Yeah that’s some type of resin/epoxy that came off.
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Agreed, looks like epoxy to me, it’s probably fine, the only things that could really happen are a wire broken off, or the choke physically hitting and damaging another component.
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Yeah so, it works.
I took a few hours reorganizing and trying to get it to fit best late last night. Then i ran all the tests Craig mentioned. And it passed.
I just wish i had a better rca management.
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Happy for you! So how are you liking it? What headphones are you using with it?
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Ill let you know when i get there. Maybe sometime tonight once things calm down. I am hoping it is like the Shiney eyes but a little more treble presence since my ear tends to like that.
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Are you selling? 
So to update. It looks like all the small things i was worried about were just screws that loosened during shipping. A few twists of the philips head later and it is all buckled up.
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I’ll write more soon. But I think with some small tweaks and a possible tube swap, this may be “it”.
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If those are PSVANE Tubes, you’ll want to given them at least 200 hours of burnin before you decide what you like or don’t.
They tend to be all over the place until they break in and settle down.
I usually just leave them on for a week or two, and listen when they are burning in.
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So now that a few things have settled. I can say i am enjoying the eddie and this is what should have bought when i first thought about it over a year ago. But tbh then i would not of had the experience I gained listening around.
The thing that sticks out is the treble actually has a defined edge and sizzle where the past few amps had been rounder and softer there. I also get what people say by dry. Mostly in the midrange. It is slightly cooler than i expected, and maybe dry isnt exactly how it is or how i would describe it. It is like soda thats gone mostly flat. The taste is there but its lacking the pop and dimension that is the bass and treble. I do have hope, as the ACME 300Bs in there now dont overly emphasise the mids, although they sounded good in the Shiney Eyes.
Also on tubes, i wasnt expecting the rectifier in a seperate psu to affect things that much but woooooo. Maybe the stock sovtek is that bad (wouldnt be surprised with new production russian tubes). I had a mullard gz34 from the Shiney Eyes and i popped that in, i figured if i was comparing rhe two the i might as well be as 1:1 as possible. Instant satisfaction! Things were tighter and much more layered and resolute, the bass went from a kind of phantom outline of what I expected, to the rich, layered, textured and resolved bottom end i was getting from the Shiney. I am sure the mids and highs got some help but that bass stuck out a d grabbed my attention for the session.
Mine is a '59 fat base, which is between the mythical metal bases and more common notch plates. The mullard is getting pricey, and i have an amperex that is the same tube but made in holland but I am happy I have them. They are supposed to last forever but im happy to have a backup.
More to come!
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It stunned me when I first started rolling rectifiers, they arguably have more impact than the other tubes.
If you change the type of regulator, it’s somewhat expected because tube regulators have relatively large voltage drops, and how much depends on the type.
But even between tubes of the same type from different manufacturers, there can be dramatic differences.
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I knew that rectifiers had different sag characteristics. Which i figured would translate into more of a speed, immediacy, tightness, or bloom type of thing,… but this is much more. The switch here feels like the the amp was yold to straighten up and stop slouching.
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The sag between different recifiers (5U4G vs say GZ34) actually changes the primary voltage the amp is running at, which moves the load line, all be it slightly, so can completely change the characteristics.
What surprised me was the difference between different 5U4G’s, I had Brent Jesse send me a selection of 5U4G rectifiers and was really expecting subtle differences, they just weren’t. They all significantly moved the presentation, and there was a very clear favorite of those I tried.
On the DNA the Rectifier change was probably the most significant, the power tubes certainly helped with resolution, and clarity, but the rectifier change was night and day.
I feel the WA33 behaved similarly.
About the only thing that surprised me more than the impact rectifiers had was that the difference between power cables could be so audible.
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Which was your favorite? I have a few rectifiers i can try, some of the usual suspects, some are the “super duty” of the usual suspects but with different number/letter designations so i need to double check compatibility.
All my amps (except the EC) and the Lampizator use 5U4G’s, the DNA could only use Directly heated rectifiers, which limited the substitutions, so I’ve mostly listened in that space.
Of the reasonably priced Rectifiers I like the RCA 5U4G runs about $70, and offers a clarity and openness that nothing else in that price bracket did. Others had more Bass emphasis, but I didn’t like the trade offs
I am currently using KR 5U4G’s one RK Special Edition and one Anniversary in the WA33 and Lampizator, they are everything the RCA is but more and better. The RK SE one is the better of the two. They are currently impossible to purchase as far as I can tell. Best300B has basically shutdown, and they were the only source. I did read somewhere Lampizator was going to absorb Best300B, but it hasn’t happened yet. You might be able to contact the US importer of KR and special order them.
I did want to try the Takatsuki 274B, and I did get one with the Lampizator, but it was damaged in shipping. The EML mesh ones are also highly regarded (but again I haven’t heard one).
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I’ve heard both the RCA and the Takatsuki and it’s no match between the two as you’d expect for 10x cost.
I have the RCA somewhere here with no amp to use it with so happy to sell it for cheap if anyone’s interested.
I wanted to try to find an anniversary for my lampi but i thoughts best300b was a scam site. I then found out otherwise but they were shutdown by then. Not sure if i would pay the price people are asking for used pieces.
The RCAs are great, the earlier the better. Early 59s tend to be the best and clearest, after that they start getting slightly warmer, slightly more romantic. Ymmv on those subtleties.
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A little side tangent but what power cables do you use, out of curiosity? And why?
I have a mishmash of power cables running between about $200 a piece and $500 a piece (I’d honestly have to look to see what’s on what at the moment).
When I first tried different power cables I bought 3 of them at various price points and from various vendors, I also made one up with a variation on the BHC recipe, and A/B’d them with basic cables and some hospital grade ones I had.
I was expecting a marginal difference (I’d heard differences previously on 2 Channel), and it just wasn’t there were clear presentation differences between them.
All the “audiophile” cables were all “better” than the other two.
I put the best sounding one I had on the WA33, since that’s where I did the test.
I didn’t replace the one on the streamer until later.
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Some inside pics:
A deceivingly simple design. Things like the pot could be easy upgrades. Many rave about the TDK, and I wonder what some premium caps can do.
Almost all screws were loose from shipping despite the huge amount of packaging that was around it all. Even the 300Bs insert sleeved were really wiggly. Craig said that is mechanically ok, and you can see how it is via the wiring underneath. He also mentioned that they are either rivet pressed in or they can be tight ed via bolt underneath and i can pop it open to check. So mine are… riveted… There is a washer type thing that spins but unless i replace the socket then they are forever very loose. Im thinking of maybe looking at a thin rubber or felt washer to take away the play.
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