[Elecraft] Revisting audio after absence from the reflector

[Tim Logan]

*Hi folks -
In anticipation of beginning my next K2 I have been reviewing the 
archives for the many, many posts on audio - so please forgive one more! 
I've built two K2's and owned 3. The one I am building now will be my 
3rd. The only thought I've ever had as a "negative" about K2's is the 
audio volume. At one point two of mine seemed to have different relative 
volumes - even though Gary checked out the lower volume one and said it 
was A-OK.  SO...in building another one I would like to ask three 
questions for those of you WAY more informed than this dim bulb :-)

1 - During my build, can you suggest particular building stages and 
components where I should go beyond the normal voltage/continuity checks 
from the manual to make ADDITIONAL measurements to make 120% sure I have 
not inadvertantly "built in" anything that might contribute to a lower 
than standard volume?
 
2 - Have there been or are there any suggested component substitutions 
that might increase overall audio? If so, what are the tradeoffs for 
this experimentation?

3 - I note with interest Tom Hammond's circuit for an external amplified 
Motorola speaker (see http://N0SS.net) - has anyone adopted and used 
this particular setup and what do you think? Does the amplification have 
any negative impacts (distortion, increased noise, etc)?

If I missed archived responses that previously addressed these 
questions, I apologize in advance!!! Thanks folks!
73/Tim NZ7C



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