Any new products on the drawing board?

Thermioniclife · 1462

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Offline Thermioniclife

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on: September 20, 2024, 10:25:28 AM
Hey Queen and Doc, I know you guys are winding down in 5 or less years. My question is there any new amps/preamps simmering on the griddle coming up in the future?

Lee R.


Offline Doc B.

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Reply #1 on: September 20, 2024, 02:12:44 PM

"Winding down" is much more about Eileen and I than it is about Bottlehead. The company is chugging right along and there are lots of new possibilities on the horizon. I'm headed to PB's tomorrow to finish up the Moreplay upgrade manual shoot. We also have the replacement for the S.E.X. amp 3.0 coming soon. S.E.X. 4.0 will go back to our roots and be a pair of monoblock amps that will go great with the Moreplay. We also have the big 805A amps that I have been running for a while now, that will be the highest powered (and perhaps the best sounding) amp kit we have ever done. We will be talking about some other product ideas tomorrow as well.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Online Paul Birkeland

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Reply #2 on: September 20, 2024, 04:01:08 PM
A lot of the slowness is situationally my fault.  When Covid hit, demands for my services went through the roof, and I've been happily absorbing as much of that as possible, but that has made finding time to crunch through something like a build manual rather difficult.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline Thermioniclife

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Reply #3 on: September 21, 2024, 03:58:03 AM
Thanks fellas, It's good to know things are in the works. My soldering iron has been at room temperature for far to long.  :)
« Last Edit: September 21, 2024, 04:00:20 AM by Thermioniclife »

Lee R.


Offline Doc B.

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Reply #4 on: September 21, 2024, 04:45:16 PM
We got a good 2/3 of the Moreplay upgrade manual done today. We will finish up the photo shoot of the assembly next weekend, after some new PC boards arrive.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline Thermioniclife

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Reply #5 on: September 22, 2024, 04:15:06 PM
Hey Doc/ Pb will the S4X mono's be of the same chassis size as the Moreplay to facilitate vertical mounting to take up less area?
« Last Edit: September 22, 2024, 04:18:02 PM by Thermioniclife »

Lee R.


Offline Doc B.

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Reply #6 on: September 23, 2024, 07:16:18 AM
I mis-spoke. S.E.X. 4.0 will be a stereo power amp. I think the form factor will be pretty close to the Moreplay. PB may weigh in with a bit more detail.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Online Paul Birkeland

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Reply #7 on: September 23, 2024, 03:21:23 PM
PJ and I worked something up that we are happy with that is currently built onto an 8x10 chassis with lots of space. 

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline twofires

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Reply #8 on: September 27, 2024, 04:11:21 PM
Re: SeX 4.0, I noticed mention in another thread of 3.0 being retired due to dwindling 6FJ7 supply - does this mean 4.0 is moving to a different tube? If so, is it one in modern production, or another repurposing of a plentiful and forgotten cheapie?

Simon N


Online Paul Birkeland

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Reply #9 on: September 27, 2024, 05:46:31 PM
or another repurposing of a plentiful and forgotten cheapie?
Another cheapie! Once we stop selling SEX 3.0, the 6FJ7 will naturally become abundant and inexpensive again.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline twofires

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Reply #10 on: September 28, 2024, 03:45:58 PM
Another cheapie! Once we stop selling SEX 3.0, the 6FJ7 will naturally become abundant and inexpensive again.

Nice! I look forward to seeing what you've cooked up for 4.0, and to better tube availability for my 3.0 once I have it up and running again.  :)

Simon N


Online AG

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Reply #11 on: September 30, 2024, 08:23:17 AM
We got a good 2/3 of the Moreplay upgrade manual done today. We will finish up the photo shoot of the assembly next weekend, after some new PC boards arrive.
Thanks for let us know.
Could you tell us in advance what the upgrade is?

thank you.
AG.

“Without music life would be a mistake”


Online Paul Birkeland

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Reply #12 on: September 30, 2024, 08:48:54 AM
The upgrade is two separate modules that come together.  The first module is a rather large PC board with several different functions.  The first is a low voltage bridge rectifier that feeds two independent regulators set up to provide 6.3V DC to each 6V6. This portion of the board is wired in and tested first, and it takes out some 60Hz content (and harmonics) from the noise floor.  The other half of the PC board takes the high voltage DC rail and uses a C4S and a stack of Zener diodes to create a regulated high voltage rail that's a bit quieter than the stock power supply, as well as keeping that last big 220uF/350V power supply cap out of the signal path.  This regulated supply feeds two additional constant current sources that replace the stock plate loading resistors. 

The second PC board is designed to hold the Alps Blue Velvet balance and volume potentiometers, and these replace the stock parts.  This module is substantially easier to add to the Moreplay than our typical BeeQuiet attenuator, and it's more appropriate at the price point of the Moreplay.  The BeeQuiet attenuator design also presents some additional design challenges that don't work all that well with the 6V6 circuit in comparison to our other products that use it. 

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Online AG

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Reply #13 on: September 30, 2024, 09:46:18 AM
The upgrade is two separate modules that come together.  The first module is a rather large PC board with several different functions.  The first is a low voltage bridge rectifier that feeds two independent regulators set up to provide 6.3V DC to each 6V6. This portion of the board is wired in and tested first, and it takes out some 60Hz content (and harmonics) from the noise floor.  The other half of the PC board takes the high voltage DC rail and uses a C4S and a stack of Zener diodes to create a regulated high voltage rail that's a bit quieter than the stock power supply, as well as keeping that last big 220uF/350V power supply cap out of the signal path.  This regulated supply feeds two additional constant current sources that replace the stock plate loading resistors. 

The second PC board is designed to hold the Alps Blue Velvet balance and volume potentiometers, and these replace the stock parts.  This module is substantially easier to add to the Moreplay than our typical BeeQuiet attenuator, and it's more appropriate at the price point of the Moreplay.  The BeeQuiet attenuator design also presents some additional design challenges that don't work all that well with the 6V6 circuit in comparison to our other products that use it.
Sound promising upgrades, thank you for sharing!
AG.

“Without music life would be a mistake”