Built a Quickie Today

[Jamier]

Dave,

If you try this, or if you find some premade silicon o-rings that fit the bill, please let us know if it is an improvement. I've been thinking more about what Leland said and it gave me another idea that I think I'm going to try. It's a little more complicated than the O-rings but I think it has potential so I will update this post as it moves along. If you have any questions, etc about making the rings please post and I will respond ASAP.

Jamie

[Leland Hankins]

I believe the easiest way to isolate the tube socket would be to use Rubber or silicone Shock Absorber Vibration Isolator Mounts from Amazon, the small ones would be a perfect fit.

I would do this to my semi stock crack, but since last November I am no longer in the audio listening and building mode, came down with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, I can no longer hear music.  I do have several Bottlehead projects to finish but there just isn't a lot of motivation.

Back to woodworking (fancy rolling pins right now) and photography, have to keep busy.

Lee Hankins

[Jamier]

Hi Lee,

Sorry about your hearing loss. Is there any chance that it will return? I was wondering if you might post pictures of your custom Quickie, I would love to see that.

Jamie

[Leland Hankins]

Jamie, thank you, there is no cure, they don't even know what causes it.

There are a lot of photos of it somewhere on this forum, will try to find them for you.

Pictures are under Custom Quickie, August 18, 2010.

[Jamier]

Hi Lee,

      I just saw your custom Quickie. All I can say is WOW! That is just unbelievable.Did you think you would be getting praise for that seven years later? Something tells me you'll be getting praise for that seventy years from now.

 Thanks for pointing me in the right direction,

Jamie

[aragorn723]

I believe the easiest way to isolate the tube socket would be to use Rubber or silicone Shock Absorber Vibration Isolator Mounts from Amazon, the small ones would be a perfect fit.

I would do this to my semi stock crack, but since last November I am no longer in the audio listening and building mode, came down with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, I can no longer hear music.  I do have several Bottlehead projects to finish but there just isn't a lot of motivation.

Back to woodworking (fancy rolling pins right now) and photography, have to keep busy.

Lee Hankins

Lee,

How much of a hearing loss is it?  My wife is a hearing specialist, which got me wondering.  If it is severe enough, sometimes a coclear implant can be an option.

Dave

[Leland Hankins]

Dave, thank you, I have been told by three Doctors that there is nothing that can be done, I have not given up, but I will be honest a cochlear implant was not discussed, do not know why.  I have read about a new procedure where the ear hairs can be regrown.  Lots of options I hope.

I hate not being able to listen to my music!!!

[aragorn723]

Hi Lee,

Do you know what condition caused the hearing loss?  The wife can probably recommend what type of doctor to see.  Can't imagine not being able to listen to music, hope they can find a solution!

Dave

[Leland Hankins]

Dave there is no cure, they do not even know what causes it, there is a large bang within the head, some theories but nothing solid.  Very difficult area to study.  Today's attempt is to inject three steroid injections every two weeks, still no clinical proof if this even helps.  Just an attempt to give the patient some hope, it can cure itself, odds are usually not good.

[Jamier]

After looking at Lee's build I realize how important chassis mass is to the quiet operation of this wonderful little preamp. I have also discovered that, unlike some larger tubes, these very small tubes can be easily overdamped, muddying the sound.With those thoughts in mind I am experimenting with damping the socket rather than the tube.I placed the O-rings under the sockets which I think helps( I didn't try it without them, it just seemed like a good idea at the time). But, it does ring with the O-rings in place so I thought it might be beneficial to weight the socket in someway, pulling the socket into the O-ring and hopefully quieting the tube. I did this by hanging a weight from the center pin of the socket. In addition I tightened the retainers in an attempt to reduce movement. I used 12 lb. test Fishing Leader and a 1 lb. lead weight suspended from each socket center pin. This seems to help a lot. Here's a couple pictures.I have some other things to try yet.Sorry, the bottom pic is rotated. Imagine that the weight is hanging.

Jamie

[Doc B.]

these very small tubes can be easily overdamped, muddying the sound.

I don't quite see the logic in saying that damping the movement of the components in the tube can be make them more muddy, implying less controlled transients. My hunch is that you have found out that the system is a little rolled off for some other reason and the 3S4s were adding some resonance that emphasized the treble a bit. My inclination would be to damp the heck out of them and look at cabling, impedance, etc. to see if there is some other cause for the muddiness.

[TurbOSquiD77]

This is AMAZING. Awesome transparent plate!

What interconnect connectors are those? I see them every once in a while and I'm curious.

[Jamier]

Those are Audioquest 90 degree RCA connectors. I used them to lower the cable height but, they put too much pressure on the center pins of the RCA females and now I have a poor connection to both inputs and outputs. The center pins in the chassis mount females are loose now and I have to change them out. I'm getting "popping" in both channels. They seem great at first, but based on my experience I don't recommend them, at least for this application.

Jamie

[Leland Hankins]

Jamier, I have scrounged in my junk bins and came up with these two versions, just some additional ideas and breaks in between taxes.

https://goo.gl/photos/Hqnarxtn6EvSsraH6

Anyone let me know if this works, thank you.

[Jamier]

Lee,

     Thanks for that, but I was not able to view those images. Maybe it's some software incompatibility. Anyway, thanks to your influence I came up with another idea. Those small O-rings were not helping all that much so I created a simple mold and made some larger rings that  decouple the socket from the chassis. I used an auto polymerizing duplicating silicon that is real "squishy". The socket is weighted and the tube is now damped with a weighted Copper damper like many Bottleheads have made. Now the ring can only be heard when you tap the tube or hit the chassis really hard.Here's some pics:

Jamie