[sergery]

Off the top of my head estimate:
Mouser: ~180
Angela: ~80
Boards: ~40
Attenuator: 60
total: ~360

There were probably odds and ends that I used but had already.

 

[sergery]

Off the top of my head estimate:
Mouser: ~180
Angela: ~80
Boards: ~40
Attenuator: 60
total: ~360

There were probably odds and ends that I used but had already.

 

[pabbi1]

IIRC, and excluding initial 'trial run' expense, I think my 3 were $325 - $400 (Noble pots, and teflon sockets) - $475 (with a $125 attenuator). All had minimal chasis expense, either reclaimed SCSI case or something from on-hand wood and aluminum in my garage.

 

[luvdunhill]

Al: Any updates with the new source?!

 

[pabbi1]

Of course - last night was 'Get the KnacK" (a tribute to the departed Doug Feiger), Zappa 'Joe's Garage', and Monster Magnet... no clipping!!! Now, I am still acclimating, but this is the most analog source ever, yet with about 10% more microdetail than the Cambridge, which just mates perfectly with eXStatA. Radiohead tonight, and all Tool tomorrow night. Oh, and that other bit came in the post yesterday, so, after changing a couple of diodes, and wiring things up (yes, testiing stage by stage), there will finally be something to compare the eXStatA to.

I did listen to 'Aemina' on Tuesday, and though WAY more involving, Tool also has this nasty habit of intentionally making congested music - I can hear it all, but not sure I like it all, as presented with the Ayon, but, it is a different distaste than presented by the Cambridge - views through opposite ends of the sphere.

Verge Pipe 'Villains' was just complete absorption rapture, as was 'Get the Knack' - anything with guitars is golden, and I can now hear the true tone in bass (Precision vs Jazz vs Alembic vs well, everything else). There is also an extra timbre on the droms, especially the mounted toms and floor tom, with no cymbal sibilance (in fact, a brilliant shimmer in the decay).

All to say, i think you will hate my source... well, at least through the hybrid...

PS: If anyone needs more 6s4a, I have a quad of Westinghouse that came along with something I was really interested in...

We REALLY need a mini-meet, but I am a little reluctant to throw this bad boy in the trunk, even for the shortest of trips.

 

[cyanoacry]

I finished casing my amp up a while ago but never got around to taking pictures:

Went the standard Nabu case way and didn't worry about looks too much, I don't have a lot of tools here to make the cuts etc. properly.








Everything still sounds great with the gamma-2 as a source. I need to sit down and have a good critical listening session, then I'll post a review to the other thread. In any case, still leaps and bounds better than the SRM-252 I had.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyanoacry /img/forum/go_quote.gif I finished casing my amp up a while ago but never got around to taking pictures: Went the standard Nabu case way and didn't worry about looks too much, I don't have a lot of tools here to make the cuts etc. properly. Everything still sounds great with the gamma-2 as a source. I need to sit down and have a good critical listening session, then I'll post a review to the other thread. In any case, still leaps and bounds better than the SRM-252 I had.

Is that a TP attenuator? Hows it working with the EXStata, like it?

 

[BoilermakerFan]

I picked up a new source today too:

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoilermakerFan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I picked up a new source today too:

It looks like it might be a touch strident and etched in it's presentation...

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif It looks like it might be a touch strident and etched in it's presentation...

What? ROK, Rega, and Thorens got nothin' on my TT man! It even has tripod feet.



You can't see it?



It's the future chassis of my Shigaclone. The DAC is going to be stuffed in the base too. It will sit on my PC credenza shelf above my monitor, right next to my HAM radio and Sylvania TV camera. USB DAC is going in the camera along with a hybrid amp TBD. It will be able to feed the eXStata in the HAM radio chassis. The ultimate stealth system. Heck, I keep my cans in the storage area of the 1954 Magnavox console. Looking for the "right" pieces of vintage Art Deco gear to repurpose for the F5 cases.

I just need to find vintage looking or real vintage cotton sleeving for all the cables.

I was probably born 70 years too late... or rather, I'm just realizing I was born in 1902 in a past life.

 

[ktm]

So how many vent holes are you Nabu case guys using to keep things cool?

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktm /img/forum/go_quote.gif So how many vent holes are you Nabu case guys using to keep things cool?

How I have laid out my NABUs is I stagger the vent holes on the bottom, under the boards so there isn't a straight line from the chassis hole to the PCB hole. I drill 3/16" or 1/4" holes and usually match the number of holes in the PCBs.

Here is an example. The chassis is actually drilled for a MHM, gainclones, and a few other things, but you can see the basic idea. I was test fitting the layout of the eXStata and a AudioSector phono stage.

For the top, try to have open vents above the heat sinks, but get creative. That is a huge blank canvas.

This is being cut out of one NABU top:

I will add fine hex mesh under it after the top has been soda blasted, primed, and painted with the base color, then the aluminum mesh will be epoxy bonded to the top where I masked off areas to ensure a good bond. I'll pin stripe the top to highlight the Om, add my signature in the lower right via pin striping or air brush with a stencil, and then have it hit with 3 coats of clear coat.

If I can find a local shop that still has a louver press, the PS side will be louvered (as well as the right side to bring it back in balance). Heck, if you can find a local shop that can louver sheet metal, have the whole top done in 4 or 5 rows. Then get it powder coated.

 

[pabbi1]

I used 1/4" holes with 1" spacing just over the psu and the tubes. Might want a bottom or side hole as well, depending on your sense of asthetics, but my top plate is .20" aluminum, so it is additional heatsink itself, which NABU doesn't have.

 

[cat6man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sathimas /img/forum/go_quote.gif The exstata is the first project where I exactly listed my costs Never did that before. Tubes (2 sets!): 17€ Tubesockets and "spacer" 17,50€ Boards: 22€ Transformer: ~40€ Parts from Mouser: 137€ More parts(wires, pot etc.): 64€ Case: 106€ Casework/cnc: 60€ In Total: 463€ (all prices contain shipping/tax and so on) The case/casework became more expansive than I thought, but since the case was one of my christmas presents ... I always hoped to keep that amp under 500€ which is definitely sucessful. The smallest STAX-amp costs about 500€ new here in Germany ... Btw, here's what it's gonna look like:

very nice looking.
can you tell us what the multiple knobs on the front are for and how you create the cool red backlighting?

 

[WilCox]

One of the sand amp slackers here looking for some help.

Finally found some time to get the boards into a case and do the power up. Power supply came up without any problems. So did the first channel. However, I cannot adjust the balance in the second channel below about 6 volts and I am at the end of the pot rotation.

I assume 6 volts offset may be excessive, right?

What are the suggested remedies?

Thanks,

Wil