Hey all. This isn't my first build, but I'm currently attempting the "Infinity Universal Preamp" for my bass guitar. And it ain't going too well. My building has always been a mess, but it works. So far, I've gotten audio to output, but it's incredibly distorted and there's a ton of hum. The hum...

My next project is going to be the Infinity Universal Guitar Preamp for use with my bass. The designs call for a dual rail PSU that supplies +9 and -9 volts. See the 5th page of this: http://www.techniguitare.com/projets...ms-V1.1-En.pdf How come I can't just use a PSU that supplies +18...

WANT! Vacuum Tube Chess Set

Blah! Okay, just when I felt that my building skills were getting to be useful, I run into this. I'm building Doug Savitsky's "L'espressivo" somewhere between version 1 and version 2. On his site, he recommends upgrading the CCS if anything else is upgraded. Anyways, I've built the CCSs and...

Any good, black paint out there that everyone likes to use on their chassis once it has been drilled? Basic black is what I'm looking for, and before I went and grabbed a can of enamel paint, I figured I would ask about it. Also, I will be painting my power tranny, so it would have to stick well...

Okay, I just realized how little I know about transformers (Output, chokes, power, ect.), so could some of you gurus point me towards a website or two that explains transformers pretty well? Thanks, Tri

Point me in the direction of a good IEC socket. I've been using a standard, cruddy IEC socket without a fuse holder, and now that I'm ready to case up my DAC, I need a "good," quality one. Any suggestions? I'm not really sure how much of a difference this will make, aside from offering the...

Can't seem to find anything that will tell me how to wire a tranny parallel style. I'm using an Amveco TE62072-ND (http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T083/P2317.pdf). Any help would be appreciated. I need it to output 12 Volts and 2.9 amps. Also, what's the polarity on an IEC jack? Pic taken from...

Will the Sound Blaster Live! work well as a USB-> Coaxial, without altering (upsampling/ oversampling) the data? Sound Blaster - Creative X-Fi, Audigy, Live!, Accessories I'm trying to set up a music server based around an OLD laptop (Pentium 3, PCMCIA slot). I'm going to use a PCMCIA USB...

Hey all. I'm in the process of finishing my basement, and one of the things I would like to do is put in a surround sound system for movies. I'm thinking 5 speakers (no subwoofer. Read on for more details). I have a question or two that needs answering, and a couple recommendations that I'm...

So is the CS8414 the slightly better chip? ie- the older brother of the CS8412? Also, are there phony chips floating around that I need to worry about? Thanks, Tridacnid

Well, for about a week now, my home PC hasn't been letting me go to Head-fi.org. "Well how am I posting this?" You may ask. I am on a laptop, directly plugged into my wireless router because someone decided that flicking the WIFI on/off switch was fun, and broke the internal WIFI. Anyways...

...but the band needs to have a singer who can sing. Or they can be instrumental. Thanks guys.

For those of you who patrol this forum regularly, you may have noticed that I have become pretty interested in DIYing my own tube DAC. I've decided that the Scott Nixon TDkit will work fine, but DACs are new waters for me, so I have some basic questions. 1) I've noticed some of the chips on a...

Has anyone built one of the Scott Nixon TDkits? The PCB is $35 and you get the BOM, and schematic. Looks like a good way to get some tube DAC goodness, for cheap (as in under $200 without the case). Here's the site: dac.htm All the way at the bottom is what I'm talking about. Thanks, Tri

So who can? Or maybe raise an eyebrow (less talented, but that's okay) or both. I can raise an eyebrow (my left) and wiggle my ears.

So today I recieved my Grado SR325s, and I love them. Only complaint on opening then was that the rods were pretty darn loose. So I go and plug them into my headphone rig in my bedroom, and lo and behold, I hear everything, but it sounds like I'm sitting in the 25th row and the vocals aren't...

When you restore something vintage, what needs to be replaced? Obviously, safety comes first (discharging caps, double checking specs, etc.). I was thinking capacitors, potentiometers (if any), and tubes. Do resistors degrade over time? Thanks, Tri

Help me understand tube testing. I'm looking at a pair of 6AK5s on ebay, and the seller doesn't specify whether they are matched or not, he just says "TEST RESULTS WHERE: 1850, 1800 AND MINIMUM READING IS 1300." What does this mean? Thanks, Tri

So I've been thinking about getting a power amplifier, and I stumbled across the Dynaco Stereo 70, which goes for way too much on ebay. But, the schematics look easy enough (or I'm very confused), so why can't I build one? I must be crazy. Anyways, where might I find a parts list for this...

Would anyone mind posting a pic of their AKG K240 Sextett box? I think I found one, but the owner may have mislabeled it, and I just want to confirm that it is the same product. Thanks, Tri

What can I expect at an Apocalyptica concert (they're plaing in STL on April 24)? I just figure that not too many people know about them in the states, so should I expect a small turnout, or should I be rushing to buy my ticket? Thanks, Tri

If I use a normal RCA interconnect as a digital IC, will it behave the same way as a cable labeled "Digital" (coaxial)? Told you it was stupid. But thanks for helping, Tri

My sound. I was wondering if you DAC gurus could help me. I'm probably going to want to spend less than $300 dollars, more in the $250 range (of course, if there is a good DAC that is super cheap, as in $150, I will be extra happy). I have a DVD player that I plan on using as a transport...

For another headphone suggestion thread. It's about time to upgrade, and have been reading reviews. My current phones are primarily my SR80s from my Little Dot MKIII. I have narrowed it down to the Grado 325i, AKG 6/701, Sennheiser HD600, and the Beyerdynamic DT880. Comfort is second to...