New Preamp

I'm happy to be finishing up my next project, a zero-gain preamp using Tortuga's LDR and Broski's Aikido tube buffer.

RDavidson helped with design and is getting one of them, his is made with spalted maple and natural aluminum metal parts, mine is maple burl with brushed copper front and top panels.

I needed a buffer preamp and this one turned out great, I'm super happy with the way it sounds.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...ps6rpw9p98.jpg

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Here's the spalted maple chassis:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...psshudoac5.jpg

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Me like. Very nice looking gear.

I can't seen anything.


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Originally Posted by Mike

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Its your hi-phone.

No balanced outs? :)

I love the appearance. I am so tired of black and silver. Did you design it, or build it from a schematic?

Nice job!

It looks amazing. Like Bud said above, it's nice to see something other than black and silver.

Very nice Dave! Can you talk about the USB port on the back? Is there a DAC in your new preamp too?

WOW a real beauty!

Thanks guys!

No balanced outs, it's a SET preamp. If using a balanced source I'd use something like a Jenson isomax balanced to single ended converter, but I didn't want to build it into the preamp or simply short pin 3 to ground.

There's no DAC, the USB input is to update the Tortuga LDR firmware.

The electrical design is simply a Tortuga LDR to Broski's Aikido tube buffer. It also uses Broski's 12V linear regulated PS to power the LDR, and there are separate PS for the heaters, which can be set at either 12V or 6V so it can run 6SN7, 12SN7 or 12SX7, which Broski recommended so I have a pair to try out. The three power trafos are on the top sheet, the wood boxes are covers for a 12V and a 234V toroid. The center one is the 12V trafo for the tube heaters.

The chassis is a variation on previous components I've built using figured maple and walnut corners, but it has been significantly improved by Ryan Davidson, who is responsible for industrial design and CAD. I did all the CAM, woodwork, final assembly, finishing, and wiring.

The little wood box right in front of the filament trafo houses the remote sensor, having a remote control is awesome... :D

dave, I missed this, lovely bit of gear & great workmanship, really like the look of the copper aesthetics

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Originally Posted by bzr

dave, I missed this, lovely bit of gear & great workmanship, really like the look of the copper aesthetics

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Thanks! The copper and maple burl preamp is mine, but I have to give credit to Ryan for a great overall design. I've made other components along the same lines but this one's design is much more polished thanks to Ryan. Next up... speakers! :)

good work