I finally updated a few pictures.

bruce_weiland August 04, 2018 07:24

A few more changes and tweaks.  Updated pictures STILL to come.

bruce_weiland July 29, 2018 05:18

Finishing up reorganization   --  New pictures to follow.

bruce_weiland February 28, 2018 08:03

Reorganized, new block diagram.

bruce_weiland February 03, 2018 07:50

Need new pictures soon.

bruce_weiland April 30, 2017 07:52

Room is built and I am beginning to assemble the system.

bruce_weiland February 21, 2016 14:37

Woo Hoo for me!!!!

bruce_weiland December 12, 2015 07:25

I have clearly established I am not a headphone guy.  :-( 
But there is hope for a small audio room.  :-)
I won't have to down size that much.  :-)  :-)

bruce_weiland November 05, 2015 05:57

Because of the huge decrease in physical space allotted for my audio (2x3 sq ft), I am going to a headphone based system.

Yes, I know. I need to go wash my mouth out. LOL

Because of ongoing technology improvements this is finally acceptable to me. I am finishing acquiring the pieces now.

So this will be the initial setup;

My current PC server to the HDMI input of a Smyth A8 Realiser and from that using Toslink optical to a PS Audio DirectStream DAC. This bypasses the A to D and D to A in the A8. From the DAC using tube powered actively shielded interconnets to a King Sound M20 OTL all tube, electrostatic headphone amp, both tube and power cord rolled, driving a pair H-03 electrostatic headphones. And.... one Martin Logan Depth active sub.

Final power cord compliment for each system piece will be determined experimentally.

AC is first regenerated from the wall through a PurePower 1050 and then balanced through a Equi=tech Son of Q to feed the entire system.

That's it folks. :-)

bruce_weiland July 10, 2015 08:23

Jedinite,

Thank you for the compliment.

No, unfortunately there just isn't room for all those TICE pieces. So, yes they will be sold.

My new system only draw about 250 watts when up and running, so I don't need all the reserve I had with the Tice.

bruce_weiland July 10, 2015 07:52

Well I have started to acquire what will replace almost all of my stuff.

The vinyl will stay the same through the PV-5, but with the Rosewood retipped, and a Counterpoint SA-2 for step up.

The computer server will remain unchanged, for now, as will the USB cable.

There will be a USB to HDMI converter to get the signal to the Smyth A8 Virtualize and then optical to a PS Audio DirectStream DAC. This by-passes the Smyth A to D and then D to A.

Tube powered actively shielded interconnects to the King Sound M20 OTL electrostatic tube amp, tube and power cord "rolled" to H-3 headphones.

Everything else will be sold. Oh, except one of the Martin Logan Depth subs.

Hey, what do you think?

bruce_weiland July 07, 2015 17:52

System edited: I must down size after my move. Tell me what you want. It is probably available at a reasonable price.

bruce_weiland June 23, 2015 20:48

Digital crossover in place. Being used as a two way for bass only from 250Hz down. 20 to 40 to powered subs and 40 to 250 to SS mono-blocked woofers. 48db/octave LR

All passive crossover components bypassed to the woofers and the Electrostatic panels.

SS amps direct to woofers.

Tube amps direct to crossoverLESS elctrostat stepup transformers.

Currently panels rolling off passively. Next step is some EQ roll off at the bottom of the panels (250Hz) but NOT with the DEQ2496 Behringer.

The A to D and D to A opamps in the DEQ2496 are not transparent enough in the midrange.

bruce_weiland July 09, 2014 20:35

Active - digital crossover in the works. This is exciting!

bruce_weiland May 26, 2014 08:18

System edited: Playing with the synergy and reducing system hum have made some changes in order of connections.

bruce_weiland March 01, 2014 13:12

Better clarity and flatter response.

Letting the subs cross at 80 Hz and rolling off the Prodigy woofers at 70 Hz.

Then using Behringer DEQ2496 to get flat response at the sweet spot.

:-)

bruce_weiland February 09, 2014 19:09

System edited: I was running from the DAC-2's RCA outs to the Phase 1000 and of to the Behringers with speaker wire inputs from the Behringers to the ML Depth subs. However, now I go to the subs from the Phase and us the sub's high pass at 35 to the Behringers that are passively biamping the Prodigy woofers. Cleaner through out. :-)

bruce_weiland January 16, 2014 10:14

System edited: Speaker wire rearranged.

bruce_weiland December 27, 2013 13:20

System edited: A block diagram of my preamp pieces as they would exist in a single box. When viewed this way the system looks much simpler.

bruce_weiland December 07, 2013 15:21

System edited: beginning to update virtual system to current state.

bruce_weiland November 14, 2013 19:11

System edited: Added a few comments by pictures

bruce_weiland August 15, 2013 09:10

System edited: Now passively bi-amped with Volcano/Goertz MI 3 shootgun to stats with Manley tube mono blocks in triode. And Cardas with bridged Behringer EP4000's to the Prodigy woofers. :-) :-)

bruce_weiland July 31, 2013 10:30

System edited: Biamped system with a pair of Behringer EP4000's bridged to mono to supply 2,400 watts per channel into 4 ohms for the Prodigy woofers from 30 to 250 Hz.

bruce_weiland July 24, 2013 21:08

System edited: I recently bi-wired the system. I had read many pros and cons on bi-wiring, and in my system bi-wiring was never an improvement. That includes with my current speakers, the Prodigy (now in the system for 7 years). However, much has changed in my system over the past few years and I took another run at bi-wiring. Cardas on the stats and Audio Quest on the woofers was NOT as good as a single run of the Audio Quest Volcano and my 6 awg copper jumpers. But............ AQ on the stats and Cardas on the woofers just blew me away. Without a doubt the best sound I have had so far. Amazing ambiance, sound stage size, nuances, and musicality.

bruce_weiland June 21, 2013 18:38

System edited: Just acquired two more chassis, transformer, and assorted caps to build preamp to four chassis status.

bruce_weiland May 25, 2013 08:37

Two additional chassis, transformer, and big A** caps ordered to further beef up the PS for the JP-200-12B's

bruce_weiland May 10, 2013 19:29

Birth of the Jadis JP-200-12B

Ok, I know, I know, there has never been a "12B" model. I will get to that in a bit. First let me get the shields up captain.

I must confess to my rudimentary electronic skills. I can use a VOM, am only moderately good with a soldering iron, and know the theory behind caps, resistors, diodes, etc. Yes I know Ohm's law. Other than that I am just an audiophool/phile tweaker.

Therefore you real engineering types that KNOW putting in (rolling) a tube type that a circuit was not designed for makes no sense without a change in values of resistors, and caps can stop reading now.

And those of you who know/believe that caps, etc. cannot make any difference in the sound, except to us audiophools, can stop reading too. Spend your time doing something you enjoy more, except if those activities include attacking phools like. You don't need to waste your time doing that. I won't respond.

OK. Shields are up. :-) Now let's get started.

I have been spinning vinyl since I was 3, and chasing audio nirvana since returning from the Corps at age 22, 44 years ago. I am sure I will continue for many decades to come.

The preamp I am about to describe sits in a system using big tube amps, big electrostats, powered subs, and massive AC power conditioning.

It started life as a Chinese Jadis JP-200 "clone". I use the term clone somewhat loosely, because it had only two chassis, not four as a real JP-200 would. The chassis, unlike most two chassis preamps, were not line section, and separate power supply, but rather a left chassis and a right chassis. Additionally, it had/has a 3310 chip based remote input selector, volume, and mute. Which is not unlike many very expensive preamps, Roland to name just one. Because it consists of a left and right chassis, and therefore separate volume controls, that can be used for balance too.

There were two owners before me. I was able to pick these preamps up for $630.

Each chassis has four separate boards and two R-core transformers. They contain an LS-DY tube rectifier, regulator board, supposedly patterned after an ARC design. The tube complement consists of a Chinese 6Z4 rectifier (similar to 6X4 but different pin out), a US made NOS/used(?) 12B4A, and a Russian, new production EH 12AT7. The R-80-31 transformer supplies this board. It also has a LM317 for 12.6 or 6.3 filament regulation (it is set for 12.6) for the line stage board.

The Jadis cloned line section board contains three EH 12AX7's. To shorten the story some, and not bore you with all the tubes I rolled, suffice it to say I tried a lot of 12A*7 types and brands, AU and AX, Bugle Boys and others. AT's did not work well.

Knowing that many had said that most 12BH7's were every bit as good as the best 12AU7's in most circuits, and that being my experience too, I decided to put two in the output positions. As the younger generation would say, OMG! Talk about ambience recovery, and filling out the lower midrange and bass, while still maintaining excellent image. WOW! It did it. And more nuances were coming through too.

I eventually rolled 12BH7's into all three locations, with improvements with each 12BH7 added. The power supply has sufficient filament current to supply all three 12BH7's at 12.6 volts, with current to spare. The three tubes need 0.9 amps. The LM317 is protection limited to 1.5 amps.

There are two boards dedicated to the remote volume and digital display and a separate R-core transformer for those two boards.

While rolling 12AX7 types I inadvertently rolled 12AX7's into the 12AT7 position on the power supply board with resultant better dynamics and separation. I went back and forth several times with different AT's and AX's. The AT's always seemed to compress the dynamics and homogenize the image some.

After a few weeks of listening I had a hair brain idea. What if I put a 12BH7 in the AT position of the power supply? Oh, I forgot to mention that I had purchased a pair of adapters so that I could use US made NOS 6X4's in place of the Chinese 6Z4's. I put in 6X4's from day one.

Anyway, 12BH7's in the power supply worked their magic again. This is where the "12B" model name comes from, four 12BH7's, one 12B4A, and a 6X4 in each chassis.

One further mod. The pair I have has Solen SCR pp coupling caps at the output. I paralleled two NOS US made PIO 1 uf, 500v caps in each chassis. Nice improvement. :-)

I have had both active and passive units in my system through the years. I have had SS and tube units in the $5,000 to $6,000 range. My current preamp setup is synergistically MUCH better than anything I have listened to in my system, so far.

Now, what is next for these preamps?

Well why not four chassis as the original $30,000 to $60,000 Jadis. So, I have order two more chassis with power buttons only.

Taking the PS out of the line section box has the potential to further lower the noise floor, which is already very low. However, there are some additional benefits. The chassis are all full sized, 16x13x4. By moving the two transformers and the power supply board out of the "main" chassis I get the additional space to play around.

I have ordered an additional pair of transformers for the tubes to give me twice the potential current capabilities. I have also ordered enough capacitance to increase the PS reserve by a factor of 10. Of course there would not have been enough room in the current chassis to add such big caps. I will also have more room in the line section to play with more interstage coupling caps.

Stay tuned (pun intended) for further developments.

Bruce

bruce_weiland May 05, 2013 12:29

System edited: Remote controlled two chassis

bruce_weiland April 09, 2013 16:35

System edited: New preamps

bruce_weiland April 09, 2013 15:46

System edited: Added second preamp for dual mono. Removed ribbon tweeters.

bruce_weiland March 31, 2013 10:15

System edited: New digital playback software. Already using jPlay 4.3a. Just upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro, and from MC17 to jRiver Media Center 18. :-)

bruce_weiland December 23, 2012 12:54

System edited: No longer using ribbon super tweeters. Damping back wave directly behind the stat panels with double thickness of bath towel. Tighter image focus, more depth, width, and focus. :-)

bruce_weiland December 16, 2012 10:16

System edited: New Analog and Digital Source picture

bruce_weiland December 04, 2012 08:27

System edited: Almost done updating.

bruce_weiland December 02, 2012 10:16

System edited: Looks like I inadvertently deleted my computer server. I still need to update the phono cartridge and will ad the server then. Plus the overall system pictures need updating.

bruce_weiland December 02, 2012 09:53

System edited: Warspeed and Fosgate signature sold. New (really old) Conrad Johnson PV-5 used as a phono section now.

bruce_weiland December 02, 2012 09:30

System edited: description updated

bruce_weiland November 02, 2012 10:36

System edited: Added Blue Box and Behringer SRC 2496

bruce_weiland October 30, 2012 10:01

System edited: Added Warpspeed V4 and Wyred4Sound DAC-2

bruce_weiland May 04, 2012 10:08

Tpreaves,

Your "first glance" is partially correct.

The speakers are angled in more than 45 degrees. They don't point directly at each other, but do point at me. I sit almost between them. The inner third of the panels (the preferred listen portion of most Martin Logan's) are pointing right at my ears, and each ear is about 24" from that stat.

Obviously this is an EXTREME near field listening position.

The Prodigy are 5 feet from the wall behind them and 3 feet from each side wall. When using the system for background listening (since the audio room connects directly to the family room) the speaker placement is not a problem. When listening critically, or for the "bathed in the sound" experience it is of course a single listener system. Very much like great big electrostatic & ribbon headphones, but with balls (a pair of powered subs) and whole body enjoyment.

While the single person nature of this setup may not be everyone's cup of tea, there are a number of very distinct advantages to near field listening.

The first is system/room interaction. Because the back wave and the front wave have to travel such a long distance to reflect off of surfaces before returning to the listener and the ratio of that time delay compared to the initial wave to listener ear is so great, room interaction with the system is GREATLY reduced.

As you can see from some of the pictures, I have still treated the room for acoustics. EVERY system benefits for treating the room. You will see many on this forum state that treating the room should be done before, changing a piece of equipment, or a cable, or treating AC, etc. I have to agree with them. A room can certainly ruin a very good system. I have seen/heard it happen more times than I care to remember.

Another benefit of near field is total system headroom. Speaker efficiency, or more accurately "sensitivity" is generally stated at 1 meter and 1 watt at 4 ohms. For every meter one sits further from the speaker an additional 6db of power is needed to achieve the same volume. And of course for every 3db of dynamics above whatever the stated sensitivity is one needs double the power to attain that volume. Put these to realities together and you find that many amps are clipping with the dynamic peaks in the music. And that thousand watt per channel amps DO make sense, just not "cents" for most peoples pocket books.

Near field listening, especially with big amps, give most systems a great deal of "easy". When one is efforting to create an experience of being there, effortless dynamics are very important. This system has them in spades. :-)

Bruce

bruce_weiland March 23, 2012 08:17

System edited: Added links for DIY BAC (Big A** Cords), AC power cords. :-)

bruce_weiland March 10, 2012 10:49

Tpreaves,

I don't imagine you live in the LA, CA area, but if you do or are in the area at sometime, you can hear for yourself.

I believe you would be amazed. Everyone, including several "audiofools" I mean "-philes" (I include myself in that group) have been, and are.

Why is it that you think they could not sound good?

Bruce

bruce_weiland March 10, 2012 10:16

I have update the descriptions. More picture edits to come.

bruce_weiland March 10, 2012 10:10

System edited: After several attempts over the past few days, and a half dozen today, I was some how able to get into my virtual. I tried a number of work around's. I am not sure if I an reproduce the work around. I will try tomorrow. Audiogon has finally contacted me about this problem. Good for them! :-)

bruce_weiland March 10, 2012 10:09

Looks like it is all working. Updated pictures soon.

bruce_weiland March 03, 2012 17:58

System edited: Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The Audiogon Virtual system links. But that is a big improvement over not at all. :-) Deleted a few items, will add the AC version of the tube interconnects soon.

bruce_weiland March 02, 2012 01:42

Now the AC version -- Tom (Kenny) mentioned that "if the DC version was a 7 then the AC version was a 10!"

I finally bit the bullet and ordered the AC version of his active shielded interconnects. Unfortunately he had some health challenges that delayed his ability to construct these "one at a time" wonders.

But eventually they came, and Oh Boy! Was he right.

Now, damn it, I will need a few more of his AC wonders.

If the sonics he describes on his website interests you, definitively give a pair a listen, WITH A GOOD NOS TUBE.

Bruce

PS I have ABSOLUTELY no financial interest in Tom's business, with the exception that I want it to continue so that I can purchase more of his wonderful stuff.

bruce_weiland February 18, 2012 09:19

When the Aural Thrills (Tom Kenny) DC tubed IC's 1st arrived I let them burn in. They came without a tube and I used a 12au7 that I had.

I tired them in several locations.

I was not impressed and was sure they would be going back.

Then I popped in a NOS 12AU7 and WOW!

Not only were they not going back, but I would have to have more.

I just wished they cost less, and I certainly could not justify his AC version, that he says sounds even better.

Bruce

bruce_weiland February 18, 2012 09:11

I have a LOT of VdH, but am simplying my system and may be selling some soon. And like you my first "The First" was in the 90's when it "first" became available.

Nothing I had used in my system sounded as good, including several runs of Audioquest Sky, until........

I tried Aural Thrills (Tom Kenny) DC powered vacuum tube active shield interconnects.

I think his description on his website does a darn good job of giving one an idea of what they can sound like. And.....

30 day trial. What's to loose?

Bruce

bruce_weiland February 18, 2012 09:06

Stanwal,

I tried the tube socks, but they cut off the circulation to my feet. :-) lol

Actually I have not tried tube socks but I have tried some ARC OEM rings and some DYI rings and I did not like what they did. In my system they kind of killed the sound.

Made the system less ambient and life like. Maybe more accurate, but not more "musical".

Bruce

bruce_weiland February 18, 2012 08:58

After bombarding Audiogon with email after email about "broken" virtual systems, I finally got a reply that was not an autoresponder.

"..We are still working on virtual systems. To be honest this is not a top priority......"

I guess that pretty much sums it up.

bruce_weiland February 18, 2012 08:48

Honest1,

Yes you are. I have had the Aural Thrills tubed DC IC's for awhile. Just received my AC version last night. Have not has a chance yet to connect them and start burning them in.

Bruce

bruce_weiland January 31, 2012 08:44

Well CRAP AGAIN!!!!

Just built a virtual system for the third time. This time in the NEW Audiogon.

Still no link in my page and no way to edit or change it. Damn, damn, damn!!!!!!!!!! Extremely frustrating.

And still no reply to multiple emails to Audiogon support.

They must too busy putting out all the "fires" they have caused with their "new and improved" site.

bruce_weiland January 28, 2012 13:24

Still no responses from Audiogon!!! :-(

bruce_weiland January 27, 2012 13:42

Well crap!!!!! I have made some system changes. I went to "MyPage" to update this virtual system and the link no longer exists. 10/2011 all over again. Damn!!!

bruce_weiland January 24, 2012 13:03

System edited: Eastern Electric DAC added. H-CAT, TriVista 21, and OffRamp removed.

bruce_weiland December 05, 2011 09:39

System edited: It has taken me hours to reconstruct my virtual system. I have saved the pictures and descriptions on my hard drive, this time. I Audiogon looses my links again, it won't take me so long to reconstruct. Not all descriptions have been recreated, YET. Stay tuned.

bruce_weiland October 08, 2011 14:17

or you can click on "Systems" after my user name and then tube and stats to see the old thread

bruce_weiland October 06, 2011 22:33

Some months ago the links to my virtual system some how mysteriously broke. At first support was able to re-establish them. After they disappeared again the result has not been as good.

Here is my old virtual system. It is no longer linked to "My Page", nor are the descriptions or individual pictures there.

I am reestablishing that now. Here. The old link does have discussion starting back in January of 2008.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vevol&1200440547

bruce_weiland October 06, 2011 22:32