Redboy
a few good watts
I built a passive pre based on the information found in LPD's thread recently. The best part was the way things just came together, in a way that they rarely do.
The key to the success of the project was the box I used - I didn't have to drill a single hole! You should be able to find one of these boxes without looking too hard - it's an older data switching box like this (shown with original guts already removed):
I bought the rest of the parts from Parts Connexion, an AK sponsor - find the link at the bottom of this page. I've ordered from them several times and they're great! Great product, great service, and quick shipping.
Parts I used...
I chose to paint the box. This was my first time using hammered texture paint, and it did not turn out well!
Next thing is to wire it up and solder that sucker! Read ashok's detailed instructions in LPD's thread. Here's how I laid mine out:
Note that the left and right inputs are above, and outputs are below. Make sure you tighten these things as much as you can! I'm not particularly fond of the way this layout looks (I'd prefer to have inputs on one side, outputs on the other) but I wanted to keep the wiring as simple as possible and this was the ticket. No drilling required, either! Keep it simple!
In my parts list above, I noted that the input jacks should be "inside chassis mount." This means (counterintuitively, I think) that the nut will be on the outside of your box. The beauty of doing it this way is that if you absolutely loved the way this preamp sounded, but wanted to put it into a nicer looking case, you could do so without having to warm up the soldering iron! Just unscrew and pop the whole assembly into your new box. For now, I'm content with my badly painted switching box.
So, how does it sound? Ah yes, that. I had this little pre over at ejfud's house the other day, and in initial non-scientific trials, we both liked it better than the Channel Islands pre he had running at the time. To quote mhardy6647, "YMMV"
So, what are you waiting for? Order some parts, put it together. It's that simple! :yes:
Enjoy.
Nate
The key to the success of the project was the box I used - I didn't have to drill a single hole! You should be able to find one of these boxes without looking too hard - it's an older data switching box like this (shown with original guts already removed):
I bought the rest of the parts from Parts Connexion, an AK sponsor - find the link at the bottom of this page. I've ordered from them several times and they're great! Great product, great service, and quick shipping.
Parts I used...
- Potentiometer: Noble stereo 100K volume pot
- (2)Resistors: 11K Shinkoh Tantalum film
- (2 pairs) Connectors: Connex RCA input jacks, inside chassis mount
- Some short bits of CAT-5 wire
I chose to paint the box. This was my first time using hammered texture paint, and it did not turn out well!
Next thing is to wire it up and solder that sucker! Read ashok's detailed instructions in LPD's thread. Here's how I laid mine out:
Note that the left and right inputs are above, and outputs are below. Make sure you tighten these things as much as you can! I'm not particularly fond of the way this layout looks (I'd prefer to have inputs on one side, outputs on the other) but I wanted to keep the wiring as simple as possible and this was the ticket. No drilling required, either! Keep it simple!
In my parts list above, I noted that the input jacks should be "inside chassis mount." This means (counterintuitively, I think) that the nut will be on the outside of your box. The beauty of doing it this way is that if you absolutely loved the way this preamp sounded, but wanted to put it into a nicer looking case, you could do so without having to warm up the soldering iron! Just unscrew and pop the whole assembly into your new box. For now, I'm content with my badly painted switching box.
So, how does it sound? Ah yes, that. I had this little pre over at ejfud's house the other day, and in initial non-scientific trials, we both liked it better than the Channel Islands pre he had running at the time. To quote mhardy6647, "YMMV"
So, what are you waiting for? Order some parts, put it together. It's that simple! :yes:
Enjoy.
Nate
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