[Mahdi8]

For me i used it for along tine too before it burnt. Think it like overclocking. Most ofnthe time its fine but since you are running the circuit above its designed voltage something can go wrong. BTW only transistor for one channel got burnt in my case.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Um guys about painting, staining & finishing the wood.
I want to keep the default wooden color, but I do want it to have a semi-gloss finish.
 
I never painted wood before in my life.
 
So what would I do?
I seen a couple youtube DIY videos & from what I gathered, I need to buy a pre-stain wood conditioner & use it on the wood.
Then after it dries, I need to apply a protective polyurethane clear semi-gloss finish.
 
Would that be it?

Any advice on where to buy the cheapest/smallest cans, just enough for the 4 small boards of the Bottlehead Crack?
Don't want to pay where I would have enough left to paint entire furniture or anything

 

[Doc B.]

You don't need any pre stain conditioner if you're not going to stain it. In fact you don't need any pre stain prep ever if you use the right kind of stain. The easiest thing to do is put on a linseed oil or tung oil type of finish like Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. Or you can put on an oil or water base clear finish like Varathane or Minwax Polycrylic. Any of these are pretty easy to apply, just sand the base with 220 grit paper, lay on a coat of finish, let dry, and lightly sand and recoat as many times as makes you happy. Usually two or three coats is enough.

 

[DDDamian]

  You don't need any pre stain conditioner if you're not going to stain it. In fact you don't need any pre stain prep ever if you use the right kind of stain. The easiest thing to do is put on a linseed oil or tung oil type of finish like Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. Or you can put on an oil or water base clear finish like Varathane or Minwax Polycrylic. Any of these are pretty easy to apply, just sand the base with 220 grit paper, lay on a coat of finish, let dry, and lightly sand and recoat as many times as makes you happy. Usually two or three coats is enough.

+1 - if you were lucky enough to get some nice grain in the wood the above will let it shine through nicely. I'm just a sucker for keeping the wood grain prominent, and stain conditioner won't help that. Of course it depends what you're going for - many nice examples in the Bottlehead forum galleries.

 

[Loquah]

It looks tempting, but my sights are on the Mainline. I have a very nice Crack and a S.E.X. If the Mainline is even better then wow.

@JamieMcC
 - have you paired your Mainline with any orthos? Thoughts with those?

The Mainline is a clear upgrade to both, even accounting for how great the Crack and SEX are.

As for orthos, the Mainline does a fine job with my LCD-2s. I choose to use them mostly with the SEX, but that's more a presentation / synergy preference because the SEX is tuned (via caps) to be perfect for my relaxed Ortho tastes.

 

[JamieMcC]

  Um guys about painting, staining & finishing the wood.
I want to keep the default wooden color, but I do want it to have a semi-gloss finish.
 
I never painted wood before in my life.
 
So what would I do?
I seen a couple youtube DIY videos & from what I gathered, I need to buy a pre-stain wood conditioner & use it on the wood.
Then after it dries, I need to apply a protective polyurethane clear semi-gloss finish.
 
Would that be it?

Any advice on where to buy the cheapest/smallest cans, just enough for the 4 small boards of the Bottlehead Crack?
Don't want to pay where I would have enough left to paint entire furniture or anything

 
I would recommend docs method sand your enclosure after its all glued up with some 220 grit sandpaper going in the same direction as the grain wipe clean then use a clear/natural finish oil to bring out the grain. Once you have a few coats or oil I like the Danish Oil (a blend of varnish and Tung oil)  use some 0000 gauge steel wool to rub down and smooth all over then finish off by using some pate wax it and buff up to a satin/sem-gloss shine.

 

[DDDamian]

The Mainline is a clear upgrade to both, even accounting for how great the Crack and SEX are.

As for orthos, the Mainline does a fine job with my LCD-2s. I choose to use them mostly with the SEX, but that's more a presentation / synergy preference because the SEX is tuned (via caps) to be perfect for my relaxed Ortho tastes.

Wow - that's a pretty ringing endorsement. Cheers for that. I was intending the Mainline to pair with the HD800 as so many here swear by that combo, and I can see where all the added refinement to the sound will shine through them. Just wondered if it had the current to drive the planars as well as the SEX does. Honestly if there's improvement over my slightly modded SEX 2.0 (C4S, Mundorf Supremes, 2.1 iron, matched tubes) then I'll be truly impressed. The SEX has been good with all my cans, ortho or dynamic.
 
Your reviews continue to be a reference standard for Bottlehead gear Loquah - haven't found anything I disagree with so far. I wish I'd jumped on the Mainline when the $Cdn was at par with the $USD, now it's at USD$0.74 with the drop in oil prices though.
 
That aside, winter is coming (how Game of Thrones is that?) and it's time I started planning this build lol. Short of maybe some cap upgrades from the get-go and a highly-figured hardwood base (thinking either curly maple, birdseye maple or perhaps kauai) I haven't seen much in the way of upgrades to plan into it. Thinking that speaks very well for the stock amp!

 

[Doc B.]

Mainline puts out about 800mW and works very well with the planars that aren't crazy power hungry - LCD2 and 3s and most of the HiFiMan models - but not the HE-6. That needs more power, and the S.E.X.  (or Neothoriator) are a better choice for the really inefficient stuff like HE-6s and K1000s.

 

[DDDamian]

  Mainline puts out about 800mW and works very well with the planars that aren't crazy power hungry - LCD2 and 3s and most of the HiFiMan models - but not the HE-6. That needs more power, and the S.E.X.  (or Neothoriator) are a better choice for the really inefficient stuff like HE-6s and K1000s.

Thanks Doc. That's ample for any of the cans I have or plan on buying any time soon. The Neothoriator may have to wait for a more favourable exchange rate though. The price is a little out of my league, especially if you factor in the inevitable divorce 

 

[Thenewguy007]

Any methods to clean the aluminum/metal top?
Got some grease/dirt on it by accident & can't clean it up.
I used degreasers, cleaning sprays, soap & water, distilled vinegar, scrubbing, toothpaste etc...
The material doesn't seem to clean.
 
All it does is spread/move around the dirt.
It leaves the material with an uneven look, with patches that look cleaner/smoother than other parts.
No matter how long I tried wiping it down with a soft microfiber cloth it doesn't come out evenly..
 
I even tried a polishing tool, did nothing.

 

[JamieMcC]

Mainline + HD800 is very nice and while my modified Sex is more than decent with the HD800's to be honest my Sex for the most part has been relegated to speaker duty since the Mainlines arrival. When occasionally it does get used I find when its time to switch amps again plugging back into Mainline always brings a smile and I cant help but think too myself "damn this amp is good"

 

 

[Doc B.]

I haven't had a problem cleaning the panels with a degreaser like 409, but I don't know what the material is you have gotten on the panel. You could also go in a different direction and try WD-40. VMP Naptha is another thing you could try.

 

[JamieMcC]

  Any methods to clean the aluminum/metal top?
Got some grease/dirt on it by accident & can't clean it up.
I used degreasers, cleaning sprays, soap & water, distilled vinegar, scrubbing, toothpaste etc...
The material doesn't seem to clean.
 
All it does is spread/move around the dirt.
It leaves the material with an uneven look, with patches that look cleaner/smoother than other parts.
No matter how long I tried wiping it down with a soft microfiber cloth it doesn't come out evenly..
 
I even tried a polishing tool, did nothing.

If you have some nail varnish remover to hand that shifts most things.

 

[Armaegis]

Is it actual grease/oil, or is it a sticky film residue?
 
Sometimes some dirt/cornstarch dabbled on will help dry/gunk up whatever the stuff is, then you can scratch it off with a fingernail or piece of plastic.

 

[Doc B.]

FWIW I just cleaned a panel before brushing with Windex today and it came out spotless.