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Bottlehead Kits => Legacy Kit Products => Quickie => Topic started by: earwaxxer on October 29, 2012, 04:29:01 PM

Title: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: earwaxxer on October 29, 2012, 04:29:01 PM

Seriously, this thing has been the bane to my existence! I really want to advance beyond it, but it keeps bringing me back. My Quickie looks like a POS, mainly because I have neglected putting anything into making it look good. Ok, that's my deal, but also, I dont have hardly any money in it! I mean, come on, 'you get what you paid for' right?

Since the Quicie, I have 'advanced' my system quite a bit. New amp, interconnects, speaker wire, DAC. I got the latest, up to date kit, that sounds great compared to the 20th century stuff. I mean, this time we live in now, IMO, is the greatest time for budget audiophiles in history!

So, my thinking is, that the Quickie will start showing its limits, when its pressed up against what the market can produce in a recession etc. no such luck.

In summary, I painstakingly took the Quickie out of the circuit after I had some good couch time with my new Schiit Gungnir DAC. I really liked the Gungnir from the get go over my Transporter.

The question was: can the sound be even better with just the Gungnir, using the Transporter as a preamp? Well, at first I thought yes, but after a bit of time at higher volumes the Quickie pushed its way back in. I'm sorry, but the 'gd' Quickie just keeps pleasing! Its that 'tubiness'! I'm an addict.

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: Grainger49 on October 30, 2012, 12:45:11 AM

Sounds like a problem for a 12 step program.  I say steps 1-12 are to buy more music.

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: corndog71 on October 30, 2012, 04:10:22 AM

I'm right there with you, buddy. ;D  The Quickie is a huge step up from my old Foreplay 2.  With the right mods it easily beats the preamp section of my NAD and Bryston integrated amps.

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: Grainger49 on October 30, 2012, 04:41:17 AM

IMHO one of the secrets is the battery supply.  No AC anywhere!

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: Wanderer on October 30, 2012, 04:50:44 AM

I love it.

Brings back the time when "high end" meant "off the beaten path" as opposed to the current meaning of "impossibly expensive".

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: earwaxxer on October 30, 2012, 05:17:12 AM

thanks guys! - Granger - I agree - I have been buying more music! I'm going to be hosting a pre-Stones tour 'concert' at my house for some friends that are hard core Stones fans. The pressure is on for the Quickie to perform!

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: Paul Joppa on October 30, 2012, 05:53:37 AM

In addition to the battery power, I suspect the directly-heated cathode plays a role. I've never seen a plausible theory why, but many have made the correlation; it's what led us to the BeePre.

Hmmm... how about a battery-powered BeePre? I think one truck battery plus maybe 20 motorcycle batteries would do it...

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: Paul Birkeland on October 30, 2012, 06:03:41 AM

Quote from: Paul Joppa on October 30, 2012, 05:53:37 AM

Hmmm... how about a battery-powered BeePre? I think one truck battery plus maybe 20 motorcycle batteries would do it...

Ugh, you know who would have to haul all those batteries up to Doc's listening room!

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: earwaxxer on October 30, 2012, 07:57:04 AM

Quote from: Paul Joppa on October 30, 2012, 05:53:37 AM

Hmmm... how about a battery-powered BeePre? I think one truck battery plus maybe 20 motorcycle batteries would do it...

That is an interesting thought! What grid voltage range could the 300b be happy with?

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: 4krow on October 30, 2012, 10:46:32 AM

I'm thinkin of usin a pace maker for a power supply....works for me.

  On the other side of things, I would agree that the battery power supply in the Quickie is indeed, the silver bullet.

Title: Re: I hate this 'gd' Quickie!
Post by: Grainger49 on October 30, 2012, 10:54:55 AM

Greg,

Me too, but it supplies 2V (in my case) for very short bursts.