My Novo Kit Build
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: DIY AUDIO
Forum Name: DIY Audio questions and answers
Forum Description: www.diy-audio-kits.com ... superb audio kits for experienced constructors
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1831
Printed Date: 26 Mar 2026 at 9:25pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: My Novo Kit Build
Posted By: mickmack926
Subject: My Novo Kit Build
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:21pm
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Hi all, my name is Mick, I'm new here so hello all. I ordered the Novo Headphone Amp kit a couple of weeks ago which arrived on Friday, so I thought I would add a few pics and show you how I got on. First of all, although I love computers and the internet, I get the feeling that this forum update will take me rather longer than the kit build (that is currently going through a burn in).  Kit arrived and box unpacked. |
Replies:
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:25pm
Didn't realise how bad my 46 year old eyes were, I had to take photo's of some of the components, then zoom right in to identify them!!! The smallest part which my 11 year old daughter could read, my wife just said "is there writing on that"?? |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:28pm
Once I'd identified the resistors, I laid them out in no particular order and the soldering began. |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:34pm
At first I just balanced the PCB between two of the kit boxes (no I wasn't very prepared). Moving into Saturday morning I had to go purchase a "helping hands" from Maplin's for a very reasonable £10. This tied in with having to take my Cyrus streamer back to the shop for a firmware update (don't get me started)!! |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:39pm
Next were the capacitors. Sorry, don't know how to rotate the image. Identification, then more soldering. It was at this stage that I realised I had been using lead free solder..........Aaaaggggh.......too late now!  |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:40pm
Coming on nicely. |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:56pm
Sprinkle in a liberal helping of diodes. I missed the part in the destructions that said "solder a tinned piece of copper wire from the phone block to the ground tag on the rear panel" (or words to that effect). I then had to improvise and solder a piece of 0.75mm insulated copper wire underneath the PCB joining the Neg of the phono block to where the Earth fly lead originates (chassis tag). It was either that, or remove the phono block! |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 5:57pm
Holding the LED in place. |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:00pm
Place carefully into the case. |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:06pm
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I'm a very impatient person, I glanced at the instructions before starting the build. And equally, when it came to testing, I think I tested 3 points near the output side (if it was wrong at the input, it was gonna be waaay wrong at the output was my thinking). Please follow the instructions and test properly before plugging into your system, it could end in tears.....  |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:08pm
In place and warming up nicely...... ........thank you Graham Slee. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:10pm
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Hi Mick, thanks for sharing this helpful photo-blog. It shows what we all go through working with tiny parts that look very similar to each other. And very good advice on testing before powering up. Hopefully you will soon be enjoying sweet music thanks to your own efforts. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:10pm
Sweet! ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
mickmack926 wrote:Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:12pm
I get the sneaky suspicion you like Cyrus gear  I don't think my 47 year old eyes would be up to building a Novo so well done------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:21pm
| I do like my Cyrus gear, I auditioned a few other bits but kept coming back to Cyrus. The upgradability swung it though. To the end of this year I am looking at either, a second 8 power in mono mode, or an X power. A demo should let me know which was to go. |
Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:39pm
Cyrus is a bit too upfront for me but I appreciate what they do and the upgrade path is a lot less painful than some manufacturers I could mention  . I see I'm not the only one who has a dust trap holding their gear  ------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:46pm
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Thanks for this. I'm plucking up courage to build a Genera phono amp, but my eyes will have 10 more years than yours so my practicing on some cheap Velleman kits has not yet been at all successful. I have a Cyrus CD8 SE and quite fancied going further down the Cyrus path until I borrowed a Cyrus 8 QX DAC. I really didn't like it at all. It was really revealing and exciting, but I could enjoy listening to it for more than a very short while. I'm now intending, at some stage to listen Graham's amps and Big DAC when it's available. ------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 8:09pm
Mine are also 47 YO (!) and I use a magnifying lamp. It's an anglepoise lamp with a fluorescent white bulb around a 4X magnifier. It's helpful on standard PCB's, and checking resistor colours, small writing on capacitors, etc. I find it's essential for SMD work. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 8:11pm
TBH Jon it's a lame excuse as I can't solder for toffee  ------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 8:57pm
 ------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 9:45pm
Mmm...I've yet to be convinced ------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 10:46pm
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Mitch65 you have to give it a go, do what ICL1P has done and get some Maplin/Velleman kits to play with. I'm already toying with the idea of a phono amp kit now. If your hands shake a pint of Stella usually does the trick, ha ha. |
Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 7:55am
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Mick/Ifor My experiances are based on when I was trying to make my own interconnects which weren't pretty  but maybe I didn't give it much of a chance. I have been
looking at the Maplins kits so maybe I will take the plunge soon
(obviously I will have to swing by the offie on the way home to stock up
on copius amounts of Stella  ) as I like the idea of doing my own Novo but I'm such an impatient sod at times. Maybe once Ifor has finished his project that will get me motivated. Greg ------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 7:58am
Greg, I'll keep you posted. There's better stuff that Stella. ------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 8:32am
I actually prefer Peroni  ------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 4:39pm
Just looked at the picture......oops, don't tell the wife!! She swears as she polishes that lot once a week, guess that was the day before it was due |
Posted By: mitch65
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 4:54pm
I have to do my own dusting ..........the OCD in me would love spacing out those boxes!------------- Greg Rega Planer 3 Gram Amp 2 Audiolab 8000A Auralic Aries Mini Russell K 50 |
Posted By: mickmack926
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 4:57pm
LOL. |
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2013 at 5:20pm
------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |