Closed Thread
Page 11 of 29 FirstFirst ... 91011121321 ... LastLast
Results 101 to 110 of 284

Thread: Passive preamp buzzing?

  1. #101
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Hi Paul,

    Quote Originally Posted by pgarrish View Post
    I doubt two alps would do much if anything. You'd be better buying a stepped attenuator. No idea if the Vale things on ebay are any good, but a DACT switch is miles better than an Alps blue - I have a similar box to yours only mine is even uglier... and the move to the DACT was significant, much more so than fancy shunt resistors, plugs, wire etc. I'd be tempted to install a common earthing point and run a dedicated earth from the alps and the switch to it (star earth) but you look to have done a nicer job than I did between the plugs and the earthing in a passive is vital.
    I agree about the DACT, as that's what I use on the Croft, and it simply offers an 'open window' onto the music, such is the almost complete lack of 'sonic signature'. It makes Alps pots sound positively veiled and muddy in comparison.

    It's highly revealing nature, however, throws a critical spotlight on the partnering circuit, so only use if you value a 'warts and all' style presentation, which majors on clarity, not if you want to add some 'warmth', or whatever, and employ pots as glorified tone controls.

    In terms of the bit in blue, as usual, any piece of equipment is ultimately only as good as the SUM of its parts, not simply focussing on one specific area, so "fancy shunt resistors, plugs and wire", all impart their own [very valuable] contribution to the final sound!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  2. #102
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    I completely agree, but as long as the money has been spent where it matters most. Sadly, that's not always the case with some expensive stuff. It has to be expensive for the right reasons!

    Marco.
    Yep as I said some is average at best. Or it is very good but priced for exclusivity or because it has diamonds embedded in it and 24 karat gold fittings and so on. Parts that costs a bomb but has no influence on the sound. If you've got the money, why not? The rest of us have to be more discerning.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  3. #103
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    Yep as I said some is average at best. Or it is very good but priced for exclusivity or because it has diamonds embedded in it and 24 karat gold fittings and so on. Parts that costs a bomb but has no influence on the sound. If you've got the money, why not? The rest of us have to be more discerning.
    Why not indeed, but as someone who has the money, I see such superfluous frippery simply as vulgar pretentiousness, and would rather spend it instead on music, or wine!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  4. #104
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Little update -

    Alan popped round yesterday and we had a listen to the Goldpoint and it was unanimous that it's quite clearly the best preamp here. It's not much of a challenge due to the standard it's up against but there was something niggling about the scale. I didn't feel it was revealing the level of LF I'd heard previously. It was suggested that the output caps were not big enough on the Jolida and due to the resistance of the GP, that it may be having that undesirable affect.

    So I fitted these larger caps today. They need some time to open up as they hadn't been used previously. Bottom end is now what I would call.....ground shaking but the soundstage and open feel I had previously is missing. obviously it's the newness of the caps. Many hours of music to be played.



    Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

  5. #105
    RothwellAudio Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigman80 View Post
    Bottom end is now what I would call.....ground shaking but the soundstage and open feel I had previously is missing. obviously it's the newness of the caps. Many hours of music to be played.
    The newness of the caps may be the problem, but I wouldn't say "obviously". It's quite possible that the smaller caps were saving the Jolida's output stage from having to work hard at low frequencies. Now it's working harder at low frequencies it's compromised its performance. Anyway, that's just one possible alternative explanation. BTW, I have no idea what the Jolida's output stage looks like.

  6. #106
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Oh, that's troubling.

    Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

  7. #107
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: The Black Country

    Posts: 6,089
    I'm Alan.

    Default

    Andrew, Oliver, it's no trouble.

    The output is an SRPP arrangement, could be bettered but Oliver wants to keep the Jolida original.

  8. #108
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Firebottle View Post
    Andrew, Oliver, it's no trouble.

    The output is an SRPP arrangement, could be bettered but Oliver wants to keep the Jolida original.
    Yup, nothing wrong with it as is !!!!

    Just out of curiosity, bettered how?

    Ps, does that mean the output stage isn't being overworked?

    Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

  9. #109
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    We had a passive pre bake off at NEBO a few years ago and the modded Goldpoint in this thread was one of the contenders. I thought the power amp in use masked differences a bit but the Goldpoint still stood out as notably different in its presentation. It did sound 'open' but it also lacked a bit of 'oomph' - Ali's Slagel pre sounded similar but didn't lack the 'oomph'. So correcting the problem by modding the Jolida may not be optimal solution.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  10. #110
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: NE England

    Posts: 4,173
    I'm Jez.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    We had a passive pre bake off at NEBO a few years ago and the modded Goldpoint in this thread was one of the contenders. I thought the power amp in use masked differences a bit but the Goldpoint still stood out as notably different in its presentation. It did sound 'open' but it also lacked a bit of 'oomph' - Ali's Slagel pre sounded similar but didn't lack the 'oomph'. So correcting the problem by modding the Jolida may not be optimal solution.
    I recall there being bugger all difference between them, as expected, (not none at all but barely noticeable and I was wondering if I was kidding myself that I could hear any difference really) apart from the Slagle TVC which was noticeably slightly bright and brought out leading edges of plucked guitar etc... which sounded nice (more impressive) but probably not as accurate as the others.
    Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)

    Modded Thorens TD150, Audio Technica AT-1005 MkII, Technics EPC-300MC, Arkless Hybrid MC phono stage, Arkless passive pre, Arkless 50WPC Class A SS power amp, (or) Arkless modded Leak Stereo 20, Modded Kef Reference 105/3's
    ReVox PR99, Studer B62, Ferrograph Series 7, Tandberg TCD440, Hitachi FT-5500MkI, also FT-5500MkII
    Digital: Yamaha CDR-HD1500 (Digital Swiss army knife-CD recorder, player, hard drive, DAC and ADC in one), PC files via 24/96 sound card and SPDIF, modded Philips CD850, modded Philips CD104, modded DPA Little Bit DAC. Sennheiser HD580 cans with Arkless Headphone amp.
    Cables- free interconnects that come with CD players, mains leads from B&Q, dead kettles etc, extension leads from Tesco

Closed Thread
Page 11 of 29 FirstFirst ... 91011121321 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •