I spent $100, bought a ...

ODYOFAEL

The Voice of Vintage HiFi
...COUNTERPOINT SA-7.1. I've read a lot of negatives about this amp. It's not that bad, the way I hear it. Counterpoint spent hours designing this little pre and I'm pretty sure, before they even put into production that they listened to it well.

I want to know if there are DIY mods for this pre. I play records 90% of the time. And any suggestions on what tube to use?

I also noticed that it has some sort of adapter on the line stage to use one tube isteat of two. The board in the rear has two tube sockets. Is this a modification or is this an option. Any COUNTERPOINT guys on board?
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Word to the wise- if any of those WIMA (or other film) caps are 250v rated- or, in fact, any rating less than 300v- GET THEM OUT OF THERE. Replace them with at least 350v (400v or more is preferable) caps.

Problem is- the plate voltage on the tubes is indeed less than 250v once the tubes have fully warmed up. HOWEVER- on startup- there's full RAIL VOLTAGE (over 300V!) on them, until the tubes start conducting. The caps get hit with over-voltage EVERY time you turn it on... which eventually takes them out, and they either go open or short. If they go short... POOF... smoke...

That's one of the, IMHO, bad shortcuts that Mike Elliott took on these preamps. Definitely explains their somewhat spotty service reliability history, to an extent. Once you re-cap them as needed with proper voltage rating, they should be basically pretty reliable...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
Word to the wise- if any of those WIMA (or other film) caps are 250v rated- or, in fact, any rating less than 300v- GET THEM OUT OF THERE. Replace them with at least 350v (400v or more is preferable) caps.

Problem is- the plate voltage on the tubes is indeed less than 250v once the tubes have fully warmed up. HOWEVER- on startup- there's full RAIL VOLTAGE (over 300V!) on them, until the tubes start conducting. The caps get hit with over-voltage EVERY time you turn it on... which eventually takes them out, and they either go open or short. If they go short... POOF... smoke...

That's one of the, IMHO, bad shortcuts that Mike Elliott took on these preamps. Definitely explains their somewhat spotty service reliability history, to an extent. Once you re-cap them as needed with proper voltage rating, they should be basically pretty reliable...

Regards,
Gordon.
I'll do that asap. Any advise for improving the sound? I'd like it to sound a little fatter. What can I do to achieve this?
 
I'll do that asap. Any advise for improving the sound? I'd like it to sound a little fatter. What can I do to achieve this?

Replacing the coupling caps with a bit higher uF value can give you more a bit more bass. Also going to PIOs from polys will make the sound a bit warmer in many cases. Best to mix and match to get a balanced sound.

Cheers

Lar
 
Replacing the coupling caps with a bit higher uF value can give you more a bit more bass. Also going to PIOs from polys will make the sound a bit warmer in many cases. Best to mix and match to get a balanced sound.

Cheers

Lar
Is this for both line and phono stage?
 
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Test your tubes, make sure they aren't close to worn out. Are they all 12AX7 in there? If so, try to find some original (UK) Mullards, or get some TJ Full Music from Grant Fidelity. I'm not sure about "fatter," but I've found the TJs will make some gear just sound bigger, more open and spacious, more alive.
 
Test your tubes, make sure they aren't close to worn out. Are they all 12AX7 in there? If so, try to find some original (UK) Mullards, or get some TJ Full Music from Grant Fidelity. I'm not sure about "fatter," but I've found the TJs will make some gear just sound bigger, more open and spacious, more alive.
I am testing a pair of new RCA 12AT7's since last night. I was getting a lot of gain when I was on the 12AX7A's (COUNTERPOINT original HUNGARY, still reads good on the tester) so I thought using a the AU7's will fix it. Seems like it did though. I'm using a 6DJ8 Telefunken on the line stage...and the TJ tubes are quite expensive.​
 
What's the recommended tube lineup in that preamp? 6DJ8 is the proper tube for the line stage? Just one for both channels? (Nice tube, btw.) If you are using a 12AT7 in the phono stage where a 12AX7 was called for, it might throw off the RIAA EQ curve too much. I think it depends on the design of the preamp. You might try to find a 5751 instead, it's about halfway between a 12AX7 and 12AT7.

Yeah, the TJs are pricey, but they sound really good. I spent some time rolling a pair through my guitar gear where they stood out head and shoulders above anything else I'd ever heard. I didn't spend that much time with them in my stereo rig because at the time I would've really needed four and only had access to two, and then I got a preamp that uses all 6DJ8s anyway.
 
Replacing the coupling caps with a bit higher uF value can give you more a bit more bass. Also going to PIOs from polys will make the sound a bit warmer in many cases. Best to mix and match to get a balanced sound.

Cheers

Lar
Help me out with this. Where are the coupling caps located? I'll make a list of all the caps in the pre. I'll try searching for a schematic as well. And when you say "with a bit higher". how high for example. And are PIO caps still in the market?:thmbsp:​
 
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