[david62]

I will soon be starting to order the components for a Clarinet.I was thinking of using Auri Cap capacitors ,Vishay resistors and chassis mount RCA jacks.Is there any sonic advantage of going higher end on caps or any other components?Which chassis mount RCA jacks should I order,and what type of hook up wire should I use to wire them to the PC board?Lastly,I was wondering if anybody knows how to label the controls  on the front panel of the chassis that would look nice and be durable.I will be using the Clarinet with a Mc250,Cizek speakers,pioneer CD,which I will upgrade,and a Yamaha tuner.The only problem is that my ears are 47 years old...Thanks for any advice.
David

[MusicMtnMonkey]

Did you check this website?
http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

I think Jim includes a template to send to this company to make an nice professional looking labeled front panel

[david62]

I will look into having him make a label.Thanks.
David

[tubesforever]

Using Auricaps at the B+ tube supply position is fine.  I am using a Mundorf silver in oil cap as the final coupling cap.  I also bypassed the incoming 0.10uf cap all together which you can do if your sources have DC offset built in. 

If you want to save some money on the Vishays, Texas Components is the company that trims the resistors.  They sell the nude Vishays for 9.75 vs 11.95 for the Vishays I buy at PercyAudio.com.  You only need these in the direct signal pathway.  They do not have enough watt value to use them else where. 

I use Kiwami 2 watt resistors for the B+ step down and a Mills 12 watt wirewound for the H+ step down.  I think the 1 watt PRP would sound more similar to the Vishays and cost 1/2 the price of the Kiwamis, but remember to check every resistor for value.  I found several that were way off their marks.

If you love percussion and dynamics consider getting some Russian Teflon FT-3 caps in 0.10uf value and use these in parallel with the final coupling cap.  This modification elevates the Clarinet to a performance level that is as good or better than many very expensive line level amps. 

Finally, I ditched the on board source selector switch and the volume pot and went with a silver/brass selector switch and a dale vishay stepped attenuator.  It's probably the reason why my Clarinet sounds as clear and clean as the purely passive and buffered preamps I had used for a decade.

I flipped over my balance pot 180 degrees so its mounted to the front pannel but makes no connection to the PCB.    Its there to use if I want to in the future.  I don't need a balance switch in my current system.

Hey Jim just reconfigured the Cornet 2 for a choke based power supply and uses voltages that don't stress the 12au7 tube as much.  You should ask him if he can do a quick reconfigure for the Clarinet which would benefit from these same provisions.

Put the power supply in a separate off board case and run a power umbilical back to the line stage.   

This might be the last line stage you ever buy.  I absolutely love mine. 

[david62]

Thanks for the detailed reply.You are over my head,but I am interested in taking your advice.I would need to know which cap and resistor goes where by part # since I don't understand the circuit.The stepped attenuater sounds like a good idea to replace the pot.I will need to know which type you used as well.What type of hook up wire did you use to connect the RCA jacks and attenuator to the PCB?Did you get a reduction in 60cps hum by isolating the power supply?I appreciate this help.
David

[harryf]

My 2 cent's if your spending all that money on vishay's why are you just useing auricaps?
If your going to use that brand shoot for the moon with caps.Go teflon,whatever brand you like.At least on the signal caps.In the ps cap position's auricaps are fine.
The clarinet does not hum.It does hiss at volumes above 50 % but you might never notice this if you use a high powered ss amp or some speaker with 100 db plus efficiency.
This combo of part's will take a long while to break in but when it does it will be very detailed.It will be equal to some very expensive kit.
Tubesforever has taken his clarinet the farthest out of anyone i have read about.His advice is spot on.

[mark kovach]

I you're using a Dale stepped atten. then why bother with Vishay s-102's or the TCC naked version.  The Dale's would be in the signal path (atten) so I suggest Dales in the rest of the signal path.

[tubesforever]

Well, if I ever get the itch, I could measure the the resistor values in the 5 to 10 steps I use the most and put nudes there.  This would be best.   

I wonder if the S102 will ever be configured into a smd?  That might make it a lot easier to build into a stepped attenuator.

[david62]

I appreciate all of the good information provided here.I could do teflon caps in the most critical areas.You lost me on the advice for the attenuator.Once I receive the PCB and the plans, I will ask for more detailed advice so I can order the components.I want to build a really nice preamp and am lucky to be able get this advice from people with electronics expertise.I have only basic knowledge and can solder pretty well.I am excited to  get started on what should be a fun and rewarding build.Can I use a hole saw to cut the tube holes in the chassis?
David

[Bobzilla]

 Clarinet advice:

 1. I think the circuit and PC Board are solid. Although I ventured from the stock version as far as component selection, cabinet, and physical layout, it is still very much Jim Hagerman's Clarinet. If you are new to this hobby, follow the manual, use the parts Jim chose and you will be pleased. Go exotic, and be suitably rewarded with a component that can compete effortlessly with the most respected electronics existent.
 One note on the filament voltage dropping resistor, R313 - 3.0 ohm. This gave me 5.80 volts ... a shade low. Changing this to a 2.5 ohm, 5 watt Mills brought this up to 6.18 volts, Much preferred. During this final "tweaking session" I also added a single teflon "O" ring to each of the nine pin tubes and rapped the pins of all the tubes with some Teflon tape. This is an effort to reduce vibration and resonance.

 2. Give yourself space. You will always need more room than you think. Always!

 3. Dress it up. Be it metal or wood, invest time in making it look as good as it is going to sound ...  and it is going to sound great! I used "Front Panel Express" and recommend it highly. This gave my Clarinet a look of professionalism that I could never have achieved on my own.

 4. Read this forum. Read anything by Tubesforever several times. He has taken this to eleven and his advice is good as gold. (actually good as teflon would be more appropriate) Keep in mind that just because something sounds extreme doesn't mean it's insignificant. Resistors, capacitors, controls, switches, wire placement, grounding, physical layout ... everything has audible effect to some degree.

 5. Enjoy this hobby!

 

[david62]

 Bobzilla,

    Thanks for the advice.Has anybody else run into the voltage problem with R313 I wonder.I will need advice on which chassis to order based on what changes I make with the pot vs.attenuator.I may not go total high end on the components,and really appreciate the advice given on which caps are most critical in the siginal path.I ordered the kit a little over a week ago.I appreciate all of the thoughts here.
David

[harryf]

If your looking for a lower cost alternative to vishay tantilum resistors are also supposed to sound very good but at a lower cost.I myself use kiwami's and think they sound fine.No need to spend more.
With the pots you either go stock or aftermarket.To take out a stock pot you will have to cut it out and then pull the pin's out one by one.
I use the stock pot i find it fine.It's not uber quality but does the job fine.
I would worry about getting great caps and resistors.I would use the stock selector switch and vol pot.
You can go nut's looking for the best of the best but how would you know until you tried them all.
Any of the combination of part's your thinking about will sound very good!

[Bill Epstein]

Forget about the filament voltage dropping resistor until the build is complete. The voltage is a product of the physical properties of your particular power transformer and the voltage it gets from the wall.

Cutting all the transformer leads 5 inches doesn't work for me. That's about the right length for the farthest reaches but the terminals closer to the hole may be shorter to keep things neat. I stretch each one to it's terminal with a little slack for a loop and cut it off there.

After you snug the quick-connect female onto the male, tighten it a bit more by crimping with your needle nose.

If you were building point to point you would twist the 2 red wires together that go to the rectifier high voltage, the 2 yellow wires that go to the rectifier filament and the 2 green wires that go to the driver and output tubes filaments. It's OK to twist those on their way to the quick-connects but with the very short lengths and board location, unnecessary. Don't twist together any of the others.

There are good and sufficinet reasons for using carbon films like Kiwames or KOA Speers on all the 220 ohm resistors, all the rest use quieter metal film. The stock resistors are excellent, PRPs, Vishays, Holcos, Takmans are all flavors of the month; all sound good in their own way and make little difference to teh final sound of Jims circuit.

Caps, OTOH, are the seasoning and are more fun, IMHO, than tube-rolling.

Further, as I have proved to myself time and again. moving the alignment of the cartridge 1/16" makes a bigger difference than any component change. Did it aganin today.

[harryf]

I have to disagree respectfully.Any different type of resistor will change the sound as much as a cap.I do agree it's all really taste.Just like seasoning some food.Kiwami's will add a bit of warmth.
Plesant distortion.Tantilum a bit less warmth but more detail.Vishay's the most detail,very clean.
All will sound very good to the right ear's.You can't go wrong.
As far as cap's i have heard some wonderful russian pio's that for a fraction of the cost of teflon sound great.They don't seem to get talked up here but elsewhere their thought of as  the bee's knee's.I have also heard teflon that had none of the euphoria of pio's but had load's of detail.
I personaly had to combine both type's to get the values i needed.In any combination i used they both types sounded great.
I don't think with jim's great circut you could go wrong it's just do you like warmth and humanity or killer detail or something inbetween.Before you buy anything i think you need to say i want this preamp to sound like this or rather not sound like it's there at all.

[david62]

 Thanks for all of the practicle advice.Using the stock pot,selector switch,Kiwamis and some tefelons sound like a good way to go.How are the Auricap tefelons?I can probably use the stock chassis with the stock pots and switch.Do you advise chassis mounted RCA jacks vs. the PCB mounted type?
David

[Bill Epstein]

How are the Auricap tefelons?

More expensive than the entire cost of the rest of the kit

For some reason I didn't use Obbligatos in these iterations which I have corrected by yesterday ordering 1.0s for 8 bucks apiece. I suspect the Jantzens are going to be shamed by them.

http://www.diyhifisupply.com/catalog/22

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

[david62]

The teflons are expensive,but if they are worth it,I may go for some in the more critical areas.I don't know that my hearing is good enough to desern the difference...I think that a moderate build might be OK.If I go go high end on some components and good on others it may be best for me.
David

[david62]

Do I need to use a larger chassis if I use chassis mounted RCA jacks?

[Bill Epstein]

Are you using the Lansing box? Anything that size or larger is fine

[jtwrace]

Lansing box?

Where do you source these from?  I'm getting ready to do a project.