Ordering a first time kit -the Stereomour II. Couple of questions.

[vvcv]

Greetings,

The kit gives a list of tools needed. My first question is regarding a volt-ohmmeter. Do you guys have any suggestions on one that may be easier for a absolute new person entering this hobby, however, capable of growing with me as my skills grow? I've seen them used, I just don't know how 'technical' they can get. More importantly, I would like one known and trusted for dependable accuracy.

Second question is, what other tools would you recommend to help kit building go smoother, in hopes of avoiding the occasional mistake.

I am an artist, and know my way around metal and wood shops and tools used. In other words, I love working with my hands, and I can appreciate tools that can help projects go smoother. Please keep suggestions within a reasonable budget.    ohh, i do have work space

Lastly, once I have completed this kit, what sources may I want to seek out to learn more about making EVERYTHING that goes into a 2a3 amplifier?Even transformers for example. I know i'm jumping the gun, and I probably will never get to this point, but it seems that knowing more about the parts, I may be able to pick parts that could possibly help me build amps closer to a sound I am looking for. Heck, or even a amp sound I'm not interested in listening to but that others may like. For example, learning about the components that add to a full body, thick exaggerated timbre and tone versus a neutral sounding amp.

Thanks for any and all suggestions. And glad to soon be a Bottlehead builder and part of the community.

robert

[Paul Birkeland]

For a meter, the one that's about $25 at Harbor Freight is very good for these kits.

You'll want a proper pair of side cutters.  The Plato 170 is a good example that's inexpensive.  Rosin core solder with lead is a must, as is a soldering iron that's at least 40W.

For learning resources, most folks recommend starting with the Neets course to learn a lot of fundamentals.

[Alonzo]

Once you've read thru and practiced some fundamentals, this forum is the best in the world!  Everything you could dream up has been either tried or the question asked.  Have a good read thru on other BH's problems and hopefully avoid them.  Be original, find a new problem that's not a cold solder joint or a misread of the instructions  .  Don't be shy, the only bad question is the one not asked.
The combination of learning the theory and the actual application (it's a very forgiving application) will give you ton's of confidence.
But since hearing is very individual, take everyone's comments on the clouds parting and heavenly voices singing with a grain of salt, it's a system and your source, amp and speakers all play a part.  Plus your ears may be tuned to a different beat.
Enjoy!!

[Tom-s]

If you prefer a book over online reading. Morgan Jones Valve Amplifiers (4th) is a good place to start understanding them and Building Valve amplifiers contains all the tips for building a tube amp.

[Doc B.]

take everyone's comments on the clouds parting and heavenly voices singing with a grain of salt

Those are words of wisdom, for sure. Learning how to listen critically is maybe the most difficult skill to acquire. Being able to correlate the character of what you are hearing (e.g "bloated bass", "detailed highs") to what is going on technically (e.g. impedance mismatch, treble peak at 8kHz) can help to cure the syndrome where every single mod you make becomes a life changing experience.

[oguinn]

If you haven't soldered before (I hadn't when I started buying these kits), I'd recommend getting a practice kit from Amazon. The one I got was like $10 and it was a little push-button siren with wires, resistors, and PC boards. It saved me a lot of learning on a kit that cost 100x (although individual components are obviously cheaper to replace), and it gave me a feel for my soldering iron. It also taught me my soldering iron sucked and I should pay a little more for a lot more power.

[Natural Sound]

All great tips so far. I'll add one more thing. Take your time and enjoy the build. Read every step carefully and then read it again. The Bottlehead manuals are second to none but if you do wind up having a question ask it here.

You are going to love the Stereomour II. It's a great sounding amp.

[Deke609]

... can help to cure the syndrome where every single mod you make becomes a life changing experience.

@Doc B.: I don't think I want to be cured of this syndrome. It's part of what makes this stuff fun.    That said, having an empirical explanation for what I hear would be great. Although judging by the posts and exchanges of a lot people way more knowledgeable about about audio circuits than me, on this forum and others, sometimes empirical proof is elusive and you're stuck with never knowing whether it's real or imagined.

... But just to be clear, I'm not referring to blackbox tweaks that are purported to change how electricity behaves "on a quantum level" (I get a real kick out of the fact that the sales materials for one such product making this claim also states that these quantum effects are unmeasurable! And yet the manufacturer is certain that these effects exist and that quantum-level changes explain them!)  I'm talking about more run-of-the-mill stuff like parafeed and interstage caps, chokes and resistors.

[Tom-s]

Being able to correlate the character of what you are hearing (e.g "bloated bass", "detailed highs") to what is going on technically (e.g. impedance mismatch, treble peak at 8kHz) can help to cure the syndrome where every single mod you make becomes a life changing experience.

Is there a name for this syndrome? I'm a pretty serious example of just this  . For example: All over this forum you can read that with a parafeed setup, the cathode bypass resistor does matter way less then in normal circuits. But every time i "upgrade" -> change/or bypass this cap, my mind goes *poof* -> loving the basssss now  *... ?

Oh, and to be on topic, here's another good website for you, with a nice 101 about all tubes : https://wtfamps.com/