RCA Jacks.

[Chris65]

I'm in the middle of a kit build & hunting around for some parts, namely RCA jacks & I found the 2 pairs from my Reduction which I didn't use, as I replaced them with some Rhodium plated ones.
What I was surprised to find is that they had tarnished quite badly. Sure they're sitting unused, but in the same room in the house with other gear & no signs of problems with the other jacks.

I've had my Crack for about 4 years nearly, & it shows signs of of tarnishing (more of a dullish gold now), but the supplied RCA jacks with the Reduction are quite bad in comparison. My latest kit (bought at the same time as the Reduction) has Neutrik jacks & no issues.

Anyone experience this problem?

[Grainger49]

I've got the upgrade, now standard, gold RCA jacks on my FP 2 which is 12 years old.  They don't have any corrosion/tarnish on them.

[Chris65]

Hi Grainger. Thanks, that's good to hear. The ones on the Crack have tarnished slightly from a bright gold to more of a bronze colour, but the supplied Reduction ones have tarnished a lot, which surprised me. I guess there's been different supplies over the years.

I'll post a photo when I get a chance.

[Grainger49]

Well, even though the part number hasn't changed at Parts Xpress the nature of the part may have.

[Mr. Davis]

The RCA jacks that came with my Smash kit were of poor quality. I stripped the nut threads on two of them and my soldering iron was shrinking the white fill.  I had to replace all of them with something a little better.

P.S.  I'm happy with all the other parts in the kit.

[grausch]

@Mr. Davis: I had a similar problem with the nut threads on my RCA jacks on the Stereomour (ordered August 2014), although those on my Crack worked perfectly (ordered end of 2013). What did you use as a replacement?

I found these http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vampire-Wire-CM1F-CB-Pure-Copper-Base-Chassis-Mount-RCA-DIY-audio-/160977173492?pt=US_Audio_Cable_Plugs_Jacks&hash=item257afcbbf4, but can't see myself paying $120 just to replace all the RCA jacks on the Stereomour. Looking for something that is mechanically robust, and unless it degrades the sound, I would be happy with non-exotic materials.

[Chris65]

I've used these ones:http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pairs-GOLD-Female-Amplifier-RCA-Jack-Chassis-Sockets-/281049855863?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item416fe07777. Decent quality for the price, or search CMC jacks for something a little better again.

[grausch]

@Chris65: Thanks, that is a very decent price for 4 jacks. They look very similar to the Connex jacks I found. http://www.partsconnexion.com/product7493.html. I like the extra thick nut. If I strip that, I will have further confirmation that I don't need to go to the gym. 

I also looked at the Neutrik RCA jacks (http://www.neutrik.com/en/phono-rca/phono-rca-chassis-connectors/), but a) prefer the look of those at your link and the connex jacks, and b) would prefer not to enlarge the current holes and drill new holes in the aluminium plate with my hand drill.

[Chris65]

Yes Gunter, I think those are the same ones. But they do require a slightly larger hole than the stock supplied jacks. Not difficult to do, I use a a cheap step-drill bit, but a file or reamer would work.

[grausch]

Thanks for the heads-up. I have some files that I have used for the installation of the VA Lab attentuators. If I need to enlarge them slightly, it is not that bad. If I need to enlarge them by a couple of mm, then it will be tricky to keep the holes lined up.

At least the holes are not too large which would be much more difficult to solve.

[Chris65]

just measured them, body is 10mm but the shoulder on the washer needs a 12mm hole.

[Grainger49]

Chris, I ordered some of those ebay RCA jacks you linked.  I have built a couple of things for friends recently and I'm low on RCA jacks.  Thanks!

Gunter, the recessed RCA jacks look nice. Is there a reason to want the RCA jacks recessed or are they just better jacks?  Thanks in advance!

By the way, I use a ream to enlarge holes most often.  I also have a number of cheap, Harbor Freight, stepped drill bits.  Both tools are a must for the real kit builder.  Look at the top of this thread:

http://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php?topic=3145.0

[grausch]

Grainger,

The recessed jacks were the first ones I found, since I googled Neutrik jacks. They look nice, but I am not that keen on doing all the chassis work. However, I believe those will fasten quite securely to the chassis itself, and this is the main reason I was looking at them.

My first choice, however, would be those Chris linked to and you ordered. Doesn't change the aesthetic of the amp (which I happen to like a lot), requires much less work on the chassis, and has a proper thick nut that reduces the chances of stripping.

I doubt if I would be able to hear any audible differences between the two different jacks. I am just looking for jacks that don't wiggle loose or strip when I tighten them.

[mcandmar]

I've not had a issues with the regular REAN/Neutrik sockets, 8mm body diameter so they will fit the stock chassis holes.  They look very similar to the stock items, but much nicer quality.

http://www.mouser.ie/REAN-Neutrik/Connectors/Audio-Video-Connectors/RCA-Phono-Connectors/_/N-778cxZscv7?P=1z0yy6bZ1yzmw3iZ1yzvpvd

[grausch]

I ended up using the the REAN / Neutrik jacks. Had a order going from mouser.lu, so I just added the jacks there as well.

Really impressed with the quality, and I paid something like EUR 1.47 each. The holes needed to be slightly enlarged, but it was easily done with a file. I would recommend these to anyone looking to upgrade their RCA jacks.