machine]

I bought the kit off a guy on here.

It came with the AuriCaps and Pre-punched case.

So It should be a matter of soldering up the board and assembling in case.

Only tricky part may be the Caddock resistors.  Thay need the leads bent to fit on the board. (.2" spacing vs.  .5" I think).

[Bill Epstein]

I use 'Unibit" step bits exclusively for chassis work. 1/8" to 7/8" and 1/8" to 1 3/8". No dulling after many holes.

The holes have a nice taper that looks good and if one isn't large enough after lifting out (my eyesight isn't so good) it's easy to re-insert and "step" to the next size.

Clamping the work is mandatory as is protecting the surrounding area with masking tape. A drill press makes the job easier but a hand drill works just fine.

[hagtech]

I've found the quality of a step-bit can vary greatly.  A recent discount model burnt out in a day.  Seems the kind with two slots works best on plastic, single slot (opening) on metal.

jh

[Eric H]

Regarding the metalwork - I built my Cornet2 and Clarinet with hole saws, drill bits, a hacksaw, a couple files, a centerpunch and black hammertone paint on Hammond aluminum 12x3x8 chassis.  I had the tools and experience with this mode of construction from some of my initial tube amp projects which were guitar amps where the chassis was mostly hidden.  This is probably the cheapest way to do things (at least for a one-off project) but also probably the most labor intensive.  When I built my Clarion (Jim's 2A3 design) I finally bought a unibit because there was some hole size I couldn't get a drill bit or hole saw for...  One of these days I'll put up some pics of my Cornet2/Clarinet/Clarion combo (which I'm listening to now).  I'm happy with the looks and sound of all these units...  thanks Jim!