Tube rolling with the bottlehead crack, any advice or suggestions. That means that there is very little between the headphone and the gain stage of the circuit. Tube rolling with the bottlehead crack general dacampdap. There are people who will build it for you at an extra cost. A 12au7 input tube serving as a voltage amplifier, directly coupled to a 6080 power tube as a cathode follower output. It was fun to see he briefly gave the bottlehead crackhd600 system an honourable mention putting it into context with all the expensive equipment. I had had occasional popping before, but nothing that lasted. Bottlehead crack w speedball is a wonderful tube amp to me in that it offers lots of fun. Every tube amp ive tried that isnt a hybrid has been the same with the q. And thats how they got to be the most popular tube kits on the market.
Is it easy to build a bottlehead crack amp because im scared. The crack arrived, and to my surprise they had included a user building guide that includes stepbystep with pictures. Ordered a bottlehead crack headphone amp last night, steve. Ive been exploring different output tubes for the crack over the last. I used to have a bottlehead crack and really liked it. Hi asr, wanted to share my build of my bottlehead crackatwoa headphone. The crack maintains its warm sound regardless of tweaks and tube rolling.
May 10, 2019 hi asr, wanted to share my build of my bottlehead crackatwoa headphone amplifier. Tube rolling with the bottlehead crack general dacamp. A good starting point and still better than rcasylvania 6080. My crack at this point is far from stocktung sol 5998 output tube nos mullard cv4003 input tube. The marvelously addictive bottlehead crack innerfidelity. The parts quality is very good, the documentation is truly excellent, the bottlehead forums provide fantastic peertopeer assistance, and construction is very easy. If you own a pair of sennheiser hd600, hd650 or even the hd800 flagship model, this is what many will recommend you to buy. Tube rolling is a very worthwhile activity with this amp. Home forums equipment forums headphone amps fullsize. The crack remains an astounding achievement in terms of pricetoperformance ratio and its the only bottlehead amp to provide the fun option of tube rolling to tune the sound. The output stage may be configured for either a 300b tube or 2a3 tube using cathode bias. The bottlehead crack, of course, although the crack is a diy otl tube amp.
Jan 03, 2015 the bottlehead crack, of course, although the crack is a diy otl tube amp. Use hifi shark to monitor pricing and global availability. Tube rolling with the bottlehead crack, any advice or. The base crack was always been a bit too soft, polite, and sweet for me when ive auditioned in the past, while the darkvoice gave a more. Driver tubes are readily available and cheap to try with a good influence on the sonic character of the amp. The bottlehead crack is an outstanding first project for the novice audio diyer. I have always thought that i preferred bright sound, by recently ive wanted to try the warm sound of a tube amp. Tube rolling has a big affect on the sound of the crack. Fwiw, tube rolling can indeed make a difference in your crack. The marvelously addictive bottlehead crack page 2 innerfidelity. Compared to the bottlehead crack, ive always enjoyed the darkvoice more. Bottlehead crackatwoa otl tube headphone amplifier build. Tube rolling in the crack the bottlehead crack circuit uses two tubes.
This amp was built last year, so this is more of a retrospective, but im very proud of it and thought you might be interested. A bottlehead forum threads on suitable tubes for rolling and output cap upgrades. I bought a tungsol 7236 on ebay after looking for a decent priced 5998. Ive looked through their selection, and decided on a 6080 replacement, the winged c 6hc 6as7g and narrowed my choices for the 12au7 down to three choices. I understood this is a very expensive jurney, and not everyone appreciate it. A custom bottlehead plate choke loads the output tube and the output is via a high quality parallel feed coupling capacitor and custom bottlehead parallel feed output transformer with 4,8 and 16 ohm taps to work with a broad range of speakers. Tube rolling with bottlehead crack steve hoffman music.
Like crack this amp is intended to be used with high impedance headphones 200 ohms or higher like sennheiser hd600650800, beyerdynamic 250 and 600 ohms headphones, etc. The supplied sylvanias were changed with philips ecc81 1957 tk1s d foil getter, telefunken ecc81s and gec a2900s. Or you can find a used one so you dont have to build it yourself. The crackatwoa is an upgraded model of bottlehead s popular diy. Overall, the mainline clearly holds its place as the flagship bottlehead amp and is currently the best amplifier i have ever heard. Discussion in audio hardware started by john storey, nov 22, 2017. The input stage uses a 56702c51we396a tube, just like our kaiju 300b amp. Another thing to know is that tube rolling is more pronounced when you have a speedball kit in your crack. The thing about tube amps, though, is that all the characteristics i noted could easily change with a little tube rolling. I have rolled a lot of tubes through the crack and crackatwoa. The bottlehead crack is a diy kit sold by bottlehead in america. Bottlehead crackatwoa otl tube headphone amplifier build page.
Did anyone notice the a2293 is only 0,95a more driver options. Discussion in headphone amplifiers and combo dacamp units started by ojneg, oct 3, 2015. Theres enough variety of brands to make tube rolling interesting and it is not prohibitively expensive. Tube rolling with mc could be a lot of fun and could lead to a sound that you will not only like, but love. Doc and queen have been in the business of selling tube based kits for quite some time and have earned an excellent reputation for providing easily accessible and excellent sounding kits. Is hard to troubleshoot a problem build if you do the crack and speedball all at once. So ive been looking forward to stepping my game up, and after a month of research, i found that the 650s are exactly what i want. The amp sounds a bit warmer now, with a bigger soundstage, plenty of bass, and maybe a hair less vivid treble. Some audio equipment had a high impedance, making them sound and.
Bottlehead mainline diy amplifier passion for sound. Here you will find vacuum tube based amplifier, preamplifier and headphone amplifier kits, speaker kits, finished high end tube audio products, reel to reel tape machine upgrades, parts, and one of the finest support communities on the web. Jan 05, 2017 two amps that will have more of a tube sound than the valhalla would be the bottlehead crack or woo wa3. In this build, i found the treble could range from more laid back to more snappy depending on tubes. I pretty much agree about the 6080 tube, ive tried a few different brands and not much to talk about. Im going though phases of getting different types of tube amp pp, set, hybrid, otl and comparing them to one anoher.
Could someone maybe list the different variants of the two tubes that can be used. Tube amps have a tendency of just failing after awhile, but as far as pure synergy and warmth with the hd650, the bottlehead crack is probably the best overall pairing. Is it easy to build a bottlehead crack amp because im scared reddit. So i am looking into tube amps and am planning to get a bottlehead crack for my first amp. Bottlehead crack w speedball is a wonderful tube amp to me in that it offers lots of fun rolling tubes and sounds sublime.
I did in the crack but just wanted to double check for use with its big brother. It was fun to see he briefly gave the bottlehead crack hd600 system an honourable mention putting it into context with all the expensive equipment. In addition to the cost of the amps you also need to factor in the cost for tube rolling to get the sound qualities you. All in all i had waited two months to listen to the music since i had received a 5keys box of crack in february filled with over 100 parts. Sep 11, 2019 im not rolling in cash at the min, so will be buying in bits with a budget around the 1k mark. Power tubes are outofscope there are 7 preamp tubes in reissue mc 275, v1 12ax7 phasesplitter, v2, v5 12ax7 input amplifiers. Thomson csf france 6080wa large soundstage, more details, even better tone, less bass as the above. The parts are held into the top plate via machine screws and nuts. Is it easy to build a bottlehead crack amp because im. My crack is almost complete, still cant find a matching volume knob. Hi all, as an avid tube roller and owner of a bottlehead crack speedball, i wanted to start a dedicated thread for tube rolling. You basically receive a bunch of parts and wires, along with four pieces of wood, a aluminium chassis and a couple of tubes.
This is a quick build log of bottlehead crack otl tube amplifier with some. I rotate the output tube between gec 6as7g and 6080, bendix solid. Tube rolling is a fun and easy way to tweak the sound to your preferences. Right now im having too much fun tube rolling with my new bottlehead crack, so heres the quick rundown.
At this moment in time ive only changed the output tube. Because tubes i will need to be getting regardless if i get a bottlehead or a. I have some other other tubes to do some rolling with, but at the moment i am using a. Today i got the ecc82 in the mail and now my crack has a bunch of popping and a low but rather loud hum. Two amps that will have more of a tube sound than the valhalla would be the bottlehead crack or woo wa3.
Bottlehead crack otl tube amplifier for headphones with speedball upgrade and tweaks to let certain tubes work. Its not about big caps per say, trying out the different types as im not about to roll the same build of capacitor from all companies, that madness is solely for the tube rolling maniac. While id certainly play around with various tubes on the woo, i wouldnt be nearly so apt to start hacking into the circuit with capacitor, resistor, and potentiometer. Im a big fan of tube rolling, and i have several different varients with and without adapters. Bottlehead actually offers a premium version of the crack called the. Bottlehead claims on its website btw that over 90% of those parts are sourced in the usa. I used beyer dt880s 600 ohm and they liked the smoothed top end and extra warmth of this type design. The valhalla is a little tough to discern from solid state or maybe i have not varied my tube rolling in it enough to. The most expensive music format in the world youtube. May 10, 2019 the only other legitimate measurements i have seen of the crack used an audio precision sys2722 from a bottlehead forum member and showed the distortion essentially halved when using a 5998 vs the stock 6080 power tube. The bottlehead crack otl headphone amplifier diy audio.
Sep 18, 2012 resources bottlehead web site and crack product page. After thoroughly enjoying the crack for over a year, i decided it was time to enjoy the next step up in the bottlehead range for both a challenge and a new step towards audio nirvana. Came as the stock tube in the kit and i returned to it at the end of all my rolling to see how far the crack had come. Although thats my first post here, what i said is based on my many years tube rolling experience using the crack. Darkvoice 336se tube amp bottlehead crack schit stack of some description ideally id like an rme adi2, but its costly and maybe a bit too much for primarily spotify. The 5670 is a very sweet sounding, particularly linear tube important when using an output tube as linear as the 2a3 theres enough variety of brands to make tube rolling interesting and it is not prohibitively expensive.
Tags grado headfi serieshf2headphones headphoneamplifiers. You wont need too much solder, probably a tube of it instead of a roll. A custom bottlehead plate choke loads the output tube and the output is via a high quality parallel feed coupling capacitor and custom bottlehead. The valhalla is a little tough to discern from solid state or maybe i have not varied my tube rolling in it enough to approximate a crack. Im going to guess that the crack is bottleheads all time most popular kit. It also means that you inherit the input impedance edit. Theres a bunch of 12au7 subs that can be used in some gear. This is pretty general to help keep it clear and hopefully easy to understandfollow. The bottlehead crack otl headphone amplifier bottlehead has been known to me many years before i purchased my first kit from them.
Best headphone amp for the sennheiser hd 600 and 650 video. Also, what is the best tube combination on the original crack you find in tube rolling. At the suggestion of grainger49, lets compile a list of tubes that can be rolled in the crack. Bottlehead forums are a spectacular resource, go to the crack subforum for questions and assistance building this amp. Too much love, as ive showered it with affection in the form of output and driver tube rolling. However im struggling with the selection of a tube amp to drive them before i order them. Upgrading the bottlehead crack headphone amplifier. Solid state, so you can also check that out for some good information though it probably does need an update.
My best recommendation priceperformance for crack output tubes for those who wish to do tube rolling would be 1. One big consideration was that this kit was to fit between the crack and the mainline in terms of price. Discussion in headphone amplifiers and combo dacamp units started by ojneg, oct 3. You have to combine the parts and solder them to get a working amplifier made and you also have to sand and paintapply varnish to the. Sorry this should read output not input of the tube. Power tubes tung sol 6080 came as stock tung sol 6080wb solid graphite plates w copper grid post chatham 6as7g bendix 6080wb slotted plate w copper grid. Lots of tube rolling for flavoring but at the end of the day, i think you can do better. A great little tube headphone amplifier at a pricepoint nearly anyone can afford that sounds very good for the money, its really hard to go wrong here. Whether your equipment or your ears are able to discern this level of. It has been very enjoyable tube rolling and modding the crack for me. This is what i decided to do as my first foray into tube rolling. Your bottlehead crack is a singleendedtriode, transformerless output amplifier. Mar 27, 2014 the 5 calibers to claim the most powerful handgun in the world title reupload duration. Apr 11, 2015 one very strong suggestions build it without the speedball first.
I wont really venture into any upgrades i also cantt see how you can inprove the crack. The 5 calibers to claim the most powerful handgun in the world title reupload duration. Im looking to start tube rolling now as the tube store has a 40% off sale for black friday. I waited until black friday to grab it from their website for 15% off. All three lived up to the expectation to be an upgrade from. Bottlehead crackatwoa otl tube headphone amplifier build audio. The bottlehead crack is a tube amplifier in kit form.
So now you have assembled your stock bottlehead crack otl amplifier. And do check out the on line community for the crack. Im familiar with some of the 12au7 versions, but i guess i. Hi everyone, i am looking into start in the world of tube amps and i am considering the ld. Doc and queen have been in the business of selling tube based kits for quite some time and have earned an excellent reputation for.
I know, i know, but had a few requests, thought id oblige. Mar 09, 2010 a new chapter in my own tube rolling adventures going from 3 to 4 tubes on my crack. A tung sol 5998 output tube got a deal, they are expensive with bin on ebay and a 1952 6sn7gta chrome dome tube with a garage1217 adapter. Im trying to get a good grip of how each sound in different positions besides the its better. I dont really want to roll any tubes, the stock sound perfect. I dont think any other diy project comes with stepbystep pictures, and it makes such a big difference especially for less experienced diyer. The bottlehead crack otl tube amplifier is widelya praised a for its smooth, but neutral and detailed sound. Im not going to start with the normal list of specifications for the crack because its so variable due to the. This is a quick build log of bottlehead crack otl tube amplifier with some pictures and little stories. Svetlana 6hc comes with otk stamp, winged c, blabla from russia large soundstage, mellow everything, good tone. The only other legitimate measurements i have seen of the crack used an audio precision sys2722 from a bottlehead forum member and showed the distortion essentially halved when using a 5998 vs the stock 6080 power tube. The bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio. I have ran many things through this grinder from aluminum cans all the way to ic chips and circuit boards.
Completely purchased diy and builtpainted on my own. Bottlehead crack wspeedball 4 tubes amplifier tube audiogon. I took the speedball back out since it hurt my ears and tube rolling seemed to make less of a difference. Its probably a long shot that anybody has used the 7236 but ive read that it sounds similar to the 5998. That is to say that each tube will sound more characteristic with a speedball. This is especially true if you ask the question on the headfi forums. The included tubes are of decent quality and can be expected to provide years of great sound.
I bought the crack and its speedball upgrade after i got my hands on a pair of massdrop x sennheiser hd 6xx headphones. Just finished the bottlehead crack build, which was a ton of fun and it sounds great. So please share with us, what tubes you have rolled and enjoyed. Ive had the chance to try out another power tube a russian 6hc 6as7. Im planning to post a build write up on the base as i have a bunch of pictures of the process and final product. We ordered a couple of cracks right before the price increase was announced more on that later so that probably.
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