How many DIY'ers in the wax museum?

JoshK · « **on:** 24 Mar 2005, 01:33 am »

How many DIY'ers in the wax museum?

Maybe that is what we should rename the Vinyl circle come to think of it?! I like the sound of Wax Museum.

Anywho.... I know Carlman and MGalusha are TT owners and DIYers, any others? I am just curious.

How many of you have built your own phono stage? Please share your experiences for fun and for cataloging/reference.

Josh

(currently in planning stage for balanced phono stage)

mgalusha · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 01:53 am »

Quote from: JoshK

How many DIY'ers in the wax museum?
How many of you have built your own phono stage? Please share your experiences for fun and for cataloging/reference.

(currently in planning stage for balanced phono stage)

I built my Cornet and put Jensen step up transformers inside the chassis.

My Teres is nearly done, just waiting for the motor to arrive from Chris. I had picked up a Scheu motor about a year ago and when I finally was ready to use it the sucker didn't work. I don't know what possesed me not to test it when it arrived.

The Teres platter is solid cocobolo and the motor housing has a 1.5" thick cocobolo base. I saved a few bucks by not having to buy a motor hosing from Chris and he said it should sound a little better with the wood motor base.

My preamp is DIY as well although it's not technically part of the TT setup.

I have made drawings to take a crack a building myself a clone of the Shroeder tone arm. I fell in love with Chris Brady's but there is no way I can spend 3K on an arm.

What will you gain with a balanced phono stage Josh? I thought all cartridges were single ended devices? I can see perhaps using a balanced phono stage after some step up transformers since the transformers can generate a balanced output. That might work out very nicely to keep the noise down, always a good thing at those kind of signal levels. Not trying to criticize, just curious.

Mike

meby · « **Reply #2 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 01:55 am »

Josh,
I like to think I am a DIY, as I have built my own tubed pre-amp, I am contemplating building a TT with either a Teres platter or Scheu platter. I will also be building a new rack as soon I decide on style but it will be high mass.
Mike

JoshK · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 02:16 am »

I plan to build a balanced phono stage primarily for driving long ICs to my preamp, since in my new house the TT will not be that close. I am thinking after the phono stage having a switch and adding all of my analog components (atleast my tuner and TT) and then the balanced line drivers to the preamp (which has a true balanced input).

Techinically though, not to call you out, but cart signals are balanced not single ended. It is usually the phono stage that converts the signal to single ended.

I have been discussing with Rod Elliot about adding the phono stage kit and balanced line driver together and he is very open. Of course I'll buy the boards off of him because I hate that part of design. I like coming up with the idea but not implementing it.

I have heard from a few builders that the ESP phono (Rod Elliot) is a serious phono for not that much money. I have long considered the cornet too but I really need balanced driven outputs. All the cables are going under the floor to my hi-fi center.

JoshK · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 02:19 am »

Mike,

I'd call you DIY! I built my own Teres and I also built a tube preamp (actually Mgalusha did too! so we all have a lot in common).

I'd like to eventually have a sticky thread with details of everyone's vinyl DIY projects (other projects we can detail in the Lab, I think Occam wants to too).

Welcome, as I don't recall seeing you post before!

GBB · « **Reply #5 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 03:30 am »

Josh,
I've got a homebrew turntable based on parts from Thomas Scheu in Germany. I bought the platter, bearing, and motor from him and then built the plinth out of slate. The slate is already pretty inert, but I also bonded some MDF below the slate to really insure its well damped. The slate is 3/4" thick except for the edge where its 1 1/2" thick.

For the phono stage I use either a highly tweaked NYAL Super It or a clone of the Pass Labs XOno. I think the tweaked Super It is a bit better but the Xono has its charms as well. I suspect the MC stage is the weak point of the Xono so I want to try some step up transformers and see what that does for the sound.

---Gary

Carlman · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 03:39 am »

I sure wish someone would buy and/or build that Bix table. If I'd seen that when I was looking for a TT, I'd have bought it in a skinny minute.

It was either a mid-fi table or a Teres. The Teres was over my head at the time... and I'm still not ready for it.

I had an interesting time with a Bugle. I bought a battery-operated version from Jim H and it sounded great... but I kept leaving it on and burning through tons of batteries. So, I asked him to assemble another and this time leave off the power bits. I bought a power supply from Wayne at Bolder with big-ass caps and whatnot... then went to work on super-high-end RCA jacks, ccc, ERS, etc... In the end the super-mega-deluxe version sounded no better... if not a little tubbier... than the first one I bought with batteries and cheapo rca jacks. So, I sold it out of frustration. It was still a really good sounding phono-pre, though... better than the stock phonostage in the DK integrated I have now.... but that's not much of a comparison.

My latest find is the EE Phono preamp. It's the best I've ever heard. I can only imagine how good it would be with a Teres or maybe the Bix... or something in the 1,k plus range... or the KAB Technics 1200 modified would be worthy of this preamp. Anyway, enough about that...

I'm kind of taking a break from electronics DIY. As I type my hands are stained a nice 'rosewood'... since that's what our new office furniture will be. Another few days of this mess and then we'll have the chaos of new carpet being installed... and then it's all over... back to hifi..

... At least for a little while..

mgalusha · « **Reply #7 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 04:42 am »

Quote from: JoshK

Techinically though, not to call you out, but cart signals are balanced not single ended. It is usually the phono stage that converts the signal to single ended.

If you consider the cartridge body as the ground then you could view it as a balanced signal but I never thought of it that way. One could also use a pair of resistors to create a voltage divider and ground the center of the divider. I never really considered wiring a cartridge in this fashion as virtually all of them tie one side of the coil to ground. I wouldn't say the phono stage usually converts them to single ended as most cartridges and arms are wired to tie one side to ground and the phono stage never sees a balanced signal.

It is an interesting thought and would probably do wonders to keep the noise down. Let me know how it turns out, I might have to figure out a way to convert my Cornet to balanced operation.

meby · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 05:04 am »

Carlman,
I was thinking of building a BIX until I read some of the posts at AA, there seems to be some quality control issues and some substandard parts.

I knew it was too good to be true.

beat · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 05:59 am »

Quote from: JoshK

How many DIY'ers in the wax museum?

Maybe that is what we should rename the Vinyl circle come to think of it?! I like the sound of Wax Museum.

I am in the process (though very slow going) of building one from scratch. I have the hugest slab of acrylic cut into a 12 1/8" circle. Josh, If you remember back like a year and a half ago, I was having the guy at the metal yard machine it for me...well, he was suddenly struck with leukemia and died. Therefore, i lost steam on that project. Once I get that set up I plan on playing around with tonearm materials. Regarding the wax museum..Kinda funny, I was thinking about wax originals today after I thought about earwax and how I was going to post something in the sports bar about ear candles. Matter of fact, i think I'll do that now.

meby · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 06:52 pm »

mgalusha,
I would check with Chris Feickert of Scheu about that motor. From what I have read and understand Scheu motors have a five year warranty.
Mike

mgalusha · « **Reply #11 on:** 8 Apr 2005, 02:44 am »

Thanks Mike, It's too late as I pulled it apart trying to repair it. I found some of the stator wires had been burned off, not sure how that happend but it was a mess. Since I had bought it used and I think it was quite old (had a date stamp from 90's on it) I didn't even consider trying to contact Scheu about it. Now if my motor from Teres would just show up...

Mike

Quote from: meby

I would check with Chris Feickert of Scheu about that motor. From what I have read and understand Scheu motors have a five year warranty.
Mike