mhardy6647
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- Dec 12, 2019
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Not sure why I was thinking about phono preamps, but I was.
I was thinking about the proliferation of really, really cheap add-on (MM) phono
preamp/EQ boxes that every retail & catalog electronics supplier carried back in the good ol' days. You know, this kinda thing:
source: http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/html/1977/hr040.html
So, in 2020 AD, they call these Little Rats and there areclowns hucksters audiophiles who sell upgraded examples (new caps) for, like, two hunnert smackers.
The mind boggles.
So, here's what I was thinkin'. There are lots and lots of really good, cheap transistors nowadays. These gizmos were (are) extremely simple -- although I'll admit, I don't even know if they use active or passive RIAA networks (I assume the latter...?).
I'm just wonderin' if anyone's knocked together a drop-dead simple, discrete SS phono preamp along the lines of the "Little Rat" and its peers -- but using modern transistors and capacitors (and resistors, too...)? Seems like it would be a cheap and fun exercise.
One could run it with batteries, off a wall wart (switchmode or linear), simple linear P/S, not-so-simple linear P/S, or a bench/lab P/S (for those who have such things handy -- they're cheap and plentiful; a good investment for tinkerers). It might be way easier to make it quiet compared to DIY with vacuum tubes. I am a big fan of vacuum tubes for hifi (sorry!) -- but not as much for high-gain applications, due to noise and hum issues. Indeed, I do use a soiled-state umm, I mean solid state phono preamp myself!
I mean, I could google for examples -- but I am really lazy, so I thought I'd ask!
Thoughts?
PS Actually I did google around a little bit -- but everything that started simple in DIY threads seemed to get ever more complex as folks tinkered.
I am poised to pull out the very old GE transistor manual(s) I have downstairs and see what sort of circuit(s) might be therein.
I was thinking about the proliferation of really, really cheap add-on (MM) phono
preamp/EQ boxes that every retail & catalog electronics supplier carried back in the good ol' days. You know, this kinda thing:
source: http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/html/1977/hr040.html
So, in 2020 AD, they call these Little Rats and there are
The mind boggles.
So, here's what I was thinkin'. There are lots and lots of really good, cheap transistors nowadays. These gizmos were (are) extremely simple -- although I'll admit, I don't even know if they use active or passive RIAA networks (I assume the latter...?).
I'm just wonderin' if anyone's knocked together a drop-dead simple, discrete SS phono preamp along the lines of the "Little Rat" and its peers -- but using modern transistors and capacitors (and resistors, too...)? Seems like it would be a cheap and fun exercise.
One could run it with batteries, off a wall wart (switchmode or linear), simple linear P/S, not-so-simple linear P/S, or a bench/lab P/S (for those who have such things handy -- they're cheap and plentiful; a good investment for tinkerers). It might be way easier to make it quiet compared to DIY with vacuum tubes. I am a big fan of vacuum tubes for hifi (sorry!) -- but not as much for high-gain applications, due to noise and hum issues. Indeed, I do use a soiled-state umm, I mean solid state phono preamp myself!
I mean, I could google for examples -- but I am really lazy, so I thought I'd ask!
Thoughts?
PS Actually I did google around a little bit -- but everything that started simple in DIY threads seemed to get ever more complex as folks tinkered.
I am poised to pull out the very old GE transistor manual(s) I have downstairs and see what sort of circuit(s) might be therein.