[ronpod]

Tubes,
I'm still burnin in and can't quite place individual singers in a mass choral group yet. Mostly I've listened to classical on Deutsche Grammophon but the recordings are complex enough that getting distinct "air" around each instrument is not discernable to me yet. But the music is incrediably rich and emotionally compelling. This is the best I've heard the Boston Symphony Orchestra directed by Ozawa playing the Clarinet Concerto and the Bassoon Concerto by Mozart (DG). Also the Orchestre Philharmonique de Berlin directed by Karajan playing Anton Dvorak's Symphonie no 5 (also Deutsche Grommophon, Prestige collection) has dynamic range that stopped my wife and I in what we were doing to spend time with the wine, listening.

Your suggestion of adding a Clarinet is now getting serious consideration.

ronpod

[ronpod]

Wayne,
It will be a little while before I dress the Cornet well enough to get pics. It is tight in there but I am confident that air can circulate well enough.

[PatOMalley]

gents,

I added the Russian Teflon FT-3 0.10uf 600V caps and really weird at first. I think Jim had these burned in for me so the warm up is not lengthy but really weird at first.



They don't take anything away from the Jupiter's but they do add dynamics, presence, and really smooth detail. funny about the detail as it just flows in stead of smacking you. Maybe it is pairing it with the Jupiter's I don't know but I like it.

I put them on the top of the board so that no danger to the beeswax was risked. Held in place with 3M foam tape. They do that increase in volume thing Tubes mentions. They really mate with the Jupiter's well. Speed things up a bit but smooth smooth, no negatives.

Thanks for caps Tubes and ronpod for the final incentive.

From left to right:
Russian K40Y-9 .1uF paper-aluminium foil in oil, Obbligato metalized poly 1uF, and Jupiter  1uF paper-aluminium foil in beeswax /w copper lead.

--And don't bother me about cap orientation. I know they are in wrong. I was sick about it after I did it. Leads too short to change positions for the Jupiters. So I tried and tried to hear a channel difference and I really can't notice anything.

[mingles]

> --And don't bother me about cap orientation. I know they are in wrong.

I don't mean to stir anything up, but the Jupiter's aren't bipolar, so it doesn't matter which way they're oriented.

[PatOMalley]

Hey mingles,

None of the caps in play are bipolar but that outer foil marker on the Jupiter cap had me going.
But I am glad you posted this as now I have referable, documented, utterance on the world wide web that all is well. Really, it is good to see that in print. And why I need such verification is a matter for my psychiatrist.   

[tubesforever]

Electronically Mingles is right.

However some caps are shielded, (like the Auricaps) and the idea is that you want the proper orientation of the leads and their shielding to help reduce noise. 

That is the theory....

I tried the Auricaps in both directions and heard NO difference. 

Maybe it would be observable on a digital scope.

I plan to sleep well.  These are matters better left to wizzards. 

[ronpod]

I also have had a recent concern about one channel performing differently than the other. I had an online purchase of Oliver Nelson's "The Blues and the Abstract Truth" a sealed Impulse record that stars Paul Cambers, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, and Freddie Hubbard. I broke the seal and put it on the turntable. The left channel was muted during play.? The first thought I had was that I was ripped off by the online purchase. I played it several times again but each time I had the same result. I swapped cables all along the component chain but it seemed that the left channel from the turntable was outputting low volume. Other LPs work fine.

Well I've been burning in this Cornet2 with the Russian FT-3 coupling caps in place for some time now. All that I play is sounding very nice. One thing that I have noticed is that the Cornet2 will starkly reveal the quality of the record being played. If the record has audiophile quality, then you hear glorious music. If the record has been beat up, then all the mistreatment of the vinyl will be heard. But, often the music that is being played sounds so good that small background noise is forgiven.

Anyway, I decided to try the Oliver Nelson recording again. This time to my astonishment, both channels played flawlessly!

YYYEEESSS!!!!!!!!!

What a fantastic piece! Outstanding music and very well recorded.

That's one I'll never understand but I'm so happy that problem decided to disappear.

One word of caution with these Russian Teflon capacitors; be careful with your sequence of equipment turn on. If the equipment with the Teflon caps has been off for awhile, they can create a burst of static when turned back on that, in a preamp, could potential be amplified to levels that might take out one of your prized speaker drivers. I am hoping the this might be a part of the burn in process and that this problem also goes away. My turn on sequence now is; turn on the preamp and wait several minutes before turning on the power amplifier.

I have turn on all equipment at the same time in the past and, even with the Muting switch on the amplifier at -20dB and the volume turned way down, I have heard horrifying static from the speakers that is extremely excruciating.

My thought is that with a little caution, the Teflon caps are a fantastic addition. I have noticed that they add so much to the liveliness of the music that I would absolutely not give them up.

[PatOMalley]

ronpod, i have not had the static thing happen. I turn on the Clarinet, then the c-j amp, then flip the table on. By the time I stroll to get a record and come back the light is green. No static. I have had that happen with tubes, though, and some need to settle. Maybe try swapping tubes? Or just try swapping the AXs into different positions.

I think that the Brymar rectifier I was using probably allowed problematic tubes to misbehave. After swapping in a Bendix it was no more tube trouble. Same with a National which is a Japanese made in Mullard factory 5AR4.

[ronpod]

Pat, that's a good point, it might be the tubes. I was rolling tubes every few days prior to soldering in the Teflon caps, but have not changed tubes since. Often these seemingly isolated problems all come together into what should have been an obvious solution. Hopefully, it's all just a case of "sorting out" and that sharing this with all of you provides some value.

Pat, your mounting of the caps in your Clarinet provides a wonderful option for "stuffing" more Teflon bypass components. This equals even more fun. Like your Jupiters, I mounted the Mundorf S/Os with opposite ends in each channel. I haven't noticed a difference yet. This winter, I'll be spending considerable time with this "burnt in" equipment and have some time to experiment with more critical assessment.

[tubesforever]

Pat is probably right on the issues you heard.  I have heard lots of break in issues with lots of different components, but your issues sound more like a worn or leaking tube than a Teflon cap break in issue.

Ronpod and O Malley!, how is the equipment sounding now after a couple weeks of play time?

Pat, just tell me I need to try the Jupiters and I will order a pair this weekend!

[PatOMalley]

Ronpod and O Malley!, how is the equipment sounding now after a couple weeks of play time?

Pat, just tell me I need to try the Jupiters and I will order a pair this weekend!

OK Tubey, here's the word.

Buy some Jupiter caps. The most texturally real sound. The sound on top is extended but sweet. If you just go with the Jupiter's you could be happy. Voices are so warm and real. They have weight and texture; I have seen them referred to as highend Grado headphones and I see what the person means. Immediate, textural, but not rolled off or overly damped or dark. I was happy to sit still with them.

Adding the Teflons brought this wide open sound, immediacy increased but with a wider picture frame. No roof on the air. The Jupiter's do the hifi spacial thing really well and the Teflons increase this many fold. I was reticent to add the Teflons to caps that I dropped $33 each for but they make a thing that is more than the sum of it's parts.

Try the Jupiter's for a week before adding the Teflon's ... just to see.

[tubesforever]

Thanks Pat!

I think I will try some Juipters in my Clarinet.  While I like the Mundorfs for midrange space and height, if you push these beyond a specific volume they create a sound similiar to what I hear with over recorded tape distortion.

I can only push these Mundorfs so far. 

I will definitely order a pair of these Jupiters and I agree with you 100% that it is always best to listen to a component alone before adding on other variables.  Will these take 40 hours to break in or do they take even more time?

I hope these Jupiters can provide the same expansive and expressive bass lines.  The Mundorfs are supreme in the bass areana. 

Pat, I appreciate your input on the Jupiters.  I have been eager to hear them.  You know I love vocals so if they do vocals right I will probably be a very happy camper.

Cheers!

[PatOMalley]

Will these take 40 hours to break in or do they take even more time?

I never really time these things. What I do is just play a lot of music over the weekend and the last time I ran the CD on replay thru the headphones overnight. I saw a big change in the phones from doing that.

What happens with me is I hear something different from time to time and I am not sure if that is from burn in or just the difference in components.

[ronpod]

Tubes and Pat,
Your experiences with the Clarinet have me intrigued and the Jupiters are interesting! I think I see a Clarinet forming in my crystal ball so I'll be very interested in your observations regarding synergy.

After a brief hiatus, I've been able to warm up the Weller again. Pat, I studied your pics of the Russian FT-3s mounted on top of the PCB in the C2. After maybe 25 hours of listening to the FT-3s as input caps and output bypass caps I decided to keep those in place but add FT-3s as B+ bypass caps (fry the big fish as tubes is wont to say). I unsoldered the FT-3s from the bottom of the PCB and carefully replaced them on the top of the PCB in their previous orientations. So with those four large caps on top I surveyed the real estate and found that there was room remaining to place four more. So four more FT-3s it is, 2 each channel bypassing the B+ caps. Total of 8 FT-3s are now on top of the PCB of the Cornet2. The way that they mounted in did not allow twisting of the leads (the way tubes has shown in his beautiful C2). The connections are very similar to what Pat shows in his pics. I also used a Scotch 3M product to adhere the caps to the board but I used the clear heavy duty double-stick foam tape (4010). This tape has a visco-elastic property that might help dampen cap viberations. The clearance of the caps to the top plate using the nylon standoffs that Jim specifies is an issue. The cap width with the thick clear heat shrink that I used causes interference of about a sixteenth of an inch. A thin spacer washer was enough to do the trick. The caps are secure in place with ever so slight pressure on the circuit board. What this will do for viberations within the unit is unknown. I was hoping that this might further dampen viberations but we'll see.

The Cornet2 with the Russian FT-3s in signal path locations was sounding nicely transparent and then the addition of the B+ bypass caps seemed to add slightly to mid to lower end detail. But together with this addition came the "weirdness" that indicate a burn in period will again be needed. I left the C2 on overnight with a signal from the FM section of a receiver I rigged up for this purpose. I woke up this morning with anticipation of spinning a Nonesuch LP of Antonio Vivaldi (5 Concerti for Diverse Instruments). Yes! the sound of well wet reeds, rosined bows, well lacquered woods -- heaven...

[tubesforever]

Ronpod,

That is what I am saying!  The teflons just allow you to hear the soundstage with clarity.  The added benefits include improved dynamics and more natural highs. 

I am not sure if you are going to try the Texas Components / Vishay nudes, but for my dollar these things allow micro details to sweep over you like you were at the live event.  For me, I just want to melt into the listening seat. 

I wish they had these in a 1 Watt rating.  I would stuff the entire board with these things.  They work really well in the direct signal pathway. 

[ronpod]

Tubes,
Other than some addition tube rolling, I am done tweaking the Cornet2. The Russian FT-3s are going to stay. I have the Texas Components TX2575 resistors in all signal path positions and they are going to stay. The Mundorf S/O in the C208 output coupling position is good too. This might be the one component I swap (but I doubt it).

I haven't ordered a Clarinet half kit yet but I think it would be a great spousal Christmas gift request. In anticipating the components to populate that stage I would again consider the Russian FT-3s. I have thought about the Vishay S102 (nudes) but I would likely justify the additional dollar or two for each of the TCC TX2575 resistors. According to Texas Components, these are their quietest audio resistors.

I still have the dozen Russian FT-3s that you sent sitting on the desk in front of me. You shipped them in wooden rails that provided maximum protection from shipping damage and I appreciate that. I am likely to use four of them to bypass the beer can size power caps in my power amplifier. Also I am considering them for use in my AV123 Strata Mini speakers as a bypass in the tweeter circuit.  Lots of possibilities for experimentation.

[tubesforever]

Ronpod,

I doubt anyone would need to replace any of the TC nudes with any Vishay model.  I heard somewhere that the bulk foil is produced in Israel and then TC does the laser trimming to establish the resistance.  The ones matching mil spec are labeled Vishay.   I am not at all sure if this is true, but it sounds plausible.

These resistors are superb and since TC is the final production point I figure they know what works. 

I am hoping everyone that likes to hear sound field decay accurately, like they are live will try these resistors.

They allowed me to easily hear the decay difference between the ceiling, the side walls and the rear wall of the recording venue on my favorite Bob Ludwig's engineered Nonsuch album.  I could not hear this level of microdynamics with the stock specified carbon comp resistors.  These TC/Vishays are outstanding 3D champs!   

Cheers!

[PatOMalley]

For what it's worth I started my cornet2.



If I can attribute thinking to where those resistors went I only followed the thick traces and figured that was power so the Kiwami went there. The rest I figure is signal so the PRP goes there. I will get a set of Rikens for the 47k input space. I bought the Mills wirewound because I thought it was cool. What a gas. Having fun.

[tubesforever]

Pat this looks great.

I love the Mills resistors.  For others considering the Mills for the H+, I am using the MRA12 in that spot because there are more options in the 1-5 ohm values.  I think I am using 3.5 ohms right now delivering 6.2 volts on the H+ for my Clarinet, and 1.75 ohms delivers 6.175 on the Cornet2.  That is what I measured using either the Bendix 6106 or the Mullard rectifiers.

I also had to adjust the B+ step down resistors to deliver the proper voltage at the test points when using my Mullard rectifier tube.  I would recommend everyone buy a few extra B+ step down resistor values to play with.  (You need more resistance when using the Bendix 6106 or GZ34 rectifier. 

Are you going to try some Hexfreds?  I just got mine.  I might try 4 in my Clarinet this weekend with some of my favorite CD test cuts just to see if they are actually quieter than the Shottke Diodes.

The Beeswax are here too. 

One change at at time.  I like to start with power supplies since these effect the noise floor.  Then comes the caps.  I will run the Jupiters alone for a week or more before dropping on the teflons.  I have loads of female vocals I plan to try with the Jupiters.  Your reference to them sounding like the Grado Master headphones is very interesting.  How do you classify the Jupiter's for bass response?  I hope they can keep up the timing and detail down low.

Great work Pat.  You are right.  This stuff is plain out great fun!

Cheers!

[ronpod]

Pat, she's a beauty and you have us suspended...
Are you installing by chapter?
Anticipation is such exquisite pain...
The red resistors are PRPs? What are PRPs?
I also thought that the 47k input resistor (R200) is important for a good sounding unit so high quality is warranted there.
This registers high enough on the fun meter that it could slip into the illegal range  aa

ronpod