JE Labs: January 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Bogen B60/Lenco L70

Bogen B60/Lenco L70 idler turntable with a viscous damped tonearm playing Stan Getz

Monday, January 24, 2011

November 2008 Hi-Fi Show

Upon instructions from our boss, my first audio gig in Manila

was to exhibit projects seen but never heard by the local audience. In particular - mono playback and Lenco idler drive turntables.

My wing man setup2 and BenC, a local DIY enthusiast added a twist on open baffle material...

...Philippine Tanguile wood planks, readily available for wood flooring, affordable, more rigid than plywood and even better acoustical properties.

Lenco L75 + Ortofon AS212, Garrard 301 and Thorens TD124II + FR64fx,

MC step-up transformers: Altec 4722, Ortofon SPU-T1 and Tamura TKS83

JELdx preamp and SE300Bdx (driving 755C/OB)

Grease bearing Garrard 301 in laminated birch-ply plinth, Ortofon 309/SPU GME for stereo LPs...

...flanked at the back by the Philippine debut of a viscous damped Velvet Touch tonearm with cartridge slides loaded with a GE RPX and Denon DL102 for mono LPs.

Philippine premiere of Bogen/Lenco L70 doing alternate duty as mono front end

JEL mono preamp driving JEL SE2A3dx mono amp

Stereo speakers: setup2's Altec 755C/OB augmented by EV T35 tweeters

Mono speaker at center (not a subwoofer;) - Altec 605B/OB

Wood finishing of OBs, courtesy of our friend Joey of Harana Audio (see below)

The SETUP gang

...and thanks for helping me unload and unpack...

...he he he

Pics from our Harana Audio friends

Thanks to Wiredstate.com members for your pictures!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Listening Room - A Music Lover's Hi-Fi

A gentle reminder to audio hobbyists the term audiophile seems to have evolved to describe enthusiasts who listen to sound as opposed to enjoying music! Thus, if we do not keep a healthy perspective, we may end up as audio burn outs.

My last project before settling in the hideout was to set up a music system for my brother who is gifted with keen ears, plays cello, piano and above all, loves music!

Happy listening bro!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Leica II + Chiyoko Super Rokkor 45mm, f2.8

I rekindled my interest in photography at the beginning of 2005, which fueled the acquisition of Ukrainian FEDs and Russian Zorkis. Curious as to what made them tick, led to acquiring the venerable Leica II below. I just love how this camera handles!

Leica II ca. 1932 + Chiyoko Super Rokkor f2.8, 45mm lens

Click here for pics taken by the Leica II using other LTM lenses + Leica II restoration and beam splitter mirror replacement.

This Chiyoko Super Rokkor 45/2.8 lens came from the ca. '48 Minolta 35 camera below sporting a non-standard 24 x 32 frame.

Unfortunately the Minolta 35 is missing too many parts and couldn't be restored.😞 So I've been using the Chiyoko Super Rokkor lens with the Leica II + other cameras, including digital bodies.