Two pet suggestions of mine (others may feel differently, YMMV, etc.):
Make sure that the elevation voltage is well smoothed, too - a decent electrolytic from the elevation voltage to ground.
Try a small value cap (100n < C < 1u) directly across the heater connections on the first preamp tube - sometimes the rectifier noise fom the HV gets coupled into the heater windings in the transformer (unless there's an inter-winding screen, etc.) and this gives the noise somewhere to go.
Enjoy!
Tried it...no difference. But I'm gonna leave it.
The the cap I have on the elevation voltage is 100uf. Is that sufficient?
You mean put a cap from pin 4/5 to pin 9 on V1? Just want to clarify as I've not heard of this maneuver before.
I like it a lot. I tweaked the slope resistor a bit though and I think the coupling cap after the input stage. Low end was a bit flubby and I didn't like where the slope landed.
In the past I've had a peavey Rockmaster and an ADA MP-1. I like this much better than either of those. The peavey always sounded like a peavey. The clean channel has a lot less volume than the other two, but that is dealt with easily with the individual channel masters. When I first put it together, it just didn't feel right...i figured out my B+ was way too high. Lowered it and wow...Really like the pre. I have a Kasha Rockmod II that I'm also using. They both sound different...I think the RMII is a bit more compressed. If I had to pick one of the two to keep, I'd keep the X88R. That being said...I haven't played a 3+SE.
I have started working on a PCB for the 3+SE. I know the schematic is good...I think it's even been posted on another thread. But I talked to John Suhr about it and he said it's mostly right, it's an older revision. Told me to build it and then let him know what I don't like and he'd give me some suggestions of what to change. SO...I'm not sure if I'm gonna go that route or build a wreck at this point.
Well...I'm quite happy to report that a .68u cap swallowed the noise. Now all I hear is the hiss from the Soldano gain. I put the lids back on and racked it up. It's DONE!!!
MGW wrote:Well...I'm quite happy to report that a .68u cap swallowed the noise. Now all I hear is the hiss from the Soldano gain. I put the lids back on and racked it up. It's DONE!!!
Thanks to all who helped!
Question my friend a .68U cap (where) took care of the noise .
Thanks Bill
On the valve with the input stage, one end of it connected at the pin 4/5 junction and the other at pin 9. I kinda had the cow staring at a new gate kinda look when Tilly told me to do that too. But hey...it worked! New trick for the noise bag.