I have been experimenting with hifi equipment for over 50 years trying to get my jazz LPs to sound their very best.I started out making a lot of equipment myself, mostly out of economic necessity, but I returned to DIY simply to get the sound that I want. It's also more satisfying to design and build something than it is to be on the audio merry-go-round where nothing is ultimately satisfying. In general, I like a warm, detailed, dynamic sound with good rhythmic pacing. I also want my speakers to sound like a single driver, not a collection of several drivers all sounding a little different.
One thing that has remained constant over the years is my love for straight-ahead jazz especially from the late '40s through the '80s. I particularly enjoy jazz guitarists such as George Barnes, Bucky Pizzarelli, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Christian, Jim Hall, Barney Kessell, and Oscar Moore. Jazz probably accounts for 70% of my listening, but I also listen to classical chamber music.
I generally prefer the sound of the original issues of LPs or early reissues, in contrast to the reissues sold today by "audiophile" labels. For whatever reason, most modern reissues just don't have the natural sound that records pressed in the 1950's and 1960's have. I would rather put up with a few ticks and pops and even some occasional distortion when listening to a used record from that era than listen to a modern reissue which may sound clean and pristine but also processed and less natural.
Deja Vu Audio speaker with all vintage components--Jensen A15PM woofers in open baffle, Western Electric 32A horns with YL Acoustic 5500 compression drivers, and Electro-Voice T-350 tweeter. 500 Hz and 6.5K crossovers. Internal wiring is Audio Note Lexus and Audio Note SPx..
Galibier Gavia
with Gavia platter (32 lbs). Dynamic, detailed and musical. The table has the updated Galibier high-torque motor and new controller circuitry. It is powered by a Teddy Pardo power supply.
Analog Instruments Siggwan 12
A 12" unipivot arm made by James Grant in New Zealand from a single piece of cocobolo. I replaced the standard Cardas wiring with a Discovery wiring harness. I tried 2 different armboards but recently switched to the solid brass arm pod shown in one of the photos. That sounds better to me.
Triplanar VII.2 Ultimate
The Triplanar is a great match with the Benz LP.
Benz LP
I have been a loyal Benz customer for over 20 years, progressing from a Glider M2 to L2 Woodbody to the LP. I have enjoyed each one.
Denon 103R
A classic. Recently upgraded with boron cantilever and MR stylus by Andy Kim. Sounds really nice on the Siggwan tonearm.
EMIA Intact Audio MC Stepup Transformers
Copper 1:10 stepups
DIY D3a/5687 Phono
My main phono preamp is a 2-stage tube phono circuit with passive RIAA equalization. The first stage is a Siemens D3a (in triode) and the second is one-half of a 5687. Each tube is biased with LEDs. The outboard power supply uses a 5R4GY rectifier, a vintage Chicago choke, and Blackgate WKZ filter caps. The audio circuit uses a number of Audio Note Silver tantalum resistors. Interstage coupling caps are .1uf CuTF V-Caps. Intact Audio output transformers.
I experimented with a number of audio circuit topologies and power supply designs, as well as component types, before settling on this particular setup, so it's no surprise that I like its sound very much. Aside from sound quality, it is also very quiet, more so than any of the 4 or 5 solid-state phono preamps I've tried.
Emotive Audio Epifania Custom
This is a one-of-a-kind version of the Epifania. It uses the Epifania 12B4A audio circuitry but with solid state regulators. This unit has V-Cap coupling capacitors and Black Gate WKZ power supply caps.
Slagle Autoformer passive attenuator
Western Electric WE 124 amplifiers
DIY version of the WE 124 amplifier with Acrosound TO-330 output transformers and vintage Collins chokes. RCA 6L6-G output tubes. Copper V-Caps, Audio Note Silver Tantalum resistors, and WBT binding posts.
Emotive Audio Vita monoblocks
These are a custom pair of Vita amps built by Fred Volz at Emotive. The Vitas are a push-pull design that can use KT-120s, KT-88s, 6550s, EL-34s, KT-77s and 6L6GCs. My favorites are Genalex (reissue) KT-77s and Tung Sol KT-120s. These amps are, without a doubt, the best sounding high-powered amps I have had in my system. They are also the best looking with matching tiger maple bases. The amps have 3/4" thick aluminum slabs around the perimeter which act like a sink for vibrations. They have copper V-Cap (CuTF) coupling capacitors, Teflon tube sockets and WBT connectors.
DIY 6L6GC Monoblocks
Push-pull amps with GE 6L6GC Blackplate outputs and vintage Chicago output transformers. They use a floating paraphase inverter circuit. Coupling caps are Copper V-Cap (CuTF).
DIY 46 SE Monoblocks
Single-ended 2-stage amps with Electra-Print output transformers. A Western Electric 417a driver feeds a RCA 46 output tube via an interstage transformer made by Dave Slagle of Intact Audio. The driver stage has voltage and current regulation with a CCS feeding an OD3 gas tube. Choke-input power supply with 5R4GY rectifier and BlackGate WKZ filter caps.
Audio Note Sogon and Vx
1m Silver litz interconnects.
Audio Note Lexus interconnects
4m Copper Litz
Audio Note SPx speaker cables
Silver litz speaker cable.
Audio Note Lexus speaker cables
Ocellia Reference power cord
Audio Note ISIS power cords
with ETI Legato Gold IEC and Furutech FI-11M Copper AC connectors. Used throughout system.
Sound Anchors Stands
Dedicated stands for turntable and monoblock amps.
ASC Tube Traps
one trap in each corner behind speakers
Loricraft PRC-3 record cleaner
Box Furniture rack
DIY Tube DAC Non-Oversampling
Digital board has AD1865N chip and vintage caps and resistors. Audio portion uses Western Electric 407a with tube rectifier and BlackGate WKZ filter cap.
Grannyring, I just noticed that Parts Connexion has a RIFA 4700uf, 400v electrolytic on sale. I don't know how they sound since I haven't tried them, but that would give you a lot of capacitance in a small can.
I like that you use different brand caps to keep the colorations to a minimum. I need to keep that in mind.
"A 97F cap in this spot is a great complement to the BlackGate WKZ caps that I use for the caps after that. The BG has colorations too but they are pretty much the exact inverse of a good oil cap"
Jet, the ASC caps always sound, to my ears, very colored. The midbass is too warm and rich, the midrange is projected forward, and the treble is rolled off. There is also a consistent softness on the leading edge of transients and the bass is too loose and bloomy. The ASC does have very nice dynamics though. All in all, it's a sound that people either love or hate.
The GE 97F has some of the same qualities but the colorations are much reduced in magnitude. For me it hits the sweet spot: it is just as dynamic as the ASC, it is warm sounding but the bass is not too rich or overblown like the ASC, the treble is sweet and natural but more extended than the ASC, and the 97F is not as soft on transients.
Howver, I only use the 97F as the first cap after the rectifier, which is just the spot you have in mind. A 97F cap in this spot is a great complement to the BlackGate WKZ caps that I use for the caps after that. The BG has colorations too but they are pretty much the exact inverse of a good oil cap.
Let us know what you think after you try your 97F. I am pretty sure you will like it!
Salectric, I few months ago I bought GE 97F 15uf oil caps to install in place of ASC 15uf oil cap right after the gz34 rectifier. What changes in sound do you think I might expect? I also have some 14uf vintage GE oils that are sitting around. which should I try? Thanks Jet
The GE and ASC don't seem to go over 60 uf or so. Not enough for the gear I use and design. Need a couple of thousand uf on the B+ and bias supply. At least that is what I like. That is why the Clarity TC is interesting. They offer up to 600 uf at 450 to 600 vdc.
The GE sound interesting as I had read that the ASC are fantastic. I would have to run dozens in parallel....ha!
No I haven't tried the Clarity TC caps. My power supply caps are mostly BlackGate WKZ caps which of course are no longer available. I also use GE 97F series oil caps which look similar to ASC but I think sound much better. For larger values, I use Jensen electrolytics. Recently I tried the new Wima flat pack caps which combine pretty good sound with a compact size, high 700v rating and low price. Dennis Fraker uses the Wimas in his Serious Stereo 2A3 amps. In my 46 SE amps, I preferred my BG WKZ caps to the Wima but most people don't have that option.
Hope you don't mind me asking this question on your system thread. Have you ever tried the newer Clarity TC high voltage caps in a power supply before? They strike me as the best option for replacing electrolytics when both high uf and vdc values are needed.
Thank you NoRo! Tonal color is something that is very important to me. The Spendor speakers do a very good job of differentiating tonal colors of different instruments, for example tenor sax versus alto, and getting the timbre of an oboe and clarinet just right, in my opinion. That was actually something that took longer than I expected to get right with the high-efficiency Jensen/Altec system, but I believe it now exceeds the Spendors in that respect.
I have read about the new Jupiter Copper Foils but haven't tried them. At this point, I think my capacitor needs are fully met in both my crossover and electronics, but if my needs change I will definitely check them out.
Very nice set up Salectric. I imagine the sound to be very fine with great tonal color. You might look at Jupiter Copper foils as an alt to Duelands. See here: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0514/jupiter_copper_foil_paper_wax_capacitor.htm
Thanks for all the info and nice job on your design. Very impressive work to design your own crossover.....no small endeavor for sure. Folks like you really inspire me to continue learning and building. Thanks again.
I just added more details about the high-efficiency speakers for those who like such details. Click on the Western/Electric Jensen/Altec speaker item to read the full description.
If anyone is interested in building something similar, contact me through the Audiogon email system and I will be happy to provide more information and answer any questions.
Charles, thank you for your comments. We certainly do share an appreciation for good jazz. If you can't be there in person, hearing your favorite artists at home on a good hifi is the next best thing.
Hi Sal, I know you enjoy listening to jazz as much as I do. In addition it's clear that DIY brings you plenty of joy and satisfaction. I hope you'll continue to have this much fun for a long time. Charles,
New photos added. The new, larger speaker cabinets are shown in the system photo as well as under the Jensen/Altec speaker listing. I also included a photo of the outboard crossover board.
Eventually I plan to veneer the speaker cabinets to improve the appearance, but that is down the road. Long before then, I will build a new housing for the outboard crossover. The one shown in the photo was just a quick throw-together experiment.
Fabulous set up. I love your preamp and speakers. I built a crazy overkill preamp years ago but my folks threw it away when I moved. Someday, I may try another attempt.
Update: I finished a pair of larger cabinets for the Western Electric/Jensen/Altec speakers. They are 5 cu ft bass reflex cabinets and are now floor standing so they no longer need a support stand. I will take some new photos.
Bifwynne and Sebrof, I appreciate your kind comments. Thanks for looking. Bifwynne, I hope you continue your jazz exploration. There is a lot of great music out there. And I can't imagine there will ever be a better time to buy jazz on vinyl than right now. Old records are still available in pretty good condition at used record stores and on Ebay, and new pressings are available if one prefers shopping by catalog. So life is good!
