AOS Exclusive Review of Eco-Fan Sound Pre-Amp and Power Amp

Jack,

Adam sent me a photo of the near complete boost it yesterday. Excellent to see the photo of this nearly complete. I also was happy to see you looking into the build with Mike. I know Mike knows what he is doing with audio circuits but it is nice to have you looking over things as the designer. Always nice to have someone double check things like this.

PS - I do have 120 volt AC in my home. I am sure the 115 volt will work in the 120 volt AC I have. Any concern here?

Thanks for the time to respond. Stay warm with winter coming on in NZ. As for me the Hot of Minnesota winter is on. Too hot. Fair well from the other side of the world

Regards,

Andy

Hi Andy,
No prob on the voltage, 110-120v is the norm cover. Same as 220-240 here, when we run 230v here, but Aussie have 240.
New BSEA6A3 amps getting closer, keep an eye on this thread.
Murray.

Here's the stuff. Brown filament wire. Heavy conductor but not fat insulation, thus can be tightly twisted together to minimise hum radiation. This reel has already lit a plethora of amps!

Progressing nicely.
Here I am relaxing after getting much transformer winding together.
Cheers!

We call that Happy Hour up in Minnesota

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jack Williams

A bunch of BSEA2A3 and BSEA6A3 amps are being concentrated on at present.

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Any updates Murray ??

hi all,

metal work for bsea chassis' should be ready in the next day
or two - then off to the powder coaters.

fresh batch of 'bufferzones' underway - available shortly.

more news as it happens,

thanks for following,

adam

hi all,

bsea powder coating underway so
murray will be able to begin amp
assembly this coming week,

thanks for following,

adam

Two available, from my friend Grant. One on local "Trademe" site, and one on Ebay shortly.
See review under "Strokes of Genious"

hi all,

below is a picture of murray and the new
amp chassis...

thanks for following,

adam

hi all,

one of murray's earlier amps on
it's way through for a service

cheers,

adam

A bloke on the "skirtcafe" site plays keyboard, and put up link to a recent bloke playing "Doll Dance". I noticed related thumbnail of him playing "12th St. Rag".
Well everybody plays that one and straight away I had: Mead "Lux" Lewis (an original, born 1905), "Ace" O'Donnell, Mary Lou Williams, Dell Wood. Probably could come up with others. Joe "Fingers" Carr?
See if I can get up a link...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWTQRBFNJiM

Just bit of paint touching up needed on that amp I found.

Hi

Andy from Minnesota here... I got my Boost-It about 3 weeks ago. Love it!

I run a Passive Preamp. I dig it but it can be less than ideal with some sources. My digital comcast box for instance is somewhat weak on signal.

I have this Boost-It running as a output stage on the comcast box and it is just what I needed. I have the palladia tv high def channel and this Boost it is just what I needed. Robust dynamic sound that fills the room. I was watching some concerts last night and it felt like I was at the show.

The build quality is excellent. Much time put into doing everything right.

Ecofan has a new build Mike who knows what he is doing!!!




http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...o/P1030076.jpg

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...o/P1030078.jpg

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...o/P1020496.jpg

Wow, the Boost-it looks great with that system!
Wot? No turntable? How could I play my old Honky-tonk records over it? Maybe those YouTube clips will have to do!

No turntable.... :doh:

I just turned 40 and when I got into audio/music it was all about tapes and then CDs. I have never owned a record. I have listened to some nice turn table systems and dug it.

So far it is a CD player, Digital Audio, DVD/Blue Ray and the Digital cable TV converter box. I've started building up my system 2 years ago and a turn table will be on the horizon at some point. This hobby can get expensive!

PS - the other weekend I was listening to an older DVD I have "MTV Alice in Chains Unplugged" and it was excellent with the Boost it. So vivid. Then some Incubus Live on Paladian and a "Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right (Revisited) Full Length" on Paladian... Amy Winehouse: Live at Porchester Hall and some Slayer at Sonisphere.... And a Portishead DVD of them Live in NYC.

The Boost it audition was a hit!

I'll be building some 4PI speakers this winter and then maybe a turntable next year

OR my wife will cut me off.... $$$

Good work Ecofan!

Looking good and sounding it as well... nice one.

Must admit I'm addicted to music videos, but without the pic, you can apreciate the crackle and pop!

Yeah, not the greatest example of the hi-fiddle-de-dee. I just put a piece of hardboard against the end of the monitor on the table and put the cover there to focus the camera on. That meant the camera was about 4ft from the left hand speaker. So what we hear is a recording of that. A good thing to get might be, not a "D-to-A converter", but an A to D converter. Dunno if such a thing exists, but it would be handy.
The "Ace" O'Donnell, and Mead "Lux" Lewis discs were on a budget Phillips "HiFi Tops" label. Big tops. The Dell Wood though is on proper RCA.
During the '50s as a teenager, believe it or not my younger brother was listening to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra..
Sorry. But there was a mini revival of Honky-tonk piano, which I really dug. Listen for instance to 12th St. Rag by Mead "Lux" Lewis. Born in 1905. That rocks.
Glad I raked up some great records. Mary Lou Willaims.. A few of hers. Rare records now.
Dell Wood, a young woman in the '50s, rips into those tunes. Always a biggie with me. When I put on "Down Yonder" I couldn't lift the pickup.
Of course, then came along Jerry Lee Lewis (no relation I think), Bill Hayly, Elvis, Beatles, which kind of blew us all away. Except for my brother; he's Bing boy to this day.

Nothing to do with the topic, but other fun! http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UL...t=0slpage#t=0s

I did notice that a local electronics shop offered a USB turntable. Junk of course, but it would be an easy way to get soundtrack onto computer for video of stationary record cover. Better at least than current Heath Robinson method!
Problem: synchronizing sound and picture...
Probably possible, but beyond my current computer literacy I guess!
The reason I had thought of getting one of those turntables was because it does 78s, which my current pickup hasn't the stylus for. I thought it would be good to download some great 78s I have. ("Your Feets Too Big" by Fats Waller for instance languishes under my bed!) and burn me a disk of them.

hi all,

today's pictures from out at murray's workshop -

> murray hard at work

> solid state power supply for the ecofan ten tube
preamplifier - inside view

> neatly superimposed input and output waveforms

> affixing label and scribing the fuse info

regards,

adam

A bloke interested in preamps mentioned my "old fashioned " switches. Not in a derogeritively way. Perhaps that is the point.
Standard toggle switches have stood the test of time. What do you see in industry and aviation? Those. Enough said.
Except to say, this computer, a Lenovo T61 is seen on the space station.
Yeah, not about to crash any time soon.
It was interesting at the shop where I got my camera. He had is computer up. I said: "Have a look at my YouTube videos". (made on his camera).
Before we'd seen anything much it seized solid. Pathetic.
What do I notice at the bank on their monitors? Lenovo. IBM. International Business Machines.
I hope I measure up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jack Williams

I hope I measure up.

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You look like a size 16 sweetie ;)

Nice clean oscilloscope trace in one of the previous pics I might add :)

Size 16 true, dunno about the sweetie!

That trace was on double beam 'scope, input and output traces superimposed.

Size 16 (L) it is!

Woodwork here can be done.

G'day Jack, don't get that long, flowing garment stuck in your bench saw mate! Cade

Not a show mate!!
More worried about the glue/paint!

Yes that would bring new meaning to "Glued to the SET" hehe... I am coming up for a visit on wednesday....

I'll be in my best workdress.

hi all,

i visited david spillane a musician friend of murrays.
has a great collection of open reel machines and
even has a proper vocal booth in a spare room...

will check with murray about the model details -
pictures below,

cheers,

adam

Yes, that is the "Super Audion MK-VI" Amp and one and only "bookshelf" phono preamp.

hi all,

a couple more pictures of dave spillane;
has a room set up for recording (he plays
sax and (left handed) guitar. sweet teac
open reel and a soundproof vocal booth,

cheers,

adam

hi all,

peter c, an old friend of murray's has
this fantastic stack of ecofan gear.

3 way system with amps for tweeter,
mids and bass. one amp has internal
crossover; one external crossover,
switching unit, line amp and phono stage.
bass amp has, i think, partridge OPT's.

speakers waiting for new woodwork but
are kef/bbc units.

cheers,

adam

Correct. The amp on the bottom is basically the Super Audion Mk-IV but with power supply separated and Peter's provided Partridge OPTs.
The "Mid" amp is one of the Super Audion Mk-III ones. Both of those amps are tranny driven, rest of cirtcuit direct coupled.
Top one is a "Tweeter Amp" I made a few of. They have internal crossover and air cored OPTs.
One of my old "Audion" preamps above the Scott tuner..

hi all,

have a horn project brewing - using the drivers
from the A700's - 909 mid/tweet and 515 woofer.
thread underway at the altec users group.

http://www.hostboard.com/forums/f700...trix-horn.html

planning to fabricate and test a series of horn flares - am
consulting with the greybeards - all welcome.

also have access to some altec 299's - (become 288 with
alternate diaphragm),

regards,

a

Here is my friend Julian Mitchell, owner of a Super Audion Mk-VI amp who brought in his Leak Point One pre-power combination for a preamp switch problem to be sorted. That is his beach bach system.

"Robojock"
Garrard Type A.
Side pusher rather than centre muncher.
Frequency locked synchronous motor.
Really heavy decoupled cast iron platter!
With my mods it operates at one gram.
Long ago the massive clunky original arm replaced by Pritchard rosewood arm I happened to have at the time.
Current cartridge: Garrett Bros P66 "Dynamic Coil" high output moving coil.
For a long time I used a Shure M75ED.
Everyone is highly impressed with the sound of this machine.
It'll stack a dozen, but for 12" EPs I use a "Sonic Research" acryllic hard mat for six records optimizing the VTA. About a dozen 7" 45s on the original mat. It does depend on the thickness of the records. Ten of 78s, but not with this cartridge! I have a 78 stylus for the Shure, and used to add a coin to the top for those.
I do need an extra Pritchard head shell!

A couple of wee mods I added which are not very noticeable in these photographs.
The Decca Lifter I added so that you could "pause" if the phone rang without rejecting the record.
The other one is the little stylus cleaning brush on a spring, as in a jukebox, which scrubbs the stylus between records!
The decoupling under the cast iron (which is heavier than the aluminium one on the 301) was a donut of foam. Currently I have two donuts of blister pack with a felt one in between.

When I was a young apprentice at Akrad, Ron Skinner, one of the supervisors at the time, used to take us for night classes.
In the "radiograms" they made, the turntables were horrible BSR, Collaro etc rubbish, and I wanted to get my HiFi good. I already had 5 cubic foot one and a quarter inch ply huge speakers in my mum's sitting room!
He said: Garrard have come up with this Type A. It's a side pushing changer with heavy decoupled platter etc. We're not going to use them, but I can get you one out from Garrard as a sample if you like.
Good old Garrard! They shouted me this wonderful machine! It could be the only one in the country.
Has anyone else on the site got one?
It's certainly way ahead of any old 301!

What a fantastic contraption! Congrats.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jack Williams

Side pusher rather than centre muncher

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Sounds like a girl I used to know! ;)

Thanks for this Jack, that's a fascinating changing system, I've never seen that before. I took a look at a few You Tube videos of this machine.

This one has the most incredible dust cover:



I like the way the little bar by the tonearm comes across to presumably measure the size of the next record, so the arm knows where to land:

Jack,
I've copied these last few posts over to another thread specifically about autochangers

Yes, that is indeed the machine! With the original clunker arm!
I love the concept of this unit. A heavy lump of cast iron suspended on air!
Away from any influences such as kind of plynth, shape of the room acustics, people walking by in old wooden house, you name it, record stable.
The unit is on springs, which gives it a kind of two stage vibration filter!
By the way, if anyone wanted to know how to upgrade the pivots to lighten the mechanism to perform to one gram, I can oblige. You would need to get rid of that arm first!
Interestingly, while mine has white main deck and grey rear part, that one is the other way round!

I'm doing some research. I can easily put up the soundtrack by plugging into the "mic" input on the computer, but for the video I have to take the video picture with the camera and then download it and then upload it to YouTube.
Thus there is no synchronization...
Today I see my digital literate friend along the road and see what he has to say. Probably there's some hugely expensive software I have to buy!

Adam suggested, and I have downloaded and registered on, "Audacity" website for recording and editing sounds onto one's computer.
Doesn't say anything about synchronising with video though.

hi all,

slow progress here - held up by overworked contractor...

still hope to have BSEA's up and running by christmas,

cheers,

a

My oath. Need the bux!
There are orders for BSEA2A3 and BSEA6A3 ones actually.

I'm still interested in the BSEA's what's the difference between the 2A3 and 6A3's variants.
If Adam could email updates with prices again,it's been a long time ;)

hi rob,

2A3, 6A3 and 6B4G all related, filament voltage
increases between the first two and perhaps
someone can remind me about whether the
pins change between the 'A3 and 'B4G.

valve lore and history not my strong point i'm
afraid - am from the 'liberal/fine' arts side of
the equation and admire the electronics as
an outsider...

cheers,

a

really output power interested in,look forward to having a listen maybe the 6A3 as currently have a 2A3 amp.