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what kind of enclosure is this ? looks like the case for an external harddrive.
how'd you guess that ?
hit newegg.com and search the external enclosures they offer - about 150 varieties to pick from. I got these directly from the importer because it was impossible to get the mesh screen from newegg at the time. Now I think they have it available, but the price went up, too. This enclosure is made by "Mapower"
The enclosure is great looking, but you better know how to cut the holes into relatively soft sheet metal. I spent hours with a dremel cutting tool to get the 5 front faceplates I had to cut looking ok, messing up about 2 in the process (I have an enclosure graveyard now...). The rear hole cutting is easier, as long as you don't need anything special beyond a round hole.
I priced some custom Frontpanelexpress plates to fit the rear of the enclosure, but the extra $50 were just beyond my pain threshold, especially since I would have lost some mounting holes for the fan power pcb and the toslink board.
I'm currently in the planning stages of a two chassis Bottlehead Foreplay that will use the same enclosure for the head-end. That'll be a nice looking combo when done - tube glow coming through the mesh and all
I have completed three M3s....two using STEPS power supplies, and one with a Welborne PS-1. The following pictures show the first one using Silverstone Nano ITX cases, the second one using Par Metals cases obtained through a group buy. The silverstone cases were very expensive, but did contain some salvageable power supplies I intend to use on an upcoming project. That eased the pain a bit.
The Welborne Labs PS-1 is a dual rail unit, and comes as a complete kit with or without the off-pcb toroid. It is available with output voltages between +-5 volts to +-24 volts. Since the M3 likes about 24v, I ordered it for +-12volts and just powered from the + and - rails without using the ground. It is very stable and runs very cool with generous heat sinks. Only disadvantage is a lack of trim pots to fine tune the voltage....but my 24v unit outputs a rock solid 24.2v.
The Steps is a single rail unit with pcb only (not a kit) from Tangentsoft (Tangent), and does have provision for a trim pot to fine tune the voltage. It runs pretty warm, but is very stable and also has an optional choke for additional line filtering. To keep it running cool it is a good idea to select a transformer pretty close to your desired output voltage so you are not dropping too much voltage. Because I wanted 24v for the M3, I currently have a transformer with 15v +15v outputs, and am waiting for a 12v +12v that was on back order at Digi-Key. I also upgraded the voltage regulator IC from the recommended LM317 to the LM338T which has a current limiting feature and higher current rating to handle current spikes without frying.
The Steps will fit in a slightly smaller case due to the on-pcb toroid. Both are very well documented and have well layed out pcbs. Tangent even has a Power Supply Parameter utility on his website to help with transformer selection.
The Welborne Labs PS-1 is a dual rail unit, and comes as a complete kit with or without the off-pcb toroid. ...
The Steps is a single rail unit with pcb only (not a kit) from Tangentsoft ...
That much I know.
I like em both.
Sorry to not ask a clearer question. This is what I'm interested. To build from parts on proto board, the welborne is only slightly more expensive than the steps, so I am curious whether you notice a difference in the sound?
That much I know.
Sorry to not ask a clearer question. This is what I'm interested. To build from parts on proto board, the welborne is only slightly more expensive than the steps, so I am curious whether you notice a difference in the sound?
Oh....sorry. No difference in sound. I have all of my M3s set up to AMB's recommended specs and I am using the AD8610 opamps in all of them. I have powered both separate M3s with both separate PSs, and they both sound identical to me. I have a third M3 cased up with a Steps in a single case. It also sounds wonderful.
I posted a review of the M3 in the Amplification forum some weeks ago:
At the time I was using the STEPS only, but the PS-1 has made no noticeable difference in the S/N (the M3 is extremely quiet), imaging, or tonality. It is very comfortable listening with either PS.
rjkdivin Could the STEPS power supply or the ps1 there in your pics be used to run a DIY dac??
Both PSs are comfortable with up to 1amp or so current draw and can be set up for different voltages by changing resistors. This should be ample for any solid state DAC, but I'm not sure about tube DACs. I have a Rockna Dac-1 on order now, but it has not arrived yet. I'm planning to run an M3 and the DAC-1 on one PS with a CD transport on a separate PS, all in one case. I haven't worked out all the details yet.
Linear Mode
