My finished Eros2

johnsonad · 1269

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Offline johnsonad

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on: February 21, 2021, 05:29:51 AM
It’s nearly been a year since our lives changed due to COVID.  With all of the needed restrictions and much too much time at home, some good has come of it.  Our house is de-cluttered, books are being ticked of the reading list and I’ve had a renewed passion for music.

My main system received a couple small but significant upgrades but most of my time has been spend in the study where a secondary system has really matured consisting of a BeePre2 prototype and a newly built Kaiju driving monitors with a sub and HD800’s.  My digital front end sounds better than ever but it’s been missing an analog option. 

Putting the cart before the horse (I don’t have a second turntable yet), an Eros2 was an easy decision.  This is my fourth version of this circuit and it’s by far my favorite analog gain stage.  For those who haven’t had the pleasure of building the original Eros, the Eros2 was a much needed and significant improvement to the build without changing the circuit.  One of the reasons that keeps me coming back to Bottlehead kits is that they continually work on improving their products and user experience.  The Eros2 is a challenging build and a significant improvement over the original.  I really appreciate the thought that went into the layout and new C4S board making voltage checks a breeze.

The Eros in my main system was built to test if I could make subtitle improvements and get close to the Tube Phono in sound which to my ears was achieved.  The Eros2 was kept close to stock with one cap change based on what I had in the drawer and a sub of the 6BR7 for the EF86.  Paully turned me on to this tube a nearly a decade ago.  His posts are in the early pages of the new BH webpage. It has lower gain but sounds close to my beloved Telefunken EF86s and the best part, it’s cheap. Tube rolling in this circuit can get expensive depending on your taste in sound.  With the 6BR7, I don’t feel guilty tossing a noisy tube or two without compromising the sound that makes me happy.

The base was finished using two applications of Tried and True original finish.  A shout out to PB for recommending this product.  It’s much easier to work with compared to the True Oil I used on previous builds and gives the alder base a beautiful warm glow.

It goes without saying but the Eros2 sounds fantastic.  I’m really happy with this build and for the consideration that Bottlehead put into upgrading this amazing phono stage.




Aaron Johnson


Offline Karl5150

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Reply #1 on: February 21, 2021, 10:43:54 AM
The finish on the base is indeed very nice, the grain well highlighted. The RCA jacks give the E2 a high-end look it deserves.
Karl

Karl
Downstairs: Planar3>PH-16>Stereomour II>OB Betsy+
Upstairs: RP1>Eros/CD5004>Seductor (2x Monoblocks)>FH3
Office: Modi Uber 2/Sirius>SEX2.1.1>µFonken FF85WK + DC160 subs
BR: FiiO M6>SEX3.0.1>ScanSpeak 10F + TangBand W6 (Mono)/DT770Pro
Garage: X12 streamer>Quicksand>Minimus 77


Offline BNAL

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Reply #2 on: February 21, 2021, 11:29:17 AM
Aaron,

The finish looks great. I like the black shields as well.

I’ve been running my with the 6BR7’s and have been very satisfied with the sound. Thank you for that recommendation. I have Solen Capacitor 0.47uF SM series on the outputs. Another great recommendation.

The only change I have been thinking of making is increasing the output caps so that Eros is a little more flexible with preamps that have lower resistance.

Brad Nalitt
Iron Upgraded S.E.X. Amp 2.0
Foreplay III
Quickie w/PJCCS
Eros Phono
Blumenstein Orca Speakers, Baby Benthic Subs
S.E.X.y Speakers W/FT17H Horn Tweeters
Thorens TD 125 MkII W/ Shure M97xE JICO SAS Stylus


Offline johnsonad

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Reply #3 on: February 21, 2021, 11:56:51 AM
Thanks Karl. Two of the four sides had nice grain structure and this finish highlights it without being overbearing.

Brad, I’ve got some extra 1uF SM caps. Send me a text if you would like a pair. The black shields are IERC tube coolers. Im theory they will add a little life to the tubes.

Aaron Johnson


Offline johnsonad

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Reply #4 on: February 26, 2021, 04:45:34 PM
I received my new turntable today and wanted to post a pick before it gets sent out for service.  I've wanted one of these old linear trackers for years.  This is a Technics SL-10.

Aaron Johnson


Offline BNAL

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Reply #5 on: March 01, 2021, 10:07:23 AM
Nice turntable. Reminds me of the B&O I used to sell when I was in college. Is there a way to bypass the built in phono amp?

Is that the BeePre prototype you have mentioned in other posts. It looks really cool in all metal. What attenuator is it using?

Brad Nalitt
Iron Upgraded S.E.X. Amp 2.0
Foreplay III
Quickie w/PJCCS
Eros Phono
Blumenstein Orca Speakers, Baby Benthic Subs
S.E.X.y Speakers W/FT17H Horn Tweeters
Thorens TD 125 MkII W/ Shure M97xE JICO SAS Stylus


Offline johnsonad

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Reply #6 on: March 01, 2021, 10:14:11 AM
Hi Brad,

There is no built in phono stage.  It has a selectable MC gain stage but leaves the RIAA to your phono stage. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will take little to service it.

The BeePre2 is really great.  It uses a ladder attenuator with a remote control.   This has been the only thing I would change in BH designs. Being lazy, I want to sit back and use a remote and now I can.

Aaron Johnson