6 Years of Trial, Error and Pulling Hair Out!

[Primalsea]

Here's some not so great pics of my rather humble system which is always (and always will be) work in progress.

I'm using Martin Logan Aeon-i's which are a bit close to the walls so I have a couple of homemade absorption panels behind them (bargin, less than £40 to make and really clean things up). This is an older pic so they're not in it.


All the separates are in a hand made cabinet purchased from a local guy. Its a bit resonant but I plan to line it with 3/4" Mdf to dampen it and sturdy it up a bit soon.


The Power Amp is a World Designs WD88, I bought this after hearing quite a few times over the space of a year or so and liking it every time. I put a Maple panel on it after I removed the volume and input selector. I never used these and they developed a problem with a bad earth connection so I just took them out.


The Digital Source is a CD94 as transport with the DA chip and analogue circuits removed. Its a good player but overshadowed nowadays and electronically the power supply rails were noisy due to poor design in this area. Removing all but what is needed for transport duties really cleaned things up. The DAC is a Chord DAC64, not to everyones taste but I like the way it made the speakers acoustically disappear. It also sounded much more serious than the modified Sonifex DAC it replaced.


On top of the unit I have my Garrard 401, again not to everyones taste but set up well there is no idler wheel rumble at all and the sound is a sturdy as a rock. The arm is a modified Rega RB250 and the cartridge is a Ortofon Rohmann which must have the greatest lack of record noise I have ever heard (not heard) from a cartridge.

The Phono Stage is a Pro-ject Tube Box which might seem a bit lowly but I find it very seductive, especially with vocals.

The Pre Amp is a World Designs Pre3. I took my then current home made pre amp to WD for a shoot out. My offering was by no means a stinkers and had seen off many other amps but it was completely shoot down without a parachute.


Well thats about it.

[Mike]

Lovely stuff!...

I particularly like what you've done with the '88', I'll be doing something similar once I get hold of a Pre3, mines the integrated version ATM.

Why aren't your transformers rusty like mine?



Cheers...

[Marco]

Very, very nice indeed Paul!

I thought Mike would be along PDQ to compliment you on your '88'...

You've got a nice mixture of new and old going on there, particularly with the CD94/DAC64 combo. You can't beat a 'proper' CDP/transport, can you?

How does it sound? I rate both units highly but I read somewhere that you don't get the most from the DAC64 unless you use the matching transport - something to do with a clocking link between the two, I seem to remember.

Love the plinth on the 401, too. Did you do that yourself?

Marco.

[scoobs]

That's the nicest looking Garrard I've seen, great work. Have you considered a sand box sub plinth, that would take care of resonance.

[Primalsea]

Oh gee shucks guys.

The piece of maple was from my local wood yard, I had to buy a meter as thats the smallest length they can machine and then cut it to size. Only cost about £8, bargain, and I have a chunk left other for other things.

As for rusty trannies, I don't know. I guess your area, our your room location at least may be damp. When they get hot this will expedite the oxidizing reaction. Have you tried a small bit of automotive rust kill?? Just a smidging and then clean it off once its cured the rust.

As for the transport issue I'm still deciding. In my mind a transport shouldn't make a difference but I'm sure I heard something different after I modded the CD94.

Theres a lot I like about how it sounds but I'm still fiddling with the CD/DAC. I think its just a headspace thing though. The DAC initially made strange whistling and hissing noises which I traced to a earth loop. I fixed that sort of but could still here some hissing. I thought this was the DAC but last night I discovered it was the speakers (they're prone to that). So the hissing was always there but now I've seemed to have tuned into it while I was sorting the DAC out and now can't stop noticing it!!

I do find that every now and again I turn the Hifi on and think what a corker, even though nothing has changed from the day before when I though it was only OK while playing the same music. For me what you hear is as much your state of mind as your hifi.

The 3 sheets of 10mm glass under the Garrard eliminated the resonances and the slight idler rumble. So the moral is use heavy, well damped basis. I guess a sand box would also do just as well, if not better, dunno though as I haven't tried it.

pssst, Don't tell everyone, but the Gararrd plinth is a chopping board from Robert Sayle, £30 and is probably the least looking like a chopping board chopping board I've seen. The bottom is some oak floorboards that I had the wood yard run up on their machine to remove the T&G.

[Mike]

I guess your area, our your room location at least may be damp. When they get hot this will expedite the oxidizing reaction.

Nope, no damp. They arrived like that, and being a lazy arse I've not had a go at cleaning them.

Maybe I should!

[Primalsea]

You should have said something to Peter or Andy, they would have sorted it for you I'm sure.

[lurcher]

As for the transport issue I'm still deciding. In my mind a transport shouldn't make a difference but I'm sure I heard something different after I modded the CD94.

The current bit of the DAC I am working on is the PLL jitter removing clock. Its based on a Tent Labs design, and the PLL has a output that is effectivly the error signal from the PLL processed so it can be fed to a amp and listened to. Guess what, different transports make different noises...

[Mike]

You should have said something to Peter or Andy, they would have sorted it for you I'm sure.

Nah, I was impatient and wanted to get on with building it. I'd had enough waiting, it arrived with a big dent in the case and a broken valve thanks to the knuckle dragging courier whom I had to go and collect it from. I spoke to Peter and replacements were sent out the same day, so no complaints about service from me.

It's only a bit of light surface oxidisation which would clean off in no time If I could be bothered.
Oh go on then, you've talked me into it!

[Beechwoods]

pssst, Don't tell everyone, but the Gararrd plinth is a chopping board from Robert Sayle, £30 and is probably the least looking like a chopping board chopping board I've seen. The bottom is some oak floorboards that I had the wood yard run up on their machine to remove the T&G.

Now you're giving me ideas for my Lenco project. I'd be rather proud if I repurposed a good looking chopper to a great sounding plinth!

Bring it on!