Big Bottle MkIII Phono stage

[CageyH]

Populated PCB


Checking MM mode


Mock up


Rear panel fully populated


A sneak peak of the semi-finished look

[Marra]

Thanks for posting pictures Kevin it looks to be coming along nicely.

[CageyH]

No problem.
I hope to have it finished pretty soon. I have a day off on Monday, so if the weather is as good as it is now, and there are not too many interruptions, I may get it finished then.

I do need to remove the BB3 PCB to solder in my “pure silver” occ signal wires, as all the important connections will be direct to the board. I think it only needs a few more hours, and then it will be done.

[CageyH]

The missing bits turned up today, so I have completed the build.
All signal wiring is Neotech UP-OCC silver cable. Power cable is Neotech UP-OCC copper.
All RCA sockets are pure copper, gold plated. I am not sure I would recommend them though, as they need a lot of heat to solder the cable on.

This thing sounds awesome. It is going to need a fair few hours for it to settle in.
To initially power it up, I used a Reflektor 6N2P and some National PCC88 valves, so there is more to come from a change to better valves.

[CageyH]

An update. As the weather was not great, I spent a lot of time listening to vinyl at the weekend.

I really enjoyed the phonostage in my Firebottle Kin, but the BB Mk.III (also designed by Mr Firebottle) shows that his designs have evilved, and there is a clear and obvious improvement.

I know that this next bit is a bit of a Cliché, but I was hearing detail I was not aware of before. There is a great 3D image, plenty if space around the instruments and good timbre and clarity.

I am well chuffed with it. If you get a chance to listen to one, be careful, as you may want one afterwards....

[CageyH]

I have been browsing various sites recently, look for some “genuine” Telefunken PCC88 valves before prices got too silly.
I was shocked to see the prices, so I decided to wait until I got home to check the stock.

I am glad I did, as there are two sat in my spare valve box.
With the expected valve lifetime, I think I have enough quality valves to keep the BB3 running to see me out.