Audio Note Kit DAC 2.1 Build

This was my point about using silver solder. sure it is stronger, but there is nothing that would be pulling on any connections causing any stress inside of the case.

Silver solder would melt about 500° to 700°, which is quite a bit hotter than the 60/40 rosin core solder that we use here in the US.

Now, imagine the mess that you would have, if you attempted to de-solder a silver solder connection to the transformer taps?

Not a pretty sight!

 

What do you mean...they never made it on the spaceship traveling behind the comet?

 

Linestage was a piece of cake...especially cause I put the resistors on correctly the first time, lol. I definitely shook off years of rust and learned a few things through this process. Wishing I had gotten some cheap amp kit to hone my skills instead of making mistakes on a $1700 kit, but you live and learn I guess.

Now I play the waiting game and cross my fingers that everything tests correctly once I get the parts I need. If he's true to his word, you should probably hear from me Tuesday night with a completed build.

Until then, adios!

 

Just curious if anyone can identify this tube that came with my kit? Looks Russian and clearly NOS (I think I see a date of 1974 in the paperwork). All other tubes in my kit are modern. Curious if there's a particular reason for this one in the PSU board. I'm not a tube guy usually, so I'm clueless. Is this a decent tube?

 

That's the rectifier I believe, a 6x5gt equivalent. As to quality I can't say exactly. Mine was dead on arrival, so I hope yours is OK.

John K.

 

Hah, great! I was hoping there was some good reason why this was the only NOS tube, but something tells me he got a good deal on a pile of old Soviet tubes, lol.

 

This tube, if the marking is correct, is NOT a rectifier! It is an octal dual triode, and specifically, a direct equivalent of a 6SL7

 

Ank site says this:

Rectification Tube: ECL82

Rectifier Tube: 6X5

I am a newb and have no clue what the difference is between a rectification and a rectifier tube. The other tube is a 6BM8, which Google tells me is an ECL82 equivalent, so that Russian tube HAS to be the rectifier tube.

 

Old NOS rectifier tubes are the best, they last forever and despite what common sense might tell you, a rectifier tube can make a large change in the SS of your gear.

A couple of members that you might ask about this would be @indy mike and @allied333.

They have a lot of hands on experience with old tubes.

One thing that seems to set some of my tube gear apart is the units that have tube rectification are not as "fast" as the ones with SS rectification, but the ones with tube rectification seem to be better and more organic sounding.

 

The box seems to clearly say 6H9C ("H" being a Cyrillic "N" and C -- "S"). A 6H9C is a 6SL7... The 6X5 equivalent is 6Ц5(C); maybe that's what;s in the box but that's not what's on the label? Or maybe someone simply confused the tubes when packing -- it is a one-letter difference, "H" vs "Ц", they might look similar to someone... This could explain why it appeared dead on arrival for thegage... There should be a marking on the tube itself -- if it says 6H9C, I'd highly recommend you not even try it in place of 6X5.

 

Rectification is the process of turning an AC signal into a DC signal.

In the old days, it was accomplished by a rectifier tube.

Now it can be accomplished by either tube or SS.

 

Yup, it clearly says 6H9C on the tube itself. I'm wondering if this is another change that hasn't been updated on their website or if he, again, gave me an incorrect part. Can a 6H9C even be used as a rectifier tube? If it's a no, then I guess that answers that.

 

My confusion is rectifier tube vs rectification tube. They're both listed. Possible typo on the website?

 

Don't know, it might be that they are meaning the same thing, just saying it differently.

 

Can there be two rectifier tubes? I have some homework to do, lol.

 

Yes, it sounds like indeed you have an 6H9C (should be able to tell it's a dual triode by internal construction, too, and it should have 8 pins on the base whereas the 6X5 would generally have 5). The circuit calls for a 6x5 rectifier -- I looked it up quickly on their site -- so I would bet they simply mistakenly included a 6H9C instead of a 6Ц5C -- like I said, "H" vs "Ц" may be an easy mixup if you aren't natively familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet. Do NOT use as the rectifier; have them send you a proper tube instead

 

It lines up with my tube socket (8 pins). I'll email Brian in the morning and make sure this is the correct tube.

 

THIS IS THE WRONG TUBE. I just had an ANK kit where they sent this . it is a 6SL7 equivalent i.e. a triode. it is not a Rectifier. You will need to get a 6X5 either from ANK or might be quicker via a tube store. I plugged mine in, it did not do any damage but also, obviously, the PSU did not work.

 

Rectifier and rectification are synonymous in this instance.

 

Dang. This has just been a comedy of errors. I wouldn't have had a clue had I not randomly decided to ask about it here.

 

FYI, silver solder that would be used in this application would not be typical silver solder used for brazing. What is used in this case would be something like WBT-0820, which is only 4% silver and melt temp is nice and low, actually lower than standard 60/40.

WBT-0820 Silver Solder 250 grams

 

The ECL82 is a combined triode and plus output pentode. Audio Note use it widely in their PSUs as a regulator. Don't ask me how.

 

Discouraging to hear all of the AN kit screw ups you are encountering, but glad you are sharing this build. Have considered the kit option many times just never pulled the trigger. Looking forward to hearing your impressions on how it sounds once you have it in your system, for sure.

 

My then girlfriend (now wife) and I lived in Nederland, CO, which is about twenty something miles above the city of Boulder during 1976-1977. We noticed about a dozen people led by Marshall and Bonnie standing on the walkway on top of Barker Dam (Barker Reservior) and later found out that they were waiting to be picked up by a spaceship to be taken to a "better place". Obviously the spaceship never showed up, and when we drove by about four hours later they were gone with souvenirs - a few tickets for trespassing, according to the county sheriff who kicked them out.

 

Small world. I lived in Nederland from 1987-1989. I sure miss Neo's.