His Master's Noise: A Thoroughly Modern Tube Phono Preamp - Page 5

21st April 2010, 12:00 PM
SY On Hiatus Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Chicagoland	His Master's Noise: A Thoroughly Modern Tube Phono Preamp After more than 25 years of faithful service, it seemed that it might be time to redo my phono system. After all, I like to think that I've picked up a few tricks in the intervening years... The old system consisted of a VPI HW17-II, a Linn Ittok LVII tonearm, and a Troika cartridge. The Troika was... Click here to read the entire article Last edited by Variac; 2nd April 2011 at 12:17 AM.

24th July 2010

sonidos

Libertador de la Música

diyAudio Member

I live approximately six miles from SY and after several months, we finally had time for personal introductions and I spent a rewarding evening listening to SY's 'Noise'. We got down to business right away. We switched liberally between CD and vinyl. Fortunately, no brain probes were involved. Lucky me!

If anyone has inquiries regarding buzzing, hissing, humming, or downright rude noises coming from his concoction, let me lay all doubts to rest. It was quiet. VERY quiet. Now I did not go to the speakers and lay my ear next to either one, but I never listen that way!

So I ended up having to fight the urge to drool because the music was very enjoyable and SY can attest that my full attention was on the music. In conclusion, I will do everything in my power to convince SY to finish his MM version. My guess is that it would make some great noise in my personal system!

Thanks, SY for the invitation!

24th July 2010

On Hiatus

Delighted to have you over! Having Stevie Ray Vaughn albums tucked under your arm was a sure sign of class.

Your Rega will be a perfect guinea pig (non-Peruvian) for it.

"You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is."

24th July 2010

Pano

diyAudio Moderator

They eat Guinea pigs in Peru, so be careful!

24th July 2010

sonidos

Libertador de la Música

diyAudio Member

I know Pano! My wife is Peruvian.

SY just wants my ears and the audio interpreter between them. gulp!

12th October 2010

jackinnj

diyAudio Member

I'm thinking something like this -- the board splits in half (use your band saw or some aircraft snippers):

Why, silly hare, are you fleeing from the fierce jaws of the lion now grown tame?

20th October 2010

jackinnj

diyAudio Member

Here's HMVS on a PCB -- the Sowter trafos not yet mounted:

Why, silly hare, are you fleeing from the fierce jaws of the lion now grown tame?

22nd October 2010

Skorpio

diyAudio Member

Very nice article, thank you!

Any reasons for using the output buffer instead of taken the output from the source of the lower DN2540 at the CCS second stage?

22nd October 2010

On Hiatus

That's another valid design path which I didn't explore. I like esthetically to use tubes exclusively as the signal amplifiers in this design, there's an extra tube section available, and I've had great luck with ECC88 cathode followers. But one might get an equally excellent result using (effectively) a source follower. The downside is that it reduces the effective plate load, though I suspect not enough to materially affect the circuit performance (haven't measured or simmed the effect of the load shunting the source to ground).

"You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is."

22nd October 2010

luvdunhill

diyAudio Member

SY, I was surprised about how dead quiet this thing was last night, combined with the tube headphone amp I brought. I cranked the thing with the needle up and couldn't hear a thing over the din of the party. Amazing!

22nd October 2010

On Hiatus

Unfortunately, the headphones you left here totally spoiled me. I had been getting by with some cheapies but now... dammit.

Your 'phone amp sounds excellent, BTW. I will need to study this at length.

"You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is."