[L0rdGwyn]

Funny you should mention Elgar. He is, in a sense, my local composer- we are both Worcestershire lads…
In his day, he was the British composer closest to the European (German) Romantic tradition. His Cello Concerto is a staple of the repertoire, alongside the Dvorak and the Schumann…

You absolutely must get hold of the Du Pré / Barbirolli (if you don’t have it already). This sets the standard musically, and is a first-rate audiophile recording. Also please check out the violin concerto, the second symphony (Boult), or, for a real system test, The Dream of Gerontius (Boult or Rattle).

The Du Pré / Barbirolli is my go to recording as well, but I do not have it on vinyl. It's funny you should mention that as I was talking of buying a copy just yesterday thanks for the other recommendations, I will surely check them out.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I'm ready for you to start on an all-tube phono stage. You know, enough gain (using only tubes) to handle a .25 mV output moving coil. That would be cool.

You mean using a tube instead of a MC step up transformer? That is a tall order! It could be done but at a significant noise penalty. It would be tricky could probably parallel a bunch of input tubes to get the noise down but still wouldn't be as good as the SUT. I'll have to look around and see who has tried it, I'm sure someone has.

You have an ultrasonic cleaning rig. Brushes are for newbies.

It still makes me feel good to run that brush over the LP before I play it lol old habits die hard.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

There's only one true answer…

SPUD

Great film! That spud will happen, it has to. The sad reality is it sounds better than the amplifier that will be broken down to make it, it will also be smaller, less complex, more power efficient, use cheaper and more available tubes. I will probably put many of my 841 pairs up for sale on eBay, I have so many...

 

[Mr Trev]

Great film! That spud will happen, it has to. The sad reality is it sounds better than the amplifier that will be broken down to make it, it will also be smaller, less complex, more power efficient, use cheaper and more available tubes. I will probably put many of my 841 pairs up for sale on eBay, I have so many...

To honest, I was more intrigued by the spud amp back when you were thinking about using the EL84 over the 6E6P tubes. I gotta think the rolling possibilities would be far lower with an amp based on Russkie tubes

 

[L0rdGwyn]

To honest, I was more intrigued by the spud amp back when you were thinking about using the EL84 over the 6E6P tubes. I gotta think the rolling possibilities would be far lower with an amp based on Russkie tubes

There are maybe three or four tubes that can be used in place of a 6E6P depending on the bias point, but with differences in gain (e.g., E810F, 6J52P, D3a), 6E6P is a better tube for the job in a spud though compared to EL84, higher gain and lower plate resistance, better linearity, lower noise. But I won't be selling the spud anymore, sorry :/

I got @zach915m 's 45 amplifier chassis in today.



I don't usually do this, but here is a little preview of what the amplifier will look like. It's fake as the parts will come off to do prep work on the chassis, the meters aren't fully mounted and flush for instance. You'll have to excuse the mess on my workbench too lol.

I'll get started on the build for real this weekend.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

There are maybe three or four tubes that can be used in place of a 6E6P depending on the bias point, but with differences in gain (e.g., E810F, 6J52P, D3a), 6E6P is a better tube for the job in a spud though compared to EL84, higher gain and lower plate resistance, better linearity, lower noise. But I won't be selling the spud anymore, sorry :/

I got @zach915m 's 45 amplifier chassis in today.



I don't usually do this, but here is a little preview of what the amplifier will look like. It's fake as the parts will come off to do prep work on the chassis, the meters aren't fully mounted and flush for instance. You'll have to excuse the mess on my workbench too lol.

I'll get started on the build for real this weekend.

The switch on the front is to change headphone impedance BTW, power switch will be on the rear of the amp.

 

[Mr Trev]

There are maybe three or four tubes that can be used in place of a 6E6P depending on the bias point, but with differences in gain (e.g., E810F, 6J52P, D3a), 6E6P is a better tube for the job in a spud though compared to EL84, higher gain and lower plate resistance, better linearity, lower noise. But I won't be selling the spud anymore, sorry :/

It's all good. Maybe I'll just buy one of your 841s and ask you to toss instructions on how to covert it in the box

 

[CJG888]

The idler drive tables are intriguing, but I'm going to invest in my TD 125, I like it a lot and take pride in having bought it at a local shop we'll see but probably will end up with the 3009.

BTW @CJG888 , side note but you are a classical music fan, right? Not sure if you like Elgar, but over the weekend I saw the Cleveland Orchestra play Elgar's cello concerto featuring a young up-and-coming cellist from the UK named Sheku Kanneh-Mason. I've heard the piece many times, but never live and a mere 20 feet from the soloist, it was one of the most incredible live performances I have ever seen, I was in tears there is nothing like seeing a world class orchestra live.



Looking good I like that brush, maybe I need to upgrade.

So it seems you are sticking with your wobbly subchassis turntable…

Sorry about the comment, but I used to own a TD126 Mk IV, and was distinctly underwhelmed. However, I have read that the TD125 is probably the best subchassis deck out there, comfortably outperforming the TD126 (and the Linn LP12…). At least it doesn’t have the late 126’s profusion of low-grade plastic parts…

I wasn’t aware of how large the enthusiast scene here in Germany is! It seems that there is little that needs modification, as the deck is properly engineered from the start. On two issues, there appears to be consensus, though: it deserves a better tonearm than the TP16 which comes as stock (I agree, I had the same one on my TD126), and it benefits greatly from a new motor controller/PSU. The unit sold by Dr. Fuß appears to be popular, but I imagine you will probably develop and build your own!

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/ana...ve-vs-sine-wave-oscillator-motor-control.html

One or two enthusiasts have replaced the springs with rubber grommets… Inspired by the original Mini, perhaps?

Arm recommendations here seem to be SME3009 (the earlier, the better!), Jelco or early Mission. I imagine an Alphason HR100S or Xenon would be absolutely perfect (if you can find one!).

I wonder if an Ittok might work (if you want to use low-compliance MCs)…

BTW, do you speak German? If so, this is a tremendous resource:

https://www.analog-forum.de

And, of course, there is always:

https://www.lencoheaven.net

 

[L0rdGwyn]

So it seems you are sticking with your wobbly subchassis turntable…

Sorry about the comment, but I used to own a TD126 Mk IV, and was distinctly underwhelmed. However, I have read that the TD125 is probably the best subchassis deck out there, comfortably outperforming the TD126 (and the Linn LP12…). At least it doesn’t have the late 126’s profusion of low-grade plastic parts…

I wasn’t aware of how large the enthusiast scene here in Germany is! It seems that there is little that needs modification, as the deck is properly engineered from the start. On two issues, there appears to be consensus, though: it deserves a better tonearm than the TP16 which comes as stock (I agree, I had the same one on my TD126), and it benefits greatly from a new motor controller/PSU. The unit sold by Dr. Fuß appears to be popular, but I imagine you will probably develop and build your own!

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/ana...ve-vs-sine-wave-oscillator-motor-control.html

One or two enthusiasts have replaced the springs with rubber grommets… Inspired by the original Mini, perhaps?

Arm recommendations here seem to be SME3009 (the earlier, the better!), Jelco or early Mission. I imagine an Alphason HR100S or Xenon would be absolutely perfect (if you can find one!).

I wonder if an Ittok might work (if you want to use low-compliance MCs)…

BTW, do you speak German? If so, this is a tremendous resource:

https://www.analog-forum.de

And, of course, there is always:

https://www.lencoheaven.net

Yup, I'm sticking with it! The TD 125 is well-respected, many believe it to be superior to the TD 124 when properly set up, believe it or not. The new tonearm is the next step, but like I said, I'll be making some cosmetic upgrades as well. I have the turntable setup for balanced output, which will be the case with the new arm too. Jelco is out of business sadly, I'll look into the other arms you mentioned, but the 3009 is the most likely path. I studied German in college, but that was a decade ago, I still maintain some vocabulary but no longer conversational, plan to pick it up again at some point. The Dr. Fuß motor is interesting, perhaps he's a podiatrist on the side

 

[bcowen]

So it seems you are sticking with your wobbly subchassis turntable…

Sorry about the comment, but I used to own a TD126 Mk IV, and was distinctly underwhelmed. However, I have read that the TD125 is probably the best subchassis deck out there, comfortably outperforming the TD126 (and the Linn LP12…). At least it doesn’t have the late 126’s profusion of low-grade plastic parts…

I wasn’t aware of how large the enthusiast scene here in Germany is! It seems that there is little that needs modification, as the deck is properly engineered from the start. On two issues, there appears to be consensus, though: it deserves a better tonearm than the TP16 which comes as stock (I agree, I had the same one on my TD126), and it benefits greatly from a new motor controller/PSU. The unit sold by Dr. Fuß appears to be popular, but I imagine you will probably develop and build your own!

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/ana...ve-vs-sine-wave-oscillator-motor-control.html

One or two enthusiasts have replaced the springs with rubber grommets… Inspired by the original Mini, perhaps?

Arm recommendations here seem to be SME3009 (the earlier, the better!), Jelco or early Mission. I imagine an Alphason HR100S or Xenon would be absolutely perfect (if you can find one!).

I wonder if an Ittok might work (if you want to use low-compliance MCs)…

BTW, do you speak German? If so, this is a tremendous resource:

https://www.analog-forum.de

And, of course, there is always:

https://www.lencoheaven.net

Definitely agree with the motor control. When I first got my Nottingham, I thought what's the big deal with all these motor controllers? As long as the motor spins the platter at a constant speed, what difference could a dedicated controller possibly make? Then a dealer-friend sent me a Wave Mechanic (kind of a de-facto for Nottinghams, although I doubt they actually made them) on approval, and I was pretty much floored. Very substantial improvement. I'll just say it was more expensive than it needed to be but I sent money rather than ask for a return label. I'd bet @L0rdGwyn could make one that would trounce it for 1/4 the money....

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Making slow but steady progress on the the 45 amp, was pretty wiped out this weekend so didn't get a lot done.

Chassis is all prepped, sockets, bias pots, interstage transformers (on the interior) and front panel components mounted minus the impedance switch. Here's a look so far.

I think the first photos I posted made the blue look lighter than it is, this is a little more accurate.

Will keep working on it today.

 

[whirlwind]

Making slow but steady progress on the the 45 amp, was pretty wiped out this weekend so didn't get a lot done.

Chassis is all prepped, sockets, bias pots, interstage transformers (on the interior) and front panel components mounted minus the impedance switch. Here's a look so far.

I think the first photos I posted made the blue look lighter than it is, this is a little more accurate.

Will keep working on it today.

Looks great...diggin the color too

Congrats Zach...this is going to be killer!

Love the old skool knob!

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Thanks, Joe.

Mounting more parts. A ways to go but getting there, here is the interior so far.

And the top with the output transformers in place.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Okay, think I've reached my stopping point for the day.

Got everything mounted except for the filament regulators, heater regulators, and a few terminals / lugs.

Here's another photo of the top with all eight the transformers mounted (summoning @zach915m for pics) . I like where it's going aesthetically.





I threw in some globes to see how it would look in its final form, but I can't show that until it's actually done

 

[bcowen]

Making slow but steady progress on the the 45 amp, was pretty wiped out this weekend so didn't get a lot done.

Chassis is all prepped, sockets, bias pots, interstage transformers (on the interior) and front panel components mounted minus the impedance switch. Here's a look so far.

I think the first photos I posted made the blue look lighter than it is, this is a little more accurate.

Will keep working on it today.

Kimber RCA jacks? Dude! My absolute favorites. Anybody that thinks connectors don't make a difference just needs to try those.