Chassis mods - layout questions

[BottleheadFan]

I have just received the kit, cannot wait to hear it. A couple of questions regarding the chassis build.
I realize that the layout of components are critical for sound and noise purposes. Even so, I would like to make a few changes for the following reasons and any input on these will be greatly appreciated.
1) I want to keep the main components exactly as they are in the kit (Transformer, tubes, etc.).
2) I want to move the 220v Kettle plug to the back of the chassis (will keep the power switch in its original location). I know this will loose my gravity mount option, but since the kit will be standing on my desk at the office, it may be safer this way.
3) I want to make a slightly higher wooden case that will house my USB DAC at the bottom.
4) I want to remove the RCA line inputs completely and replace them with shielded line cables from the DAC to the volume Pot. This will reduce my desktop wiring requirements. This is probably the single most risky thing I will be doing with regards to sound performance. Is there any reason why this should not work?

This is the main mods, then I am stil considering the following
5) move the volume knob and pot to the front of the chassis,
6) move the headphone jack to the front of the chassis.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Bottlehead fan!!

[fullheadofnothing]

It sounds like this is your first build. I will strongly recommend you build your kit stock and make sure it works before attempting ANY modifications. A heavily modified kit may develop any number of issues that will be exceptionally difficult to diagnose, while changing one thing at a time will be a safer and more prudent path.

Generally speaking, moving things off the chassis panel is not a great plan. First, you now have created an empty hole, which in addition to being ugly is also a safety risk since debris can fall in and create shorts and other problems. Second, any time you are creating a situation for the wire(s) to flex, you will need to use stranded rather than solid core wire. From both ease of build and reliability standards, this is a major downside. After you have done a stock build, you will start to get a feel for how much simpler it is to deal with a fully separate chassis and base when you need to do a simple task like touch up a solder joint or even just double check a voltage or resistance.

Putting the DAC in this close proximity could be very noisey — tubes were not designed to reject all the digital hash that these devices like to spit out. Once you have your stock kit built, you can try placing your DAC where you want it be and hear whether or not this will cause a problem.

[Paul Birkeland]

2) I want to move the 220v Kettle plug to the back of the chassis (will keep the power switch in its original location). I know this will loose my gravity mount option, but since the kit will be standing on my desk at the office, it may be safer this way.
4) I want to remove the RCA line inputs completely and replace them with shielded line cables from the DAC to the volume Pot. This will reduce my desktop wiring requirements. This is probably the single most risky thing I will be doing with regards to sound performance. Is there any reason why this should not work?
5) move the volume knob and pot to the front of the chassis,
6) move the headphone jack to the front of the chassis.

Accomplishing all of this will require a different chassis.

3) I want to make a slightly higher wooden case that will house my USB DAC at the bottom.

This may or may not be problematic.  It completely depends on the DAC you have, its power source, its size, and how hot it gets.

1) I want to keep the main components exactly as they are in the kit (Transformer, tubes, etc.).

I would count the components that you'd like to move as "main components" as well.

You can certainly accomplish all of this, just keep in mind that the amount of help that we can provide diminishes as you modify the kit.  If you do go down this road, just bear in mind that the kind of tech support we provide for a highly modified kit will end up being more technical and less specific than what we can for a stock kit.  There may be issues you run into that will take some time and persistence to resolve, so don't plan on getting it 100% correct on the first try.

-PB