[L0rdGwyn]

I finally got round to putting the forever feet on the Aegis. I used some small IsoAcustic pucks which were not designed to take the weight of the Aegis. So, in is a trio of IsoAcustic Orea Indigo feet.

To carry on the theme a little, swapped the volume dial for a chrome one and broke out the a few metalwork tools to upgrade my EL38 & EL39 adapters so they have stainless steel base and blue paracord wire covers … idea courtesy of @L0rdGwyn new amp! Can’t help but tweak

Looks really good!

 

[Toonartist]

Looks really good!

Thanks… The adapters serve a purpose for the EL39s. The bases are quite delicate so the oversize metal covers give extra to hold onto. I made a stand for them to go into when not in use so they never have to come off the adapter until they die!

At that point I thought it would be rude to leave out the EL38 adapters

 

[raindownthunda]

I finally got round to putting the forever feet on the Aegis. I used some small IsoAcustic pucks which were not designed to take the weight of the Aegis. So, in is a trio of IsoAcustic Orea Indigo feet. One front and two at the back. Very stable isolation!

To carry on the theme a little, swapped the volume dial for a chrome one and broke out the a few metalwork tools to upgrade my EL38 & EL39 adapters so they have stainless steel base and blue paracord wire covers … idea courtesy of @L0rdGwyn new amp! Can’t help but tweak


It

Beautiful adapters, tastefully done! What was the process involved to add paracord to the cables?

 

[Toonartist]

Beautiful adapters, tastefully done! What was the process involved to add paracord to the cables?

Cheers… Very simple for the paracord.

Soldering iron to heat the soldered cap and remove. You may need to top up the solder when reconnecting but not much.

Once off size a piece of cord and use a narrow plastic pointy stick (technical term) to push the chord right down onto the base so the start point is out of sight. Then, a small dab of super gel on the base and use pointy thing to push the cord onto it but removing it quick so as not to become a permanent feature!

Push the paracord down the cable out of the way, re-solder the cap back on. Use the pointy stick again to push the paracord though the hole so you can see it on the inside of the cap and apply a dab of super glue gel again… job done!

 

[Marutks]

I'm curious for those who have built these and others, if you truly feel a true beginner can do it justice? I bought a soldering practice kit from a local electronics store plus a cheesy DIY bluetooth radio from Amazon. I was going to do these before the Crack so I lessen the chance of me F'n it up.

I had soldered only mechanical keyboards before and I never had soldering related issues with Aegis. I used smaller solder iron tip for the ELMA switch. Most of inexpensive soldering irons (from amazon) include smaller solder iron tip.

However the real challenge is to make your amp quiet (so it doesn't hum).

 

[DenverW]

I had soldered only mechanical keyboards before and I never had soldering related issues with Aegis. I used smaller solder iron tip for the ELMA switch. Most of inexpensive soldering irons (from amazon) include smaller solder iron tip.

However the real challenge is to make your amp quiet (so it doesn't hum).

No issues with hum whatsoever for me. I think this is an isolated issue.

 

[raindownthunda]

However the real challenge is to make your amp quiet (so it doesn't hum).

Given that you keep bringing up noise issues with multiple tube amps that the vast majority of others report to be very quiet (Blue Halo and now Aegis), I am genuinely curious if you’ve tried these amps in a different building? I.e An office, friend, or relatives house? Have you tried any type of power conditioning?

 

[goldwerger]

I finally got round to putting the forever feet on the Aegis. I used some small IsoAcustic pucks which were not designed to take the weight of the Aegis. So, in is a trio of IsoAcustic Orea Indigo feet. One front and two at the back. Very stable isolation!

To carry on the theme a little, swapped the volume dial for a chrome one and broke out the a few metalwork tools to upgrade my EL38 & EL39 adapters so they have stainless steel base and blue paracord wire covers … idea courtesy of @L0rdGwyn new amp! Can’t help but tweak

Beautiful setup! love your lighting... that an extra isolation platform? very sleek that 3 feet look

 

[Marutks]

Given that you keep bringing up noise issues with multiple tube amps that the vast majority of others report to be very quiet (Blue Halo and now Aegis), I am genuinely curious if you’ve tried these amps in a different building? I.e An office, friend, or relatives house? Have you tried any type of power conditioning?

I moved house (London -> Hampshire) after I bought my Blue Halo amp. Nothing changed with regard to noise and tubes. Blue Halo is quiet only with 6N6P tubes.

There was another amp that was "unbearably noisy" - Burson Conductor 3. I did try it in office and at home and there was absolutely no difference. They even sent me another amp and it was noisy as well. Of course, if you don't use sensitive headphones (like VC or Focal Stelia) with it then it is fine. I think people who report an amp to be quiet are not using sensitive headphones. What can you expect, they plug in their Susvaras (most planars will do) into an amp and they will report any amp as "dead quiet". Even my Aegis is quiet if I use Atrium (not my Blue Halo with 6J5 tubes). But the noise coming from my Aegis (audible only with sensitive headphones) is different (sounds like 60 hz) so there is some hope that changing wires will help.

I had another tube amp (ECP T4). It was absolutely dead quiet with all headphones I tried and I used it in different buildings.

I have never tried any type of power conditioning.

 

[goldwerger]

I think people who report an amp to be quiet are not using sensitive headphones.

I'll confirm here that I have the Aegis which was built by @L0rdGwyn himself - and I've used some extremely sensitive headphones on it (such as the AT L3000, with 104 dB/mW at 48 ohm) and it is dead quiet. As in - total, aboslute, zero noise floor.

Just for gigles, as I was typing it I decided to do a stress test - I plugged in my AKxVE Aura IEMs - with a sensitivity of 115 dB/mw @ 10.5 ohm - and not only was it quiet (even with music paused I hear absoolutely nothing, not even a hum of tubes) - but it drive them beautifully.

so - the Aegis, when properly built, is quiet with the most sensitie headphones and IEMs - it's design is great. it's quality of build is variable

 

[L0rdGwyn]

@Marutks try what I suggested, and see. That is the most likely cause. Perhaps there are other areas for improvement but the wiring is a glaring issue, it has to be done first before any other troubleshooting can be done.

 

[Marutks]

yes, I admit I didn't do a good job with my Aegis build and I will replace all twisted wires when I have time.

 

[Toonartist]

I’m using Meze Elites and more recently the Atrium Closed. The Elites which are very easy to drive and are rated 101 dB/mw @32ohm. They run off an iPhone and on the lower tap feed on the Aegis are completely silent. As are the AC on the higher setting.

I have noticed the occasional faint crackle that lasts a second and thought it was a dry solder joint but, it turned out it was my mobile phone. The crackle would get worse if I moved it very close to the tubes. Its not there all the time and only happens if it’s off WiFi and the processor is working hard. If I keep it three feet or more away it never happens.

 

[Toonartist]

Beautiful setup! love your lighting... that an extra isolation platform? very sleek that 3 feet look

Cheers… love a bit of Hue lighting for chilling out listening to music

Under the amps I have a panel of toughened glass that sits on top of AudioSerenity isolation pads. Does a nice job on its own. The Three IsoAcoustic Orea feet then sit on that and the amp directly on top of them.

The Auralic Vega G2.2 has similar feet that are standard / built in. Each foot has a different size spring that responds to different frequencies… same as the Orea feet. Very effective for cancelling out vibrations.

 

[goldwerger]

Cheers… love a bit of Hue lighting for chilling out listening to music

Under the amps I have a panel of toughened glass that sits on top of AudioSerenity isolation pads. Does a nice job on its own. The Three IsoAcoustic Orea feet then sit on that and the amp directly on top of them.

The Auralic Vega G2.2 has similar feet that are standard / built in. Each foot has a different size spring that responds to different frequencies… same as the Orea feet. Very effective for cancelling out vibrations.

Very nice!!