Jazz Lover's Vinyl System

by salectric on Done For Now

Description

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.
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Room Details

Dimensions: 21’ × 15’  Medium
Ceiling: 9’

Components Toggle details

    • Western Electric and YL Acoustic open baffle
    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.
    • Cambridge CXC Transport

Comments 96

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Wow man, beautiful stuff. From your descriptions it's obvious you put a lot of time and effort into your system, and from the looks of it a lot of skill. Just awesome.
Thanks for posting!

sebrof

Salectric, please add my compliments to the list. You have a beautiful system. I am particularly impressed with your DIY electronic abilities and knowledge.

On the music front, I'm just starting with Jazz. I have some Charlie Mingus LPs, which I like a lot. Also CDs of Thelonius Monk (sp?) and Miles David (of course). It's a bit of an acquired taste, but worth the effort.

Happy Holidays,

Bruce

bifwynne

Owner
A speaker update: The high-pass crossover in the Jensen/Altec/Western Electric speakers now uses a Duelund 7.5uf CAST capacitor. The new Duelund is going to take a long time to break in fully but even with 20 hours it is sounding very nice! Prior to this, I was using a 1uf Duelund as a bypass across a 6.8uf Mundorf Supreme; this combination sounded very good but the single Duelund already sounds better. When first hooked up, the Duelunds sound dark and lifeless. They start to open up after a few hours and then just get better and better.

salectric

Owner
An update: I added a new phono preamp I built a few weeks ago which I like very much. It is very simple 2-stage design with 12AX7 tubes. No cathode followers; no regulation; no solid state devices of any kind except for the heater rectifiers; in fact, it could have been built back in the 1950s just as easily as today except that I used high-quality modern components.

The 12AX7 phono stage doesn't replace my D3a/5687 preamp. They both sound very good, but they provide different flavors.

salectric

Salectric,
Thanks for your participation. My site is pro Brick and Mortar High-End Audio Retailers. They are going out of business at an alarming rate. If Audiophiles don't support them, we will have no place to audition equipment. For the record, we obviously hear the same sonic purity and immediacy with regard to Roy DuNann's engineering techniques. Enjoy the Music!

zenkai1950

Owner
Zenkai1950, Thanks for the nice comments on my system. After looking at your blog, I see that we do share a love for jazz. I have bookmarked your blog and will be following it. Keep up the good work! And for the record (so to speak), I voted for Roy DuNann.

salectric

Salectric,

Your system leaves me breathless. Exceptional attention to detail! We have a couple of things in common: I use a Denon 103R and I love jazz. Since I'm not a DIY'er, I purchase equipment that I believe will have great synergism.
BTW,I'm taking a Poll on two very influential jazz recording engineers. Please visit my website and vote for your favorite jazz engineer: Rudy Van Gelder or Roy DuNann.

Michael Miguest
http://www.audiocognoscenti.com/blog.html

zenkai1950

Nice system! Also nice that you choke loaded your PS for the DIY 46's. I hear that choke loaded PS in tube amps give a better bass response.

jetrexpro

Ditto Whart's comments. I got here the same way and for the same reason.

Would love to hear a few of my favorite '50s and early '60s jazz LPs on your system.

pryso

What a nice system! Saw your post re original v reissue vinyl and clicked on your system link. Glad I did.

whart

Owner
New photos are posted. I usually listen to the Jensen speakers while they are sitting in front of the Spendors, and then I remove them when I want to go back to the Spendors. It's not ideal but it only takes a few minutes to go back and forth. The Spendors are too heavy to move around quite as easily.

salectric

Owner
Plinko,

I'll take some pictures and post them over the weekend. I have also completed a new equipment stand so it's a good time for some more photos.

salectric

Can you post a pic of your Jensen/Altec speaker? Everyone knows about WE but I like certain old Jensen components. I am currently working on a restoration of a Jensen CN-100 speaker.

plinko

Owner
I have been trying a set of Tung Sol KT120 tubes in the Emotive Vita amps, and I really like the way they sound. They may have finally dethroned my old favorite the Genalex reissue KT77s.

salectric

Wow indeed!! Your development of that system was obviously a labor of love, and I'm sure the results are a treasure. Enjoy!

Best regards,
-- Al

almarg

Wow... These are the best looking custom built systems...you did a great job...
Sonny from Ottawa
[email protected]

sonimageshifi

Owner
Add me to the chorus of mono fans. I tried out my new Miyajima BE mono last night in the Schick 12" arm, and right out of the box it sounded great! There is a "right there" presence that suits the music to a T. The first record I played was an old favorite---Milt Jackson's "Ballads and Blues." Simply wonderful!

Islandmandan, thanks for the nice comments.

salectric

I very much enjoyed resding about and seeing your system. I envy you your abilities in building your own components, so satisfying, yet the Emotive Audio custom built stuff must be amazing. You hve learned much in forty-five years at this, and it really shows.

Best regards,
Dan

islandmandan

Terrific!

jazdoc

Owner
Thank you for the kind words Charles1dad. Much appreciated! To return the compliment, I am impressed with your system as well. I haven't had the privilege of hearing any of the Coincident products but I am especially interested in the phono and linestages. I am sure the combination of all that gear from the same designer sounds very nice. And I know a 300B SE amp can sound wonderful with acoustic jazz since I used a similar amp on my Spendors a few years ago.

Dave

salectric

Salectric,
What a beautiful system! given your custom electronics and other components the sound has to be devine. Like you I`d say 90% of my listening is wonderful jazz.
Best Regards,

charles1dad

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