[bagwell359]

The Xduoo T26 is basically just a DarkVoice with a PCB instead of copper wiring

OK. I didn’t hear them vs each other, but same headphones and DAC. Seemed like the bass and clarity were better in the T-26. Both were stock

 

[SHIMACM]

I've been listening to my Crack without the Speedball for some time now and doing tube rolling.

I think I prefer the Crack sound without the Speedball.

The sound seems more natural and the stage is bigger.

I also feel that the good tubes stand out more than the Speedball version.

 

[JamieMcC]

Nice tube combo

 

[bagwell359]

Counterpoint: If you want tighter bass, more specificity in individual instruments in the soundstage, and less THD haze the speedball (with some goodies added) is better to me than the non speedball.

Also, the E800CC tubes are a distinct improvement over the 12AU7 types, and you can't drive it properly w/o the resistor change in the speedball.

 

[bpiotrow13]

The upgrade caps has just arrived. They are not small though... i wonder how do i fit them. The speedball kit will arrive on Tuesday as i would like to upgrade both speedball and the caps at the same time. All hints how to fit that welcomed...

 

[JamieMcC]

The upgrade caps has just arrived. They are not small though... i wonder how do i fit them. The speedball kit will arrive on Tuesday as i would like to upgrade both speedball and the caps at the same time. All hints how to fit that welcomed...

A good way of seeing how folk fit the caps in is to just do a Google image search of "bottlehead crack capacitor upgrade" it pulls up lots of examples for some inspiration

 

[bpiotrow13]

A good way of seeing how folk fit the caps in is to just do a Google image search of "bottlehead crack capacitor upgrade" it pulls up lots of examples for some inspiration

Good hint! Many thanks.

 

[DenverW]

Good hint! Many thanks.

Another thing that may help is extending the height of the base. I had a neighbour (woodworker!) help build a wood frame that was higher, allowing the caps to fit. An easier solution is to swap the rubber feet out with different feet that give more space.

 

[bpiotrow13]

Another thing that may help is extending the height of the base. I had a neighbour (woodworker!) help build a wood frame that was higher, allowing the caps to fit. An easier solution is to swap the rubber feet out with different feet that give more space.

Thanks, will have the speedball kit later this week so maybe will try to do that over the weekend.

 

[saman65]

Hi crackers. I'm a newbie and don't know much about BH. I was hoping one of you could tell me if this amp is worth $900, considering the upgrades.
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/heavily-modified-bottlehead-crack-with-tubes.51556/
I'm gonna pair it with an Aeolus.
Been undecided between this and a Euforia

 

[JamieMcC]

Hi crackers. I'm a newbie and don't know much about BH. I was hoping one of you could tell me if this amp is worth $900, considering the upgrades.
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/heavily-modified-bottlehead-crack-with-tubes.51556/
I'm gonna pair it with an Aeolus.
Been undecided between this and a Euforia

It's a lot of cash and will I am sure sound fantastic but the Bottlehead Sex + C4S upgrade is a more versatile and with subjectivity better performance with out needing expensive tubes for less money

If your not set on a tube amp have look at the Pass Whammy.

 

[saman65]

It's a lot of cash and will I am sure sound fantastic but the Bottlehead Sex + C4S upgrade is a more versatile and with subjectivity better performance with out needing expensive tubes for less money

If your not set on a tube amp have look at the Pass Whammy.

Thanks for the info. Yeah 900 is quite a bit.
I'm gonna look into the amp you suggested. I'm not good at build yourself kit though

 

[haasaaroni]

Hi crackers. I'm a newbie and don't know much about BH. I was hoping one of you could tell me if this amp is worth $900, considering the upgrades.
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/heavily-modified-bottlehead-crack-with-tubes.51556/
I'm gonna pair it with an Aeolus.
Been undecided between this and a Euforia

It’s an excellent pairing with the Aeolus for sure!

The thing I’d be wary about buying used and assembled is how securely the amp is packed. I’ve known quite a few cases where Bottlehead amps or other DIY amps were shipped and something came loose during shipping. If you have some solder experience you can assess and fix the problem yourself, but if you’re buying used, you may not have those skills. So you’d have to send it to someone to get fixed. Just saying, there’s always a chance of that.

But I was encouraged to, and it was good advice, learn how to solder and build the kit myself. And I gotta say, that’s where at least half the fun is! I had *zero* solder experience and the instructions from Bottlehead were so clear and slow that I was able to get the amp up and running first try, without any problems.

That being said, I probably spent around $700 overall to buy the soldier gear AND amp kit, but it was immeasurably worth it for the experience of making the amp come to live with my own two hands. Then you get to experience the fun of upgrading bits and pieces as you go, and see how they affect the sound.

 

[SptsNaz]

Wondering if anyone can help diagnose an issue I ran into recently with my Crack..

I bought a second-hand Bottlehead Crack amp w/ speedball about 8-10 months ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it with my HD650's. About a week ago though, as I was listening to it the sound on the right side of my headphones cut out. I immediately inspected the amp and noticed that only the left side of the power tube (a TungSol 5998) was lit. I turned the amp off, waited a bit, then turned it back on. Both sides lit up just fine and I continued listening until eventually the same thing happened again. Now only the left side ever lights up when powering on and I only have sound in one channel.

Would I be safe in assuming that the tube is done for? Or could be something else (like a faulty tube socket) causing this? I did go in and redo all of the solder joints around the tube socket but that didn't seem to help.

Just wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar before I go ahead and spend big bucks on a similar quality replacement tube.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Wondering if anyone can help diagnose an issue I ran into recently with my Crack..

I bought a second-hand Bottlehead Crack amp w/ speedball about 8-10 months ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it with my HD650's. About a week ago though, as I was listening to it the sound on the right side of my headphones cut out. I immediately inspected the amp and noticed that only the left side of the power tube (a TungSol 5998) was lit. I turned the amp off, waited a bit, then turned it back on. Both sides lit up just fine and I continued listening until eventually the same thing happened again. Now only the left side ever lights up when powering on and I only have sound in one channel.

Would I be safe in assuming that the tube is done for? Or could be something else (like a faulty tube socket) causing this? I did go in and redo all of the solder joints around the tube socket but that didn't seem to help.

Just wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar before I go ahead and spend big bucks on a similar quality replacement tube.

FWIW, I'd replace the tube. It sounds like that's where the problem lies. If you get a new tube and the problem goes away then you'll know
it's the tube for certain. If the problem remains then you'll have to look elsewhere in the amplifier itself. Moreover, if you keep using this tube
it may damage your amplifier so why risk it? Best of luck!