MichaelW
Well-known member
- Build Rating
I think I said yesterday that I was planning to put today aside to do demo's and not build.
Well, that didn't happen....heh. I've been so into my latest Clandestine Preamp build that I've fallen back down the EP-3 preamp rabbit hole again that I fell into 18 months ago....
I've mentioned that I had an Xotic EP Booster that was a staple before I started building pedals. When I started building I wanted to find a DIY project that could replace that pedal. Which led me into the world of the EP-3 preamps and all that I never knew about them.
About the time I built my first Clandestine I also grabbed the board for the Episode Booster, @Robert 's trace of the Xotic EP Booster, which I built not long afterwards. I also bought the AionFX Ares board (legacy version) which I've been sitting on all this time. I was so stoked with my most recent Clandestine build and new way of using it (after dirt pedals) that I decided it was high time to build this Aion version and see what it was all about.
While the Clandestine Preamp is a trace of the Chase Tone Secret Preamp, the AionFX Ares is a trace of the equally popular boutique ClinchFX EP.
Both Chase and Clinch are trying to replicate the preamp circuit of the Echoplex tape echo but from slightly difference approaches, which are reflected in how the Clandestine and Areas circuits are laid out. Although they are also similar enough that one could build a "roll your own" hybrid EP-3 preamp as @Big Monk did on his Ares board.
Anyway, functionally they do the same thing and operate the same way. There's not much gain in either pedals. (as opposed to the Xotic EP/Episode which is a true boost pedal). Like the Clandestine, the Ares is more of a tone sweetener or conditioner that adds just that little sumpin sumpin to your sound that is the "magic" of the Echoplex Preamp. It's subtle but noticeable. And again, it's one of those pedals that you leave on and don't even notice it until you turn it off.
There's some conjecture from ClinchFX as to exactly what that "magic sumpin sumpin" actually is. He postulates that the circuit has a 'non-linear phase response" that is the core of the effect. I'm not going to pretend to know what that means, all I know is that it almost always makes things sound better. Clean sounds are fattened but also has a sparkle, overdriven tones are more cohesive, more harmonically complex.
The Ares differs from the Clandestine in that it uses a second JFET stage in the circuit as a buffer. Well, herein lies some controversy. It looks like a JFET buffer to me in the schematic. Kevin from AionFX refers to it as a buffer. But ClinchFX INSISTS it is NOT a buffer. (I think this technically makes the Ares the ClinchFX EP "Plus" as the original "EP" did not have this second stage.) So this is what Clinch has to say about the second JFET stage:
"In the EP+ there is a second JFET boost stage, similar to the EP-PRE circuit, but with reduced output impedance. Regardless of the reduced output impedance, this second stage is an active boost stage, not a unity gain buffer. One advantage of reduced output impedance is that the EP+ can drive longer cable runs without losing high frequencies."
Ok, so it's an active boost stage to 1) reduce output impedance and 2) drive long cable runs without loss of high end......but it's NOT a buffer......ok, whatever...
In the Clinch/Ares circuit there is no provisioning for trim biasing so JFET selection criteria is much more critical. I had to find JFETS with a specific IDSS and VP for Q1 and Q2. This is another reason I put off building the Ares for so long. I didn't have any way to test for IDSS without building a test circuit.
BUT I recently acquired a handy dandy Peak Atlas DCA Pro. Which makes it so much easier. I was able to find a couple of JFETs that matched the specs I needed fairly quickly in my stash. The exact model of JFET is not as important as the IDSS. But I didn't have to stray far to find what I needed. I used a TO-92 2N5457 (IDSS=3.0ma) for Q1 and a 2N5458 (IDSS=7.54ma) for Q2.
The build itself went mostly smoothly except for a self inflicted bit of pain. I wanted to use the hammered gray enclosure from SmallBear for this pedal and the one I had available I had started drilling already for another project but changed my mind. So the distance from the top of the board to the top of the enclosure was something I had to work around. If I had started with a undrilled enclosure I would have moved the controls down about 6mm and that would have made life a lot easier. But as it turns out, the pre-drilled holes almost exactly match the Clandestine, so the two finished pedals look very similar.
Anyway, I had to do a little fancy footwork to get the top jacks to fit again, and like my most recent Clandestine, I had to use 2 different jacks to make it work.
But it does work!!
So how does it sound? Well, in a word, like it's supposed to. In other words it sounds GREAT! However, side by side comparisons with my two Clandestine builds, I like the Clandestine's better. Remember I used all mojo parts in the Clandestines, Orange drop caps, carbon film resistors, etc. I used my normal stuff in the Ares build. Could that be part of the difference I'm hearing? I'm not convinced it is. I think it's small variances in the two circuits. They both do what they claim to do, which is give your tone the Echoplex EP-3 treatment. They both way outclass the Xotic EP Booster (and it's a great pedal in its own right!). But the Clandestine and Ares I think are a more accurate portrayal of the EP-3 circuit, where the Xotic pedal is a more practical boost (it's got 20db+ of boost on tap)
Like the Clandestine, the Ares has a 3 way toggle for 2 different "eras" of Echoplex tape machines, one with a darker response, and one with a brighter response.
The Clandestine/Chase Tone adds a 3rd mode called "mid" which is a hybrid of the two EQ curves.
The ClinchFX EP does not natively have easy access to change modes. On the retail pedal you have to take the back off and move a jumper pin.
But AionFX exposes that as a 3 way toggle on the Ares project. Aion also adds a 3rd mode that's even thicker and darker sounding than the "Fat" mode and also has a significant jump up in gain.
I'm really happy with all 3 pedals as I'm figuring out how and where to use them. Right now I have one in my amp efx loop, which has a bit of a more subtle effect, and I have one after all my drives but before modulation (chorus and flanger). I love the Clandestine enough that I may wind up breaking my own rule and buying the the retail pedal, just because. heh.
Ok so after this long winded build report, I am NOT planning to build tomorrow but rather do a couple of demo's at least. There's nothing on fire on my plate that I'm chomping at the bit to build until my next batch of compressor boards come in.......
Hopefully, I can figure out a way to demo these pedals in a way that conveys what they do over video.
Another goofy top jack pattern.....but it all fit!
Side by side with my new Clandestine build from yesterday.
Well, that didn't happen....heh. I've been so into my latest Clandestine Preamp build that I've fallen back down the EP-3 preamp rabbit hole again that I fell into 18 months ago....
I've mentioned that I had an Xotic EP Booster that was a staple before I started building pedals. When I started building I wanted to find a DIY project that could replace that pedal. Which led me into the world of the EP-3 preamps and all that I never knew about them.
About the time I built my first Clandestine I also grabbed the board for the Episode Booster, @Robert 's trace of the Xotic EP Booster, which I built not long afterwards. I also bought the AionFX Ares board (legacy version) which I've been sitting on all this time. I was so stoked with my most recent Clandestine build and new way of using it (after dirt pedals) that I decided it was high time to build this Aion version and see what it was all about.
While the Clandestine Preamp is a trace of the Chase Tone Secret Preamp, the AionFX Ares is a trace of the equally popular boutique ClinchFX EP.
Both Chase and Clinch are trying to replicate the preamp circuit of the Echoplex tape echo but from slightly difference approaches, which are reflected in how the Clandestine and Areas circuits are laid out. Although they are also similar enough that one could build a "roll your own" hybrid EP-3 preamp as @Big Monk did on his Ares board.
Anyway, functionally they do the same thing and operate the same way. There's not much gain in either pedals. (as opposed to the Xotic EP/Episode which is a true boost pedal). Like the Clandestine, the Ares is more of a tone sweetener or conditioner that adds just that little sumpin sumpin to your sound that is the "magic" of the Echoplex Preamp. It's subtle but noticeable. And again, it's one of those pedals that you leave on and don't even notice it until you turn it off.
There's some conjecture from ClinchFX as to exactly what that "magic sumpin sumpin" actually is. He postulates that the circuit has a 'non-linear phase response" that is the core of the effect. I'm not going to pretend to know what that means, all I know is that it almost always makes things sound better. Clean sounds are fattened but also has a sparkle, overdriven tones are more cohesive, more harmonically complex.
The Ares differs from the Clandestine in that it uses a second JFET stage in the circuit as a buffer. Well, herein lies some controversy. It looks like a JFET buffer to me in the schematic. Kevin from AionFX refers to it as a buffer. But ClinchFX INSISTS it is NOT a buffer. (I think this technically makes the Ares the ClinchFX EP "Plus" as the original "EP" did not have this second stage.) So this is what Clinch has to say about the second JFET stage:
"In the EP+ there is a second JFET boost stage, similar to the EP-PRE circuit, but with reduced output impedance. Regardless of the reduced output impedance, this second stage is an active boost stage, not a unity gain buffer. One advantage of reduced output impedance is that the EP+ can drive longer cable runs without losing high frequencies."
Ok, so it's an active boost stage to 1) reduce output impedance and 2) drive long cable runs without loss of high end......but it's NOT a buffer......ok, whatever...
In the Clinch/Ares circuit there is no provisioning for trim biasing so JFET selection criteria is much more critical. I had to find JFETS with a specific IDSS and VP for Q1 and Q2. This is another reason I put off building the Ares for so long. I didn't have any way to test for IDSS without building a test circuit.
BUT I recently acquired a handy dandy Peak Atlas DCA Pro. Which makes it so much easier. I was able to find a couple of JFETs that matched the specs I needed fairly quickly in my stash. The exact model of JFET is not as important as the IDSS. But I didn't have to stray far to find what I needed. I used a TO-92 2N5457 (IDSS=3.0ma) for Q1 and a 2N5458 (IDSS=7.54ma) for Q2.
The build itself went mostly smoothly except for a self inflicted bit of pain. I wanted to use the hammered gray enclosure from SmallBear for this pedal and the one I had available I had started drilling already for another project but changed my mind. So the distance from the top of the board to the top of the enclosure was something I had to work around. If I had started with a undrilled enclosure I would have moved the controls down about 6mm and that would have made life a lot easier. But as it turns out, the pre-drilled holes almost exactly match the Clandestine, so the two finished pedals look very similar.
Anyway, I had to do a little fancy footwork to get the top jacks to fit again, and like my most recent Clandestine, I had to use 2 different jacks to make it work.
But it does work!!
So how does it sound? Well, in a word, like it's supposed to. In other words it sounds GREAT! However, side by side comparisons with my two Clandestine builds, I like the Clandestine's better. Remember I used all mojo parts in the Clandestines, Orange drop caps, carbon film resistors, etc. I used my normal stuff in the Ares build. Could that be part of the difference I'm hearing? I'm not convinced it is. I think it's small variances in the two circuits. They both do what they claim to do, which is give your tone the Echoplex EP-3 treatment. They both way outclass the Xotic EP Booster (and it's a great pedal in its own right!). But the Clandestine and Ares I think are a more accurate portrayal of the EP-3 circuit, where the Xotic pedal is a more practical boost (it's got 20db+ of boost on tap)
Like the Clandestine, the Ares has a 3 way toggle for 2 different "eras" of Echoplex tape machines, one with a darker response, and one with a brighter response.
The Clandestine/Chase Tone adds a 3rd mode called "mid" which is a hybrid of the two EQ curves.
The ClinchFX EP does not natively have easy access to change modes. On the retail pedal you have to take the back off and move a jumper pin.
But AionFX exposes that as a 3 way toggle on the Ares project. Aion also adds a 3rd mode that's even thicker and darker sounding than the "Fat" mode and also has a significant jump up in gain.
I'm really happy with all 3 pedals as I'm figuring out how and where to use them. Right now I have one in my amp efx loop, which has a bit of a more subtle effect, and I have one after all my drives but before modulation (chorus and flanger). I love the Clandestine enough that I may wind up breaking my own rule and buying the the retail pedal, just because. heh.
Ok so after this long winded build report, I am NOT planning to build tomorrow but rather do a couple of demo's at least. There's nothing on fire on my plate that I'm chomping at the bit to build until my next batch of compressor boards come in.......
Hopefully, I can figure out a way to demo these pedals in a way that conveys what they do over video.
Another goofy top jack pattern.....but it all fit!
Side by side with my new Clandestine build from yesterday.
