Let it begin!

[Mike L.]

My Stereomour kit is due for delivery today.

I have never heard music played through a SET amplifier.  This is a leap of faith.

I blame Clark Blumenstein, really.  Saw a picture of his Orcas a few years ago, though I can't remember where, and thought they looked beautiful.  The more I learned about his philosophy and methods the more I wanted a pair.  Unfortunately my budget was more in line with ARs from Craigslist than handmade speakers, so I had to wait.

Fast forward to this past November.  A pair of early, BB ply Orcas came up for sale on Clark's Facebook page at a deep discount.  As my financial situation had improved, I wasted no time snatching them up.  In reading all I could while waiting for my Orcas to arrive, I found this forum.  The Blumenstein thread is the best resource on the internet for reviews, and having both Clark and Doc Bottlehead extolling the synergy between their products intrigued me.

The sound from the Orcas with my existing SS amplification is amazing.  Among the very best I've ever heard.  Good as it is, however, I keep thinking about how so many gush about the sound of full-range speakers driven by SETs.  That both Clark and Doc add their voices to the chorus was enough to push me over the edge.

This is my first amp build of any kind.  I

[Natural Sound]

Good luck!

Bottlehead has an excellent reputation for writing excellent instruction manuals. You should be fine. Take your time and enjoy the process. Check your work and then check it again. If you have someone that can "buddy check" you, even better.

I'm fairly confident that your "leap of faith" will be beneficial to you. BH SETs have a certain magic that you cant get with sand amps. I think it has to do with the  simple yet refined designs that Doc, PJ and PB deliver. I predict that you will never look back.

Enjoy!

[Mike L.]

Thanks, Natural Sound.

My box o' goodness was on the front porch when I got home.  Everything looks great.  Enjoyed a celebratory beverage while reading the manual.  Looks like just the right level of challenge.  Can't wait to really dig in.

Also spent some time preping the OTs and PT bell for semi-gloss black.   Should look nice with the brushed aluminum plate.

Cheers

[Grainger49]

Mike,

One kibitz from me.  When making connections, crimp the wire or component lead before soldering.  It will make for better connections in the long run.

Enjoy the build!

[Mike L.]

Thanks, Grainger.

Having fun so far, but also screwed up a little. 

Figured it'd be fun to have my 5 y.o. daughter help me attach the input connections.  She did a great job of threading the nuts on the back, but I had trouble judging torque while tightening them with her on my lap and over torqued one.  Sheared that sucker in half. 

Silly dad.  Time to hit up Parts Express.

[rlyach]

I did the same thing  , although I did not have a child on my lap. I changed out all 6 to a heavier connector with thicker nuts and threads. As someone else pointed out, you might as well get 4 longer #6-32 screws for mounting the chokes. Get 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch long. The 3/8 screws that the kit comes with will drive you nuts. It is probably possible to make these work but it is much easier to just get slightly longer screws.

[Mike L.]

Oh man, I wrestled with mounting one of those chokes for 30 minutes!  I was so sure the problem was me, not the screws.  Finally gave up and grabbed some slightly longer ones from the basement.  Had em both done in about 5 minutes.

Thanks for throwing me a bone on ham-handing the connector.  Felt like such a boob.  Luckily I can put it all together and replace them whenever the mood strikes.  If I was going to screw up, it was a fine place to do it.

Making great progress today.  Might even get done tonight!  I am taking my time and enjoying the process, but I just can't stop working on it.

Cheers,
Mike

[Mike L.]

It

[Jim R.]

Congratulations Mike!  And you'll probably save a lot of money in the long haul not having to feed tubes to the AE-3 :-).

Good stuff,

Jim