Integration Upgrade Kit Received

[Scott_R]

So I just got my Integration upgrade kit.  I plan to build and install it this weekend.  I've read through all the threads here, but I'm just curious about any other known "gotcha's" that I should be aware of.  I've gone through the manual and it all seems very straight forward and the support given on this forum seems pretty stellar.  Given that I'm not really expecting any problems.

As always, thanks in advance!

Scott

[corndog71]

Pay very close attention to terminal strip numbers.

[Scott_R]

Yeah man.  Thanks for the tip.

I took stock of the parts inventory, read the instructions before starting, and completed the install with no issues.  Everything measures within spec.

Can definitely hear the difference.  Deeper lows, smooth but more extended highs.   Can certainly tell the gain is higher as well.    I have one issue, however.  Hum.  And this did exist prior to the upgrade, but I hoped that it would go away as part of the expected "lower noise floor".  It's not so loud that it's audible when music is playing, but you can definitely hear it between tracks or when the table isn't spinning.  Powering off the phono preamp kills the hum.  I've double and triple checked grounding, etc.

Anyone else experience this?  With or without the Integration upgrade?

Thanks!
Scott

[Grainger49]

Scott,

You will need to describe your whole system to get help with hum.  This is especially true if you had hum before the Integration.

There are several sources of hum.  It might take some time to suss out the source of the hum.  First you should build a set of shorting plugs as described here:

http://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,586.0.html

You will need to short the inputs of each component, starting with your amp, and see if there is hum in that component.  Then move backward through your system to see where or when the hum appears.

[Scott_R]

Grainger, Thanks so much for the speed reply.  Actually, I got to the bottom of it already.  I had just now signed on to update my last post when I saw your response.  I swapped out the interconnects from my TT to the phono preamp and from phono preamp to my integrated.  Hum is gone. 

I had been using MIT AVT2 cables from TT to preamp and from preamp to integrated.  Yanked them and replaced with some Bluejeans LC-1s that I had laying around.  Silence. 

Really, really loving this phono preamp.  Integration upgrade has brought it to another level for sure.

Just for full disclosure, here's my setup:

Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum Integrated
DefTech BP-8060
Pro-Ject Audio xPressionIII Turntable (swapping between Ortofon 2m Blue and Grado Prestige Gold carts)
Phoenix Engineering Falcun PSU speed controller + RoadRunner Tach)
Bottlehead Reduction phono-preamp (Integration upgrade)
Marantz SA15S2 SACD Player
Marantz NA7004 Network Audio Player

It's a modest setup to be sure.  But it fits my budget and sounds nice.  Vinyl is now sounding better... 

Cheers,
Scott

[Paul Birkeland]

I had been using MIT AVT2 cables from TT to preamp and from preamp to integrated.  Yanked them and replaced with some Bluejeans LC-1s that I had laying around.  Silence. 

It's funny, you are most definitely not the first person to have this experience. 

[Scott_R]

Very interesting.  Thanks for the input.  Odd that I didn't experience the same symptoms using the same interconnects while I had my Pro-Ject Audio Tube Box SE in play.  But I'm sure there's some logical explanation (that's way over my head) for that behavior.

Oh well.  The Bluejeans cables do work quite well and I can use the MITs in another setup elsewhere in the house.

Thanks,
Scott