Plugged everything in, fired up tube glow was sexy but had an extremely loud humming noise. To view this protected post, enter the password below. Bottlehead crack speedball upgrade for those who have added speedball after building the base crack, can you give a description of the sound differences. The marvelously addictive bottlehead crack page 2 innerfidelity. The kit includes an aluminum top plate that comes predrilled for the stock parts. In outline, usbased bottlehead has been creating valve kits for some time and have a good following. Ps audio ac3s, htpc, one, bottlehead crack w speedball. Oct 12, 20 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.
Are there any other options in the same price range that work as well with the hd650s. The marvelously addictive bottlehead crack innerfidelity. The crack uses 2 tubes in its design a small 12au7 model at the input and a larger 6080 model to provide the output power. Bottlehead crack manual pdf help request sorry if this isnt the right place for it, but i just finished painting and staining my crack and i go to open up the manual to start building and the pdf files are nowhere to be found on my computer.
Oct 22, 2018 bottleheads basic headphone amplifier kit, the crack, is probably the most well known, and best regarded, kitbaseddiy headphone amplifier there is. Ive go my eyes on the he500s so this amp wont suit. A 12au7 input tube serving as a voltage amplifier, directly coupled to a 6080 power tube as a cathode follower output. Bottlehead crack headphone amp build and modification. I have seen pictures of the speedball and each one displays the chips and electrical components on the outside of the box. This base is designed for base plates measuring 8 x 10 inches. After aaron all212 brought his bottlehead reduction phono with integration upgrade over to try in my system, i was hooked. Some guys say that they no longer come with a cd, so just to prepare. If you love this amp is higly recommended to upgrade it with the speedball kit. As much as id like to keep it, ive come to the conclusion i wont have use for it once i complete building the crackatwoa. The crack and speedball combo is by far the best match to the sennheiser hd650 i have ever heard, and its probably one of the best sounding setups i have ever heard too.
For sale is an unfinished and unassembled set of boards from a bottlehead amplifier kit. The highest quality audiophile tube amplifier kits for headphones since 1995. The bottlehead crack otl headphone amplifier diy audio. Again, a full set of excellent instructions is included to guide you along. Bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade for sale us. So i received my used bottlehead crack w speedball a couple weeks ago, it has a 220v step down transformer as i am in canada 120v. Otl addiction i think im far more excited about the crack than lieven is. Ill dak to point out which of these are more appropriate than others for actual use. As per the crack and all bottlehead kits as i understand it, instructions are provided on a cd so you can print it out or view the manual electronically. I bought the crack and its speedball upgrade after i got my hands on a pair of massdrop x sennheiser hd 6xx headphones. I was going to order what he had, but aaron said get the eros instead. It is an alltube outputtransformerless otl design, intended to. There are three pairs of rca input jacks and a volume and balance control. The kit is about as easy as they come more cuttingstripping wires than anything else and i did it in about 4.
Bottlehead crack manual,diybottlehead crack manual pdf. I waited until black friday to grab it from their website for 15% off. The included tubes are of decent quality and can be expected to provide years of great sound. Dec 06, 2012 the bottlehead crack is a diy kit sold by bottlehead in america. In my experience, the sound difference was greater between the base crack and crack with speedball than the difference between the o2 and base crack.
Our kits pair great with akg, beyer dynamic, sennheiser and more. It is amazing how different it sounds from the other amp i have in house at the moment, the susy dynalo. I emailed them about getting the speedball manual mentioning that the one i found online was outdated. So i convinced my roommate to pair his hd650s with a bottlehead crack, but he cant afford the speedball upgrade right now, so hell be saving up for it. The most immediate thing you will notice is a better sense of clarity. The 6sl7 is absolutely not at all acceptable for use in the crack. The crackatwoa is an upgraded model of bottlehead s popular diy crack otl headphone amplifier with a larger power transformer, shuntregulated power supply, multiple inputs, and optional addition of a bottlehead s twoquiet stepped attenuator. Up for a reluctant sale is my bottlehead crack built by myself. There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. Highly recommended if youre up to a fun diy project or if you can convince a a friend to make it for you. Curious what the name of that beautiful looking cable is. Im looking forward to getting to ab it with an original crack speedball.
Bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade for sale us audio mart. Personally, i recommend printing the manual so you can cross off each step as you go. The next step in the bottlehead range is called the single ended experimenter kit or s. The parts quality is very good, the documentation is truly excellent, the bottlehead forums provide fantastic peertopeer assistance, and construction is very easy. Get hold of the admin at bottlehead, eileen, theyll have a record of the amp and be able to send you a pdf file. Bottlehead cannot patent anything about their tube designs, but they can the manuals. Speedball is the companys camille cascode constant current source upgrade for the crack headphone amplifier. This crack includes the speedball upgrade as well as the following. The bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio.
Alps potentiometer upgrade black aluminum volume pot upgrade vampire rca input jacks upgrade vampire rca output jacks upgrade this crack can be used as a preamp. Depending on your patience, you may want to wait until the next big sale. Registered users can also use our to download files directly from all file hosts where kenrick cleveland was found on. The chassis, transformer, and screws were painted with metallic paint. Queenb or docb on here eileen couldnt have been more helpful when i inherited a crackspeedball recently. The crack comes with the most userfriendly instruction manual i have ever seen for any product. The bottlehead crack diy tube headphone amp kit youtube. You can learn more about the speedball upgrade for this kit at this link. The bottlehead crack is a diy amplifier that gives you a great tube sound. Bottlehead offers an excellent upgrade to the crack called the speedball.
I bought the crack and its speedball upgrade after i got my hands on a. I have a week off work after tomorrow, so i will have plenty of time to get it together. Originally announced in 2010, the crack is an affordable tubebased headphone amplifier kit offered by the bottlehead corporation located in poulsbo, washington state, usa. Ive done quite a bit of reading, and almost everyone says the upgrade is worth doing, but im having trouble finding a. If i had to pick one, itd be the dynalo, but i dont and wont. Aug 06, 2010 i recently built this bottlehead kit actually, i had it at chicago, and i have to admit, its crossed my mind a few times to sell my beloved zana deux since i started listening to it. Bottlehead claims on its website btw that over 90% of those parts are sourced in the usa. Zu audio omen mk1bs, peachtree decco65, zu mission scs collecting dust bryston bda2, cheap tt, ps audio upc200, ps audio ac3s, htpc, one, bottlehead crack wspeedball, senns md hd600. Bottlehead crackatwoa otl tube headphone amplifier build.
Crack output transformerless tube headphone amplifier kit. One of those things i have read about often is that the stock pot often does not track well at the lower settings of the volume control. He wants to know i dont have the audiophile vocabulary what the tonal differences are between the regular otl and the speedball. Problem for me is, april 15th ill be forking over a lot more than the price of the crack to uncle sam.
In looking for a ts 5998 clear top or a good we 421a for my crack speedball and beyer dynamic t90. This is a quick build log of bottlehead crack otl tube amplifier with some pictures and little stories. I built the amp about a yearandahalf ago and added the. Queenb or docb on here eileen couldnt have been more helpful when i inherited a crack speedball recently. A cdrom containing a 30page illustrated instruction manual is your guide. Is there any major differences between the 2010 version of speedball manual and the newer revised version.
Step by step one is walked through the process in language that any layperson can understand. Bottlehead s basic headphone amplifier kit, the crack, is probably the most well known, and best regarded, kitbaseddiy headphone amplifier there is. When i ordered my bottlehead crack kit, i also ordered the speedball upgrade right away. Trevor can tell you the name, i dont know what it is called. I bought my bottlehead crack with speedball preassembled off of ebay. Crackatwoa is a premium version of the direct coupled crack circuit with the c4s active loads of the speedball incorporated, and also shunt voltage regulation in the form of two 6aq5 tubes along with a bigger power transformer. Bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade i am selling my beloved bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade. 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. The manual is in pdf format and you can blow up the high res photos to see. Why is bottlehead so weird about posting their manuals. Review by headfonia the headphone enthusiasts website. Also, try the speedball when youve had some ample time with the stock kit.
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. Bottlehead crack speedball modded w paypal reddit avexchange apr 14, 2020. The bottlehead crack is an outstanding first project for the novice audio diyer. Upgrading the bottlehead crack headphone amplifier. While the initial frustration regarding the ordering almost made us gave up, by the moment i received the package i really couldnt wait to start the build and to finally hear what the crack is all about. This, more specifically, is the camille cascode constant current source upgrade. It typically takes four weeks to get the parts made for your kit. 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. I used to feel that my enhanced sexhammer dynamics speaker setup was a more involving listening experience, but now with the speedball upgrade the crack dt770600 ohm combo comes much closer to being in the listening room. The crack 2 is a fantastic change of pace amp and makes for a super relaxing pairing with the hd650s. The manual is included on the cd in pdf format with step by step instructions. Bottlehead crackatwoa headphone amp build portable audio. Bottlehead chassis, wood bases and speaker cabinets, transformers, pc boards and even that nifty little bottlehead badge are all made to order in the usa.
Its very careful to give ample safety warnings, provides clear text instructions at each step and shows images of what. Ordered a bottlehead crack headphone amp last night, steve. Apr 11, 2015 last night i had an email from bottlehead announcing a sale on the speedball upgrade. A forum for discussing kit assembly by bottlehead s factory authorized technician, paul birkeland. On top of that, building it yourself means you know whats going on inside and can easily add to it and improve it either on your own or using the addn speedball kit from bottlehead.
Sep 18, 2012 the bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio. I didnt do any burn in or anything, there is around 50 hours on the amp. Things get tighter and quicker, bass and midrange get. Apr 03, 2019 the bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio. The company was created by the president for life dan doc b schmalle in the mid1990s, and primarily offers diy tube audio kits for both headphones and home stereos. While waiting for the bigger kit a nonsna member contacted me to assemble his bottlehead. Bottlehead designers appear to be engaged in a contest to see who can cram the most components into the smallest possible space, and hide solder joints behind other components so its impossible to get a soldering iron on them. Im going to guess that the crack is bottleheads all time most popular kit. Also is there a newer revision than this one i have dated 2014.
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