1st Post - Help and Advice Sought - Crack Build

[rivendell]

Hi to all, 1st post, which is probably going to contain a range of questions which have been asked over and over again so in order to allow everyone the maintain the will to live I will keep this as simple and to the point as possible.

I have never ever used a soldering iron, Is this the thing that looks like a pen that runs on electricity (im not usually allowed near anything that could result in a shock/burns/hair standing on end/charred face etc )

So am I being foolish in the extreme even thinking about taking on the Crack headphone amp?

I have at the moment a Little dot Mk 1+ which ive had for around 2 years and been very happy with, ive done some tube rolling with some success, I even took it to bits an added some damping (dynamat extreme) to the caps/chassis and some of the internal wiring, again with some success, But im a born tweaker and this seem to be the obvious next step DIY.

Now please do think hang on, this guy is at it regarding his capabilities, I can categorically confirm I am not. The only reason ive done what ive done with the LD, is a rather nice man that I bought my valve amp and dac from modified them and my Martin Logan Aerius speakers within an inch of there life, upgrading caps, adding damping etc etc, with huge success.

So on the assumption that I should be capable of putting this kit together, id like to ask given my previous experience with caps upgrades/damping etc if its worth doing this upfront when I build the kit.

Id did read on the rules section of the forum, that you are discouraged from asking the “what’s best options” question, so assuming I keep the values of the caps the same am I right in saying I can pretty much suit myself.

Ive had great success with both Mudorf and V caps which have made a fantastic improvement to my amp, dac and speakers, so would be happy to continue along that path.

I was also thinking about the internal wiring, is there merit in using heavier gauge wire
(im thinking 12AWG solid core copper) as a friend and myself have been messing around with speaker cables, carried out some testing using 10AWG solid copper wire and reached the conclusion that this is the way to go on the speaker cable front.

So at this stage that’s about it, any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in anticipation

[Grainger49]

There are a lot of guys here who never used a soldering iron before.  My good friend Paully was an accountant.  He now does scratch builds.  So, no, you are not crazy thinking you can build a kit. 

The classic advice is go slowly, verify your resistances with a meter before installing, triple check between the instructions and the pictures (post if you have a question), and don't work too long at a time.  As a total newbie I'd suggest 1/2 hour and stop for the night. 

Yes, use your favorite caps to tune a Crack to your taste, but only after building stock.  You need to get there first.

Using #12 AWG solid would be a very bad idea.  The wire size is proportional to the current passing through it.  What is supplied is just fine.  There is nothing in a headphone amp near speaker level current.

I hope this helps.

And WELCOME ! !

[rivendell]

many thanks for the info and advice, more reading for me 1st then i will take the plunge.

Is there anyone else out there that can give me an indication of charges etc for this kit being shipped to Scotland. Am I write in saying the import charges can be reduced as this is a kit rather than a pre-built component.

Thanks again

[Strikkflypilot]

Hello and welcome.
Actually, I would contact customs directly.
They should be able to calculate.

[Grainger49]

You will need to select the "240V" option when you buy the kit.  I dare say that there are Cracks in Scotland already.  I know they are all across Europe.

[Paul Birkeland]

If you can commit to reading every word in the manual, you'll most certainly do just fine!