Some initial photo bucket experiments

[fastfred]

Pics of my Merrill, an S.A.R. LABS MOS-450 MKII & a pic of my SCOTT 299B.:stalks:

[jandl100]

That looks a seriously butch power amp! I've not come across them over here in the UK. What sort of power output does it give?

[YNWaN]

Oh, I'm a bit of a fan of the Merrill - very rare in the UK (I've never seen one).

[fastfred]

Thanks to everyone for the warm reception on this forum as well as the welcome forum.
Jerry the "Butch" amp in the pics is a Mos 450 MkII by S.A.R. Labs. My friend Walter Romanyshyn is the sole proprietor/circuit & circuit board designer/metal fabricator etc. He basically builds these amps 1 at a time. It's specified output is 225 wpc. into 8 ohms. It easily handles 4ohm loads. If you wish to see specs for S.A.R. Labs amps I have Brochures for 2 different S.A.R Labs amps on my website (www.audiofyle.com/s.a.r.html) I have a Mos 400 plus a Mos 450 listed for sale on my website. However I am not a dealer for S.A.R. Labs. I do list his contact info on my home page as he does not as yet have his own website.
"Mark" I checked out your website the Linn subchassiszz are very interesting. Also like the Naim chassis replacement. It could be used as a DIY chassis for just about anything your imagination being the limit.
I'll be posting some pictures of my system in the Gallery within the next week. I'm waiting for delivery on my Merrill turntable so pics won't go up till then.

[fastfred]

Hello Mark (YNWaN).
If you're interested when I take delivery on my Merill Heirloom I'll post some pictures as I assemble the turntable.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Fred, there are plenty of us interested in seeing this, so please do share all you can.

[fastfred]

Here are some more images of my system.
IMAGE 1. on the left is my full system shot. Showing the 2 Tannoy 10" monitor Golds. Outstanding speakers! In the centre on the floor is my REL Subwoofer (Q-2011). Great sub! Beside that is a (chinese) Power Bright VC-1500 W Step-up/Step-down power supply for tuner cd etc. Power amp plugs direct into wall socket.
IMAGE 2. is a picture of my S.A.R. LABS Mos 400 in the rack (Target)directly above my antique Yamaha CT 1010 AM/FM tuner. No preamp right now just sold my Bryston BP-20. The cd player has a variable out put & the tuner has a level control so right now having to disconnect & reconnect interconnect wires, need a switch box I guess.
IMAGE 3. My Sony CDP-608 ESD as modified by S.A.R. Labs.
IMAGE 4. & 5 are the left & right speakers respectively. New stuffing in the cabinets, S.A.R. Labs modified x-overs. New custom made trapezoid cabs on order. The fellow I got these from had them since he was a teenager the sticker on the left cab is from The Alan Parson's I Robot, the sticker on the right cab is from Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" (I think). That's how old these are u do the math. Still awaiting delivery on my Merrill turntable. I'll post some pics of my H.H. Scott 299B another day. (5 image limit on this post). cheers everybody.

..................... Fred

[keiths]

Nice sytem Fred. Looking forward to the turntable photos.


...the sticker on the right cab is from Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" (I think). That's how old these are u do the math

It's from 'Dark Side of the Moon' - so that's 1973.

[fastfred]

In the interest of honesty lets say they're 35 years old, the Monitor Golds sound abolutely fantastic. The fellow who built these cabinets said the design for these cabinets came with the drivers. It would be interesting to see the plans. When we removed fiber/glass pink house insulation & re-stuffed with a 3/4 inch thick cotton fleece like material,what an improvement, low bass has no business being this good. Now I can survive with the sub turned off, however I am addicted to "grunt".

.................. Fred

[YNWaN]

Hello Mark (YNWaN).
If you're interested when I take delivery on my Merill Heirloom I'll post some pictures as I assemble the turntable.

Yes please :)

I seem to remember the chassis shape is rather as the old AR (could be wrong though as its a long time since I looked at the Merrill).

[Marco]

Hi Fred,

Nice to see a 'proper' CDP (and speakers) being used in a system for a change! From a fellow Sony CDP (X-777ES) and Tannoy (15" Monitor Golds) user ;)

They don't make 'em like that any more, matey, (more's the pity), so enjoy! :cool:

Marco.

[fastfred]

Hello Mark:
I'm not sure if the Heirloom is the exact dimensions of the AR turntable Merrill originally manufactured up grades for. I'm pretty sure it was a complete re-think of his thoughts on turntable design. Here's some history from the six moons website...John Potis wrote: quote "I can't imagine many audiophiles over the age of 35 not knowing who George Merrill is.......Merrill first made a name for himself modifying the various incarnations of AR turntables -- the Merrill Mods --- and achieved what I'd call living legend status. (At about that time he designed his own table, dubbed the Merrill Heirloom.) No doubt, if you own an AR turntable, you've considered sending it away to have it modified. My own table has been modified though not at the hands of Mr. Merrill but those of his new business partner Anthony Scillia. You see, after modifying 5,000 turntables (and filling another 5,000 upgraded parts orders), Merrill found someone to whom he could lend his name and reputation and pass the torch to Anthony Scillia who was an engineer(owned an aerospace company)----- He had purchased a used AR table from eBay. Scillia was unimpressed with the quality of the upgrades. Soon he was modifying the tables of friends, which gave him more and more opportunities to make and stay in contact with George Merrill. Eventually Merrill began to tire of the mod business. Once completely satisfied with the quality of Scillia's work, Merrill began recommending Scillia to AR owners. And so the torch passed." unquote. from http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/ms/ms2.html
The 2 images respectively are Merrill Scillia MS2 & Merrill Heirloom. The heirloom upgrade is pricey but cheap compared to Ms2 price $14,000 american dollars. Maybe you could help the AR afficianados & Heirloom owners with some competitive(quality & priced) mods.....

prices taken from Merrill/Scillia website.........
http://www.merrillscillia.com/products.html
......Upgrade parts include:

Stainless Steel one piece tuning weight
Replacment Sub chassis with small or large mounting boss
Stainless Steel Record weight - replaces clamp or old weight
Clamping Ring - replaces older style
MS machined spring and thrust bearing set
MS2 single speed power supply, cable and 33/45rpm 50 or 60Hz pulley
Includes machining and mounting hardware for your tone arm.
3,500.00


Just a quick heads up to the fact that I posted my 299B project on The Drawing Board (diy) thread title My(fastfred) H.H. Scott 299B.

[YNWaN]

Hi Frederick, I think you may have tried to contact me via my business partner Andrew? I have sent you a PM (Personal Message) on this forum.

[fastfred]

Yes please :)

I seem to remember the chassis shape is rather as the old AR (could be wrong though as its a long time since I looked at the Merrill).Merry belated Christmas & a Happy New Year & My Merrill updates.

I received my Heirloom TT @ noon Dec. 28th. Got home from work @ 6pm. & finished unpacking the unit. Everything promised was there, the periphery clamp, the screw on clamp, the Mission 774 tonearm. However the motor/pulley was left in the plinth when it was shipped, and somehow was damaged in shipping? The table was shipped in 2 boxes it actually took me 30 minutes to unpack everything (see pic). It looks like 40ft. of bubble wrap were used. There is some damage to the box but it doesn't appear bad enough to have bent the shaft.(hmmm?) We'll see. I included pictures of the damage to the motor shaft & pulley. As well as pics of the Mission tone arm. If any one can tell me if parts are missing on the tone arm I would appreciate it.
pic 1. close up of damage to motor shaft & pulley. Pic 2. a shot of the total package unpacked. (pulley hi-lited)
Pic 3. hi lited area at top shows where wand came apart while unwrapping. Is the hi-lite below anti-skate mechanism?
Pic 4. Is this the trough the paddles go in if so where do they attach. If paddles aren't included is the tone arm a wonderfull piece of useless audio sculpture?

Hopefully the Scott project goes smoother.
The package was insured I'll know tomorrow what the vendor is going to do.

............................cheers fellows fastfred

[YNWaN]

Blimey, I'm extremely sorry to hear of this damage :(. Unfortunately the motor and pulley both look damaged beyond repair. The motor must have suffered a severe knock to have bent the spindle as badly as that (presumably from the platter).

[Alex_UK]

A real shame Fred. :( Good luck getting it resolved, but I suspect as Mark says, motor/pulley have probably had it without a lot of work/re-manufacture.