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Reader/writer: Timothy Smith Review component retail: $269
How many of us have spent an entire Saturday assembling a barbecue or bunch of IKEA furniture? And yet today most of us get 100% of our audio kicks in finished form. Gone are the Dynaco days when teenage boys built kit amps in their garages or basements. Today they are more likely to wave wands at flat-screen TVs from the overfed comfort of their couches. We have become alienated from the means of musical production. Bottlehead Corporation to the rescue. Are you uncomfortable with the idea of low-paid Chinese labour? Look no further than your own--unpaid—labour. As the owner of sixteen Chi-Fi products as well as hifi items from the Czech Republic, the UK, Japan and the USA (but no Canadian ones), I've done my share of contributing to Canada’s trade deficit. No longer content to purchase my kit primarily from the (not so) dark satanic mills of Shenzen, in December 2011 I picked up the phone and dialled Bainbridge Island, Washington state. There the friendly folks of Bottlehead hang their hats. With thousands of satisfied customers having left a trail of praise on Bottlehead’s user forum and across the web, I was fairly certain that my money would be well spent. After more than two years of listening to this amplifier and demoing it against products from Burson, Musical Paradise, Audiolab, Decware, Little Dot and several others, I am confident that this is the best sub-$300 headphone amp money can buy.
What’s in a name? The Crack is designed to hook you on your first try. You can upgrade to the Crack with Speedball. Other DIY kits in the Bottlehead stable include the Single-Ended eXperimenter’s headphone and speaker amp, the S.E.X. headphone amp kit, the S.E.X with Extended Foreplay, the Stereomour 2a3/45 stereo amp, the Paramount 300b/2a3 monoblocs, the Quickie battery-powered preamp and the Eros and Seduction phono preamp kits. Bottlehead is nothing if not consistent in its attempt to carve out a distinct house style. In a world filled with attractive model names like the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR—not to be confused with Pioneer’s SP-BS21-LR—and the Harbeth Compact 7ES-3, Bottlehead stands out like a breath of fresh air. Or maybe not. The road to sweet single-ended ambrosia led through a thicket of red, white and black wires; the sickly stench of silver-lead solder; and 25 hours of artisanal labour in the man cave punctuated by bouts of sheer frustration. My first attempt had resulted in one channel working properly but the other one being totally silent. I went back to the drawing board, pulled out my multi-meter and checked my resistances. All except one—an RCA jack—measured up. I resoldered some joints. And then nothing. The imposing 6080 dual-triode power tube did not light up. It was time to check my voltages. When my wife asked what the risks were in checking those, I said there was virtually no chance of death by electrocution but a slim chance of a high voltage shock. 'Send it back you fool' came the reply. I dutifully returned the completed amp to Washington State for repair. As it happens, I had blown that RCA jack probably by overheating it during some re-soldering. All in all I had waited two months to listen to the music since I had received a 5-keys box of crack in February filled with over 100 parts. Bottlehead claims on its website btw that over 90% of those parts are sourced in the USA. The turnaround at Bottlehead was quick. I have no complaints except perhaps one. Having not soldered in 25 years, I was not one of those who can, as the Bottlehead website suggests, make this amp in just a couple of evenings. And frankly, I doubt that anyone without experience can make this amp in fewer than fifteen hours including the time required to glue, varnish and sand the wooden base.
But I quibble. Shawn, the friendly technician at Bottlehead who answered my emails in a timely fashion, assured me that my soldering was 'very good' but that I had left a couple of long leads that must be clipped. Apart from the blown RCA jack, my handiwork met the grade. I bet Shawn says that to everyone. After a one-day burn-in and a thorough check of all joints and readings, Bottlehead shipped the amp back to me swaddled in enough bubble wrap to protect against the abuse of North America’s ramshackle railroad network. I was out of pocket another $90 but at least knew that I had a properly built amp, certified as it were in the event of resale. Unless you plan to assemble several DIY kits, I cannot understand why anyone would sell their Bottlehead creation. As it happens, builders rarely part with their amps. A quick tour of the web shows that the Crack’s basic metal plate design lends itself well to wannabe woodworkers. Crack owners display pride of craftsmanship and ownership. Here's a Tyll Hertsens video on how to roll your own.
Writing a review after Mike’s interesting and complete 2 page impressions on Facebook isn’t easy, so don’t shoot me if this review turns out short ?. The Bottlehead Crack amplifiers arrived a little over two months after having ordered them on Bottlehead’s website. We ordered a couple of Cracks right before the price increase was announced (more on that later) so that probably. Soham Karan Johar S Next Project Full Movie 1080p Download Torrent. Keep in mind that an OTL at this price point cuts corners, and so does the LD Mk3. But with the right tubes it sounds very close to something like the WA2, which is no little feat. Another option to the LD3 at a similar price point is the Crack, if you can DIY. Youc an tube roll with both, although you have more options with the LD3 than the Crack. Other DIY kits in the Bottlehead stable include the Single-Ended eXperimenter’s headphone and speaker amp, the S.E.X. Headphone amp kit, the S.E.X with Extended Foreplay, the Stereomour 2a3/45 stereo amp, the Paramount 300b/2a3 monoblocs, the Quickie battery-powered preamp and the Eros and Seduction phono preamp kits. I read a lot about pairing little dot MK III and Bottlehead Crack amplifiers with the hd650s, but I hardly ever hear anyone suggest any of the DarkVoice amplifiers. I stumble across threads regarding the 336SE model but thats about it, and they're just arguing about the superiority of tubes over solid state in.
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Thread Starter
Little Dot Mkiii Vs Bottlehead Crack Download
vegeto626
New Head-Fier
vegeto626
Hi everyone, I am looking into start in the world of tube amps and I am considering the LD MKIII (ebay, 235 from china), MKIV (ebay, $329 from china) and the Bottlehead Crack ($279). Current Equipment: Sennheiser HD 202/280pro/595/650 UE Super.fi 5 pro Koss KSC75 Monoprice IEM's Fiio E10/E17 I am considering these for their price ($200-$350) and for my new HD650's. I have read the suggestion of the Bottlehead Crack just about on every thread when it comes to the HD6xx's, but I am also looking for something more versatile that I can use with my other gear and new cans in the future. The concern here is the OTL part of the Crack, which I am not sure how the Littledots differ and the fact that he Littledots have a preamp function (again, not sure what this means, but more is better right?). My wallet might be afraid so I might just go with the MKIII, but will they drive the 650's sufficiently and pleasingly? Edit: I have not done any DIY work on amps or anything, but I have on other electronics, so I have the equipment to build the Crack. I appreciate anyone's input!