5 projects work, sontec,2x1176,calrec,ssl,pultec(pics)

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cwatkins

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 7, 2004
Messages
103
Well, I never posted the pics of my (well if you want to call them completed) projects. but the way/point in which I stopped at the sontec
this time just had to be shown, I wasn't going to take pictures tell I was "done"done" but, I got a load of crap from some freinds that I should picture of the tupperware version and the other projects as is..
In between projects I either do a new build or fix the little annoying things with the current ones..

I basicly haven't finished any front plates, but rather have just been happy settings things blind and having good noise floors and tone..
(it's such a detatch from being a in-the-box mixer with gui feedback.)

The pultec I managed to get the power finnaly working on (and just replaced the third PS with a torroid, BTW, and it's -10db quieter @ -95db)
pultec-front.jpg

there is another front piece to this but it's still doesn't have any printing on it. I "started" this in december, it truely took longer than anything else, but
that's because I was constantly making it sound better.. rmaa sheets at the end. It finnally works like I tihnk it should, can't hear it at full volume
and no burning powersupplies and in stereo..

Here's the SSL, I still have to put in the other side, lazyness just exists there, I toy with it, but every time I go to really use it, it never fits sound wise so I don't have that much incentive. I tested both modules and used different opamps in one, just so they where a little different, the other side has ad797's on a sockets. But metal/front panel laziness set in.
ssl.jpg

I hear they work good in parralell so I really should get on the stick.

The calrec was by far the close second to as much trouble as the pultec, for whatever reason, getting it to work right took forever. The new gain fix is stil not been added but I fully intend on doing that here i a week or so.
calrec-21176.jpg


Then come the 1176's one is the old board, one is the new mnats board, they are within 1db of each other and such tracking (I actually had more fun and less trouble getting those two close then I did with the calrec problems, I shouldn't have but maybe it was because I did these later.)
You can't see it but the black 1176 actually had an attempt at lazertran, it just didn't show up for shit and didn't look good at all. The two holes await me soldering the simple dpdt switch for all-crunch, but at that point I'll probably tackle true stereo and that might be funky with the two different kinds of boards, who knows, maybe just that pin will work. At this point sx3 prefers the devices in mono, so no incentive there.

And then, what I thought would be the mountain of DIY, the one that would take my the longest only took the balance of a afternoon, some sleep and then some drilling in tupperware and although yeah, I'm being lazy and haven't ordered metal, it sounds awesome. (I am considering bagging making the case, because it's appearant I can't make a frontpanel decal/label/paint worth a crap) Drilling holes, maybe I can do, I figured that out with a drill press thanks to the meta.
sontec-tupp-front.jpg

sontec-tupp-top.jpg


So, on the one i'd probably just order the case for, I don't have a front panel design file for.. sontec? [/img]
Here's the rmaa for them, case people want to check with what I got, I know on the pulltec it would have been nice to have.
http://rockthemountain.com/~watkins/audiopics/diycompare.htm

thd.png

The calrec didn't get quite straight....
fr.png


And the sontec's not hooked up right now.. but it was almost exactly like the calrec noise wise.

It's funny, finding the dang parts/part numbers/getting the right part takes longer than building the stuff, that is ironic to me.
 
That SSL is crazy. All the knobs and meter in a corner. :grin:
The Pultec and Sontec are special too. Don't make any front plate. They have a special hardcore look. :grin:

chrissugar
 
Cool. The Sontec is amazing but it would never work in my studio - it's so small everything has to go in the racks. Oh, maybe you could make tupperare rack ears. I also have 5 very evil kitties and if I ever left the lid off..... :? Let's not go there it's too disturbing.

Where are the xlr sockets? Don't they smush in when you plug them in? That happens on the cheesball case for my v672 it's some network thing box I got at a hamfest for $1 and the tin is so thin in the back I have to plug stuff in carefully.

I totally agree about the hard parts of DIY. I love the soldering and wiring and designing, but aaiii the parts sourceing and metal work... I just find old cases cheap and sometimes make new front panels for them with 1/8" aluminum from ebay. I also use old pooped out transister guitar amps that way, buy them non working and use the enclosure and chassis and any usable parts to build Voxish or Plexi-ish tube amps on turret boards.

I go ahead and make attempts at front panels though because I like picking interesting colors and cool knobs. My lettering is always misaligned but it's funny, labels just kinda have to "be there", they could be in Klingon and still serve the same purpose. I'll start doing mine in Finnish maybe.

Thanks for the cool pictures! You've built alot of amazing stuff.

Kiira
 
where do you stick the mains eearth on the tupperwear box?

i think the pultec hand written front is outsandingly cool
 
The mains earth is floating right now.
I was just going to plug it on pin 1 of the xlr.
(In fact I grabbed it on the inside once already. :() )


The tupperware sontec It is only temporary..
That's why I took a picture.. It solves my ADHD on
getting to hear it work so that I am patient to wait until
I can get the metal stuff somewhat proper, otherwise I rush..
and tend to make it look crappy.. (Pultec).. Yeah it's retro...

Yeah, fabio, I got it all to work with opa604. I ordered tl071.
just to have.
(In fact that's how I found a 604 I put in backwards.)

From what I have gathered listening to the opa2134,opa604,tl72,ada797,opa627,couple otheres..
I might play a bit with different kinds, but what I wanted was
a fast slew, I like alot of the sound of the 2/134, the 627 is too $,
and the 797 is good but $ too.
I got some 627's on a browndog I could try in the amp's. this I will do
while it's tupperware. :0

I wanted that vivid silky high-end fast transient sound, not the ne5xxx
neutral cloud low mid sound.

That PS made it really nice to put everything right at 24v, in fact
I don't think I even needed the bias's on the cards they are all full open.

I have the mirror for the SSL on the other side.. that's why it's so... 1 sided..
neet that way though.

Yeah, I totally have the outboard gear I should need and of course, I have
3 more projects in mind..it truely will never end.. I love it.
 
:shock:
LOL!

I knew there's something about the mystery around Tupperware!

Sent the pic of the sontec to my wife immediately!
(She would kill me if i do this to a piece of her kitchen... :grin: )

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Martin
 
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