Sommer SC Club Mk II Studer Revox Tricone Galileo Belden 8428

Photos by ELO.

Sometimes, Things just Happen Again and Again, Part III

Letter from Hong Kong (23-3): ELO and Friends Report on their "Studer" Cable

It all started a while back. I always welcome new things, ideas and accessories that do not hurt my wallet and that could improve the sound. My buddy Kwong and I always share information, like good buys on Review 33 [Ed: the foremost HK second-hand forum], tease and taunt each other into buying them. He bought his JMR speakers, Lumin streamer and Holo Spring DAC based on my recommendations. At the same time, he had introduced me to a lot of cheap yet highly effective and wonderful gadgets, like cheapo graphite blocks made to order for use under equipment, some OEM tiptoes, the H-10U Bluetooth device etc.

We used to call each other in the morning to exchange information on cheap tricks and plans, before we got busy at work. He's lucky, since he bought a flat in China and that gave him a super and convenient excuse to acquire another system from scratch!

The TB Offering that likely Kwong first saw. Aside from waxing lyrics, it said that the cables were used in Studer studios, were second-hand and bought from German studios, of limited supply. Selling for RMB 150 per meter, much more than that of the clothed or unclothed Sommer Club Mk II. (See below DJ's section).

One day while surfing Aliexpress and Taobao, he discovered a “Studer Cable” which the seller said is from Germany and raved about, to the point of saying that you ain’t heard nothing yet until you tried it. As the price was relatively affordable, I said what the heck, I’ll tag along.

Later Kwong told me the cable is really good, and so I have some level of confidence, as we know each other's music preference. I finally bought it home and hooked it between my WEA streamer and my Eleekit TU-875 and immediately felt the virtues of the “Studer Cable” that came with a nice tweed sheath of yellow with black dots. The music now started to flesh out and become a little bit warmer. But that was not all - I gradually noticed a significant increase in musicality which made it highly enjoyable to listen to without fatigue. To describe it, it sounds organic, smooth while not giving up PRAT, and it has very good imaging and portrayal of the actual size of instruments (unlike many others’ needle-like images which I cannot bear). Timbre of instruments is accurate, and decay and attenuation are among the best that I have heard, which is important as it gives a sense of connection between music notes and make things sound more fluid and real! Imagine a system that portrays music notes as individual dots that barely connect to each other vs those painted in large circles that overlap with each other to form a complete chain! That’s how we play music with natural timbre and harmonics, and "Studer" portrays it so well. I actually picture the notes as the overlapping eddies created by raindrops on a lily pond that form a complex yet fascinating scene!

I can hear the shimmer of instrument far better in brass, guitars and string instruments as well as the body of piano and the attack of each note. pppp vs ppp vs pp vs p and ffff vs fff vs ff vs f all become easy to follow, which helps to makes the music far more interesting and exciting. Its dark background accurately reproduces silent passages, which is important in creating contrast in music.

High, mid and low are fairly flat. There is a bit of emphasis in midrange which is welcome (at some points even lush and sexy). Bass has authority, slam and quickness. While highs may not reach the sky like many exotic cables, it is more than adequate with good details and delineation but without any edginess and glassy feel. That is of utmost importance, as I find too many setups are far too brittle and edgy in highs due to the digital sources.

So far, I am waxing lyrics on this cable, are there any drawback? Is it just me and Kwong's illusions?

I have then lent the cables to many friends, and they were all positive about it. One said it compares admirably with his silver cables but only lost to the extension at the highs; another friend said it compares well to his Siltech cables for the price (while not besting it) and, given the price, it’s a bargain. Another friend also got good results. So, I’m pretty sure we struck gold in finding this gem in the sea of hifi accessories!

Next, I begin to replace my cables gradually with the "Studer" cable and the result was absolutely scintillating - definitely the more the merrier!!!! And considering its price, it is an absolutely no brainer.

Cables sold by Revoxman in Germany

However, the story does not end here. I have been chatting to DJ and he knew about this all along and also suspected it’s not “Studer” after all. But what the heck, if it sounds great and cheap, I will be happy to oblige! Then one day, a reader left a comment that it looks exactly like a Sommer SC Classique cable. This aroused the curiosity of DJ and I and we immediately went into sleuthing mode. See DJ's report below. So, at this point, we were pretty sure that it’s Sommer cable from Germany. I have also traced it to a website that sells refurb classic Studer/Revox equipment which also sells this as high-end professional cable (without mentioning Studer name though). I guess the Chinese vendor called it “Studer” as he may have purchased from this website. The price of Studer sold is almost 3 to 4 times as much as the Sommer!! However, it’s still peanuts compares to many other so called exotic high-end cables! So, I’m content totally as I would have never thought it’s actually Sommer at all at the beginning and would have missed the treasure. In the end, I need to thank the Chinese vendor selling it as "Studer" cable who waxed way more lyrics than me in order to attract Kwong to purchase it in the first place. I also thank Kwong for introducing it to me!!

Honestly speaking, my system has reached another whole new level because of the introduction of the cable and the Entreq Micro Kit and I’m content, even now I’m just using the stock PS for my WEA while waiting to service my DIY PS . The overall sound is grainless, natural, organic, exciting, yet with no lack of details and musicality, and is so much fun to listen to. I treasure that it has loads of details, but not distracting . I now can settlec down and simply enjoy music, just press the play button and let it play continuously without thinking what I’m lacking or missing. Of course, I know what is missing, but adding those would just be icing on the cake, as I think I have finally gotten the fundamentals right. Another significant thing is, I now listen to a lot more classical music!

My friend RC came over the other day; he also said my setup has changed significantly and has improved a lot. I credit it to the use of Entreq and "Studer"/Sommer cables! He then went home and listened again to his setup and it took him a while to get used to it, LOL. He said there’s a huge difference between the sound at my place and his. He described it as passion vs tranquility. But for me, I think I would describe my system with the Chinese saying: “calm and tranquil like a virgin, agile and quick like an unleashed rabbit"!

My conclusion and recommendation: Buy! Whether it’s "Studer" or Sommer!!

Doctorjohn Reports on Sommer SC Club Mk II, aka "Studer" Cable

This is a really interesting story. When ELO informed me of the Chinese TB vendor selling vintage "Studer" cable I was really skeptical! Yes, they are covered in tweed cloth, like of-yore, but they look so new, as do the connectors. I happen to know a fair bit about Revox and Studer, having used several of their incomparable CDPs (still have the Studer A730, Revox 225 and C221) and here in China I still have the Revox A720/722 Preamp/Amp. Not only that, being a friend of (HK) comm-buddy, a Revox-Studer devotee, I have been exposed to all manners of Studer and Revox, including mixing consoles! And never once have I heard about a "Studer" cable. So, when a reader wrote that he lives in Switzerland and has never heard about a Studer cable, I would have to agree! But that still did not solve the problem, until...

From Seng via DJ (see section below) Available from TB, clockwise from top left: bare wire Clothed SC Club Mk II you can see the skin under the cloth; SC Club Mk II terminated with Sommer's own Hicon plugs; much cheaper unclothed SC Club Mk II.

A reader with Eagle Eyes observed that from ELO's picture it looks like the Sommer SC Classique., which is marketed as a guitar cable and for its "60's sound". We all immediately dived in (I kid you not!) and did some detective work. I looked at the SC Classique: it is a 1 conductor coaxial cable and cannot possibly be used for XLR (the "Studer" comes in both XLR and RCA versions). I asked ELO to take a pic of the connector with shell removed. It shows 2 conductors, one red and one blue. I then identified it as SC Club Mk II. Now, this is a 2-conductor cable (red and blue) and comes in both naked and tweed-clothed versions, the latter identical in looks to the SC Classique (besides yellow tweed, there is also green color). I can't say I have looked through all Sommer cables, but at least of what I looked at that day few models have conductors colored red and blue, and none except the Club have a cloth version. My friend Seng and I looked at the spec’s and found the clothed and unclothed versions to be identical though the naked version is substantially cheaper, which is what I opted for, and I managed to source it here.

ELO also did his part. He found German seller "Revoxman" offering these cables (see above). AND, I noticed from the mailing addresses that the same person is selling on Ebay under different seller names. On Ebay the titles include the names Revox and Studer. But that's par for the course. Sellers often include names that may attract other customers. Like someone selling the KT77 tube will include EL34 in the title. I do the same with the post titles. I know it's Sommer, but I include the names Studer and Revox there as there is some relationship and interest.

Before I describe what I heard, I must say that I have a "bias": I've not been enthusiastic about Sommer in the past, and I relayed this to ELO. Here is my old brief report on the Tricone Mk II (and the very expensive Epilogue). In the article I mentioned the Galileo. Actually, although I haven't written about it, I did terminate it in HK (lockdown time) just before I returned to China at the end of 2020; it is better than the Tricone Mk II but still no bananas - and, to let the cat out of the bag, despite being pricier, in my sonic memory, not even close to the SC Club Mk II.

So, how does it sound? Why? Just as ELO described! I could not have done better! Quiet background, even-tempered, good all-around, but with a tinge of lushness in the midrange, sometimes even opulent 华丽. Now, that is a rare trait in cables. It's not something you can easily buy - not at all. I mentioned to ELO that I don't like Siltech's artificiality, and I've heard them all in a friend's completely top-end Siltech system. And this Sommer cable has a hint of the expensive sound proffered by some of these expensive brands, but yet maintains a reasonable neutrality. It plays everything well.

https://m.tb.cn/h.ULLM2rV?tk=JyS7d73Zsgg

I agree with ELO's view that, even via the tortuous route (via "Studer", Germany and Chinese TB sellers) it's a very worthwhile cable. You owe it to yourself to try it out. Of course, if you can terminate you should opt for the el-cheapo unclothed Sommer Club Mk II. It's very soft (a big plus in my book) and very easy to work with - a pleasure. But, even if you don't solder, unlike some of the other professional cables we cover here, you can still buy them terminated. HK and regional Chinese readers can buy the terminated cloth version sold in TB (link, pic above). And the same cables (both XLR and RCA) can be easily found on Ebay.

More twists. I finally terminated the stiff Belden 8428 (recommended by reader Attila) and I did some comparisons with the SC Club Mk II. Like the Sommer, the 8428 is also highly listenable and smooth and just right in the critical midrange. Bass is about the same, but I find the Belden to have slightly more air on top and it is just a tad more neutral (but it also doesn't have the potentially addicting occasional sheen of the Sommer). For my system, in the position of DAC to 1:1 Reisong Transformer though, I just prefer the Belden by the smallest of margins - so far. But then, just now I slotted in my SC Club Mk II in the position of Preamp Out to 2nd Reisong Transformer (removing the Belden 8451) and I got a little more. It's staying in there, so now I have both Belden 8428, Sommer SC Club Mk II and Belden 8451 in the system. Subject to change, I say! 

There is another important mitigating factor that one must take into consideration. I am using ALL tube, AND my USB DAC (RMB 200 1-bit double TDA1305, + <200 Weiliang 5V LPS), splendidly musical as it is, is likely not the last word in resolution - at least in this parameter it should not be in the league of ELO's Emerson used with Ethernet. Also, ELO and Kwong and friends are using mostly solid state, which I can see as being even more receptive to the SC Club Mk II. Mind you, for a tube lover, my system is on the neutral side and I've long used more neutral professional cables but the divide between tube and solid state is there nonetheless. So, don't take me wrong - the Sommer SC Cub Mk II is a very fine cable, and I may get a little more yet (I only got 2m this round to test it out). Maybe again and again and again?

Eastern Transmission Audio 6N3 SRPP Preamp

Click pics to enlarge. The left-most red caps are the output coupling caps.

Review: Eastern Transmission Audio 6N3 Preamp, Part I
Letter from Shenzhen (23-3): Second Spring

Note: 12/4/23: Due to the recent Failure of the Volume Pot, this Preamp is now not recommended!

Part II, on Mods (Cap and Cable change) had been published. Revelatory!

Part III, however, covers a serious failure of the volume pot. Highly annoying!

Part IV, on JAN GE 5670 tubes and more.

Now, the story of this Preamp is kinda interesting, with a major twist that involved Cable Change. The Cables involved were detailed in my last article (use link, or just roll down).

https://m.tb.cn/h.UnRH3zA?tk=KwLKdhIUl7t

Seller I have noticed this seller for a long time. The offerings are classic in looks and interesting electronically. The logo says Eastern Transmission Audio (ETA from now on). I was actually primarily interested in one of their more expensive preamp offerings, the one using the unusual 3A5 direct-heated triode (one great-value option is packaged with an exceptionally interesting solid state 1969 Class-A amp; during the winter I almost hit the button, but now it’s spring already...). I decided to test out this very low-priced offering first. As I have a pair of brand-new Russian 6H(N)3 from another device, I bought it without tubes for RMB 255.

About The Heart of the Preamp is the circuit board (only amplification). For those who like to DIY, they can just buy the circuit board for less money than a good beer. The 2x 6N3 (double triode) are used in an SRPP configuration. There is an upgrade option, which replaces the 2x 0.33 uF, 400V, Rifa caps with upmarket Mundorf’s. I stuck with the basic version. The board is connected to a very basic solid state PS. There is only one input and one output, and a very small volume knob.

Sound and Issues When I first slotted it into my regular system (in lieu of the 6J4/6P6P Preamp and using the BRZ FU-50 amp), I was immediately shocked by the sound. The gain is even higher than the regular 6P6P Preamp, not surprising given that it’s SRPP. The Gain is such that it would be unusable for a lot of people. But, as I use SET amps and they all have a volume knob, I dialed down the volume of the BRZ amp (yes, if not maxed, that changes the impedance a little) and that helped. The sound was a bit on the aggressive side and a little lean, not unusual for a Russian double-triode. After much run-in, it smoothed out a little but still sounded more one-dimensional and I missed the richness of my 6P6P Preamp.

I removed it from the system and re-installed the 6P6P Preamp and lived happily with the system for quite a while. I opened the ETA and contemplated mods. Yes, I could change out the caps with Oil Caps (my preference is for the Russian ones, though they are a little too pricey now). Maybe the signal wires. There is not much room for a larger volume pot. I left it opened and put it in a carton box under the table.

Sometime later I discovered the Belden 8451 (see Cable article link on top). The sound is similar to the Canare L-2B2AT, but a little warmer. After comparisons, I changed out the Canare one-by-one, and the system became completely cabled with Belden. I don’t want you to misunderstand, the system did not sound that different than before. Whatever extra warmth was very subtle, but it benefited the BRZ FU-50's slight inherent leanness. 

Recently, not sure what’s the next step, I put back the ETA’s bottom plate. I said to myself, what the heck, let me listen to it once more before modding it. So, I slotted it back into the system. Holy! For the second time, I was shocked by what I heard.

Of course, the Gain problem is exactly what it had been before, just that it has become less annoying. The tonal quality with the Russian tubes is still slightly on the lean side, but no longer somewhat frayed at the edges. Images are more solid. That it is highly listenable is shown by the fact that violin music, especially baroque violin without vibrato, has become highly sophisticated. This is aided considerably by the superb rhythm and pace. Compared to the 6P6P Preamp, it shows a faster transient, a leaner but tactile bass, at least as much resolution, more rhythmically alert and perhaps slightly more clarity, and all this from what is basically a stock tube.

What happened? I had to really scrutinize this question. Obviously, the synergy with Belden 8451 contributed significantly. But I think the nature of the 6P6P preamp is also a factor: its sweeter and likely less dynamic nature makes less of the difference between Canare and Belden. These two cables are like my two hands - I know them so well. At least so I thought, but now I know even more.

It’s been almost one month since the ETA went back in, and I feel no compulsion at all to change it out. For the measly sum, it has allowed me to learn more about my system. The funny thing is, 2 days ago, I re-opened up the 6P6P Preamp and studied for ways to modify it! It shall take some work but is on the agenda.

(added 2/20/23) Here is an anecdote that serves as a cautionary tale. Just yesterday I had an accidental discovery. One channel of one pair of 8451 went out and I discovered at one end the + was not even soldered (such was my skill and haste!). Miracle that it had played by just sheer minimal contact (well tugged into the trough) for so long! I swapped in a pair of Canare and, guess what? Before this I was puzzled that I was lukewarm to Amanda Beyer's new Biber album (Harmonia Mundi). Puzzled because she and her ensemble Gli Incogniti have long been favorites of mine. Today, I re-listened and had a totally positive experience! It's more rhythmically sophisticated now. So, cabling makes a difference, and titration is complicated sometimes by different effects on different musical material. There is no perfection, but perhaps it's not a good idea to use just one type of cable throughout. Such are the vagaries of cable swaps!

Tube Rolling Haven’t done any so far. The most obvious would be the 5670, which are not expensive. If you really want to splurge, you can use WE2C51/396A. For starter, I’d recommend the Russian 6H(N)3 rather than the Chinese 6N3. Although the latter is very good, and smoother, I’m confident the Russian one is a fine tube and it’s sold by others on TB for as low as RMB 10 each (you have to put up with running them in). At some point, I shall get some 5670.

A Word on SRPP As PP implies, it works the tube hard and some say may shorten tube life. SRPP usually has high gain, which goes to say that it has drive, but could be overdone for many systems. SRPP has long been favored by the Japanese (likely my Wavac PR -X2) and the Chinese seem to like it too. Westerners use SRPP less. There are a few other 6N3 SRPP preamps on TB. The minimalist one from Hubei that sells for RMB 189 tempted me, as it also uses a tube rectifier; but then there are just too many interesting things on TB (including the same seller’s 6J1/6P1 transformer output headphone amp/preamp) and one cannot have them all.

Is this for you? The VERY HIGH Gain is the question you have to answer. If you are a cellphone or BT guy whose source output is on the puny side, it may work well. If you are a regular audiophile with a decent system though it will take work to integrate it. If your amp has no volume knob, your options are limited. The ETA likely is very revealing (and demanding) of cables. The big question of gain aside, I’d think it is much more suitable for warmer systems than leaner ones.

Nothing is perfect, right? Now I have not one but two imperfect but lovable Preamps. Now, where’s my perfect preamp? Or, for that matter, perfect cable?

6J4 6AU6 EF94 6P6P 6V6 Preamp

Click pics to enlarge. The roomy interior is a DIY tweaker's paradise. The preamp is all grounded to the chassis. Note that, as one member of diyaudio commented upon (link in text), the Earth of the IEC socket is not connected (lower left). The left knob is the selector, which is soldered to a small PCB. At the left of the PCB, you can see resistors directly coming off it (to the 6J4 together with the nearby caps). At the bottom of the pic, you find at the right the 4 RCA inputs. to the left is the single output, and you can see its grey shielded cable crossing the entire chassis to the front (where it connects with the volume pot). 

Review: 6J4 6P6P Preamp, Part I

(Important) Addedum 2/16/23: Due to new development, I'm currently using another preamp. So, I opened this one up and contemplated doing some upgrade. After studying it for a while, it dawned on me that, unlike what the schematic says, the volume pot is NOT placed after the selector, but rather at the very end, before output! In fact, you can see that from the pic above, and I have amended the text below the photo. This is highly unusual, and I asked the seller why, and he replied that having it at the end lowers noise (not surprising, given that the gain is so high and the 6V6 is a power tube that can output a few watts!). Hmmm, while that may be true, I wonder if it has sonic costs. Those savvy with circuits, please post comments if u can!

Part II (cable change); Part III (a little tube rolling)

After I bought bought my first Chinese Amps and deemed them satisfactory, I decided to buy a Chinese Preamp. Since I’m using low-powered SE amps, I need a Preamp with Gain. There are those who will take issue with this, but it is my firm belief that a Preamp with Gain gives one better oomph (a better First Watt). With few exceptions, I’m not for Unity Gain or Passive Preamp (including most TVC). I also much prefer to have the Preamp at my fingertip. This often mandates the use of long interconnects to my amps (or long loudspeaker cables), and the TUBE Preamp at least partially offer some form of buffering. It didn’t take long for me to settle for this one.

https://m.tb.cn/h.UmNicJc?tk=vEnvd6J6979

Ergonomics and Function This is a fairly basic line stage preamp. 4 Inputs and a pair of Outputs. Selector and Volume Knob. It is tube rectified (Chinese 6Z5). BUT, the tube complement is unusual, to say the least. Each channel employs 1x 6J4 and 1x 6P6P (both Chinese). Fully assembled, it costs here in China RMB 658 (USD 97) delivered.

Why I Picked This One There are numerous preamp offerings on Taobao, from very cheap DIY boards (LITE was one of the first ones to popularize this) to pretty expensive ones. Here are my criteria:

• As I have all kinds of Preamps (but not in China), including premium ones (say, Yamamoto, Kondo, Shindo), I didn’t have undue expectations nor want to spend much money. The price is right.

• I shun Preamps that use popular tubes like 12AX7(U7), 6DJ8/6922 and 6SN7 etc. The reason is because their old stock tubes cost too much and since I have plenty in NYC and HK I’d not want to buy more of those tubes here in China. That immediately takes out a large swarth of offerings featuring most of the Chinese (and Russian) 6Nx types, many of which have no real Western exact equivalents anyway. For this preamp though, I determined in advance of purchase that a bit of meaningful tube rolling can be had for not much (see section below). In any case, I'm increasingly not fond of 9-pin tubes - larger octals etc offer better sound.

• I am a great fan of the 6V6. Being entirely not Triode, this preamp has a fuller sound than those that use the tubes mentioned above. Mind you, not fat, but just fuller. In many ways, this preamp has a circuit that is closer to an amp.

• I also shun any replica types, and that further trims the offerings. I have the real Marantz 7, McIntosh C-22 etc, and have had experience with many others (like mediocre Matisse, the circuits of which are strangely popular in HK and China), why bother with replicas? I also tend to shun certain topographies, like SRPP (which, as an exception, I do have in the form of my Wavac PR-X2). Add all that together, and not many are interesting to me.

Click to enlarge. From Top, SMPS, Reisong Transformer, TDA-1305 DAC and 6X5 rectified, 6AU6/6V6 Preamp.

General Sound I have used this for months. It runs very quiet. Even with stock tubes, the sound was very good. I’m not going to write too much about it since, doing a bit of research for this article, I found there is a very good article from Nimophile (Singapore). I find his report to be well written and concur with most of his findings. I’d like to add that since there is not much regulation, although the preamp has plenty of gain, in a sense it’s not particularly “dynamic”. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with its dynamics, just that it doesn’t have the usual jumpy and over-eager quality of high gain preamps, which can be annoying; rather, even when loud it maintains a basic smoothness. Also, since I use SE amps, my preamp volume setting is unlike his (around 9 o’clock). It should be emphasized that lowering the feedback resistor value to lower gain increases feedback, which would usually be detrimental to the sound (usually less detailed). Unlike what he mentioned, I don’t even feel a tinge of grain in the treble, but then unlike him I’m using a tube amp and he an ICE amp.

Tube Rolling As Nimophile mentioned, tube rolling improves the sound meaningfully. The 6J4 has exact equivalents in 6AU6/EF94. I got a pair of Mullard (cheaper than Siemens) EF94’s for RMB 82 (USD 12). 6Z5 is the same as 6X5. I have quite a few of those in HK, left from my days with ANUK kits. But I bought one here with broken guide pin for RMB 36 (USD 5.3). Both changed the sound for the better. As for 6P6P (6V6), as a fan of 6V6, I knew for a long time that Russian ones are nothing special (current ones are better; older ones crap) and Chinese ones better. Nimophile found out the hard way but I totally would concur with his findings. When I get back to HK, I shall bring back old-stock US 6V6s, which is emphatically a cut above.

This Preamp is sold on many platforms: AliExpress, Amazon, Ebay etc, under various names and sellers. The Preamp is also sold on TB as a kit, but since assembly charge is low lazy me opted for the finished product. During my research, I found out this kit has been around for a long time (just Google “6J4 6P6P [or 6V6] Preamp”), and some of the issues have been discussed in various DIYaudio threads (here and here). It’s worthwhile reading those. I’m not sure whether the kit is still available in the West, but it is on TB.

Issues First, the RCA Sockets are not of the best quality (common grievance). I have one pair of particularly irksome MIT AV cables that have RCA connectors with Visor Grip. When pulled out, they ruined one of my 3.5mm to RCA adaptor (here) and also took out the collar (ground) of one of the RCA sockets in this preamp. Exasperating! Second, for some reason the IEC socket is kinda loose fitting in my sample, and I have lost power a few times; no great harm but irritating.

DIY and Upgrade For those with Soldering Skills, I’d recommend getting the Kit. I’d probably like to change the volume and selector pots, at least a couple of the RCA Inputs. I’d likely upgrade also the shielded signal cables to great-value dirt-cheap Canare L-2B2AT (review to come) or, even better, Belden 8451 (I have never formally reviewed it, but it appears in many of my mod articles, just search the blog for "8451"; also, just recently found it on TB, and bought some, review to come). The caps and resistors look pretty good to me. When I get the patience and urge to repair the ruined RCA connector, perhaps I'd implement some of these measures. But after finding out what I detailed in the Addendum above, I'm kind of at a lost...

Conclusion This Preamp is highly recommended for its value and sound.

The schematic below is old and may not exactly conform to current offerings. Certainly, as you

read in the addendum, the volume pot is actually at the very end, before output.