Pearl 3 Burning Amp 2023

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#5,464
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#5,466
My first Pearl 3 is sings for some time.
First impressions was it sounds way more than my old Xono clone.
How it is possible, I didn't believe?
So as I have a new phono preamp, I just revised my Xono.
Although Wayne said, it is possibile to ommit output coupling capacitors, it didn't worked well for me.
Yeah, he is a wizzard assistant, but not me.
So I've implemented coupling caps, and I can't decide now which one is the better one, Xono or Pearl 3.
 

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#5,467
Plott said:
Hmm... I've left the Pearl on for about 3-4 hours now without playing any music, and the sound is noticeably improving. Could it be that it just needs burn-in time (I think I read that somewhere)? I've listened to it for about 5 hours so far, so it's now racked up about 9 hours in total. Maybe I'll increase the gain a bit once the sound settles in so nicely...
Click to expand...
Well, I know there are many arguments both ways, but I am a firm believer in break in. I am perfectly willing to accept that I may be as full of it as a Christmas turkey, but still.

For me, it seems to start in the bass and move up....I know, probably so.e other explanations but I notice it consistently with new builds. I particularly noticed back in the day when I was all tubes....all my new tube builds sounded wiry at first.....I know, just like a Christmas turkey!

One other consideration, have you played with cartridges alignment? I have an Ortofon Super OM 30 that will sound a bit as you describe, until I adjusted the VTA. Lowering the tail a touch made that one sound fine.

For what it's worth, my P3 is built just like build guide

Russellc
 
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#5,469
Russellc said:
Well, I know there are many arguments both ways, but I am a firm believer in break in. I am perfectly willing to accept that I may be as full of it as a Christmas turkey, but still.

For me, it seems to start in the bass and move up....I know, probably so.e other explanations but I notice it consistently with new builds. I particularly noticed back in the day when I was all tubes....all my new tube builds sounded wiry at first.....I know, just like a Christmas turkey!

One other consideration, have you played with cartridges alignment? I have an Ortofon Super OM 30 that will sound a bit as you describe, until I adjusted the VTA. Lowering the tail a touch made that one sound fine.

For what it's worth, my P3 is built just like build guide

Russellc
Click to expand...
Yes, it took me an hour or so, the settings are pretty good:

PSX_20250413_194807.jpg
 
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#5,470
Do you have adjustable VTA on tonearm? Sometimes it is just a set screw that holds the tone arms post in place. Put on stylus protector! Others have screw that lowers and raises post depending on direction it's being turned. Other times you have to put spacers under tonearm base mount.

Do "thin vinyl" albums not have this problem less than fat vinyl 180 grams and up?
 
#5,472
Hi All,

Had some issues (post #5343) and got valuable insights from most. Resoldered questionable bits, used a good cleaner and got the splatters of flux off, and made an adjustment to R27 as per Boydk. Originally, the rail voltages were completely wonky - 19.36 on + side, and -12.71 on - at the Phono Stage. After a bit of cleaning and soldering and a small sacrifice to the gawds of voltage, i'm getting the following: + is 23.8, - is 23.9 at the Power Supply, and now I'm getting 18.6 at the positive, and 12.8 at the negative, both boards. So cripes. Still bad.

Previous measurements for R27 with the original 220r were:

left: 1.67
right: 2.2

After changing R27 to 680r/1/4 watt as per Boydk's recommendation,
R27 on left is now: 2.38
R27 on right is now: 2.76

So based on my math, each side is within spec, but they're not the same (3.5 mA and 4.06 mA). Does that matter? And for what it's worth, the red LED on the left board is slightly brighter than the right one...

All advice welcome and desperately needed, but as I have minimal sight (getting worse by the day) try to be kinder than some were the last time I asked for help...😉

The sight is so bad that now when i look in the mirror i see Robert Redford in his younger days. My wife looks at me and sees Ethel Merman's neck.
 
#5,474
I can try, but it will take a bit to get them pulled out of the chassis...i'm still quick and agile, but now on a sloth's terms rather than a human's...other than better soldering, cleaner boards and a new R27, the pics will show what was in the last round of images from previously...around post #5320, i'm guessing?
 
#5,475
Hi again, @spoiler ....... sorry to hear about your decreasing eyesight.
I too had these small inconsistancies between channels on the first couple of builds, and only got rid of them,
when I meticously matched every part between channels. For now, I wouldn´t worry too much about them, or the difference
in glow from the 2 LED´s.
What´s worse, are your + & - rails.
First..... How do you measure them?
If measured on the pins of the 7815/7915, you know that the connections are not the same?
Seen from the front, the 7815 has IN, GND, OUT from left to right, and the 7915 has GND, IN, OUT from left to right?
If this is what you get, and if it´s on both channels, I think, you have maybe mounted one wrong value component on
both boards, or at least made the same error on both channels. It looks like the negative rail draws too much current.
In reality, the positive rail actually does draw a little more than the negative.
So..... as bhjazz mentioned........ try to take some Hi-Res pictures of the top side,
unscrew the 8 nuts/screws, lift and twist the boards and do the same Hi-Res of the bottom as well. You should be able
to upload around 1Mb size jpeg´s 😉
 
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