paramour upgrade

[ludddite]

hi, i just built what was probably the last un built  pair of paramours in existence. i believe that they are version 1 w/ the speco opt's .they don't sound bad but i'm looking to upgrade to the magenquest opt's and choke and just wanted to make sure that the bh 5 opt and bh 6 plate chokes were correct for this version. also will i need to change any caps or the power supply? ( hammond  45 va i believe )  .

[Natural Sound]

Here is another option that you may not have thought about. It might save you some money too.

This applies to the Paramour 2 (Speco trans and Triad plate choke), not sure if its applicable for the Paramour 1.

Once upon a time Bottlehead offered an upgrade kit for S.E.X. 2.0 using the latest OT-2 output transformers PC-3 plate chokes used in the S.E.X. 2.1 and S.E.X. 3.0 kits. Turns out these work for the Paramour II as well. I don't see this upgrade on the order page anymore but Someone from Bottlehead might be able to get you a quote.

I am using these in my beloved Paramour II's and they sound great. Waaaaaaaaay better than the Speco's.

[Paul Birkeland]

The BH-5 is a 3K output transformer, while the Paramour (and Stereomour for that matter) operates with a 4K output transformer.  In your case, especially with those Hammond power transformers, you don't want to demand any additional current over what the stock kit uses.  The Hammond transformers weren't offered for long, as they did not offer adequate longevity despite being spec'd adequately for the Paramours. Consequently, the BH-5 and BH-6 may not be such a great choice, as the 3K output transformer will work best if you run more plate current at a lower voltage. 

For the kit you have, the Magnequest BCP-15 and a custom parafeed output transformer were the upgrade units we offered, but the output transformer is long since NLA. Sowter could probably make you a pair of Mumetal parallel feed 4K:8 output transformers to go with the BCP-15's, you'd just have to ask. 

Another option is to buy this iron kit:
http://bottlehead.com/?preoduct=iron-upgrade-kit-for-s-e-x-kit-2-0
This is the current iron used on the Stereomour 2, and we can help you adapt the hookup instructions for your particular kit.

[ludddite]

AWESOME. thanks guys. i think i'll try the s.e.x. upgrade iron first and leave the magnequest iron for the next project. i was real curious about the nickle opt's tho.

[Paul Birkeland]

When you upgrade the iron, the blue wire on the plate choke goes to pin 2 on the 4 pin socket, the black wire connects to the end of the power supply where the C-7X connected originally. 

For wiring the secondaries, the manual will give you instructions for 4, 8, 16, and 32 Ohms.  For what you're doing, these are now 2, 4, 8, and 16 Ohm hookups.

The wire from output transformer terminal 10 can go to ground, or to the center lug of the hum pot.  The wire from output transformer terminal 5 needs to go on the output side of the parallel feed capacitor (the input side will be wired to pin 2 of the 4 pin socket, you want to connect the output transformer to the other side).

The leftover C-7X can be used in place of the 270 Ohm resistor in the power supply if you can find a proper place to mount it. My suggestion is to mount the output transformers underneath the chassis, and the chokes up top, especially if you wire the output transformer primary to the center leg of the hum pot.