[christos]

I am gathering parts to build a Clarinet. My plan is to use top-notch components and experiment quite a bit. After reading this forum I have settled on starting with Mundorf Silver/oil caps plus Russian FT3 bypass, and Kiwame resistors. I am looking for advice on the following:

Stepped attenuator: what did you use? I see a few on ebay from Asia built with Dale resistors for around $50. How did you install yours? Do I need to move the PCB higher or lower to accommodate it?

I would like to delete the balance control, especially if it would make a difference. How do I do that? Can I just simply leave it off?

Some people use naked Vishays in the signal path. Can someone point out which resistors should be targeted?

In earlier posts there was a discussion about changing the values of four resistors to reduce gain, which reportedly improved quality. I did not see that change propagate into the current schematic. Do people still feel this is the right way to go?

Wow, lots of questions!

[david62]

 There were some resistor value changes.I'm not sure if the changes suggested here were made in the new Clarinet manual.Jim can tell you if he changed it.Keep us posted on the progress of your build.
David

[christos]

There were some resistor value changes.I'm not sure if the changes suggested here were made in the new Clarinet manual.Jim can tell you if he changed it.Keep us posted on the progress of your build.
David

I think the new values have not made it into the Clarinet schematic. Perhaps Jim can respond?

Anyone have any thoughts on how to delete the balance control?

I have no responses on my question about the stepped attenuator choice. I am sure some people are using them, please help!

Has anyone tried the Cotton Insulated Silver Wire from VH Audio? (http://www.vhaudio.com/wire.html) I am trying to decide between that and the teflon-insulated wire from Homegrownaudio.com (http://www.homegrownaudio.com/bulk_wire.htm).

I will definitely report back on the build. At this point I am still collecting components. The Neutrik RCA sockets just arrived, and those things are hefty! I knew they are good quality parts, but they exceeded my expectations.

[galyons]

Stepped attenuator: what did you use? I see a few on ebay from Asia built with Dale resistors for around $50. How did you install yours? Do I need to move the PCB higher or lower to accommodate it

Don't do the Chinese attenuators. IMO, they are not up to the quality of the Clarinet.  Use a Dact or Goldpoint. I used DACT's in two preamps, Anthem Pre 1 and Rogue Audio 99 Magnum. Huge gain in clarity over the Alps/Noble pots. The standard stereo attenuator wiring is the same as the pot, use the 6 board holes.

Personally, I would not use the Mundorfs. My Rogue was upgraded to the Silver Oils.  They were bright, metallic and put an artificial sheen on the treble. No amount of burn-in could make them musical.  Could not wait to make them "go away".  I replaced them with Russian K40y9's and KBG's.  Much smoother, far more musical and true timbre.  The imaging improvement was scary.  Based on the schematic, I would use either 1.0uF Russian K42Y2's or MBM's.  Either would be a huge improvement over the Mundorf's at a fraction of the cost.   Use K40's for the 0.1uF's.

The MBM's are waxed paper and foil and would be a bit smoother than the K42's. The K42's are similar in construction to the Mundorfs, with metalized paper and oil but without the brightness and glare. I would use the MBM's were I doing the build.  The Teflon bypasses are a nice touch or try the Russian Silver Micas.  Use the $$$ you saved on the Mundorfs to buy the better attenuator. Of course this is my experience, YMMV.

Cheers,
Geary

[christos]

Don't do the Chinese attenuators. IMO, they are not up to the quality of the Clarinet.  Use a Dact or Goldpoint. I used DACT's in two preamps, Anthem Pre 1 and Rogue Audio 99 Magnum. Huge gain in clarity over the Alps/Noble pots. The standard stereo attenuator wiring is the same as the pot, use the 6 board holes.

Thanks for the advice. This sounds good, since I am essentially not trying to go cheap anywhere else. Someone is actually selling the CT2 DACTs on ebay right now for $135. These attenuators, however, are not a direct drop-in for the stock pot. It would be a big advantage for me if they were.

Which ones are referring to that are a direct drop-in?

Personally, I would not use the Mundorfs. My Rogue was upgraded to the Silver Oils.  They were bright, metallic and put an artificial sheen on the treble. No amount of burn-in could make them musical.  Could not wait to make them "go away".  I replaced them with Russian K40y9's and KBG's.  Much smoother, far more musical and true timbre.  The imaging improvement was scary.  Based on the schematic, I would use either 1.0uF Russian K42Y2's or MBM's.  Either would be a huge improvement over the Mundorf's at a fraction of the cost.   Use K40's for the 0.1uF's.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I chose the Mundorfs based on feedback from this forum but also opinions from others, most notably a reviewer that I tend to respect, Martin Colloms, who has been with many well-known magazines. Unfortunately, most of us cannot afford to try even a small fraction of what's out there, so we have to rely on someone else to get started. I will keep your recommendations in mind though and if I hear any brightness that would be one of the first places I will look at. That is the fun of DIY projects, isn't it?

The MBM's are waxed paper and foil and would be a bit smoother than the K42's. The K42's are similar in construction to the Mundorfs, with metalized paper and oil but without the brightness and glare. I would use the MBM's were I doing the build.  The Teflon bypasses are a nice touch or try the Russian Silver Micas.  Use the $$$ you saved on the Mundorfs to buy the better attenuator. Of course this is my experience, YMMV.

Cheers,
Geary

Once I finish the unit I will share my experiences so we can compare. Do you want to share a little more about what you have done with yours? Pictures would be nice too.

[galyons]

Thanks for the advice. This sounds good, since I am essentially not trying to go cheap anywhere else. Someone is actually selling the CT2 DACTs on ebay right now for $135. These attenuators, however, are not a direct drop-in for the stock pot. It would be a big advantage for me if they were.

Which ones are referring to that are a direct drop-in?

None that I know of.  I was referring to the wiring scheme to connect to the PCB. Check to make sure there will be room in the case for a stepped attenuator.  The CT2 is compact, but make sure there is room.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I chose the Mundorfs based on feedback from this forum but also opinions from others, most notably a reviewer that I tend to respect, Martin Colloms, who has been with many well-known magazines. Unfortunately, most of us cannot afford to try even a small fraction of what's out there, so we have to rely on someone else to get started. I will keep your recommendations in mind though and if I hear any brightness that would be one of the first places I will look at. That is the fun of DIY projects, isn't it?

"Reviewers" "review" commercially available components that current manufacturers would use in production.  There is no $$$ in reviewing DIY. This leaves out a whole world of opportunity for improvement and avoiding wasted $$$. I can not imagine the equivalent cost to manufacture the Russian mil spec caps today. But just look at the cost of lesser builds like the Mundorfs, Sonicap teflons, V-Caps....

Once I finish the unit I will share my experiences so we can compare. Do you want to share a little more about what you have done with yours? Pictures would be nice too.

My Cornet2 build is here on AC with pics. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=67317.msg621477#msg621477

[christos]

None that I know of.  I was referring to the wiring scheme to connect to the PCB. Check to make sure there will be room in the case for a stepped attenuator.  The CT2 is compact, but make sure there is room.

Looking at the CT2 a bit more closely, I was a bit disappointed to discover it is a series resistor design rather than shunt. This means that many of the resistors will be in the circuit in series most of the time (unless you are at full volume) rather than two resistors. Is this reason to be concerned?

"Reviewers" "review" commercially available components that current manufacturers would use in production.  There is no $$$ in reviewing DIY. This leaves out a whole world of opportunity for improvement and avoiding wasted $$$. I can not imagine the equivalent cost to manufacture the Russian mil spec caps today. But just look at the cost of lesser builds like the Mundorfs, Sonicap teflons, V-Caps....

My Cornet2 build is here on AC with pics. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=67317.msg621477#msg621477

Great build! Have you compared it with commercially available products? I am curious to hear what you think.

I agree that the Russian caps are way cheap for what they are. However, build quality is just one factor that affects audio performance. Given their price it will be cheap to try them. Looking forward to it.

[bregez]

Some people use naked Vishays in the signal path. Can someone point out which resistors should be targeted?

In earlier posts there was a discussion about changing the values of four resistors to reduce gain, which reportedly improved quality. I did not see that change propagate into the current schematic. Do people still feel this is the right way to go?

Wow, lots of questions!

I too am in the process of acquiring parts for the Clarinet.  This post may have some information as to your resistor question.
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/amp/messages/13/130673.html
Personally, I will just use Kiwami's across the board.  The thought of dropping $15 on one resistor makes me cringe!! 
Here is a link to the earlier post regarding the 4 resistors:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=75735.20
I will go ahead and do the modification as it seems all are happy with it.
Keep us updated on your build.  I will do the same.
Brad

[christos]

I too am in the process of acquiring parts for the Clarinet.  This post may have some information as to your resistor question.
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/amp/messages/13/130673.html
Personally, I will just use Kiwami's across the board.  The thought of dropping $15 on one resistor makes me cringe!! 
Here is a link to the earlier post regarding the 4 resistors:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=75735.20
I will go ahead and do the modification as it seems all are happy with it.
Keep us updated on your build.  I will do the same.
Brad

Brad, thanks for the links, I was not aware of the first one, which is very helpful. I will definitely keep everyone updated about my progress. At the moment I am waiting for the last pieces to arrive, the silver cable and the stepped attenuator. For the latter, I am starting with a Chinese ladder-style unit, but might switch to a DACT or equivalent later. Can't wait to start.

The more I think about it the more I am convinced that I need to find a good way to mount the big capacitors. It seems like a much harder problem than originally thought, especially if you want to allow for easy substitution to experiment. It appears that either a daughter-board or a terminal strip might be workable although not pretty options.

[JayB]

My experience with the Munorf silver oils was the same as gaylon's. "Metallic sheen" says it all. I thought I was listening to a badly setup MC cartridge. 100 hours of break-in didn't change anything. I assumed it was the FT3 teflon bypasses, but when I replaced the Mundorfs with some Dynamicaps, the sound smoothed out. I use Mundorf gold/oil caps in my amps to very good affect, so I was surprised by the performece of the silvers. Of course, you may have a different experience, as have others who have posted on this and other forums.

I used a couple of mono Chinese resister pots and found them to be nothing special. At low volume, frequency balance disappeared, which I think is a characteristic of all resister based pots. I bypassed the balance/volume connections on the board with a couple of wires and use my Intact autoformer passive to control volume. Huge improvement in about every aspect of performance.

Good luck with your build.

[christos]

My experience with the Munorf silver oils was the same as gaylon's. "Metallic sheen" says it all. I thought I was listening to a badly setup MC cartridge. 100 hours of break-in didn't change anything. I assumed it was the FT3 teflon bypasses, but when I replaced the Mundorfs with some Dynamicaps, the sound smoothed out. I use Mundorf gold/oil caps in my amps to very good affect, so I was surprised by the performece of the silvers. Of course, you may have a different experience, as have others who have posted on this and other forums.

I used a couple of mono Chinese resister pots and found them to be nothing special. At low volume, frequency balance disappeared, which I think is a characteristic of all resister based pots. I bypassed the balance/volume connections on the board with a couple of wires and use my Intact autoformer passive to control volume. Huge improvement in about every aspect of performance.

Good luck with your build.

Thanks for the perspective on the Mundorfs. My plan is to try out several capacitors, especially if I don't like what I hear after the breakin period. You have to start somewhere. i will report back on how they sound in my system.

I am surprised to hear you had balance problems with stepped attenuators. This can happen if the resistors are not the same value across both channels, or if the contacts are bad. Otherwise, assuming properly matched resistors, stepped attenuators should have superior balance to regular pots. I plan to measure the resistance of all steps of the pot before I use it.

There are many virtues to passive attenuators, and perhaps I should try one to use as reference. However, at the moment I use a high output MC cartridge and the phono preamp I use does not produce enough gain to feed directly to the power amp. Same thing with the cd player.

[david62]

I would like to see others chime in on Mundorf SOL caps,which before now have had good reviews.

[galyons]

Don't do the Chinese attenuators. IMO, they are not up to the quality of the Clarinet. 

I am going to eat some 'crow" here.  Perhaps I painted with too broad of a brush in the broad generalization of "Chinese attenuators".  I recently had the opportunity to see and hear a couple...and they were damn good!  They were not the "$13.99 including free shipping any where in the world" variety,   These were from pretty well known Hong Kong eBay DIY purveyors.  One was built with high quality Dale resistors and the other British Welwyn resistors. Prices were $60 -$100 and, again, sounded really nice. The workmanship was very nice, although I don't think that the switch bodies are the high quality of the Elma switches used by DACT.

I am going to order a Dale based attenuator for my upcoming Clarinet build.  I will compare to the DACT's that I typically use.

So, "never say never". 

Cheers,