[tubesforever]

I am not sure I can avoid sounding like a broken record but here goes my story.

I built my Clarinet line stage to test parts upgrades for my Cornet 2.  During my many tweaks I found that I had a level of distortion in the sound if I pushed the volume too high.

Thinking it was distortion from running the Vishay nude S102 too hot, I replaced 4 of these with two watt Mills wire wound resistors.  The distortion was still there after the change so I went on to the testing the next variable.

I eventually tracked the distortion down to my speaker crossover.  I had my amp running down around 2.6 ohms and that was not a happy medium.  So about 5 weeks ago I changed my crossover and now the Clarinet sounded a bit on the dull side. 

So today I went back in and exchanged one pair of Mills for the S102's and the other pair were exchanged for Kiwami 2 watt resistors.   While I was in the case I replaced a sand resistor for the H+ step down for a 12 watt Mills wire wound resistor, and I replaced a couple of B+ step down resistors also with Kiwami's. 

Wow....  Clarity and focus went up a great deal.  I am not sure what goes on with resistors in the direct signal pathway but my bet is that if you use Kiwami's, PRP's or Vishay nude S102 resistors you are going to be very happy with the results.

I think in total I soldered in about 6 Kiwamis and two S102 resistors.  It is like the system is enhanced and fresh again.

Don't cheap out on the passive parts.  Buy the best you can afford that you think will work well with your system.  Replacing 4 Mills wire wounds and a few Panasonic carbon comps is all it took to get the sound back to impressive.

Jim H is right when he says every part makes a difference on his board.  I am a believer!

[bluesky]

Hi Tubes

I really appreciate the various experiments you undertake on premium parts.  I would like make up a transformer using a high quality core and CCC copper wire, I managed to pick up some of this wire on special some time ago prior to it becoming hideously expensive as it is now.  I have bought a book on coils and transformers and even borrowed some "How To" DVD's on the subject as well in an effort to understand the arcane science of winding tansformers.  However, I have to admit though that all these efforts have mostly only served to confuse me a great deal. 

I then hit upon the idea of sourcing the parts and taking these to one of our local Australian transformer companies and asking them to do the winding and then throw the result inside a Mumetal case.  I figured that they know just how many turns are required to get the right secondary voltages for a Cornet I am building for a friend.  After that my next "big idea" is to hook this lot up to a Frykleaner for a couple of weeks for an extended burn in period after I read that transformer cores are best when they have been in service for years.  I also thought of getting a small solar panel to charge up a recycled car battery to power the Frykleaner for an extended period.  I rely on a pension for income and running a burn in device for a couple of weeks could make a big dent in my budget plus I could boast that this would make the burn in green (as opposed to black from coal fired power).

In respect to resistors I have found that replacing some standard generic metal films with Kiwames provided the noise floor dropping dramatically in a tube amp I was upgrading for a friend.  Likewise, when I installed a pair of 100uF50V Black Gate N series in the Super E configuration to replace a generic electro in the signal path.  I believe the soundstage depth increased as well.

I would greatly appreciate any input on such a transformer project.

Bluesky 

[tubesforever]

My mind works in the big picture, grand scheme of things frame work. 

When it comes to transformer windings I understand that there is a fellow in Australia who is considered one of the world's pre-eminent transformer winders.  His work is so exemplary that he has a 12 month waiting list for the custom transformers he is asked to wind.

Because I am a grand scheme guy I cannot remember his name or the city where he lives.  Perhaps someone else on this forum knows of this fellow and can help provide a lead.

What I can tell you about iron is that a great deal of the magic or pain we hear in the tube hobby can be pointed back to the quality and peformance of the iron we select.

Luckily, Jim Hagerman selected Hammond transformers for the Clarinet and Cornet 2.  BTW, if you are Canadian you would be proud.  This company is one of the foremost respected manufacturer's of electronics and they have a reputation for excellent iron.  RCA, Raytheon and other manufacturer's built tubes to their exact specifications for Hammond Organs.  That is the level of distinction Hammond reached during its pinnacle.

You can pay 500-600 dollars for a custom wound copper transformer and much more for a silver wired piece.  I decided to buy a Hammond for 60 dollars and put the 540 dollars into the best resistors, capacitors, and tubes I could find. 

I have voiced a variety of resistors, capacitors, and tubes and what I can tell you is that I get the greatest satisfaction when I find the least expensive way to accomplish the highest possible sonics.  I often worry about recommending expensive parts to diy project lovers.

I was not especially happy when I recommended nude Vishay S102 resistors at $11.95 each for the direct signal pathway in my Clarinet and Cornet 2.  However that is what it takes to get up there with a Manley SteelHead, a BAT, a LAMM or a Wave Light.   

Others might or might not agree and I fully support their concerns, their opinions and their take on passive parts.

I built my Hagerman's to sound like music played on a live stage.  I just want it neutral, natural, and devoid of any preconceived audiophile standard.  If a Violin, a vocal, or a drum beat sounds real then I am happy as a clam.

I am happy to share when I find some parts and pieces that sound wonderful at a significant parts savings.  I am hopeful that the PRP resistors will continue to blow my mind.  To get the sound of a nude Vishay S102 for 35-60 cents per resistor is exactly why I love this hobby.

As for transformer windings, I will leave that up to the iron guru's. 

BTW be careful feeding me information about transformers.  I could see myself becoming an iron winding addict in a months time! 

Long live DIY.

[PatOMalley]

Is the turntable passive?

The Cornet2 showed up a slight hum that turns out to be an issue with the shield in my Canare tonearm leads. Out comes the Canare and I made that into a set of interconnects which will go into the RCA jack on the back of the Technics which is getting rewired. The butterfly effect has hit me in the anus.

That's how good the C2 is. Good enough to show up nagging defaults up and down the chain.

Ah well. I am down until the bits and pieces show up in the mail.

CD time .....

[nigelnog]

My mind works in the big picture, grand scheme of things frame work. 

When it comes to transformer windings I understand that there is a fellow in Australia who is considered one of the world's pre-eminent transformer winders.  His work is so exemplary that he has a 12 month waiting list for the custom transformers he is asked to wind.

Because I am a grand scheme guy I cannot remember his name or the city where he lives.  Perhaps someone else on this forum knows of this fellow and can help provide a lead.

What I can tell you about iron is that a great deal of the magic or pain we hear in the tube hobby can be pointed back to the quality and peformance of the iron we select.

Luckily, Jim Hagerman selected Hammond transformers for the Clarinet and Cornet 2.  BTW, if you are Canadian you would be proud.  This company is one of the foremost respected manufacturer's of electronics and they have a reputation for excellent iron.  RCA, Raytheon and other manufacturer's built tubes to their exact specifications for Hammond Organs.  That is the level of distinction Hammond reached during its pinnacle.

You can pay 500-600 dollars for a custom wound copper transformer and much more for a silver wired piece.  I decided to buy a Hammond for 60 dollars and put the 540 dollars into the best resistors, capacitors, and tubes I could find. 

I have voiced a variety of resistors, capacitors, and tubes and what I can tell you is that I get the greatest satisfaction when I find the least expensive way to accomplish the highest possible sonics.  I often worry about recommending expensive parts to diy project lovers.

I was not especially happy when I recommended nude Vishay S102 resistors at $11.95 each for the direct signal pathway in my Clarinet and Cornet 2.  However that is what it takes to get up there with a Manley SteelHead, a BAT, a LAMM or a Wave Light.   

Others might or might not agree and I fully support their concerns, their opinions and their take on passive parts.

I built my Hagerman's to sound like music played on a live stage.  I just want it neutral, natural, and devoid of any preconceived audiophile standard.  If a Violin, a vocal, or a drum beat sounds real then I am happy as a clam.

I am happy to share when I find some parts and pieces that sound wonderful at a significant parts savings.  I am hopeful that the PRP resistors will continue to blow my mind.  To get the sound of a nude Vishay S102 for 35-60 cents per resistor is exactly why I love this hobby.

As for transformer windings, I will leave that up to the iron guru's. 

BTW be careful feeding me information about transformers.  I could see myself becoming an iron winding addict in a months time! 

Long live DIY.

I believe that the "iron guru" being referred to here is is Earle Weston (Weston Acoustics) and yes, he is probably the pre-eminent trafo man in Australi IMHO.  However, so long as the power transformer is wound nice and tight and clamped securely it doesn't matter where they are sourced from.  I get my power trannies from Voller Transformers here in Melbourne - they do a very good job at more than reasonable rates.  When it comes to OPT's it's a different matter and I can't get Earle's time to wind me some 2A3 OPT's, so good luck if you can get his attention.  Second source for OPT's would be Black Art Audio, also in Melbourne.

I think I have touched base with bluesky and have a couple of part completed Cornets from him, which I am in the processing of finishing.  The first is a fully worked Cornet with Kiwames and Mundorfs everywhere.  I am looking forward to auditioning this in the coming weeks based solely on the reputation that Jim Hagerman has achieved through DIY and audio forums like this one.

I will let you know how it urns out.

Until then...