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Hagerman Piccolo head amp - First impressions (pics)

74.214.45.172

Just got this in today and do not want to get real critical until I've had more time with it. Associated equipment includes a VPI Scout TT, JMW-9 arm, Dynavector 20XL cartridge with about 150 hours on it, Hagerman Cornet II phono preamp, Hagerman Clarinet line stage, Parasound HCA-1201A monoblocks, Kimber 8TC speaker cables and Maggie 1.6 speakers.
I purchased this because of a persistent hum issue with my CineMag SUT. My Denon AU-300CL is dead quiet, but lacks the loading options I need with the Dyna cart. Setup is 20dB gain (The Cornet II offers 44dB gain) and a 47-Ohm load.
On first firing things up, no hum!!! Reports of hiss issues were not revealed in my setup. With the gain set for 26dB, the highest setting, only a faint hiss is audible with no input signal and even then not at the listening chair. At 20dB, the setting I use for the Dyna, none at all, just a quiet "blackness." I'm only grounding to the Piccolo. Jim Hagerman said grounding either to the Piccolo or the Cornet should work.
Now, how does it sound? Just fine thank you. The bass was the first difference from the CineMag that I noticed. The opening bass track on the Eagles "One of These Nights" was stonger, more full bodied and resonant than with the SUT in line. Highs were clear and detailed without sounding analytical or sterile. And the critical mids impeccable as well.
As I said I'm making no definitive judgements yet, but this looks promising.

Henry
Mushrooms are the opiate of the mooses

Follow Ups:

Xln't. - Elmo 08:25:30 07/12/07 (0)
Or ..... beating dead horses through to the other side (China).

Whatever/however one can get themselves to the music. Their music, in their system. Be it SUT [myself not the biggest fan, but still quite open minded (especially regards the Cinemags)], or head amp (even less of a fan). But no one single 'right' execution/installatation/configuration across vinyldom. Just the one that works for any indidividual (in my case a med output cart feeding a med gain phono). While more an a few may be closer to a 'perfect' ideal (insert vinyl electronic playback chain/config of your choice). A fair number have other/varied practical considerations/constraints.

If it's good enough for jazz, well then it is. Good show Henry (and Tom).
RE: Cinemag hum - Square Peg 00:58:28 07/12/07 (0)
I'm about to wire a pair to my Cornet II and have some TI Shield on hand from M Percy to place around them if needed. Very effective in other pre-amp applications. I also used the Microsorb to line the steel chassis with 36 ga. copper sheet I got at Hobby Lobby to shield and damp the steel.Could work for you.

"Ti SHIELD: Unique composite shielding material from Texas Instruments for blocking EMI & RFI interference. Conventional
shielding materials excel either in electrical conductivity or magnetic permeability, but not both. Steel is not conductive enough
to be effective at blocking high frequencies, while copper and aluminum are not effective at absorbing low frequency EMI. No
single material met both of these requirements until TI developed this copper/alloy 49/copper composite material. TI Shield is
effective from below 10Hz up to 10GHz and is currently available only in .014" thickness. Counterpoint utilized similar technology
in construction of their chassis' and found significant audible benefits were to be derived from surrounding audio circuitry
with materials that shield against both EMI & RFI. MicroSorb (pg. 18) could be used to adhesive back this material and provide
mechanical damping of the chassis as an additional benefit. Unlike Mu-Metal, this material may be cut and bent into convenient
shapes without requiring annealing to restore its shielding properties. 12" x 12"/$27.95, 12" x 24"/$54.50" -(page 14 of his catalog)
- Michael Percy, use the link and AA benefits (Open in New Window)
Loading mod to Piccolo - ecir38 20:01:41 07/11/07 (6)
Input impedance for the Piccolo is 47, 100, 220, 470, 1k, 47k. If one was to change this like the link states below, what values of impedance would you make changes to.

The gain and loading are completely independant which makes the Piccolo attractive to me instead of going with something like the CineMag.
- http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=41418.0 (Open in New Window)
- Seems like it would depend on the LOMC you're using... - tketcham 21:26:05 07/11/07 (5)
  The range of resistance values could be based on the particular LOMC(s) that you're most likely to use. For example, I had a range of 20/26/34/44/58/75 Ohms (approx. ratio of 1.3) installed for cartridges that ran best at less than 100 Ohms loading. Depending on how things work out and which LOMC I go with next, I may have a Piccolo built with resistance settings of 70 to 174 Ohms (ratio of 1.2) for a cartridge that runs best at plus or minus 100 Ohms loading. Or perhaps 10 to 30. Or...
  
  Any number of starting resistance values and ratios can be installed (kit or custom build) to suit the range of cartridges that you're likely to use. At least that's the direction I'm headed. From what I've been reading and from my recent experience with the AT33PTG I'm convinced that fine tuning a LOMC is worthwhile. At least with my setup.
  
  Tom
  - pcb socket - ecir38 07:36:46 07/12/07 (4)
    Sometimes i have to much time on my hands.
    If we knew the spacing of the resistors pins i was thinking that it may be possible to find a pcb socket to go in place of the the resistors. It looks like there would be enough room to allow this. This way if you change the cart and wanted differant loading options the resistors could be removed and replaced without soldering.
    I was thinking something like a through hole led socket or ic socket.
    
    Edits: 07/12/07
    - RE: pcb socket - tketcham 17:48:54 07/12/07 (1)
      Very interesting idea. The ultimate in loading versatility! I have no suggestions other than try it and see.
      
      Tom
      - RE: pcb socket - ecir38 17:57:36 07/12/07 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: pcb socket posted by tketcham on July 12, 2007 at 17:48:54
        
        Check these pdf's out.
        http://www.imperial-connect.co.uk/products/btb/I5B.pdf
        http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T072/P1600.pdf
        Just need someone with a blank board to measure the pin layout to get the right one. They make 1mm, 1.27mm, 2mm and 2.54mm,. My guess is that the one above might be the right one. I also found some with single socket's but have to look at them better.
        
        Edits: 07/12/07
    - If it could be done without affecting the sound. That's the question. /nt\ - HenryH 08:09:19 07/12/07 (1)
      Henry
      Mushrooms are the opiate of the mooses
      - RE: If it could be done without affecting the sound. That's the question. /nt\ - ecir38 10:38:41 07/12/07 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: If it could be done without affecting the sound. That's the question. /nt\ posted by HenryH on July 12, 2007 at 08:09:19
        
        I don't think there would be a problem as long as the socket used made a good connection to the resistor. The trick would be to find the right socket.
"...this looks promising." - tketcham 19:34:00 07/11/07 (2)
Hi, Henry,
I'm glad to see that your initial impression was favorable. I think Jim Hagerman is on to something with the Piccolo; a reasonably priced means of running LOMCs with most any phono stage. I'll be interested in your longer term comparison with SUTs.
I'm hoping to be able to troubleshoot the (high volume) hiss I get with my setup. Not that it's a problem, just that I'm curious what the source is.
After listening for a week I've come to some initial conclusions:
The Piccolo provides a very convenient way to fine tune a LOMC setup. For LOMCs that are sensitive to loading, the ability to try a range of resistance values makes it very easy to find the "sweet spot", especially with a range of resistance settings suited to the cartridge/system.
The combination of the Piccolo and Stealth brought out a mid-range richness that was lacking in the AT33PTG loaded at 100 Ohms. (With my system anyway.) There was plenty of detail but the highs were overemphasized and the mid-range and bass (even more so) were subdued. With the cartridge loaded at 44 Ohms the bass lines became dynamic and punchy. The mid-range really came to the forefront; vocals sound really nice. Highs were still there but more transparent and moved deeper into the soundstage. For some folks, this last effect may not be to their liking. But the intermediate resistance settings available on the Piccolo make it easy to find the particular sweet spot for their system.
I'm now wanting to give another LOMC a try for comparison. Dynavector 20XL perhaps?
Tom

Edits: 07/11/07 07/11/07 07/11/07
- Well . . . - HenryH 20:16:10 07/11/07 (0)
  One would assume Jim Hagerman would test his head amp with his phono preamps to be sure they "played nice" with each other. They certainly do.
  
  Henry
  Mushrooms are the opiate of the mooses
- Get the 20XL. You will not be disappointed. /nt\ - HenryH 20:11:13 07/11/07 (0)
  Henry
  Mushrooms are the opiate of the mooses
Is that the Wheel of Steel..... - Ivan303 18:15:48 07/11/07 (1)
in the picture sitting there in a place of prominence?

Nobody here but us chickens.
_________________________
- Yep. It's my backup table. I actually could be happy with it - HenryH 18:18:23 07/11/07 (0)
  alone. But, luckily, I don't have to. . . ;8^)
  
  Henry
  Mushrooms are the opiate of the mooses
more bass and no loss of detail - OMalley 17:59:46 07/11/07 (1)
hiss only at the highest setting which I aint gonna use either. Great news. thanks to tketcham for his comments, as well.

Since I have 50dB on the Bugle on have even less to worry about.

thanks for the word.

~ Pat O'Malley

crash, boom, bang
- Yep. You need to get building. /nt\ - HenryH 18:28:20 07/11/07 (0)
  Henry
  Mushrooms are the opiate of the mooses

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