Bottlehead crack headphone amp build and modification. 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. Upgrading the bottlehead crack headphone amplifier. Plugged everything in, fired up tube glow was sexy but had an extremely loud humming noise. Are there any other options in the same price range that work as well with the hd650s. Highly recommended if youre up to a fun diy project or if you can convince a a friend to make it for you. 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. Is there any major differences between the 2010 version of speedball manual and the newer revised version. The highest quality audiophile tube amplifier kits for headphones since 1995.
Problem for me is, april 15th ill be forking over a lot more than the price of the crack to uncle sam. 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 crack speedball upgrade for those who have added speedball after building the base crack, can you give a description of the sound differences. Oct 22, 2018 bottleheads basic headphone amplifier kit, the crack, is probably the most well known, and best regarded, kitbaseddiy headphone amplifier there is. Our kits pair great with akg, beyer dynamic, sennheiser and more. I waited until black friday to grab it from their website for 15% off. Also is there a newer revision than this one i have dated 2014. Ps audio ac3s, htpc, one, bottlehead crack w speedball.
This, more specifically, is the camille cascode constant current source upgrade. Bottlehead cannot patent anything about their tube designs, but they can the manuals. The kit is about as easy as they come more cuttingstripping wires than anything else and i did it in about 4. 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. A forum for discussing kit assembly by bottlehead s factory authorized technician, paul birkeland.
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. When i ordered my bottlehead crack kit, i also ordered the speedball upgrade right away. I built the amp about a yearandahalf ago and added the. I emailed them about getting the speedball manual mentioning that the one i found online was outdated. It is amazing how different it sounds from the other amp i have in house at the moment, the susy dynalo. 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. I bought the crack and its speedball upgrade after i got my hands on a pair of massdrop x sennheiser hd 6xx headphones. 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.
Speedball is the companys camille cascode constant current source upgrade for the crack headphone amplifier. The 6sl7 is absolutely not at all acceptable for use in the crack. 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. The included tubes are of decent quality and can be expected to provide years of great sound. The marvelously addictive bottlehead crack innerfidelity. Up for a reluctant sale is my bottlehead crack built by myself. I have a week off work after tomorrow, so i will have plenty of time to get it together. After aaron all212 brought his bottlehead reduction phono with integration upgrade over to try in my system, i was hooked. 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. While waiting for the bigger kit a nonsna member contacted me to assemble his bottlehead. Bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade for sale us.
I didnt do any burn in or anything, there is around 50 hours on the amp. The bottlehead crack is a diy amplifier that gives you a great tube sound. There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. He wants to know i dont have the audiophile vocabulary what the tonal differences are between the regular otl and the speedball. 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. Why is bottlehead so weird about posting their manuals. Some guys say that they no longer come with a cd, so just to prepare. 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. Bottlehead s basic headphone amplifier kit, the crack, is probably the most well known, and best regarded, kitbaseddiy headphone amplifier there is. It typically takes four weeks to get the parts made for your kit. The most immediate thing you will notice is a better sense of clarity.
Otl addiction i think im far more excited about the crack than lieven is. In outline, usbased bottlehead has been creating valve kits for some time and have a good following. Originally announced in 2010, the crack is an affordable tubebased headphone amplifier kit offered by the bottlehead corporation located in poulsbo, washington state, usa. Trevor can tell you the name, i dont know what it is called. Depending on your patience, you may want to wait until the next big sale. For sale is an unfinished and unassembled set of boards from a bottlehead amplifier kit. This crack includes the speedball upgrade as well as the following. 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. You can learn more about the speedball upgrade for this kit at this link.
The bottlehead crack diy tube headphone amp kit youtube. Ordered a bottlehead crack headphone amp last night, steve. If you love this amp is higly recommended to upgrade it with the speedball kit. Ive done quite a bit of reading, and almost everyone says the upgrade is worth doing, but im having trouble finding a. This is a quick build log of bottlehead crack otl tube amplifier with some pictures and little stories. 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.
The manual is in pdf format and you can blow up the high res photos to see. The next step in the bottlehead range is called the single ended experimenter kit or s. The bottlehead crack otl headphone amplifier diy audio. The chassis, transformer, and screws were painted with metallic paint. 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. Crack output transformerless tube headphone amplifier kit.
Bottlehead claims on its website btw that over 90% of those parts are sourced in the usa. Registered users can also use our to download files directly from all file hosts where kenrick cleveland was found on. 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. Again, a full set of excellent instructions is included to guide you along. Bottlehead crack manual,diybottlehead crack manual pdf.
The bottlehead crack is an outstanding first project for the novice audio diyer. A 12au7 input tube serving as a voltage amplifier, directly coupled to a 6080 power tube as a cathode follower output. Queenb or docb on here eileen couldnt have been more helpful when i inherited a crack speedball recently. The marvelously addictive bottlehead crack page 2 innerfidelity. I bought the crack and its speedball upgrade after i got my hands on a. Sep 18, 2012 the bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio.
Apr 11, 2015 last night i had an email from bottlehead announcing a sale on the speedball upgrade. 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. The parts quality is very good, the documentation is truly excellent, the bottlehead forums provide fantastic peertopeer assistance, and construction is very easy. Bottlehead crack speedball modded w paypal reddit avexchange apr 14, 2020. In looking for a ts 5998 clear top or a good we 421a for my crack speedball and beyer dynamic t90. 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. 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. The crack comes with the most userfriendly instruction manual i have ever seen for any product. Im going to guess that the crack is bottleheads all time most popular kit. 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. A cdrom containing a 30page illustrated instruction manual is your guide. The manual is included on the cd in pdf format with step by step instructions.
Bottlehead crackatwoa otl tube headphone amplifier build. Dec 06, 2012 the bottlehead crack is a diy kit sold by bottlehead in america. 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. Ive go my eyes on the he500s so this amp wont suit. Step by step one is walked through the process in language that any layperson can understand. 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. Curious what the name of that beautiful looking cable is. The bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio. Review by headfonia the headphone enthusiasts website. Things get tighter and quicker, bass and midrange get. Also, try the speedball when youve had some ample time with the stock kit. I was going to order what he had, but aaron said get the eros instead. I bought my bottlehead crack with speedball preassembled off of ebay.
This base is designed for base plates measuring 8 x 10 inches. There are three pairs of rca input jacks and a volume and balance control. Personally, i recommend printing the manual so you can cross off each step as you go. Ill dak to point out which of these are more appropriate than others for actual use. Its very careful to give ample safety warnings, provides clear text instructions at each step and shows images of what. 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. The kit includes an aluminum top plate that comes predrilled for the stock parts.
Apr 03, 2019 the bottlehead crack is a superb introduction into the world of diy audio. To view this protected post, enter the password below. Bottlehead offers an excellent upgrade to the crack called the speedball. Bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade for sale us audio mart. Queenb or docb on here eileen couldnt have been more helpful when i inherited a crackspeedball recently. It is an alltube outputtransformerless otl design, intended to.
Bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade i am selling my beloved bottlehead crack with speedball upgrade. The crack 2 is a fantastic change of pace amp and makes for a super relaxing pairing with the hd650s. 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. I have seen pictures of the speedball and each one displays the chips and electrical components on the outside of the box.
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