[DenverW]

I advise against the garage adapter. Shorted my crack, and i'm not the only one. I got mine from xulingmrs on ebay.

 

[MacMan31]

Roger that. The HD-6XX should give you normal volume control although at 12 o'clock it's going to be maxed for nearly everyone unless liking it really loud.

Good choice on amps, I'd like to hear a Lyr 3. I had the first version.

The only adapter you should need is a 6SN7 to 12AU7. This linked one from GARAGE1217 is pretty common with Crack users and is good quality.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265553186770?hash=item3dd4340fd2:g:-PYAAOSwOyJX-neh

The 6SN7 is plug and play using this adapter with either Speedball or not. It is wise to use a guard around the base to keep from electric shock. The instagram pic you linked shows a garage adapter that is NOT guarded and IS hazardous. That is the only downfall of this adapter. I use a piece of plastic pipe that keeps my fingers away from the hot area. Check my most recent amp photo in this thread. The 6SN7 is an absolute must to try in Crack. They are still relatively affordable.
.
There are a whole host of tubes that can be placed in the 9 pin socket but does require internal changes. That is not everyone's cup of tea but I have done it and also used E80CC, 12BH7A, etc.. My fvorite is the E80CC but it does require Speedball.

It is well worth it to join the Bottlehead forum. It is a trreasure trove of searchable info. Much can be learned from browsing through there and it has top notch Bottlehead support in case of issues arising.

I also think my volume knob was installed sideways. It's not meant to turn Infinitely around. There is a minimum and maximum point that it stops at each end of the volume range.

I'm intending to sell the Lyr 3 because I now have the BHC and still waiting on a Feliks Audio Echo. I was going to include a bunch of extra tubes with the Lyr 3 but then I saw the adapter to use 6SN7 tubes in the BHC.

I did see your amp photo. That seems like a pretty high guard. But why would I need one if I'm not touching the tube while the amp is on? I'd only be touching the tube to swap it while the amp is turned off. Yeah I was wondering about other 12Ax7 tubes. I have some really nice Brimar CV455 12AT7 tubes which I was hoping I could use in the Crack. But I can also use them in the Feliks Echo which should arrive tomorrow.

I advise against the garage adapter. Shorted my crack, and i'm not the only one. I got mine from xulingmrs on ebay.

Which adapter (if any) would you recommend?

 

[MacMan31]

Thanks - wood is ziricote. Inspired by the ziricote wood ZMF Aeolus I got a few years back. One of my first woodworking projects, Zach helped me out with tips on the finish process as I wanted them to match the ear cups as closely as possible. Didn’t turn out perfect, but I’m happy with it . I posted a bunch of pics in this gallery a while back: https://imgur.com/a/uATdg3g

Thanks for that link. It's nice to see the process. So do you have your own woodworking shop? That amp looks awesome. Seems like you have the amp resting on top of the wood case instead of slightly recessed inside. That's a sweet double tube adapter as well with some great looking tubes.

 

[MacMan31]

My BHC has been in open heart surgery for the last couple weeks. I did a comparison between using the regulator from my last post and a more traditional CRCLC power supply. I decided to stick with the CRCLC for a few reasons:

1. The sound differences between the two PSU implementations were very minor (if any)... minor enough to justfiy not using the regulator. I can save the regulator for another project now.
2. CRCLC is running a bit cooler. There is a lot of heat dissipated in the "R" of the CRCLC, and the heat seems to stay more localized to that corner vs the giant regulator heatsink I had in there before.
3. I didn't like the way the regulator was mounted. I couldn't figure out a way to mount that giant heatsink to the top plate, and it was just putting stress on the mosfet pins.
4. Theoretically, I should be able to better hear the difference between rectifiers as well as the SS plugin now. Will do listening tests later.

B+ ranges from 165V - 200V depending on the rectifier plugged in, which is all within the spec of the original design. I can still use the SS rectifier plug-in if I want.

Other changes include:
1. Putting back the 100uF film cap as the last PSU cap.
2. Wiring the 12AU7 socket in series with the 6J5 sockets. I can now use either the 6J5's or a 12AU7.

It sounds dang good and is dead silent. I'm done for now... it's going back to the office. I'm tired of listening to my earbuds at work!

Damn that's quite the mod. Can you not use the 6J5 and 12AU7 at the same time? Looks odd having some sockets unused. I only wish I knew how to do all this stuff. But even if I did I don't have the space as I live in an apartment. Especially with something like building a custom wood case.

 

[jonathan c]

I advise against the garage adapter. Shorted my crack, and i'm not the only one. I got mine from xulingmrs on ebay.

I’ll second that on xulingmrs for adapters. [Use 12A#7 (top) —> 6DE7 (bottom) adapters for 1st Generation Woo WA6: ]

 

[carlman14]

Damn that's quite the mod. Can you not use the 6J5 and 12AU7 at the same time? Looks odd having some sockets unused. I only wish I knew how to do all this stuff. But even if I did I don't have the space as I live in an apartment. Especially with something like building a custom wood case.

Wow, feels like forever ago that I posted that. That was quite the wacky experiment I did haha. I never tried using the 12AU7 and 6J5 at the same time, but I didn't mind the unused socket. I actually did all of this in my small Seattle apartment! This stuff is loads of fun to learn about... definitely recommend it.

 

[MacMan31]

Wow, feels like forever ago that I posted that. That was quite the wacky experiment I did haha. I never tried using the 12AU7 and 6J5 at the same time, but I didn't mind the unused socket. I actually did all of this in my small Seattle apartment! This stuff is loads of fun to learn about... definitely recommend it.

Well it's something to consider. But I've never really been the "hands on" kind of guy. Also I'm looking for a right angle adapter given that the headphone jack is on the top. Does it really matter if the plug is "gold plated" or not? Right now I'm using a 1/4" to 4 pin XLR adapter but I worry long term about strain relieve on the cord.

 

[GPJ7]

..................

 

[DenverW]

That is the first time I've heard of that. Sounds like bad luck.

The design of the adapter didn't mesh well with the crack. I'm not the only one. YMMV.

 

[jonathan c]

The design of the adapter didn't mesh well with the crack. I'm not the only one. YMMV.

Your Music May Vanish?….

 

[HTSkywalker]

Anyone tried Converting the headphone's jack to a side position instead of the upward one ?

 

[Slade01]

Hey guys - just got into the bottlehead crack (w/speedball) world since last month. After getting a feel for the stock tubes, im starting to tube roll again. I had a question for those using the Garage 6SN7 adapter. Is the adapter itself prone to higher noise, or perhaps just by virtue of using any 6SN7 on the amp? I was just curious. Sadly, I only have one 6SN7 tube to try so I can't say for sure if its this tube specific, the adapter, or any 6SN7. LOL. Not that i'm into them all too much, my preference is for dual 6J5s anyways as I'm using right now. Thanks!

 

[bagwell359]

Anyone tried Converting the headphone's jack to a side position instead of the upward one ?

Side? If using a wood base it would be tough. I have considered putting a SE under pointed straight dow - strapped in tight - because I have XLR plug on top. But an adaptor is easier.

 

[HTSkywalker]

Side? If using a wood base it would be tough. I have considered putting a SE under pointed straight dow - strapped in tight - because I have XLR plug on top. But an adaptor is easier.

Adapter is definitely easier but better not to introduce any connectors, on the long run the phone cables won't be happy going upwards and curved

 

[barbz127]

Is this adaptor safe to use with the crack?
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200952599533