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Post by monkumonku on Mar 8, 2018 16:44:41 GMT -5
I finished the SP14 preamp kit and had my first listen this morning. I have to say it was worth every pretty penny! I played a bunch of well-recorded tracks that I am very familiar with. My first impression was that this did indeed improve the sound. The music had more depth or a 3D character to it, as well as excellent detail and definition - separation among the different instruments and vocals was very distinct and the detail of every little thing, including the ambiance of the recording, was really clean and clear. Dynamics are excellent as well. The preamp seems effortless in driving my ST-120 amp. That said, I did not directly compare it to what I was doing before, which was directly connecting it to my ST-120 and using its attenuator control (passive). Prior to that I was using a Schiit Saga preamp. I realize just going from memory can be unreliable, but these are the impressions I got after expecting the music to sound a certain way from before, but I was very pleasantly surprised from what I heard. Not some huge jaw-dropping difference, but it was noticeable. Now maybe it's all in my head but if so then whatever makes it sound better, right? But it really struck me how it all sounded more 3D and with more definition. The only negative thing is unlike what Audiobill said about his SP14 build being absolutely silent, there is a very slight static buzz on mine. It is audible with my ear up to the tweeter and the woofer but not loud enough to make a difference with the music as I can't hear it when I draw my ear away from the speaker. Here's some pics of the innards. Not a work of art like what Audiobill does, but it works and it was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience to put it together. I am really glad I decided to make the purchase.    |
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Post by mshump on Mar 8, 2018 16:57:45 GMT -5
That looks great !! Glad you are enjoying the sound !! Time to kick back and enjoy your handiwork !!
!Mark
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Post by audiobill on Mar 8, 2018 17:00:51 GMT -5
Congrats, Rickie - really nice job!!
You may have an external ground loop going, and sometimes line conditioners can be a problem.
Try plugging everything directly in the wall, and pm me if more help needed.
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 8, 2018 18:46:22 GMT -5
Congrats, Rickie - really nice job!! You may have an external ground loop going, and sometimes line conditioners can be a problem. Try plugging everything directly in the wall, and pm me if more help needed. Thank you - you know I have you to blame for buying it!  Since I can hear the buzz through the tweeter, Roy thought maybe there was some interference elsewhere in the house like fluorescent or halogen lighting but I can't think of anything. I will try your suggestion about plugging it directly to the wall to see, as I did have it plugged into a TrippLite surge protector. It's very soft so if I can't fix it, that's okay. Thanks for your pointers and clarifying some of the instructions, too - that is much appreciated! |
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Post by audiobill on Mar 8, 2018 18:58:09 GMT -5
Rickie, do you notice how solid the bass is with that great power supply?
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 8, 2018 19:24:59 GMT -5
Rickie, do you notice how solid the bass is with that great power supply? I find that everything sounds more distinct, including the bass. The bass sounds well defined (or solid) but not any more prominent - just more in focus. The differences are not huge but all added together it's definitely an improvement. I'm not going back to any passive preamp - or any other preamp, for that matter. |
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Post by audiobill on Mar 8, 2018 19:26:34 GMT -5
Yep!
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Post by garbulky on Mar 8, 2018 20:51:43 GMT -5
Hey now that looks fantastic! How about some pics of the outside chassis?
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 8, 2018 21:00:53 GMT -5
Hey now that looks fantastic! How about some pics of the outside chassis? Well thank you! As for the outside, though, it is the stock standard chassis so it looks just like the below pics from the web site. The only difference is mine has plastic rocker switches for the tape in/out and power on/off instead of the toggle switches you see in the picture. But otherwise it is the same.   |
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Post by garbulky on Mar 8, 2018 21:02:46 GMT -5
Hey now that looks fantastic! How about some pics of the outside chassis? Well thank you! As for the outside, though, it is the stock standard chassis so it looks just like the below pics from the web site. The only difference is mine has plastic rocker switches for the tape in/out and power on/off instead of the toggle switches you see in the picture. But otherwise it is the same. Looks a solid build! I like the dual transformers. Do you know if they ever plan to do a balanced version? |
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Post by novisnick on Mar 8, 2018 21:07:01 GMT -5
Its alive! Nice job! Wish I had the time and experience to build my own. Enjoy!
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 8, 2018 21:31:38 GMT -5
Well thank you! As for the outside, though, it is the stock standard chassis so it looks just like the below pics from the web site. The only difference is mine has plastic rocker switches for the tape in/out and power on/off instead of the toggle switches you see in the picture. But otherwise it is the same. Looks a solid build! I like the dual transformers. Do you know if they ever plan to do a balanced version? No idea about that. You might send an e-mail to Roy Mottram and ask. He writes back pretty quickly. I don't really have an idea how all that stuff works together - I just follow the directions. |
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 8, 2018 21:33:46 GMT -5
Its alive! Nice job! Wish I had the time and experience to build my own. Enjoy! Thanks! Well you've got wonderful stuff. That McIntosh is nice. Part of the reason for getting the SP14 was wanting to try and put the kit together. |
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Post by geebo on Mar 9, 2018 7:48:04 GMT -5
Nice work. Congratulations!
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Post by tweed on Mar 9, 2018 10:54:57 GMT -5
Great job Monkumonku!
That is a really clean looking build, congrats!
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 9, 2018 11:32:01 GMT -5
Great job Monkumonku! That is a really clean looking build, congrats! Thanks!  |
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Post by yeeeha17 on Mar 9, 2018 12:09:53 GMT -5
Nice work monk!!! Do they come with remote?
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Post by monkumonku on Mar 9, 2018 12:19:30 GMT -5
Nice work monk!!! Do they come with remote? Thank you! Nope, it doesn't come with a remote although you can order one as an option for an extra $295 but that only controls the volume, not the inputs or outputs. So I figured UNLIKE NICK I would just get up and do it manually. |
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Post by bluemeanies on Mar 9, 2018 13:23:11 GMT -5
Hey, you guys are so much into remotes rather than getting exercise LOL.. well here...I have a remote..it goes with a GRACE DESIGN M920 pre-amp dac monitoring system which I will be selling within the next month. www.gracedesign.com/ |
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Post by yeeeha17 on Mar 9, 2018 13:37:19 GMT -5
Nice work monk!!! Do they come with remote? Thank you! Nope, it doesn't come with a remote although you can order one as an option for an extra $295 but that only controls the volume, not the inputs or outputs. So I figured UNLIKE NICK I would just get up and do it manually. Wow!!! $300 just to turn the volume up lol. There’s probably cheaper DYI remotes out there if you want to tinkle with. Hey it’s good exercise lol |
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