I wanna build something

[mkane]

  There's a Stereomour in this house. I want to match a pre amp with this just for the build experience. Would a Bee Pre with it 300b's bump heads with the 2a3's?

[Doc B.]

Nope, it would work well.

[mkane]

  One more question if I may. Is the Bee Pre 600$ better than the smash? I see down the road upgrading to monoblocks.

[RPMac]

BeePre with 300B's and Stereomour with 2.5V 300B's....300B flavor system

BeePre with 6A3 (or 6B4G) and Stereomour with 2A3's....2A3 flavor system

Then there is the 45 option for Stereomour

[marantzfan]

That's jumping in with both feet!  I would say to definitely go with the BeePre if you are looking at upgrading to Paramounts one day.  If you want a smaller build to start with, you could always start with an Eros to get your feet wet.

[mkane]

  I presently use a Musical Surroundings pre that is quite pleasing. Not sure if it's ok to mix ss with tubes but the sound is pleasing. The smash looks complicated so I may as well do a BeePre

[aragorn723]

Its ok if you use a SS amp with a tube pre or vice-versa.  The only issue you might run into is an impedance mis-match.  I'm running a Quickie with a large SS amp that has a 10k input impedance (Quickie likes to see 50kish).  There was a workaround though, soldering in some 100k resistors into the signal path between the input switch and potentiometer.  Depending on the relationship of input impedance to output impedance in your system, this may or may not be an issue (but is fixable!).  You probably couldn't go wrong with either the Beepre or smash (i believe both are SET, and so is the Quickie!).  Don't know as much about these two, but the Quickie is pretty impressive itself, and SET is very nice (the smash is supposed to have a little bit more realistic tone than the quickie).  Maybe someone else can chime in on the differences between smash and beepre..  One thing though, is that the smash has 2 sets of outputs, so if you run a sub, that can be pretty handy.  Thanks,

Dave

[Paully]

I can't speak specifically about the Smash, but since I didn't see a specific answer to that question, I can at least compare the Bee Pre to the FPIII which looks a lot like the smash and a massively modified FPII.  I built the Bee Pre because I felt the need to build something.  The FPIII and modified II were so wonderful I didn't see how they could be improved on that much.  Yes they are truly wonderful and worth every penny, but I was surprised when I put the Bee Pre in how smooth and wonderful everything sounded immediately.  If the $600 is an issue then the Smash, I am sure, is worth every penny.  If the cash won't be missed the Bee Pre is better, as it should be, and I don't regret spending the money for a second.

I wasn't sure I wanted to switch jobs, my wife was sure I should.  Part of the agreement if I did was she would buy me the Bee Pre.  One of the best deals I have made.

[mkane]

  $$$ not the issue. My ability to get this together and have it up and running without having to send it North is causing me to balk. My soldering skill's are mainly making motorcycle cables. I do know what a cold solder joint looks like and I think I'm detailed enough to not have it look like a birds nest on the bottom side. Funny how this audio stuff always has me wanting more. Common sense tells me to start small.

[aragorn723]

Hi,

The forum is pretty good for new builders.  If you are apprehensive about building something, start with something simple, maybe even a Quickie.  You will probably be surprised at how well it can sound with the pjccs (the upgrade board) and a few component swaps.  I have less than $200 invested, and love the sound.  As far as soldering, one thing that really helps is to get a container of flux.  After you make a good mechanical connection with a wire to a terminal, apply some flux and then the solder.  The solder joints should be a bright, shiny color.  (Some solders include flux already, but for it is easier to get good results soldering with separate flux IMHO).  After the build, there are continuity and voltage checks.  If you take your time building it up, this should be an easy part (though if you run into an issue on the #'s, Doc B can usually figure out which components to check !

Dave

[Grainger49]

   .  .  .   My soldering skill's are mainly making motorcycle cables. I do know what a cold solder joint looks like and I think I'm detailed enough to not have it look like a birds nest on the bottom side.  .  .  .   

This is more experience than many newbies have.  Following the instructions, making a good mechanical joint before soldering will serve you well.  I would expect you would have no problem.  Just take it slowly and don't work more than an hour and a half at a time.

[Doc B.]

A Quickie is $99. Build that first. If you like it, order a BeePre. That's the whole point of the Quickie, an inexpensive way to test tube DIY waters.

[Bob]

mkane,

Let me concur with Grainger's post. I have built 3 BH kits - Reduction, Stereomour, and most recently the S.E.X.  The combination of these forums, the fantastic documentation that is provided with these kits, and simply taking your time and checking your work as you go -- any build you decide on will come off just fine I am sure.  I had -zero- practical experience soldering (much less being able to read a schematic or understand Tubes and how they really work!) - I had no issues what so ever shy of one minor mis-wire on the S.E.X. kit -- and that is due to my aging eye sight more than anything else.

I have learned a lot with the BH  kits and these forums , enjoyed them so much and really enjoy the sound they are producing, that I am replacing all my systems with BH kits. I ordered the BeePree and the Paramounts yesterday. Can't wait to get them and get started on my next system.

Good luck on your decision, you can't go wrong !

Bob

[mkane]

  And now, wondering how Paramount's configured with 2a3's would sound compared to a Stereomour. yes, spinnin wheels. I'm shopping everywhere and end up back here.

[Paully]

Similar but a little better. 

And with the Paramounts you can use them with 45, 2a3, and 300B.

You can drive yourself crazy, like I did, trying to figure out what to do and which tube to use.  In then end you will just get tired of trying to figure something out that takes serious listening time to finally resolve.  So, if like me, you will spend some more time trying to figure it out based on other peoples' opinions that you read on the web and then you will finally just pick one and go for it.