new fan

[azrockitman]

As planned, I gave my newly completed S.E.X  amp to my brother as a gift.  He has not been one to buy into the idea of a tube amp sounding any better or different than solid state.  Probably more accurately stated, he's just not ever given it any real thought.  I am pleasantly surprised to report that he was fairly blown away by the amp.  The lack of noise, the clarity, I think he's a near total convert.      

It was my first ever kit, nearly the first time I ever used a soldering gun, and I loved every minute of the build.  My next kit, for personal use, is a Stereomour that should be in my hands shortly.  I can't even quite articulate why I enjoyed the build so much.  It was a combination of the logistics, the accomplishment of successfully and artfully routing components, the build-up to the moment of "switch-on", and "ta-dah"-it works!!!....every part of the assembly process was awesome. 

[porcupunctis]

I totally agree.  The building process is truly a voyage and an adventure.  I think that is why we keep going back and find reasons to "tweak" our kits every now and then.

The Bottlehead kits that I have built have given me tremendous enjoyment, both in the build and in the pleasure of listening.

Welcome aboard.

[azrockitman]

Thanks!

[Grainger49]

It is always a joy when a kit goes together and plays the first time.  But even guys, and Deb (not that I remember her having problems), who have problems get bit by the bug when they hear what they have made.

[earwaxxer]

Well said azrocket - thats a good expression of the magic of kit building, where you take the components and end up with something really special. It makes one think about how everything works. An incredible gift of an experience really. IMO every 'audiophile' needs to build at least one kit. That should be law, or a prerequisite to auidophiledome!

[Chris]

"IMO every 'audiophile' needs to build at least one kit. That should be law, or a prerequisite to auidophiledome!"...........

I would agree with that even though i have yet to build one.. But i will, rest assured... My problem is i have never soldered AND am a huge perfectionist.. NOT a good marriage... so I am going to have to reprogram my habitual mindset to enjoy and "let go" instead of stressing that a solder joint doesnt look quite perfect... It should be good therapy for me.. A satisfying journey for all of you and a therapy session for me... This is where Doc can earn his Title.....

[Paul Joppa]

... My problem is i have never soldered AND am a huge perfectionist ...

As long as you are patient, this is no problem. Another one of those things where you can have any two of three things, but not all three at once!

Seriously, the journey is a major part of the fun, take your time and enjoy it. What many beginners do is to get some terminal strips and a bag'o'resistors from Radio Shack or another inexpensive place and practice soldering. There are many tutorials around the web, and it's not a difficult skill to acquire.

[azrockitman]

I did almost exactly what Paul suggested before I started.  I took about 10 wires, each about 6" long, stripped a short section off each end, took a stiff piece of cardboard, and poked a hole in one end of the cardboard and stuck one end of the wire through, and then poked a hole through the other end of the cardboard and stuck the opposite end of the wire through that.  Bent the tips slightly so they wouldn't fall through and then did that for the other wires as well.

Then I just started practicing.  I would actually take a separate 1" wire and try to solder it to one end of a wire poking through and then check continuity with the other end of the wire.  You can actually end up checking continuity 20 times this way and practice soldering technique at the same time. 

[earwaxxer]

I hear ya Chris. The anxieties about not doing something right can be a bitch. Start with the Quickie. Satisfaction guaranteed! You could just solder a few parts a day and still be done in a week or so!

[adamct]

My problem is i have never soldered AND am a huge perfectionist.. NOT a good marriage... so I am going to have to reprogram my habitual mindset to enjoy and "let go" instead of stressing that a solder joint doesnt look quite perfect... It should be good therapy for me...

I'm the same way, but I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed building my Crack kit. The instructions are VERY, VERY good, so you really can't go wrong if you take your time and follow them perfectly. In fact, I would argue that being anal and extremely detail-oriented makes you a perfect candidate for building one of Bottlehead's kits.

If you want to build something useful while you practice your soldering skills, then try this: http://www.rock-grotto.co.uk/crossproject2.htm. It's a very short, very simple project to build a cross-feed circuit for use with headphones. Frankly, by the time you've completed that simple kit, you will be more than ready to tackle one of Bottlehead's kits.

And I should add that the Bottlehead team provides AMAZING customer service through the boards. They seem to answer messages here at all hours of the day, and always take the time to write thoughtful and helpful responses, even to questions they must have answered hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times before. And then on top of the Bottlehead team, you have lots of other helpful souls, like Eric and Grainger, and on and on...

All the best,
Adam

[earwaxxer]

Thanks Adam! - I'm not sure everyone agrees that I'm always that 'helpful'. Especially after I have had a few (too many that is)! - Greg - stop it and behave yourself!