Rexton's Valve System - Upgrade Blog

[Wakefield Turntables]

Over the next year the valve system is going to go through a major overhaul, here's whats planned.


1. Garrard 301 - New idler wheel - Work in progress.
- New bearing fitted - awaiting delivery
- Maybe a new SPU

2. Paradise phonostage - Upgraded to latest specs - Work done, now awaiting Tannoy XO's.

3. Tannoy 15" Monitor Gold XO - Upgraded to latest Fidelity Reference Components Reference specification - Work in progress.

4. Sondex S100 amplifier - Being replaced with Radford STA100 amplifier - Ordered and awaiting delivery.

5. Croft Epoch Preamp - Upgraded valve and power regulation - This may not happen depending upon feedback from evaluation.

Cabling will be staying the same. Should sound good. ;)

[Marco]

You might want to post some pics of your current system(s), so as to make your new 'system blog' here in the Gallery a little more relevant ;)

Marco.

[Andy831]

I would quite like to have a listen to that Radford when it arrives and you have sorted out how best to set it up.

If that is possible then give me a shout.

Andy

[Wakefield Turntables]

You might want to post some pics of your current system(s), so as to make your new 'system blog' here in the Gallery a little more relevant ;)

Marco.

yes I had realised, later today perhaps.


I would quite like to have a listen to that Radford when it arrives and you have sorted out how best to set it up.

If that is possible then give me a shout.

Andy

Of course.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Hmmmm the hunt for my camera lead continues. New Garrard 301 bearing turned up today! It's been installed for 30 minutes and it ain't getting replaced. It's that good:trust:.
I've got the 301 running through my old Lentek head amp which in turn is sitting in the back of a EAR 834 clone. OMG, the sonics are sublime. I will post some pictures when I can find the camera lead.

[brian2957]

:popcorn:

Where did you get the 301 bearing from Andy ?

[Wakefield Turntables]

:popcorn:

Where did you get the 301 bearing from Andy ?

Brian, it came from Malaysia.

Now for some long awaited piccies.

The Garrard 301. With a SME 3012, rewired IKEDA silver wire, a Yannis Tome (off the menu) 420.5 litz tonearm cable with pure silver RCA's. Silver Meister SPU and pure Copper record weight. The deck is fed by the Pheonix PSU and tachometer speed controller which can no longer be purchased. 21317

This lot is fed into a EAR 834 clone MM phonostage. My reference phonostage, the four box paradise is currently being upgraded and repaired so whilst it's out of action I've been feeding the SPU through my Lentek head amp. It's the best noise the 301 has ever made. The EAR has x3 Mullard ECC83's (vintage) and sounds bloody brilliant.
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This piccie shows the Yannis Tome tonearm cable and also my Croft Epoch preamp. The preamp has been extensively modified by Nick Gorham. It's due for another round of mods this year. I think better valve regulation and PSU.
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The Garrard 301 has undergone a little (well quite large actually) upgrade in the form of a new bearing. I used to run a Garrard 401 bearing on the 301. Over the years I've gone from a stock 301 bearing to a Martin Bastin modded 301 bearing, then the 401 and now the Malaysian offering.

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And here is what the beast looks like when it's installed under the 301.

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More pics to follow when I get time.

[RobbieGong]

Lovely 301 Andy, :thumbsup: How does it compare to your Techie ?

[brian2957]

That 301 looks absolutely beautiful Andy :)

The bearing from Malaysia looks the biz mate , do they do them for GL75s .

[Andy831]

Brilliant I shall look forward to that Andy.

[Marra]

That 301 looks absolutely beautiful Andy :)

The bearing from Malaysia looks the biz mate , do they do them for GL75s .

They do Brian although all long versions are sold out.

http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=25857.0

[brian2957]

Thanks Keith , I'm a member so I'll have a look :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

Lovely 301 Andy, :thumbsup: How does it compare to your Techie ?

Not quite sure yet as the the Garrard is being a sulky little bugger! I get one problem solved and then another crops up :rolleyes: I suppose that's what you get for running vintage gear.


That 301 looks absolutely beautiful Andy :)

The bearing from Malaysia looks the biz mate , do they do them for GL75s .

Thanks mate, looks like your questions have been answered.


Brilliant I shall look forward to that Andy.

I will give you a shout when I'm happy with the setup. It might be a few months as I'm not sure when the Radford is being delivered.

[Wakefield Turntables]

http://i.imgur.com/mItodYIh.jpg#XPQO8

Just bought one of the above for the EAR 834 clone. It's a new PSU. I'm also considering producing a "Reference" level EAR 834 clone is so far as that it's been souped up to buggery over on Lenco Heaven. I'll probably need a few other bits and pieces but I'm very very happy with the clone I own at the moment but I wonder how far this can be pushed, hence the new purchases. The valve system now has the Paradise phonostage up and running again but I still wait for a few bits for the Garrard and the Tannoy's XO's. Should all be good fun when I can cobble a working system togther!

[Wakefield Turntables]

Decisions decisions.

I'm looking for some new ECC83's to try against the Mullard ECC83's from the 70's. I found these

https://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=4158

OR

http://www.hotroxuk.com/general-electric-5751-valve.html

OR

http://www.hotroxuk.com/general-electric-jan-12ax7wa.html

[julesd68]

The JAN GE 5751 is a very good tube for the money - it was the stock tube in my phono stage.

I replaced it with a 1950's GE black plate which I found had a bit more sparkle in the treble and superior dynamics.

Probably the best place to buy the Jan GE is Langrex, much cheaper -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5751-JAN-GE-NOS-VALVE-TUBE-/260832811140?epid=1475612454&hash=item3cbad8d884:g:TcYAAOSwImRYPrzE

[Wakefield Turntables]

Thanks for the tip Julian.;)

[Wakefield Turntables]

Just a little update.

I added a new mono SPU to the collection. Tom had this up for sale and it's just a perfect match for my Garrard 301. I don't have to change anything on the tonearm. The new SPU just bolts in and is ready to go! I've wanted a mono cartridge for some time and was searching the forums and eBay for some time. The only problem is that you don't really know what your going to get. I can trust Tom, the price was excellent so he got my wonga! :D The SPU should now be the perfect transcribing tool for all my MONO jazz and classical records. I'm sure better carts exist for the job but at this moment in time I'm happy with this little fella.

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The Garrard 301 has recieved a little attention this week and I decided to buy a new Idler wheel to replace the 40+ year old component that currently resides in the 301's innards.

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The Paradise phonostage is now fully fixed and upgraded so I can't wait this weekend when I get chance to hook up the 301 and have a listen to the upgrades and new carts.

[brian2957]

Yup I did the same as you Andy and treated myself to one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenco-NEW-IDLER-WHEEL-LENCO-L75-L78-SHAFT-2-45-PULEGGIA-LENCO-L78-75-2-45/251425522011?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 . Serious upgrade to the GL75 .

I have also ordered a new bearing from Malaysia which should arrive next week :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

Yup I did the same as you Andy and treated myself to one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenco-NEW-IDLER-WHEEL-LENCO-L75-L78-SHAFT-2-45-PULEGGIA-LENCO-L78-75-2-45/251425522011?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 . Serious upgrade to the GL75 .

I have also ordered a new bearing from Malaysia which should arrive next week :)

Both upgrades will offer significant improvements over the stock Lenco parts. I'm sure your going to be very happy. :D

[brian2957]

I'm very happy with the GL75 already mate but I'm pretty sure this new bearing will be the '' icing on the cake '' :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

Finally managed to put everything back together again. I repaired the SME 3012 this afternoon and bolted on the new SPU Mono GM mk II and instantly noticed more rasp to double base strings. Vibes seem to take longer decay and hang around in the air a little more than what I'm used to. The 301 is playing through my solid state system at the moment until I get my Tannoy XO's sorted out. Paul @ RFC has now taken delivery of these and it should be 4-6 weeks before I get them which means I have that time to get the bearing and new Paradise phonostage mods bedded in. I'm now debating about how I can better brace the bearing on my 301. I'm also looking into how I can mod the 301 to squeeze a little more performance out of her. Ah, the quest for sonic nirvana continues...

[Wakefield Turntables]

New PSU arrived today for the 834 clone, have some fun over the weekend putting it together.

[drSM]

They do Brian although all long versions are sold out.

http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=25857.0

anyone have the direct contact of the bearing maker? (not via LencoHeaven)
Am curious to find out what else they do? Ta

That turntable is lovely.

[Wakefield Turntables]

New EAR 834 RIAA board arrived today. Just getting the bits together for a "super" 834 clone.

[ovlov854]

Decisions decisions.

I'm looking for some new ECC83's to try against the Mullard ECC83's from the 70's. I found these

https://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=4158

OR

http://www.hotroxuk.com/general-electric-5751-valve.html

OR

http://www.hotroxuk.com/general-electric-jan-12ax7wa.html

Hi Before you pull the trigger on these valves you shoulg read this re 5751 valves
/www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#12AX7-3

The prices quoted are a bit steep and also read up on rolling the valves in the 834.
You can find the info on Wigwam.....sorry!
I was lucky enough to fond a matched quad of JHS Sylvania grey plate from the 50's to inhabit my Hovland ............divine
The later 70's versions are good but not that good
Hope the reading helps but initially it confused the hell out of me:doh::doh::doh:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Hi Before you pull the trigger on these valves you shoulg read this re 5751 valves
/www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#12AX7-3

The prices quoted are a bit steep and also read up on rolling the valves in the 834.
You can find the info on Wigwam.....sorry!
I was lucky enough to fond a matched quad of JHS Sylvania grey plate from the 50's to inhabit my Hovland ............divine
The later 70's versions are good but not that good
Hope the reading helps but initially it confused the hell out of me:doh::doh::doh:

Thanks Martin. It's always good to get as much info as possible on these things.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Well. I have been busy again and have ordered a new PSU for the Garrard.

https://i.imgur.com/eGId4nf.jpg

This is coming from Bulgaria!!! It offers my the same stability as my old Pheonix Engineering system but also allows me to play around with the Hz and Voltages going into the 301's motor. I've been playing around with a similar unit on my Lenco 75 and I'm extremely happy with the results so I'm hoping that this should also help fine tune the 301's performance. The EAR super clone is still progressing nicely and I'm still waiting for my new Radford STA100 and RFC custom made XO's upgrades.

[Wakefield Turntables]

New reference Tannoy XO's delivered.

Ordered some of these https://markgrant.co.uk/audio-cables/32-oyaide-ftvs-510-pure-silver-stereo-cable-fitted-with-wbt-0110-ag.html I got pissed off with some ground loop hum. I've been trying some Cu cables from Mark Grant and whilst they are OK they dont sound the same as Ag.

Some pics to follow.

[Wakefield Turntables]

A few more changes to the valve system.

Firstly the Van Damme 6mm has been replaced with 3mm solid core pure silver.

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The difference is immediate with this cable providing an instant improvement in clarity and delivery, gone is the lazy presentation of the Van Damme. I can hear instant improvements in Timbral delivery.


A new pure silver power cable for the Garrard 301 motor and new speed controller when it arrives. Simple 1mm solid core silver in very light weight silver so there is no strain on the motor.

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New Tannoy 15" Monitor Gold XO's. These are now fully burned in and produce exception timbrel detail and really complement the new pure silver speaker cables.


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Last but not least. Just when I fancy listening to a MM cartridge. I have the now Super EAR 834 clone. This is still a work in progress but the results are stunning. This is the best MM phonostage I have EVER heard.

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So, I'm pondering a new plinth and maybe a new SPU, maybe for 2018. :D

[Wakefield Turntables]

Its been a while since I updated this. My mine power amp is a Sondex S100 which is basically the last iteration of the Radford STA 100 power amp. I bought this quite some time ago but have never really got around to spend much time or money on upgrading the old beast until now. I've always had a slight hum in the background and have discovered that the amps left channel is suffering from a loose connection causing a hum. The right channel is perfectly quite so I decided to have a look under the hood of the amp to discover some pretty poor wiring the RCA sockets. Mainly very ancient tinned copper wiring. I don't usually subscribe to FOO but tonight I decided I better order a few parts as I think the S100 with the correct fettling is probably going to be as good as anything out there using a KT88 valve. At this moment in time I'm not really bothered moving upto the bigger KT120's or 150's, maybe at some point in the future but I'm happy with what I'm hearing through my Tannoy's at the moment (apart from the hum)! I decided to order top range kit for the amp so I went for some of these.

Pure copper FURUTECH IEC with 24K gold plating. Sure I could have had a pure silver one from IEGO but couldn't quite justify that much FOO!

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WBT binding posts and RCA's, these are a known tried and tested entity which I have installed on my CROFT preamp.


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I intend to rewire the RCA's with solid silver in teflon and shortening the signal path bewteen the RCA the PCB. The RCA's on the S100 are hopeless and quite loose, probably where the hum is being generated. I also tightened up the screw holding all the star earthing in place and also reattached the left channel RCA, the hum, whilst still present is slightly better I can notice a little difference in the clarity of the Jazz I'm currently listening to. I'm going to be having a serious think about having the amp overhauled at some point in the new year. In the mean time I'm going to be pulling the trigger on a quad of these :-

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Supposedly the best sounding KT88 kicking around at the moment. The S100 has had SOVTEK, and TAD which were ok but not as good as the current JJ KT88's. This sure beats fettling a Lenco!

[brian2957]

This sure beats fettling a Lenco!

Sacrilege young Andrew :eek: Lencos are the holy grail of fettling . Not that I've ever done mine you understand :D

[Wakefield Turntables]

This sure beats fettling a Lenco!

Sacrilege young Andrew :eek: Lencos are the holy grail of fettling . Not that I've ever done mine you understand :D

Well I am on a "break" from the Lenco. It's getting near Xmas and I like to usally hunker down with a project until the weather turns or the days get a little longer!

[brian2957]

Aye , know what you mean mate . In the last few years I've really grown to hate the short days and the Scottish winters :(

[Wakefield Turntables]

I've had a little time to myself so I decided to get the Sondex fettled.

Firstly I removed the hopeless RCA's that Sondex installed and fitted something that WBT produce :eyebrows:.

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Here's a picture of the new RCA's installed. These work really well with my MG cables.

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I changed the RCA's tinned copy multi-strand wire for solider silver in Teflon. I also took the opportunity to try and shorten the signal path.


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Finally and true to my word a Quad of matched Gold Lion Genalex KT88's. I have also removed the horrid cage from around the amp, I'm not a very big fan of excessive components and can't bare to think of all the excess vibration rattling around in that thing.

24923

I'm now looking into getting the terrible binding posts removed. They are a horrible design which relies on several nuts to keep both the binding post and speaker termination attached together. The speaker cable inside the sondex is quite heavily oxidised tinned multi-strand copper. The binding posts can be easily improved upon and I'm looking into getting some WBT jobbies

24926

I'll also be replacing the tinned copper wire with solid core 2mm silver in teflon, again looking to try and shorten the signal path if possible. I'm now in the process of researching components for a complete recap and rebuild of the PCB's.

The RCA mods have worked quite well and I'm already finding more detail coming through the Tannoys, the WBT RCA's also offer betting earthing than the Sondex offerings so I'm hearing less transformer hum through the Tannoys. So all in all quite a decent afternoons work.

Stay tuned... :cool:

[Jimbo]

Andy could you pop a picture up of your mega modded Croft with internal pics? Would be a Christmas treat for me.:cool:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Andy could you pop a picture up of your mega modded Croft with internal pics? Would be a Christmas treat for me.:cool:

There is a link here https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?41615-The-Croft-Epoch-A-Tale-of-developing-a-MoFo-of-a-pre-amp&highlight=croft+epoch

I intend taking both the Sondex and the Croft to Alan (Firebottle) for even further modification. I'm think Dual mono power supply and valve regulation and any additional mods for the Croft. The Sondex will need a lot of work. I've noticed some very very old caps some with tolerances of 50% :eek:. It looks like someone did a little work recapping the two main channel boards some time ago with cheap RS component caps and resistors. I've already decided which valve bases I want and I'm currently researching resistor types, I've seen several brands at offering various tolerances ranging from 0.01%, 0.5% and 1%. Interesting times!

[brian2957]

Nice work Andy :)

[Jimbo]

There is a link here https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?41615-The-Croft-Epoch-A-Tale-of-developing-a-MoFo-of-a-pre-amp&highlight=croft+epoch

I intend taking both the Sondex and the Croft to Alan (Firebottle) for even further modification. I'm think Dual mono power supply and valve regulation and any additional mods for the Croft. The Sondex will need a lot of work. I've noticed some very very old caps some with tolerances of 50% :eek:. It looks like someone did a little work recapping the two main channel boards some time ago with cheap RS component caps and resistors. I've already decided which valve bases I want and I'm currently researching resistor types, I've seen several brands at offering various tolerances ranging from 0.01%, 0.5% and 1%. Interesting times!

Thanks Andy, dual mono sounds good plan.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Nice work Andy :)

Thanks mate!


Thanks Andy, dual mono sounds good plan.

Well that's what Glenn seems to suggest.

[Wakefield Turntables]

More spare time on my hands :hmm:. I've been looking into how I can improve the valve system for quite some time. So, I decided to incorporate some more bamboo into the system! Seriously, I had been intending to decrease my box count in the listening room by culling off various things and so had a couple of bamboo chopping boards going spare so I plonked one under the Paradise and one under the Sondex 100. I'm hoping the bamboo is going to soak up some of the vibrations going into the Quadrapsire system that I use. The Sondex seems to be humming less and is marginally less noisy in operation.

24959

The Croft preamp is still sitting on Sorbothane which will be replaced when I get chance to shop for a cheapo chopping block. The Quadraspire rack has always been an issue. I sit my individual components on shelves made from veneered MDF so, I intend replacing them with 18mm thick birchply. I have seen the benefits of birchply numerous time and remain a big fan. I think I may have enough spare in the garage for a FREE conversion. Finally the amp is bugging me again. The amp has seen a few small upgrades over the last fortnight but I can't help feeling annoyed with the speaker terminals. Just look at the dam things :nocomment: :-

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Firstly, very poor tinned copper, very poor connectors and the speaker binding posts are held in place with a couple of nuts which become loose over time. The binding posts themselves appear to be plated brass :steam:, overall I'm not very impressed. I have been impressed with the WBT products especially the WBT-0210Ag Topline nextgen RCA sockets I installed in the last update, completely firm in their installation and solving a grounding issue at the same time, well worth the wonga! I'll be ordering 4 WBT-710 Ag Signature Nextgen pole terminals after the new year and can't wait to install them and rewire the dam things with solid core 3mm silver and Teflon sheath. The WBT components are supposed to offer very good insulation against vibration travelling down your speaker/IC cables :lol:. My transformers hum like a bugger so that can't be a bad thing!


Overall things are going quite well with the valve system. I'm happy so far and have notice quite a marked improvement in the timbral decay of notes.

[Wakefield Turntables]

More time on my hands. The new WBT binding posts have been ordered, purchased some rather nice 9.5% content silver solder, measured up my new 2mm Solid silver core speaker leads for the amp. I also wanted some new WBT banana plugs (the pure silver ones) to replace the pure copper jobbies that current live on my Van Damme speaker cables. The WBT support a maximum cable thickness of 4mm whilst the Van Damme is 6.0mm2 :( so I made a compromise and bought some pure copper silver plated spades for a grand total of £28 beats the three figure some I was going to pay :eek:. I'll also have a look at the IEC in the back of the amp and see if I can replace it with the Furutech that I bought. I decided against buying any replacement components for the PCB's as I have no idea how the amps designed and this is out of my league anyway so that will have to wait until 2019 and a visit to Firebottle. I've also bought a new chunky mains cable for the Eagle PSU that runs my Garrard 301, well for the money it was rude not to! More pix in 2019 when the bits arrive.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Finally managed to get the rest of my goodies fitted to the Sondex. The Signtaure WBT binding posts are a really nice piece of engineering. The Michell binding posts which the Sondex had were ok and perfectly adequate but I did not like the flimsy way in which they attached to the Sondex chassis. As you can see, the WBT offerings are massive!


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The Michell binding posts relied upon several nuts and the wiring from the PCB to the binding posts was very flimsy tinner copper with a circular (very thin) gold plated terminatinf ring, very poor! Now the Sondex has 2mm solid core silver from the WBT's binding post straight onto the Sondex PCBS's. I used 9.5% silver content solder. As you can see the binding posts are meaty buggers!


.25029

I terminated my favourite Van Damme speaker cable with pure copper, silver plated spades, different to the old solid copper jobbies I had on, which had a tendency to snap. The spades seem to fit better with the WBT's.


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Finally a shot from the back with the WBT RCA sockets and binding posts.

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Things do seems to have improved. The biggest area is timbral detail, things just seem a little "bigger" and timbral decay lasts a lot longer. String instruments seems to have a slighter better definition. All in all, a couple of hours work and a nice sonic upgrade. I'm now looking into slightly modding my Tannoy MG XO with some WBT signature binding posts and maybe some intrinsic silver wiring.

Until next time.... Stay tuned.... :cool:

[brian2957]

That's nice work Andy :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

Thanks!

[Wakefield Turntables]

Nothing better to do so I thought I'd detail a few changes in the valve system. I've been playing around with cables again and I decided to order some "proper" spades for my Van Damme Blue and here's what I purchased (it's a stock photo).


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Not cheap but I consider them the last ever purchase for speaker connections. They can house cables up to 10mm. I'm also hopefully going to be trialling Oli's excellent new speaker cable at some point in the future :). The Croft and Sondex are also hopefully going to get some more work, it's a work in progress at the moment as I'm still researching the best way forward. The Paradise phonostage will also probably get a little update with a couple of pure silver inductor coils, probably some WBT pure silver RCA's and maybe change the internal wiring to silver. We shall have to see. I did for a short time run the whole valve system through my PS Audio P10, BIG MISTAKE!!!!! :doh: The system as a whole sounds flat, less dynamic, and resolution doesn't seem as good, BUGGER! I guess I could look out for a 2nd hand one, meaning I would have one P10 running each system. Well that's about it for now.

[Jimbo]

Nice update Andy, always interested in where your going with your gear.:)

[Bigman80]

Nothing better to do so I thought I'd detail a few changes in the valve system. I've been playing around with cables again and I decided to order some "proper" spades for my Van Damme Blue and here's what I purchased (it's a stock photo).


25748

Not cheap but I consider them the last ever purchase for speaker connections. They can house cables up to 10mm. I'm also hopefully going to be trialling Oli's excellent new speaker cable at some point in the future :). The Croft and Sondex are also hopefully going to get some more work, it's a work in progress at the moment as I'm still researching the best way forward. The Paradise phonostage will also probably get a little update with a couple of pure silver inductor coils, probably some WBT pure silver RCA's and maybe change the internal wiring to silver. We shall have to see. I did for a short time run the whole valve system through my PS Audio P10, BIG MISTAKE!!!!! :doh: The system as a whole sounds flat, less dynamic, and resolution doesn't seem as good, BUGGER! I guess I could look out for a 2nd hand one, meaning I would have one P10 running each system. Well that's about it for now.Hi matey!

Yes, the cables should be back with me tonight so I could possibly post them out to you. PM me if you still want a listen!

Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk

[Wakefield Turntables]

Nice update Andy, always interested in where your going with your gear.:)

Thanks! Great speaking to you over the blower.



Hi matey!

Yes, the cables should be back with me tonight so I could possibly post them out to you. PM me if you still want a listen!

Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk

OK! I'll get in contact when I've put a few hours on these.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Another Sunday, another small dose of single malt (Highland Park 12 year old) and another small update. The WBT's have been an instant improvement, very costly but an immediate step up in clarity and better than the silver plated/ copper spades I had bought 2 months ago from HiFi Collective. Stereo imaging with the WBT spades has come along in leaps and bounds. Probably one of my better purchases. It still surprises me that decent cheap speaker cable can sound so good with decent spades. I've been thinking about experimenting with speaker cable core diameter and I managed to find some 7.5mm2 cable at a very cheap £3 per meter, should make for an interesting experiment. I've also been hunting for some Mullard ECC35's and every so often some appear with the brown micanol base.

25781

These ECC35's are supposed to be the last word in the 6SL7 family but what about these http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/1-shuguang-we6sl7plus-black-plate-curvy-vacuum-tubes-pair-or-single/

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I'm still on the hunt for the best sounding 6SL7 for my Croft pre-amp, so the hunt continues. I'm still playing around with ideas for mods to the Sondex and the Croft Epoch but I'm having too much fun messing about with cables, valves, cartridges and all the other stuff associated with a "system". The 301 has been my work horse for many years now and I occasionally look out for a Garrard 401 motor to try out and occasionally a really knackered 401 comes on the market or someone strips a 401 down and sells it off as parts. Again, I'm still waiting, but whilst I wait I think I'm going to plump for new plinth and possibly in the Shindo tradition. I'm probably going to get a slightly modded Layers of beauty cherry jobby which looks like this :-

25783
I was thinking of having decoupled ebony tonearm boards made as well, possibly sitting under detatched tonearm pod which will be housed in the 301 plinth.
The 301 also has a lovely new Silver Meister mk 2 SPU which not has about 75 hours on it. I'd say the suspension has bedded down now and it's singing like a good 'un. The SPU's typically last a mighty long time and I'm already thinking of getting a FGS diamond mounted when the time comes for re-tipping.

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Well I think that's about it for tonight, more musings later!

[montesquieu]

Another Sunday, another small dose of single malt (Highland Park 12 year old) and another small update. The WBT's have been an instant improvement, very costly but an immediate step up in clarity and better than the silver plated/ copper spades I had bought 2 months ago from HiFi Collective. Stereo imaging with the WBT spades has come along in leaps and bounds. Probably one of my better purchases. It still surprises me that decent cheap speaker cable can sound so good with decent spades. I've been thinking about experimenting with speaker cable core diameter and I managed to find some 7.5mm2 cable at a very cheap £3 per meter, should make for an interesting experiment. I've also been hunting for some Mullard ECC35's and every so often some appear with the brown micanol base.

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These ECC35's are supposed to be the last word in the 6SL7 family but what about these http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/1-shuguang-we6sl7plus-black-plate-curvy-vacuum-tubes-pair-or-single/

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I'm still on the hunt for the best sounding 6SL7 for my Croft pre-amp, so the hunt continues. I'm still playing around with ideas for mods to the Sondex and the Croft Epoch but I'm having too much fun messing about with cables, valves, cartridges and all the other stuff associated with a "system". The 301 has been my work horse for many years now and I occasionally look out for a Garrard 401 motor to try out and occasionally a really knackered 401 comes on the market or someone strips a 401 down and sells it off as parts. Again, I'm still waiting, but whilst I wait I think I'm going to plump for new plinth and possibly in the Shindo tradition. I'm probably going to get a slightly modded Layers of beauty cherry jobby which looks like this :-

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I was thinking of having decoupled ebony tonearm boards made as well, possibly sitting under detatched tonearm pod which will be housed in the 301 plinth.
The 301 also has a lovely new Silver Meister mk 2 SPU which not has about 75 hours on it. I'd say the suspension has bedded down now and it's singing like a good 'un. The SPU's typically last a mighty long time and I'm already thinking of getting a FGS diamond mounted when the time comes for re-tipping.

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Well I think that's about it for tonight, more musings later!

Pic on Russ's site is of my old one with the Schick arm I had at the time.

[Wakefield Turntables]

The paradise is now being updated. It's been a while (probably 18 months) since it was last touched. I've decided to have a comprehensive update so here's what's happening

* Calvin boards getting hard mounted.
* RCA loading for greater cartridge flexibility
* Full RCA to PCB silver rewire
* Calvin boards to now have silver inductor coils.
* New gold plated MS HD plugs for each unit.
* New WBT silver RCA's.
* Loading resistors changed to 0.1% tolerance.
* New 5% tolerance trim pots

And a few other odds and sods. The biggest ball ache with all this is waiting for all the various packages to arrive :doh:. Then the CROFT at some point will get some attention!

[karma67]

yep and it will make f-all difference :lol:

[Wakefield Turntables]

yep and it will make f-all difference :lol:

Is yours up to full spec yet? I decided against spending £240 for 12 resistors!!! :eek: for the input sections.

[karma67]

lol you know i was joking, no ive just changed my cartridge and interconnects so im going to get used to them first,it will give me some time to wait till the guys that have fully upgraded their paradise's to leave comment.

[Wakefield Turntables]

lol you know i was joking, no ive just changed my cartridge and interconnects so im going to get used to them first,it will give me some time to wait till the guys that have fully upgraded their paradise's to leave comment.

I think mine should be up to full spec, but you always know that there is always something around the corner with respects to upgrading the paradise! I've got snagged a couple of MS audio gold plated plugs to plonk on mine, cost should have been £130, managed to get 2 delivered for <£75. I'm now on the prowl for x4 WBT-0210 Ag Topline RCA's https://www.hificollective.co.uk/phono_sockets/wbt-0210ag-topline-nextgen.html I seen these go for around £150, I'm in no hurry. I'll probably recycle the audionote RCA's that are installed already and use them for RCA loading sockets. I've already got my silver organised for a complete rewire. The trim pots will cost what they cost, you can't mitigate the cost of these. I have Z-foils in both my RIAA stages so this saves a bit of cash. I think all in it'll be several hundred to get upto spec. ;)

[karma67]

cool,i think a couple of hundred isn't too bad in the scheme of things :cool:

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System - Part 1 - Infrastructure!

I thought I'd change the structure of these posts slightly. I've not been spending much on the hifi systems as such, just merely refining what I already have and selling off bits that are excess or superseded. I've been investing heavily in cables, IEC's and plugs. The valve system now has high quality pure copper MS HD Audio plugs, I buy them second hand whenever possible and replace the silver plated, brass pin jobbies that I had previously. Sometimes if I'm lucky I drop on a silver or gold plated plug, recently I've been quite lucky and I've managed to pick three of these plugs up for under £100. My next stop is the IEC's, I have a mish-mash of various pure copper connectors, so tonight I went balls deep and ordered three of the fantastic IeGo 8095 IEC's, I ordered mine from here https://www.kempelektroniksshop.nl/accessories/audio-grade-plugs/iego-iec-plug-massive-silver.html I saved a massive £75 by ordering from Europe, they usually sell for £125 from a hifi seller not too far away from where I live :eek:. The Paradise phonostage parts still continue to arrive from various bits of the UK, the USA and Europe! I'm still on the look out for a second hand PS Audio P10 regenerator, they don't come up too often, so I will have to be bide my time, I couldn't believe the difference it made when I experimented early in the year. I think I now need to replace the Belden cabling that currently sits in my power leads, I fancy some silver plated copper and shall be doing my research over the next few days. Well that's about it for tonight!

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System - Part 2 - Slumming it & Optimisation.

My Paradise phonostage is poorly and is in need of upgrades. I sounds fabulous as it is but I think we can get more from her. I'm afraid my phone is at work so we will be picture-less tonight, sorry. I've been looking again at what can be done to improve the valve system and I noticed that their might be a possibility to removed one IEC from the Garrard 301 PSU this is useful as it will save me having to buy one of the Iego pure silver 8905 IEC's. I have never liked IEC's and have always preferred the hard wired route. So, I'm having to listen to my EAR 834P clone whilst I wait for my Paradise, it does sounds very very good when warmed up. The SME 3009 arm that I use is a great little performer, it's easily outperformed and better arm's exist but I think its great. Currently I have a Shure v15 mk 3 sitting on it with VN35MR stylus but I have been extremely tempted to buy one of these from JICO https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=1688 its basically got a cutting lathe profile so it should sound extremely detailed, it's just one possibility. I also managed to get a new SPU, mainly the Royal N which has the Replicant stylus, I'd always wanted to try one and now it's sitting on my 3012. I mounted the Royal N on my Orsonic headshell and bought some new 5N purity silver leads. I've probably listened to 20 hours of music and can honestly say that the silver plated gold coils are the best I've heard with even more detail than my Silver Meister v2 SPU. I also own the Full Adjust+ system from Dr. Feickhart I intend to dig this system out at some point and get the SME 3009 and 3012 properly set up but like most things it's all a matter of time!

Finally I think I'll probably do a little work on my Tannoy X-O's whilst the paradise phonostage is away. I've decided to order some new gold plated 4-pin connectors to replace the originals that I currently have and I'll probably rewire the Tannoys in silver and have some new WBT pure silver speaker binding posts. I guess I better get saving up!

As always stay tuned.... :cool:

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System - Pt 3 - The Event Horizon.

The valve system is getting lots of attention and hopefully before Xmas there should be a new deck, turntable and power supply. My Garrard 401 has finally been given a date of completion, which is the first week in December. I shall be going to Martin Bastin's house and picking it up. I have also just managed to source a SME V 12 and it will hopefully be partnered with the 401. My Garrard 301 has a SME3012 which is a fantastic arm but it does have limitation. Firstly I've had to piggy-back a 5-pin adapter onto the wiring loom so that it will accept my Yannis Tome cable and the detachable headshell also mean that you have to carefully set thing up every time you fancy a different cartridge (I suppose this is advantageous as well). The SME V12 will do away from two layers of cabling in the sound path and provide instant alignment at the headshell for the cartridge. Finally, I may buy a new Long Dog audio PSU for the 401 project.

26928

I'll then spend the long December nights listening to Jazz and enjoying a few drams of single malt. The Garrard 301 will be taking a back seat and the 401 should be getting some air play. Currently my 301 is without the 4-Box paradise phonostage but it has been partnered with my EAR 834P clone. Ages ago I sent the 834 to Alan (Firebottle) to be modded so that I could start using loading plugs into the RCA's to improve the performance of my Shure V15 mk 3. They say that the V15 should "see" about 400-500pf at 47K and presently mine is loaded at about 450pf assuming my SME 3009 tonearm lead has about 100pf impedance.

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All I can say is that the little Shure / SME3009 combo sounds great. I'm really enjoying the sonics. I hope to improve things further by maybe adding a new stylus to the Shure, I was thinking a new Jico neoSAS / Boron cantilever https://www.jico-stylus.com/product/vn35he-sas-b/ but this will have to be after the new year.

I'd pondered buying an additional PS Audio P10 unit to power my Valve system in a previous post but I realised I could power the valve system via the P10 with some careful cable management. So after a while I managed to bag several Furutech UK plugs http://www.furutech.com/2013/02/02/1880/ and the P10 now looks like this :-


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I've managed to get the Croft pre, Sondex power and the EAR clone running through the P10. The deck will probably get a Long Dog PSU at some stage which pretty much does everything that my Phoenix Engineering PSU/Tachometer and PS Audio P10 combo do presently. The 301 is sounded pretty good at the moment but I miss my Paradise phono stage :(. The Sondex amp is currently going through a little valve rolling. I decided to purchase 4 KT88's from the BrimarUK project https://brimaruk.com/ and I can honestly say that the Brimar's sound pretty good against my Genelex Gold Lions, time (and a lot of listening) will tell if the Brimar's are going to usurp the Genelex. I'm hoping to have everything up and running before Xmas.

As ever stay tuned!

[Jimbo]

Andy, I have heard many of the amps you have including the Paradise, EAR and Croft Epoch although not modified to the same degree. The Sondex is unfamiliar to me.

I would say the Neurochrome modulus 686 and the pre amp should be on your list of amps to listen too. It is an extraordinary sounding amp which may make you question the use of valve amplification. It is the most exciting and significant amp I have heard in the last 10 years and I would strongly recommend you try one.

[montesquieu]

Andy, I have heard many of the amps you have including the Paradise, EAR and Croft Epoch although not modified to the same degree. The Sondex is unfamiliar to me.

I would say the Neurochrome modulus 686 and the pre amp should be on your list of amps to listen too. It is an extraordinary sounding amp which may make you question the use of valve amplification. It is the most exciting and significant amp I have heard in the last 10 years and I would strongly recommend you try one.

Not that I'm very technical but it seems it runs several op amps in parallel, somehow 'error-corrected' (negative feedback I assume?). Is that a new idea or a new implementation of an old one? I like chip amps/Gainclones generally and the six op amps appear to be LM3886es which is a common gainclone chip, so lots of potential to sound good, given adequate PSUs etc. It's Class AB as well which is good in my view. But can you explain what makes it special from other amps out there to be the most sigificant new product in 10 years?

[Bigman80]

Not that I'm very technical but it seems it runs several op amps in parallel, somehow 'error-corrected' (negative feedback I assume?). Is that a new idea or a new implementation of an old one? I like chip amps/Gainclones generally and the six op amps appear to be LM3886es which is a common gainclone chip, so lots of potential to sound good, given adequate PSUs etc. It's Class AB as well which is good in my view. But can you explain what makes it special from other amps out there to be the most sigificant new product in 10 years?It's the ultra low distortion coupled with the ability to sound "natural" with it.

Bags of clean power (340w) with grip and dynamic delivery.

It's "right" to my ears and like Jim, I haven't heard anything like it. Anywhere.

[montesquieu]

It's the ultra low distortion coupled with the ability to sound "natural" with it.

Bags of clean power (340w) with grip and dynamic delivery.

It's "right" to my ears and like Jim, I haven't heard anything like it. Anywhere.

Yes but why is it different?

I'm genuinely interested. He doesn't make any grand claims to have invented a new topology on the web site - has he? Are there other amps like this?

If it's genuinely game-changing then it's presumably a new engineering solution and I'm keen to know what the specific improvements are over previous solutions.

[Bigman80]

Yes but why is it different?In all honesty Tom,

It just has this way of removing any barrier between the ear and the performance. There's no constraints to the sound. It's like you are 'there', not in an imaginary way or by creating a false image, but in a way that puts you in recording, within the walls of the studio, almost like witnessing it first hand.

There's no embellishment, just access.

I'm at a loss to pinpoint the reason other than that.

I haven't heard anything that does it as well as the 686, and no, I'm not saying it's the ONLY way to get there but it's how I got there.

4 people have heard this amplifier at my house, and 4 have been ordered. Radfords, Crofts and god knows what other brand of amplification have been dislodged from incredibly settled systems.

It's a thing of beauty.

[montesquieu]

In all honesty Tom,

It just has this way of removing any barrier between the ear and the performance. There's no constraints to the sound. It's like you are 'there', not in an imaginary way or by creating a false image, but in a way that puts you in recording, within the walls of the studio, almost like witnessing it first hand.

There's no embellishment, just access.

I'm at a loss to pinpoint the reason other than that.

I haven't heard anything that does it as well as the 686, and no, I'm saying it's the ONLY way to get there but it's how I got there.

4 people have heard this amplifier at my house, and 4 have been ordered. Radfords, Crofts and god knows what other brand of amplification have been dislodged from incredibly settled systems.

It's a thing of beauty.


I get that but I’m asking what makes it special ? If you think Radford it’s the transformer design and execution and the way they work in tandem with an innovative (for the time) splitter circuit ... for Kondo the designs are simple but the materials ver special - ancient annealed silver wire, capacitors hand rolled on the thighs of Japanese virgins ... ok I made that bit up but the fact remains where something stands out, there’s usually a reason that can be articulated, either innovative design or special materials (occasionally both) ... the web site simply talks about careful layout etc, the chips and PSU principles in place have beed around at least a decade if not much longer ... so why the dramatic results?

[Bigman80]

I get that but I’m asking what makes it special ? If you think Radford it’s the transformer design and execution and the way they work in tandem with an innovative (for the time) splitter circuit ... for Kondo the designs are simple but the materials ver special - ancient annealed silver wire, capacitors hand rolled on the thighs of Japanese virgins ... ok I made that bit up but the fact remains where something stands out, there’s usually a reason that can be articulated, either innovative design or special materials (occasionally both) ... the web site simply talks about careful layout etc, the chips and PSU principles in place have beed around at least a decade if not much longer ... so why the dramatic results?I don't know Tom,

I wish I did!

The 686 has, what I suppose is ultimate transparency. Tom Christiansen has managed to create an amplifier, which is quite simply brilliant.

Maybe one of the more techie guys can explain what's special about his work but I'll be honest, it don't matter to me lol

[Jimbo]

Unfortunately Tom I have limited technical knowledge regarding amps and although I know the difference between a valve and a transistor, that is about it!:)

Regarding the Neurochrome amplifier I would just say you have to listen to one to understand how good it is. We all have a set of reference amps in our minds that once heard we can never forget and they set our benchmark for all the aspects of audio we strive to achieve. To be honest the last time I heard an amp that made me feel this excited was probably longer the 10 years ago, more like 20 and that was the Croft OTL Cypher mono blocks. These had unbelievable grip and total transparency.

The Neurochrome Modulus 686 goes down this route, great effortless dynamics, total authority and grip and the most Transparent sounding amplifier I have heard. You can forget the electronics are there.

[montesquieu]

Unfortunately Tom I have limited technical knowledge regarding amps and although I know the difference between a valve and a transistor, that is about it!:)

Regarding the Neurochrome amplifier I would just say you have to listen to one to understand how good it is. We all have a set of reference amps in our minds that once heard we can never forget and they set our benchmark for all the aspects of audio we strive to achieve. To be honest the last time I heard an amp that made me feel this excited was probably longer the 10 years ago, more like 20 and that was the Croft OTL Cypher mono blocks. These had unbelievable grip and total transparency.

The Neurochrome Modulus 686 goes down this route, great effortless dynamics, total authority and grip and the most Transparent sounding amplifier I have heard. You can forget the electronics are there.

I remain curious to hear one but without evidence it's doing anything spectacularly new and innovative that might explain its magical powers, I'm afraid I'm not the only one that will file this under 'latest forum fad' aka 'the best thing since sliced bread since the last thing that was the best thing since sliced bread'.

[hornucopia]

The ears have it? I share Tom's scepticism a bit, having read many 'lifting of veils' comments over many years; ....how many veils ARE there?
But ever optimistic.....
am open to possibility of unknown folk coming up with lateral thinking-e.g Berning amps (though that isn't a good example as he used a novel cencept.!)
Crayon might be a better example?
There are hundreds of makers out there-surely some are going to hit bullseye on sound, either in design or in syncronicity with speakers etc..
When ones ears hear quality (over a longer time.....immediacy can deceive)then accept?
Or else, as I often think, running my 40 year old Hafler amp, things haven't changed THAT much in years-except new concepts like chip/Class D.

[Bigman80]

I remain curious to hear one but without evidence it's doing anything spectacularly new and innovative that might explain its magical powers, I'm afraid I'm not the only one that will file this under 'latest forum fad' aka 'the best thing since sliced bread since the last thing that was the best thing since sliced bread'.Forum fad?

[emoji1787]

[montesquieu]

The ears have it? I share Tom's scepticism a bit, having read many 'lifting of veils' comments over many years; ....how many veils ARE there?
But ever optimistic.....
am open to possibility of unknown folk coming up with lateral thinking-e.g Berning amps (though that isn't a good example as he used a novel cencept.!)
Crayon might be a better example?
There are hundreds of makers out there-surely some are going to hit bullseye on sound, either in design or in syncronicity with speakers etc..
When ones ears hear quality (over a longer time.....immediacy can deceive)then accept?
Or else, as I often think, running my 40 year old Hafler amp, things haven't changed THAT much in years-except new concepts like chip/Class D.

The point is Chris that no amp fits all speakers so it's all about what it's doing specifically .. Even your Hafler won't suit everything.

It's AB according to the web site so there are questions about about bias and the point as which it transitions out of class A, about output impedance (which is the biggest thing that determines speaker suitability, even more so than watts in my experience), about its use of global feedback - not necessarily a bad thing despite a lot of the commentary about it online the Radford amps use gobs of it and it's essential (as I understand it) to how op amps actually work, but I do notice it's a topic totally avoided on the web site - about any similar designs before it to which it can be compared and on which it's improved on in some way ... I see that SMPS is suggested as an option on the site, how does that affect things?

I just want to understand, if this is such a fabulous amp, where it sits in the grand scheme and what expectations we should have of it, what the designer thinks he's bringing to the party that's new, beyond some attention to detail in the component layout which is what's highlighted mainly.

Like you, I've read just too many subjective reviews about veils and grip and midrange that in the end tell you very little except ' I liked it'. My question still stands - what - specifically - is special in design or execution about this amp that might give some clues to the reported subjective experience and optimal partnering equpment?

[struth]

better than sliced bread then. Would like a listen myself. Might save up:lol:

[hornucopia]

My cafe was based on my own unique bread roll ('Royce Rolls') recipe- sliced bread is mush in comparison!
I understand your concern, Tom.

[Wakefield Turntables]

This is an upgrade blog, start another thread if you want to discuss neochrome or whatever it's called :steam: FFS.

[The Black Adder]

No need... Just ask nicely to bring the thread back to the subject matter.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Andy, I have heard many of the amps you have including the Paradise, EAR and Croft Epoch although not modified to the same degree. The Sondex is unfamiliar to me.

I would say the Neurochrome modulus 686 and the pre amp should be on your list of amps to listen too. It is an extraordinary sounding amp which may make you question the use of valve amplification. It is the most exciting and significant amp I have heard in the last 10 years and I would strongly recommend you try one.


Jim,

I've heard lots of reports about the Neurochrome. I love my valves too much. I'm pretty happy plodding on and I kinda like the sound I have. I'm sure the Neurochrome is an excellent amp, I know that the Birmingham brigade (Yourself, Oli and Alan) all have "good ears" when it comes to assessing hi-fi and pretty every time you've all been spot on. But, this system has taken years to develop, maybe at some point in the future I may be tempted.

A

[Jimbo]

Jim,

I've heard lots of reports about the Neurochrome. I love my valves too much. I'm pretty happy plodding on and I kinda like the sound I have. I'm sure the Neurochrome is an excellent amp, I know that the Birmingham brigade (Yourself, Oli and Alan) all have "good ears" when it comes to assessing hi-fi and pretty every time you've all been spot on. But, this system has taken years to develop, maybe at some point in the future I may be tempted.

A

I love my valves too Andy and they do have their own magic. I certainly agree with you there. It would take a lot for me to chuck them in for a tranny amp but the Neurochrome is a bit special. Appreciate how much work you have done with your system and I am sure each upgrade has moved it closer to audio nirvana.:)

[Bigman80]

Jim,

I've heard lots of reports about the Neurochrome. I love my valves too much. I'm pretty happy plodding on and I kinda like the sound I have. I'm sure the Neurochrome is an excellent amp, I know that the Birmingham brigade (Yourself, Oli and Alan) all have "good ears" when it comes to assessing hi-fi and pretty every time you've all been spot on. But, this system has taken years to develop, maybe at some point in the future I may be tempted.

AWe prefer the "West midlands massive"

[emoji1787][emoji1787]

[Jimbo]

We prefer the "West midlands massive"

[emoji1787][emoji1787]

:lol:

[Pepperamip]

[emoji38]Oh I quite liked brum brigade.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

[Bigman80]

Oh I quite liked brum brigade.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using TapatalkCould be quite easily misquoted.

The membership help a referendum on it [emoji1787]

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System Pt 4 - Finally its back together again...

Firstly apologies, this was written up as I was listening so you'll have to forgive the grammar and typo's.

Things have changed, markedly since I last wrote about the Paradise phonostage. My deck has changed from a Garrard 301 to a Garrard 401, alongside
a newer tonearm a SME v-12 v's a SME3012, a new plinth a Moldovan birchply construction v's a Martin Bastin MaxPlanck plinth which de-couples the Garrard's
motor. The entire valve system used to run through a cheap, slightly modified 6-gang extension straight into the house power supply. I've now managed
to remove this. The power supply into Pre and Power amp are now fed by a PS Audio P10, the Garrard 401 no longer uses a tachometer to control platter speed
due to the fact it's very very stable at 33.3rpm after several minutes usage, so the P10 powers it. The power leads into all the components of the valve
system have been slightly modified in that all the plugs have been replaced with Furutech and I'm now running Belden cabling. Additional attempts have been made
to limit Tx vibration getting into the 401 with the pre and power amp now sitting on Bamboo/Sorbothane isolation platforms and the 401 having it's own Townshend

isolation pods. The Paradise phonostage underwent a repair and had the following upgrades :-

* Calvin boards getting hard mounted.
* Full RCA to PCB silver rewire
* New gold plated MS HD plugs for each unit.
* New WBT silver RCA's.
* Loading resistors changed to 0.1% tolerance.
* New 5% tolerance trim pots


The Pheonix Engineering Tachometer and PSU are now surplus to requirement and power my Garrard 301. The cartridge into the 401 is still the same
Ortofon Royal N SPU. The SME V-12 allows for very quick and easy cartridge alignment which probably means the SPU is better setup than on the old
SME 3012 it used to live on. The biggest (and most trivial) problems I have now are cartridge loading and anti-skate values. So how do things sound?
Well, not that much different. I run a 60 year old pair of speakers so they are never going to be as dynamic as say my active ATC 50's. It would be rude
to say that things haven't moved on because they have. I've had the new Paradise in for a while now so things should be bedded in. I've listened to several
genre's of music. The presentation seems a little more polished, it's subtle. The overall soundstage still sounds very very similar, I'd probably say a little
more defined and even maybe a little wider and deeper. Detail has moved up another notch I've had many "did I just hear that" moments. Things don't sound quite
so edgy so I guess this is the "polished" aspect of the phonostages new presentation. The "attack" of the presentation has changed albeit slightly things appear
a tad more laid back. So to sum up. I've lost some attack and edge whilst gaining polish, resolution, and a slightly more coherent soundstage.

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System Pt 5 - Monotonous!

Today has been spent fine tuning. I've finally got around to properly aligning the Tannoys. I also decided to have a hunt around my spares box and found a completely unused Shure N44-1 stylus which is a MONO stylus for the M55E. I've picked up quite a few MONO LP's over the years and always intended have a specific MONO arm to take advantage of these recordings. So, using the M55E is quite versatile you just slip the stylus out and your away, no messing around taking off headshells. The Shure M55E+N44-1 combo is playing through my EAR 834P clone which has also been modded for MONO output. Here's a link to the N44-1 if you want more info snvinyl.co.uk/Shure-N44-1-Stylus-for-Cartridge-M44-1 (http://redirect.viglink.com?key=71fe2139a887ad501313cd8cc e3053c5&subId=6936725&u=https%3A//snvinyl.co.uk/Shure-N44-1-Stylus-for-Cartridge-M44-1) I'm not advocating using this website but there is a great description with regards the various styli that can be used. The soundstage is very wide and I'm currently enjoying a MONO repress of The Doors - The Doors album, it sounds excellent and really showcases what MONO can sound like. I already own a Ortofon SPU MONO which I use with my SME 3012 but the Shure N44-1 is a great introduction into the world of MONO. I'll be certainly on the hunt for more MONO recordings and getting my Moth & Ultrasonic cleaner ready to clean them up!

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System Pt 6 - Tinned Copper

It's no secret that I like Duelund products. I've had lot of fun rewiring and evaluating various gauges of the Tinner Copper wire that they produce. My Celestion Ditton 15 received a new piece of porn today. I give you the Duelund tinned Copper bypass capacitor. It has a nominal value of 0.01 uF and sits bypassed against the only cap that the XO's contain. I appreciate that these two caps now actually cost a lot more than the speakers are worth but boy do they cut the sonic muster. Here's a couple of pictures showing before and after installation. I'm currently listening to them now and they sound excellent.

https://i.ibb.co/ykxw2Mj/WP-20201006-004.jpg https://i.ibb.co/ZhGL4br/WP-20201006-006.jpg



https://i.ibb.co/ZhGL4br/WP-20201006-006.jpg

I'll be doing a write up at some point.

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System Pt VII - Stuff, just stuff!

Been a bit busy with a few more bits on the Valve system. I documented the Bypass caps last post. I'm listening to them now and they sound ace.

The Garrard 301 has been a little noisy and generating quite a lot of noise through the Tannoy speakers so I decided to see if we could do something about it. Firstly I salvaged my Anker BAttery PSU and it now powers the Tachometer.

https://i.ibb.co/0BYH2zk/WP-20201028-004.jpg

Secondly I decided I wanted to get rid of the switch power supply supplied with the Phoenix PSU powering the Garrard 301

https://i.ibb.co/VJqBSG6/WP-20201028-007.jpg

These sure as hell did the trick. The soundstage has dropped markedly and everything just sounds so much better.

The Garrard 301 has a 25mm height Panzerholz tonearm mount. This replaced the old tonearm mount and now has better damping and allows for better VTA adjustment, the 3012 is no longer right at the end of it's height, vertically.

https://i.ibb.co/xsM39f7/WP-20201028-005.jpg

I also decided to replace the cartridge. I now have a Shure SC35C which replaced a Ortofon Silver Meister II SPU. It's mounted with pure silver cartridge leads, a Paradox pulse aluminium body and a JICO Neo SAS/S stylus and a Orsonic head shell.

https://i.ibb.co/P4dxySc/WP-20201106-002.jpg

The Croft pre-amp received a nice surprise in the form of a Mullard 8098 power regulation valve, NOS. And whilst we are at it I've saved you all some Croft Porn!

https://i.ibb.co/PtxWYyN/WP-20201107-003.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/KLRhfMz/WP-20201107-001.jpg


So been a bit busy and yes it does sound better than last time!

[Marco]

Interesting, mate.... There's still a few tweaks to be done there. Externalising and beefing up the PSU is a biggie, as is moving from valve to MOSFET regulation:)

How's the M8098 sounding?

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Each valve is regulated already. I had Firebottle modify it with something different, here's what he did.



"So I want to convert the line stages to a hybrid mu circuit, using the existing 5691 valves. The advantages:
Much improved linearity.
Much improved output drive and much lower output resistance.
Vastly improved power supply rejection, the regulator valves (small ones) will probably have NO effect on the sound afterwards.
Individual regulation of each channel.
The 5691 will be run within its heater - cathode ratings, currently it isn't, so greater reliability.

The gain will be the same. The rest of the components are first class so no need to upgrade."

The PSU is another matter. Did you have yours beefed up and externalised?

[Marco]

Sure, but the point is that I no longer have valve regulation in my Croft - it's been replaced by MOSFET solid-state, which in that particular application is just all-round better.

And yes, my PSU has been externalised and considerably beefed up. There are about four of those transformers, what's in your amp (and bigger) inside it, individually powering different parts of the circuit. Josie (Black Adder) has gone even further with hers. You should ask her to post some pics - it's quite something!:cool:

So did you hear any difference with the M8098?:)

Marco.

[Marco]

So did you hear any difference with the M8098?:)


:popcorn:

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Sure, but the point is that I no longer have valve regulation in my Croft - it's been replaced by MOSFET solid-state, which in that particular application is just all-round better.

And yes, my PSU has been externalised and considerably beefed up. There are about four of those transformers, what's in your amp (and bigger) inside it, individually powering different parts of the circuit. Josie (Black Adder) has gone even further with hers. You should ask her to post some pics - it's quite something!:cool:

So did you hear any difference with the M8098?:)

Marco.

OK, I'll see what I'm missing. Probably have a word with Josie and see what the deal is. Could be something to look into for the new year. I'm not sending the Croft off before Xmas, I have many Jazz and Whisky session planned over Xmas. :drinking:


:popcorn:

Marco.

Blimey, your Eager with the 8098. Yes I have seen a nice up-tick in detail retrieval, not massive but well worth the outlay. It's difficult to say just how the valve has had an impact on the system it just sounds, "right" which I know sounds a little strange but that's the only way of really detailing what I'm hearing. I've always had a very wide soundstage with massive amounts of separation between instruments, plenty of depth, very 3D. The wardrobes just disappear. I'm getting a little more of everything that I've just described. What about you, what are your thoughts?

[Marco]

Yeah, that makes sense. Enjoy yourself over the festive period and have the mods done in stages. Glenn's always up for doing that type of work, so I'd give him a shout and he could also advise you of any other tweaks he'd recommend:)

I reviewed the M8098 on my gallery thread.

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Hey Marco, just had a word with Firebottle. I do indeed have MOSFET power regulation installed. So now probably think about externalising the Traffo's. Tried calling Glenn todat but no reply.

[Marco]

Mmm... I'm no expert, but I don't see how:

https://i.ibb.co/KLRhfMz/WP-20201107-001.jpg

There are no Mosfets there I can see, and that looks suspiciously like a regulator valve to the left of the mains transformer, attached to the Jensen PSU caps... Which btw, being electrolytic types can also be upgraded for quality polyprops, such as the Mundorf Tubecaps I use: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/mcap_tubecap.html

But that can be done when the PSU is externalised and increased in capacity. However, perhaps you could ask Alan to comment here and explain how the Mosfet regulation has been installed?:)

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

From Alan,

"The line stage valves effectively have both Mosfet and valve regulation.

The main supply is valve regulated that feeds all stages, line and phono.
The line stages were converted to mu follower circuit which incorporates Mosfet regulation as well.

Mosfet's used = IRF820"

Sounds impressive, I'm sure people "in-the-know" will clarify what all that means.

[Marco]

Interesting... Yeah, I'm not sure, but this is what the Mosfets (which would be inside the heatsinks shown) look like in my Croft:

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/qbb11D.jpg

So I was looking for something like that in yours... All I can presume is that he's managed to construct a bypass of some kind, thus allowing the original components to remain in place.

Marco.

[Firebottle]

Marco there is more than one way to skin a cat, as they say.

Look at the main aluminium plate, just above each Silver Z cap there are the Mosfets, bolted to the plate as a heatsink.

[Marco]

Yesh, I spy it now!:D

So, is what looks like a rectifier valve, to the left of the mains transformer, now redundant? It also appears to be connected to the Jensen PSU caps... Or if it's not a rectifier valve, what is it? Is it an ECC83 (with an 85A2 underneath)? Being somewhat obscured, it's difficult to see.

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

Interesting... Yeah, I'm not sure, but this is what the Mosfets (which would be inside the heatsinks shown) look like in my Croft:

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/qbb11D.jpg

So I was looking for something like that in yours... All I can presume is that he's managed to construct a bypass of some kind, thus allowing the original components to remain in place.

Marco.

Those are heatsinks for the MOSFETS mate.

[Marco]

Lol - yeah I know... That's why I said mine look like that *with Mosfets inside*:D

What threw me initially, was that I was looking for some big black heatsinks inside Andy's amp, which I knew would contain the Mosfets, but of course couldn't see any for reasons since given!:)

Marco.

[Firebottle]

It's an ECL82 (or 6) that is the regulator valve. The 85A2 is a voltage reference valve, the SS equivalent would be a zener diode. Every day is a school day.

So Andy's preamp had double regulation on his line stages, which also improves the linearity of those stages.

[Marco]

Ah I see, interesting... Just good to know what's going on under the hood!:)

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Thanks Alan for further help with the Mosfet discussion. So, well there you go Marco I do have some Mosfets!! :ner:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Tonight's experiment has been with the voltage supplying me Garrard 301. I have long known about the ability of the Phoenix Engineering PSU to change it's supply voltage into the 301 but never really experimented with it. The theory goes that less voltage into a Garrard 301 motor produces less vibration into the chassis and top-plate and ultimately into the platter and cartridge. So last night I set the voltage down to 200V and bugger me after a few minutes listening to A Kind of Blue I notice a massive improvement in timbral quality to the double bass. The Phoenix engineering EAGLE PSU is now supplied directly from the PS Audio P10 and the Roadrunner tachometer is still being run with a Anker battery. It's all a little unorthodox but boy does it sound good. I've now swapped over to my Paradise phonostage and Silver Meister II SPUas I fancied a little MC action. The valve system is sounding excellent and I'm very happy with the setup so far but as always upgrade beckon. The 301 and the Croft preamp are probably going to be the areas of interest in the next six months. I intend to mod the 301 with a new designed plinth and material, possibly stiffen the 301's chassis and then think about the Croft pre-amp. I will be upgrading the Sondex S100 at some point in 2021 but that is a massive project which will be replaced with monoblocks, yes, some very very special monoblocks, but more about them when (and if) they ever get built.

[Marco]

Thanks Alan for further help with the Mosfet discussion. So, well there you go Marco I do have some Mosfets!! :ner:

Lol - indeed so! However, where is the ECC83? I seem to remember you said that you've tried different ones in your Croft... And have you tried rolling ECL82 regulator valves, in the same way as you have with the others?:)

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

There is no ECC83 in the preamp. I have x3 M8137 sitting in my 834P clone and these are the best I've heard. I've rolled the 85A2. I've tried NOS GEC, Phillips, Tunsgram and the latest 8098. The best I've heard is the 8098 followed by the Tunsgram. I have indeed rolled the ECL82, I have tried the original jobbie supplied by Glenn (I can't remember the name) and bought the Tesla from Watford Valves. They seem to have different brands for the ECL82 everytime I check on the website. I'm not sure they have any sonic impact. Perhaps I should buy the 3 on offer from Watford valves and experiment? Do you fancy buying one or two and then swapping them with me for an experiment? Shouldn't cost any more than £25 each??

[Marco]

Lol... I don't have ECL82s in my amp, mate. Yours is dual-valve and Mosfet regulation. Mine is just Mosfet:)

Noted on the ECC83, no worries. That's another area where our amps are different, as I have an ECC83 and 85A2 in the PSU section.

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Lol... I don't have ECL82s in my amp, mate. Yours is dual-valve and Mosfet regulation. Mine is just Mosfet:)

Noted on the ECC83, no worries. That's another area where our amps are different, as I have an ECC83 and 85A2 in the PSU section.

Marco.

Fair enough! So your now rolling the M8137 and M8098 in your PSU section?

[Marco]

Ya, muchacho, and sounding fabby-doodle!:)

Marco.

[The Black Adder]

Lol... I don't have ECL82s in my amp, mate. Yours is dual-valve and Mosfet regulation. Mine is just Mosfet:)

Noted on the ECC83, no worries. That's another area where our amps are different, as I have an ECC83 and 85A2 in the PSU section.

Marco.

Same on mine too. I need x2 ECC83s and x2 85A2s

Not sure how different the ECK82s are but I'd imagine the gain being lower with an 82. I remember trying ECC82s in mine once but didn't get on with it. The ECC83s are the only option IMO... Gives it much more Oooomf!

[Wakefield Turntables]

Ya, muchacho, and sounding fabby-doodle!:)

Marco.


Good news!


Same on mine too. I need x2 ECC83s and x2 85A2s

Not sure how different the ECK82s are but I'd imagine the gain being lower with an 82. I remember trying ECC82s in mine once but didn't get on with it. The ECC83s are the only option IMO... Gives it much more Oooomf!

Joe, interesting comment. What you say makes some sense. I'd have to do a little more poking around with respects to what your claiming i.e. more/less gain with the ECL82/ECC82 valves. You really need someone like Alan or Glenn to discuss the implications of the different valves in the circuit. This could be something I need to look into.

[The Black Adder]

Good news!



Joe, interesting comment. What you say makes some sense. I'd have to do a little more poking around with respects to what your claiming i.e. more/less gain with the ECL82/ECC82 valves. You really need someone like Alan or Glenn to discuss the implications of the different valves in the circuit. This could be something I need to look into.Yep.. I'm no expert on the techy side of valves. Its just what I've found out in the past.

Sent from my 9001X using Tapatalk

[Wakefield Turntables]

Ladies and Gentlemen contact has been made.... Potentially massive upgrades for the Croft and 301! Stay tuned.:popcorn:

[Marco]

Good stuff... Who's doing the mods then - Glenn or Alan?:)

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Good stuff... Who's doing the mods then - Glenn or Alan?:)

Marco.

Just planning a clear path forwards with respect to what I want done. I'm still researching a few options. I'll spill the beans when due-diligence has been completed.

[Marco]

Lol - nicely swerved... Have you ever considered entering politics?:D

Marco.

[struth]

Lol - nicely swerved... Have you ever considered entering politics?:D

Marco.
he couldn't get used to the underwear :D

[Wakefield Turntables]

The Valve System Pt VIII - More rolling....


When call me a copy cat but I bought a pair of these

28926

I'd never seen them before Marco mentioned them so I thought what the hell. They should arrive soon.

The Croft is now getting modded again, but not until next year. It looks like I'll be getting another box to add to the rack :doh: but things should hopefully be improved. I can't see things moving forward with this until March 2021 at the earliest but I can start and compile a "wish" list of mods. :eyebrows:

The 301 may also get some more attention in the form of a chassis stiffener / damper and a new plinth specifically made from Permali. The plinth will hopefully incorporate decoupled motor and decoupled tonearm pods and maybe a sprung based base board. This is all pie in the sky at the moment and I;m hoping the get design finalised over the Xmas break and start prototyping sometime in January.

That's about all so far....:cool:

[Wakefield Turntables]

RCA 6SL7GT's no landed, now import charge! YAY! Bit noisy at first no quietened down a bit. I'm going to spend some time weighing these up. In the mean time I might have some more valve rarities from the US of A, depends on if I when the bid......

[anthonyTD]

ECL82 is a triode/pentode in the same glass, not sure what Glenn is using it for in your preamp Andrew, as for the diffrences, ECC83, amplification is 100 per side, ECC81, around 55 amplification per side, ECC82, around 22 per side etc, in much equipment [check with Glenn] you can use an ECC81 with good affect, which is a good compromise between an 83, and 82, as far as gain etc.
Its not only about the amplification though, both ECC81, and ECC82 also have a higher current drive capability than an ECC83. top military version of the ECC81 is the CV4024, or M8162.
Hope this helps.
A...
Good news!



Joe, interesting comment. What you say makes some sense. I'd have to do a little more poking around with respects to what your claiming i.e. more/less gain with the ECL82/ECC82 valves. You really need someone like Alan or Glenn to discuss the implications of the different valves in the circuit. This could be something I need to look into.

[Wakefield Turntables]

New toys, a pair of matched 6SU7GTY. OK so they don't come from the 1940's but the 1950's. Should still be a bloody good valve, I love Tung Sol valves and Tung-Sol previously held the position of my Reference valve before the 6591's came about. They should be here back end of December, would be nice to have before Xmas but in no hurry either way!


2896228963

[Wakefield Turntables]

Just a quick pic of the RCA 6SL7GT's in the Croft Preamp. I had now't to do so I thought I'd share this. :D

https://i.ibb.co/Hx6jxjR/WP-20201127-001.jpg

[Wakefield Turntables]

JR149's. I've been buggering around with a pair for years and this time I decided to get them finished.


These speakers can benefit from have some slight modifications. Most Mk 1 speakers will be approaching over 40 years of age and most of the capacitors and resistors will have started to deteriorate and be out of specification. My own pair of Mk 1 JR149 had several resistors and capacitors which had gone 10-20% out of specified values. It's been widely accepted that some of the designs in the speakers were made for money saving, but overall the speaker has many excellent design features, these include :-
⦁ An extrinisic speaker cross (XO) over which contains a damping ring to minimise vibrations from the speaker drivers, or extrinsic vibrations outside the speaker cabinet getting into the XO.
⦁ A central rod was used in the speaker cabinet which when tightened increased the rigidity of the speaker cabinet.
⦁ The cabinet was made from rolled metal which was cheap and also had a greater rigidity than it's peer's designs.
⦁ The speakers had no binding posts. Attaching speaker cable was attached straight onto the XO with a simple screw and washer design.

The JR 149 mk 1 also had many areas which could (and should) have been improved. These include :-

⦁ Removing the intrinsic tinned copper wire and replacing with high purity oxygen free copper.
⦁ Removing the instrinsic plugs which attach the SP1032 tweeter to the cross over, this can be converted into a straight run of copper wire from the SP1032 to the XO.
⦁ Re-capping the XO with new caps and 1% tolerance Takman resistors.
⦁ Removing the plastic connector which attached the instrinsic wiring of the driver units to the XO. This can be bypassed by soldering straight on the XO. This bypasses the Nickel plated pins.
⦁ Replacing the speaker wire binding screws and washers with pure copper alternatives. This gets rid of the Nickel versions supplied and improved signal transmission by using a better conductor.
⦁ Replacing the plastazote speaker gaskets. EVA speaker gaskets are used instead which gives better damping for the speaker driver units.
⦁ The speakers feet can be replaced with materials which offer betting damping properties. EVA or Sorbothane can be used.

I'll post some pics eventually.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pt VIII - A cheap version of the ls3/5a - The JR 149

I've had 3 pairs of these and have never been happy with them until I got the early Mk1 version. These little speakers are supposed to be one of the best LS3/5A variants. I picked this pair up several years ago and until now have never really done much with them until now!

Here's a tale of two halfs. Both speakers have had the XO cover fully stripped down to bare metal and primed. No respray yet. The right hand speaker has had both top and bottom panels stripped with the veneer repaired. The screws on this speaker have been ultrasonicially cleaned and hand polished. The left speaker shows you how the right speaker used to look.


https://i.ibb.co/XScqQrk/WP-20200416-007.jpg

Here we can see the veneer repaired, hand polished and then re-varnished. The other is still to do.



https://i.ibb.co/3mbFMF6/WP-20200419-004.jpg


The XO, an early mk 1 version, note, no fuse! The caps had drifted massively from spec, sometimes between 10-20% from supposed value. The resistors fared a little better but still quite some way off. The caps were eventually replaced and the resistors got changed over to 1% tolerance Takman's 1W.

https://i.ibb.co/kXDZGz3/WP-20200419-003.jpg


This picture shows the bases fully restored. The XO bases had a full respray and several coats of lacquer. I replaced the old feet with new EVA replacements. The original stickers managed to be saved. The aluminium circular retaining nut was again ultrasonically cleaned and hand polished, it came up a treat.

https://i.ibb.co/ThTBQDz/WP-20200419-001.jpg

Old speaker gaskets removed. I remade the gaskets with medium density EVA which gives better damping qualities. These gaskets were retained.

https://i.ibb.co/yQfvhkm/WP-20200423-001.jpg

The original "hook" strips were removed from both speaker cabinets and given a good clean. I stripped off all the old glue and applied fresh, strong, double sided tape. I cleaned off the 40 year old glue from the speaker cabinet (not shown in this photo).

https://i.ibb.co/frG9hX3/WP-20200420-009.jpg

I'll post some more pics at some time!

[Wakefield Turntables]

Cheapy power amplifier from eBay (I borrowed this image) and a fully refurbished pair of JR149's making a very very nice sound. How the hell does something costing <£30 sound this good?

29070

More photos' tomorrow.

[Marco]

Just a quick pic of the RCA 6SL7GT's in the Croft Preamp. I had now't to do so I thought I'd share this. :D

https://i.ibb.co/Hx6jxjR/WP-20201127-001.jpg

How are they sounding?:)

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Have a look at post #54 (https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?56187-The-6SL7GT-valve-amp-It-s-variants-MY-ADVENTURES!&p=1239975#post1239975); they rated very highly.

[Marco]

Interesting... I concur with most of your observations, but not really the negatives, although no valve is perfect. Also, as ever, these things are very much system and equipment dependent:)

Btw, just a small tip for future... If you want to link to a specific post on a thread, click on the post number (where the hash symbol is), then copy the resulting URL, and paste that, which when clicked on by someone, will take them directly to that post:cool:

Marco

[Filterlab]

Sorted the link for you Rexton.

[Wakefield Turntables]

IMF speakers in the house, well the listening room. I finally scratched an itch that I'd had for quite some time and managed to get a half decent pair of Super Compact Mk II's. I can smell a resto/mod project ahoy! So far so good, they work! More when I get some time.

[Filterlab]

Pictures please! IMFs are cool. Weren’t IMF the pioneers of transmission line cabinets?

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pictures please! IMFs are cool. Weren’t IMF the pioneers of transmission line cabinets?

Rob, just for you old bean.

https://i.ibb.co/fS98X8h/WP-20210119-006.jpg


The mid range driver is buggered, they dry out over time and this is a well known failure for these speakers.

https://i.ibb.co/7WRSwgc/WP-20210119-007.jpg


So, it was a quick trip over to Falcon Acoustics and I ordered a pair of these https://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/drive-units-1/imf/monacor-msh-115-imf-midrange.html , I'm now £85 lighter. :eek:. So, what do I intend to do with these? Well, I'll probably guess they'll have manky old elcap caps sitting on the XO which if anything like those on my JR149's were about 10-20% of tolerance :rolleyes:. Speaker binding posts are a bit naff as well so I'll probably get some nice solid Cu jobbies, maybe a rewire and then that's it. These little babies really do bass. I'm pleasantly surprised with them and I'm happy I purchased them and now I just wander what the bigger IMF's can do.

[Edward]

I have IMF ALS speakers so very interested to see what work you do with your Super Compacts - particularly the caps. I've yet to recap mine, but they sound lovely as is.

[Wakefield Turntables]

I have IMF ALS speakers so very interested to see what work you do with your Super Compacts - particularly the caps. I've yet to recap mine, but they sound lovely as is.

Hi Edward. Mine sound amazing as they are. TBH I like to mess around a bit so I'm thinking so high end Mundorfs.

[Edward]

Hi Edward. Mine sound amazing as they are. TBH I like to mess around a bit so I'm thinking so high end Mundorfs.

Falcon sell IMF cap sets for peanuts using Allcaps (i'm sure you have seen). I bet going higher end such as Mundorf's will be yummy. The caps in my ALSs are hard to get to - needs a bit of cutting away of tie downs etc. Have you opened up your Super Compacts yet?

[Wakefield Turntables]

I've not opened them yet but that will have to happen when I put the new drivers in.

[Filterlab]

Nice! They look ace. After a bit of a refurb they'll be splendid.

Transmission line?

[struth]

used to own a set of imf's. nicely made speakers, but mine needed a bit extra umph than the stats suggested. sold them on. they were minty tho

[Wakefield Turntables]

used to own a set of imf's. nicely made speakers, but mine needed a bit extra umph than the stats suggested. sold them on. they were minty tho

I would have to agree with you. I think a nice big Krell would probably get the best out of these, but, I'll just turn up the volume on the Croft a bit more. I have no more space in my listening room. I have 5 pairs of speakers sitting in here at the moment. :eek:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Nice! They look ace. After a bit of a refurb they'll be splendid.

Transmission line?

Thanks, yep, transmission lines.

[Filterlab]

Nice.

[Wakefield Turntables]

ERM.... I managed to screw up one of the Monacor drop in drivers for the Super Compacts II, that's the bad news. The good news is that I decided to give myself the green light on going to town on these. I ordered some Cardas solid copper binding posts, a new Monacor mid-range driver, and a re-cap kit from Falcon. Replacing the binding the posts should be very easy indeed, just a matter of removing 4 screws, a bit of soldering and then bolting the new binding posts into place. I've decided I like the "tone" of these speakers and will be keeping the tinned copper wiring. I'll be initially re-capping with a re-cap supplied by Falcon and then probably move onto something a lot more exotic. Overall I'm VERY happy with these speakers and they make a welcome addition to my stable of classic UK speakers which join Tannoys 15" MG's, Quad 57 ESL's, Celestion Ditton 15's, JR 149's and a pair of Heybrook HB2. Pics to follow.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pt IX - IMF's continued.

As you know I'm very taken by the IMF's so I thought I'd do an update. I'm stumped now until new parts arrive and I can't even listen to them due to me buggering up one of the drivers I received earlier in the week. So, with a little time on my hands I decided to clean the drivers. Before the deep clean.

https://i.ibb.co/j8N4j0Y/WP-20210124-001.jpg
And after..

https://i.ibb.co/W3Dx3LW/WP-20210124-002.jpg

And a quick shot of the two units together. They look very smart boys... They do look better in real life I think the camera did them a dis-justice.

https://i.ibb.co/VpXJ1gk/WP-20210124-003.jpg


And a quick photo of one the speaker with the new midrange unit installed and my Super tweeters installed in parallel.

https://i.ibb.co/xLTXMTZ/WP-20210122-004.jpg

The binding posts are pretty naff on the IMF's so I ordered some of these from Cardas.

29151

They should solve the problem of not being able to properly use my WBT spades (they are too big) :eek:. So the project is moving slowly forward. Hopefully over the next week I should have the XO's recapped, new drivers and binding posts installed. I can then sit back, relax and enjoy them.

[Edward]

Looks good. How did you clean the drivers?

§

[Wakefield Turntables]

Looks good. How did you clean the drivers?

§

Labour 10-15 minutes.

[Edward]

Labour 10-15 minutes.At times I've found that very light brushing (using a fine artist paint brush) gets rid of most stuff. But other times the dirt is embedded so need to do more. For example a very mild (ie very slight) damp q tip or microfibre cloth is needed.

I've heard of some people using a light oil on surrounds, but I've not tried that.

§

[Wakefield Turntables]

Finally finished the IMF's. New Cardas solid copper binding posts, these are lovely works of art. Recapped XO's and fresh installed mid range drivers. Just set them up and now listening. No opinion as yet. I'll probably give them 30-50 hours to bed in. Happy days. Pictures before the weekend.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pt X - IMF's complete and making nice sounds, playing groovy tunes!

I finally managed to get a bit of time organised to finish these brilliant speakers, so now a few pics.

Here's a picture of the new components


https://i.ibb.co/dpr8Q6M/WP-20210126-004.jpg

Keeping things as original as possible. The caps came as a direct replacement from Falcon Accoustics and they were a decent price as well. Pure copper Cardas binding posts. These binding posts are excellent and some of the best I've ever seen, now follows a close up.

https://i.ibb.co/Z85MMxW/WP-20210126-002.jpg


Open heart surgery! The bass unit and the XO exposed.

https://i.ibb.co/x1F6Cf4/WP-20210129-002.jpg


XO close up, ELCAP'S they do make a great sound but they are very prone to wandering!

https://i.ibb.co/mhcn209/WP-20210129-003.jpg

And now fresh caps, ready for another 35 years of service.

https://i.ibb.co/9gtX612/WP-20210129-006.jpg

Finally Cardas meets WBT!

https://i.ibb.co/5v2K5qS/WP-20210130-002.jpg

Until next time Amigos... :wave:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pt XI - More IMF tweaking.

Just a wee, teeny-weeny update. My IMF's are now sounding bloody fantastic! The resistors on the XO's have wandered a little and they have a 5% tolerance which is now more like 10% so I've had a quick look over on HiFi Collective and have ordered a couple of these Jantzen 1% 10W resistors to replace them.

29178

Here's a picture of the XO and the resistor they will replace.

https://i.ibb.co/YbW5rCg/WP-20210129-004.jpg

Next update should show some improvements to the speaker cabinets with some scratches to be removed.... :cool:

[walpurgis]

Coming along well Andy! :thumbsup:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Cheers Geoff! I now need to do a little research for cabinet restoration.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pt XII - IMF XO tweaks.

My new Janzten 1% tolerance resistors arrived today and here they are installed on the XO, I think they look fetching.


https://i.ibb.co/VDj55L6/WP-20210209-001.jpg


I also managed to get the multimeter out to measure the impedance of the tweeters and bass units on the IMF. They were incredibly well matched with both tweeters measuring 5.8 Ohm +/- 0.2 ohm and the bass drivers bothe measuring 7 Ohm +/- 0.2 Ohm. So overall I'm very happy with the way that this project has worked out. I've got a fantastic pair of speakers and they seem to present all genres of music very well through my valve system. I may need to play around with tweeter height in that I think the IMF's could probably do with being about another 1-2" higher than they currently sit. Until next time....:cool:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Pt XIII - Yanis Tome goodies on about to land.

I was very naughty this week and bought a top of the line Yanis Tome cable, more to follow.... ;)