Bottlehead Forum

Bottlehead Kits => Kaiju Stereo 300B amp => Topic started by: Doc B. on November 23, 2015, 11:56:30 AM

Title: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Doc B. on November 23, 2015, 11:56:30 AM
https://youtu.be/dP0ybMa2Wfg
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: vladimirwolfe on November 23, 2015, 01:01:27 PM
You're just a tease Doc!
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: ebag4 on November 23, 2015, 01:14:37 PM
You're just a tease Doc!
Agreed!

Hey Doc, you should give us more specifics so we can start breaking it to our spouses before holiday shopping commences.  ;D


Best,
Ed
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: johnsonad on November 23, 2015, 01:24:53 PM
Awesome video!
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Listens2tubes on November 23, 2015, 03:21:59 PM
It' a stereo 300b amp. Start throwing hints.  8)
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Doc B. on November 23, 2015, 04:27:30 PM
Search word Kaiju?
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: adydula on November 24, 2015, 02:18:39 AM
Kaijū (怪獣 kaijū?) (from Japanese "strange beast")[1] is a film genre that features monsters, usually attacking a major Japanese city or engaging other monsters in battle. It is a subgenre of tokusatsu (special effects-based) entertainment.


Alex
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Doc B. on November 24, 2015, 04:20:37 AM
Just to clarify I was suggesting that those who want to know a little more about the amp search the Bottlehead Forum using the search term Kaiju. There will be more info coming on Friday.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: pboser on November 24, 2015, 11:40:05 AM
 Unless I am missing something, there is no sexual innuendo in the name?  Where is your sense of tradition, man?  ;)
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Natural Sound on November 24, 2015, 12:06:11 PM
Unless I am missing something, there is no sexual innuendo in the name?  Where is your sense of tradition, man?  ;)

Its better than the drug references though. ;)
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: jusbe on November 25, 2015, 10:44:08 AM
Its better than the drug references though. ;)

Was that a drug reference? I understood it as keeping in the same tradition!  ::)
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: wylymon on November 25, 2015, 01:12:09 PM
I have a feeling it will have a "Monster" price...............
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: pduk on November 26, 2015, 08:44:27 PM
It's early morning here in the UK and I have just ordered one. Going to be asking for money for xmas from everyone to go into the Kaiju pot, but I'm sure it'll be worth it :)

Paul.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Doc B. on November 27, 2015, 05:29:46 AM
Thank you Paul, and thanks to everyone who has preordered one. What a nice surprise to wake up to so many Kaiju orders!
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Alonzo on November 27, 2015, 07:09:13 AM
Hey Doc,
One cleanup item for the Kaiju page.  Under the max power paragraph, you have "Paramount" when I think you want "Kaiju", or maybe you don't?
"...300B configuration allows the Paramount to work very well with high end loudspeakers of sensitivities as low as 93dB.  One can use two Kaijus strapped..."
Alonzo
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: wylymon on November 27, 2015, 10:21:16 AM
How about some pictures of the back and under the skirt?  How much does the beastie weigh?
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Paul Birkeland on November 28, 2015, 06:57:17 AM
How about some pictures of the back and under the skirt?  How much does the beastie weigh?
Josh and I are in the thick of photographing the manual at the moment. When the manual is all wrapped up, we will post the final layout.

I think the amp weighs somewhere around 30 lbs.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: kgoss on November 28, 2015, 08:13:02 AM
I know I'm being impatient since you guys are still in pre-order mode. But I'm curious about the pots in front of the input tubes. I think it is great if they are volume controls but the initial write up didn't specify. From the teaser shot that Doc posted it looked like the hum balance pots are behind the 300B tubes. I think volume pots would make system matching with high gain preamps a lot easier than adding padding resistors to the input. Just curious.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Paul Birkeland on November 28, 2015, 08:33:18 AM
They are level trims for each channel.  They can easily be bypassed, or one could pretty easily install input transformers and change the input jacks to XLR's, but there are so many situations where you want 12-20dB of padding at the input of an amplifier that we have insisted on including them with the stock amp.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: kgoss on November 28, 2015, 10:15:55 AM
Cool, that's exactly what I hoped they were. Thanks Paul
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Paul Joppa on November 28, 2015, 02:38:14 PM
Incidentally, the level controls are linear, not logarithmic - turning them down more than about 20dB would get twitchy, but for modest adjustments they are easier to adjust.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Gerry E. on November 29, 2015, 03:12:22 AM
They are level trims for each channel...

Could they be used as channel balance trim pots?

Also, if you are not concerned about noise level, would A/C heated filaments sound better?

Thanks!

Gerry   
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Paul Birkeland on November 29, 2015, 08:08:13 AM

Could they be used as channel balance trim pots?
That is indeed their intended purpose.

Also, if you are not concerned about noise level, would A/C heated filaments sound better?
I am always quite skeptical about this.  We can say that the filament voltage regulation will remove filament voltage fluctuations if your line voltage wanders.


 
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Paul Joppa on November 29, 2015, 06:34:47 PM
... would A/C heated filaments sound better?...
Only one way to find out - "...just listen!" as Bullwinkle says  :^)

We retain the hum pot, which if properly centered allows you to cancel noise or distortion generated in the DC supply. Jac at EML advocates this. You can find out if it's worthwhile in the same way.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: fullheadofnothing on January 12, 2016, 01:35:39 PM
.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: kgoss on January 12, 2016, 02:44:24 PM
Beautiful layout. I'm looking forward to building one this spring!
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: ebag4 on January 12, 2016, 06:38:13 PM
Very nice.  Spacious layout, can't wait to get mine!

Best,
Ed
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Hank Murrow on January 13, 2016, 06:00:00 AM
Finally a look at the underside: and assuming it is PB's work: "Congratulations!"

Cheers from Eugene, Hank
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Doc B. on January 13, 2016, 08:18:52 AM
Actually that is PBs build of PJs initial layout, and Josh sits in during the manual build and contributes a fair amount of good counsel on making the layout easily understood and built. It's a group effort. I walk in every few hours and ask if it's done yet.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Natural Sound on January 13, 2016, 10:57:28 AM
Well you should all be very proud. That's a very nice amplifier. One of the things I really like is that the filaments are AC heated. Which I believe sound better. Then there is an option to use a regulated DC supply if your system calls for that approach. Very nice indeed.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: sl-15 on January 13, 2016, 04:40:30 PM
That indeed is a very nice layout. Great work and congratulations to another kit. Could you tell me what the resistors are for that connect the speaker output to ground? Thanks.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: mcandmar on January 13, 2016, 11:28:46 PM
Nice layout, love the symmetry. I assume the OT-5's the largest output transformers to date?
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Doc B. on January 14, 2016, 05:47:26 AM
That indeed is a very nice layout. Great work and congratulations to another kit. Could you tell me what the resistors are for that connect the speaker output to ground? Thanks.

That's something I suggested we experiment with a few years ago and liked. It's a balanced speaker output. Seems to tighten up the bass a bit in some situations.

Nice layout, love the symmetry. I assume the OT-5's the largest output transformers to date?

Yes. They new plate chokes and OTs add quite a bit of bass power handing compared to previous models.
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: drewh1 on January 19, 2016, 07:37:21 PM
They are level trims for each channel.  They can easily be bypassed, or one could pretty easily install input transformers and change the input jacks to XLR's, but there are so many situations where you want 12-20dB of padding at the input of an amplifier that we have insisted on including them with the stock amp.
Are there any issues with bypassing the trims?  I am not using a pre-amp so likely do not need to pad.  Does it change the input impedence?

thanks
Title: Re: Something BIG is coming on Black Friday
Post by: Paul Birkeland on January 20, 2016, 11:49:56 AM
Are there any issues with bypassing the trims?  I am not using a pre-amp so likely do not need to pad.  Does it change the input impedence?

You can turn them all the way up, which is as effective as bypassing them.