Hey folks,
I really need to start off my first post here by giving kudos to my past self for having the foresight to stash such a majestic beast of a project in a box in my closet just in case a pandemic hit. Seriously, what luck! I must also give a shout out to Eileen for packing both the Stereomour II and Crack kits plus addons to perfection! This is not as easy as it looks.
I finished this build about a month ago. With all the time in the world, it was a very zen-like experience, kind of like what I imagine trimming a bonsai might be like. I had originally planned on waiting to build this until I moved into a larger place and bought or made some high efficiency speakers, perhaps some cornscalas might be nice! With the advent of the pandemic I thought, why not now?
Having already built the crack with speedball I was familiar with how it would go. I’m a technologist by profession and have amassed some aptitude at this stuff and understand that it is often the details in electronics that count, not only in the build, but also the great design by Paul and the gang. Real good stuff. I built the stock kit, measured it, hooked it up to my late-run dynaco a25s wth updated seas tweeters (I’d estimate these speakers come in at 91dB sensitivity) and not expecting much, was blown away! Of course, I had to adjust the hum pots at first but wow, I couldn’t believe the lushness of this amp with the pair of less than ideal transducers! I've had experience with amplifiers being matched up to less than ideal loads before and understand when they sound starved, but shockingly none of that was present here!
But on to what I will be using this with into the interim before I move into my dream home sometime in the future, driving my AKG K501s! Don't worry Doc, I spent an ample amount of time before upgrading both addons to make sure I full appreciate the differences. That's a very important part of this hobby and where knowledge is gained. I would have loved to spend a bit more time between upgrades but such is life during these times. I installed the DC filament addon as well as the shunt regulator (what an addition! Much like the speedball) and cobbled together an adapter cable with parts lying around. OMG. I have never heard this quality of soundstage delivered by these cans before thanks to the much more than adequate power of the Stereomour II. Plus, the lower ranges came alive with vigor and punch! These old cans are notorious for very anemic bass but here it is. Wow. The stereomour ii with dc filament upgrade (and shunt regulator!) is an amazing amplifier for power hungry headphones and even though the volume knob stays almost at the minimum, it really seems to make a difference having the immediate power at bay. You would think there would be some noise down at these meager volume levels, but none is to be found. Absolute black silence. Amazing!
Anyways I’ll stop gushing and post my build. I utilized the same wood finishing I had great luck with when building my Crack, birchwood Casey tru-oil as recommended by Doc himself. And I can see why.. not only does it produce a beautiful blonde colour, bringing out the beautiful alder wood details, but it hardens the wood as well! Fantastic stuff. Plus I like the smell.. i know i know.. i probably shouldn't huff it.
I'm not debating between the Mourquiet and grabbing an upgraded volume and balance pot from partsconnexion up here in Canada. The only reason I may not splurge for the Mourquiet is because I'd have to give up the balance control which can come in handy at times. I was thinking of utilizing the Audio Notes 100k volume pot and balance pot as substitutes. Can anyone sway me towards the Mourquiet? Does it go on sale? Daddy likes the top plate that comes with it.
Anyways, hope you enjoy the build pics.. how'd I do?
