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NAD! Trinity Trip Top

DRafalske

DRafalske

Nov 6, 2008
608
94
Hebron, KY
#1
Well, actually the NAD was last Wednesday, but I ordered it as a kit and didn't get it up and running until last night.
You can find all the specs and everything on Trinity's website Trinity Amps Trip Top Vacuum Tube Bass/Guitar Amp. Obviously it's their take on the B-15 and sounds like you'd expect. I really couldn't be any happier with it.
I'm not very good at writing in-depth reviews so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate. Trinity's forum has a very detailed build thread, so I didn't bother trying to reproduce that, but there are a couple pics of the guts. I know the wiring could be cleaner, but I'm happy with it. I haven't been building amps very long.

Pics

 
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#3
Congratulations on a job well done. Looks like a very nice kit, quality chassis, transformers, and components.

You got it together pretty quickly. Even better when it works!

I see some bus wires on a tone board that don't look like they are soldered. I assume that they are tacked down on the other side of the board. ;)
 
#4
beans-on-toast said:
Congratulations on a job well done. Looks like a very nice kit, quality chassis, transformers, and components.

You got it together pretty quickly. Even better when it works!

I see some bus wires on a tone board that don't look like they are soldered. I assume that they are tacked down on the other side of the board. ;)
Click to expand...

I should have mentioned that. It is a very nice kit. The chassis is heavy gauge steel, mirror polished, well laid out. I didn't run into any sharp edges or anything like that. The transformers are from Heyboer and are over-spec'd - this amp will run KT88's. Everything else seemed top notch. No missing parts. It was well documented, but I'm glad it was not my first build.

And yes, those bus wires on the tone boards are indeed soldered from the other side.
 
#7
Ballin'bass said:
That is sweet! I couldn't find anything on the site about the price. How much was the kit?
Click to expand...

You have to go into the kit section to see those prices, but they're very reasonable. The trip top kit lists as $670, add $60 for the tube cage, another $60 for shipping, and they have an optional cabinet available. I built their [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] a while back (build album). Great stuff for the price. Good quality heyboer transformers, quality components, well laid out build guides, and such.
 
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#8
beans-on-toast said:
You might find it interesting to read the threads by coco53 related to your amp:

B15 DIY Phase Inverter Issues
B15 DIY Grounding
Click to expand...

Both interesting reads. It's worth noting, regarding the Phase Inverter, that his solutions were incorporated into the latest design as "recommended modifications". You won't see them in my photos because I hadn't installed them yet. I didn't notice any of those issues before - or after - I installed them.
 
#9
DRafalske said:
Both interesting reads. It's worth noting, regarding the Phase Inverter, that his solutions were incorporated into the latest design as "recommended modifications". You won't see them in my photos because I hadn't installed them yet. I didn't notice any of those issues before - or after - I installed them.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of factors related to the circuit design, layout, output transformer, even the tube that can come into play. How hard the amp is pushed can also be a factor. The PI mod is not an unusual measure to take to make the amp perform optimally.
 
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#10
beans-on-toast said:
You might find it interesting to read the threads by coco53 related to your amp:

B15 DIY Phase Inverter Issues
B15 DIY Grounding
Click to expand...

I hadn't seen the grounding thread before but I might have to take up the solder tab idea on my B15. I've noticed lately there is a small hum when both volumes are all the way down. Dial the volume controls up and the hum does away. I cleaned up/reflowed the solder connections on the grounds for the volume pots and around the inputs, as well as cleaning the pots and jacks with some deoxit, but hadn't thought about oxidation in the washers preventing good ground connection to the chassis.
 
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#11
coreyfyfe said:
I hadn't seen the grounding thread before but I might have to take up the solder tab idea on my B15. I've noticed lately there is a small hum when both volumes are all the way down. Dial the volume controls up and the hum does away. I cleaned up/reflowed the solder connections on the grounds for the volume pots and around the inputs, as well as cleaning the pots and jacks with some deoxit, but hadn't thought about oxidation in the washers preventing good ground connection to the chassis.
Click to expand...

Some pots lift the wiper when the rotation is fully counter clockwise. This can result in some hum. The pots aren't supposed to do this but some do. In these cases, the hum is either there or it isn't like a switch, it doesn't occur gradually. Some B-15 pot cases have ground connections (they shouldn't, not the best technique) so checking the oxidation is a good idea. Rather than clean the oxidation on the lock washers, I find it easier to buy a box of internal tooth zinc plated ones at home depot. They are the same as the originals and will last resist corrosion for years. Better quality stainless steel ones can also be found.
 
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#12
beans-on-toast said:
Some pots lift the wiper when the rotation is fully counter clockwise. This can result in some hum. The pots aren't supposed to do this but some do. In these cases, the hum is either there or it isn't like a switch, it doesn't occur gradually. Some B-15 pot cases have ground connections (they shouldn't, not the best technique) so checking the oxidation is a good idea. Rather than clean the oxidation on the lock washers, I find it easier to buy a box of internal tooth zinc plated ones at home depot. They are the same as the originals and will last resist corrosion for years. Better quality stainless steel ones can also be found.
Click to expand...


I know it's not a pot issue on mine at least as it happens on both channels and I've swapped one of the two pots already due to a separate issue. It does increase as the volume control goes down. I'll start with some new washers.
 
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#13
The threaded pot shaft can also turn green with corrosion. Deoxit works well there but don't let it go down into the shaft. It will dissolve the lubricant on the shaft and contaminate inside the pot such as the resistive element. A loose nut can also result in a contact issue.

For cleaning and lubricating the inside of the pot, use Deoxit D5.
 
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