Bonsai X'mas Tree + Amp

Looking back to 2022

January: Begin the Beguine + A Cousin's Listening Room: Garrard 301, Ortofon RMG309i/SPU Synergy/AB309/SPUmono, JE Labs preamp/amp, Hashimoto transformers & Altec 753C

February: Sony PS1 & Magnavox/Philips NOS TDA1543 mods

March: emails from Ukraine, was Radiotron SE2A3 + Analog LP playback & Film Photography

April: Altec mini 757 =  756B/32C/806/23744 + MC SUT Redux = Hashimoto HM7

May: Snell Type JIII Part 2 + Kutztown Spring Radio Show

June: Fidelity Research FR64fx dead channel fix + Hub City Vinyl

July: SRPP SE2A3 Redux + Factory Records Dover NJ

August: OJAS @ Lisson Gallery NYC

September: Pioneer PL6U Idler Turntable + Realistic 42-2109 phono preamp upgrade

October: Kutztown Fall Radio Show + VAS Audio - SPU-GME MKIII, Supex SD900 MkIV, Stax UA3NL & Tokyo Sound ST900

November: Hifi Show in Manila + Snell Type JIII - Finale

 December: Tube Shields for the Loctal Preamp + Bonsai X'mas Tree & Amp

To celebrate the holiday season I've prepared a short video. Please note that given the dynamic compression and bandwidth limitations imposed on sound quality by YouTube, I upload videos for the visual aspect rather than their sonic merits.😊

Turntable: Garrard 301

Tonearm: SME 3012 

Phono cartridge: Supex SD900 + conical stylus 

MC step up: Altec 4722 

Preamp: JE Labs octal + 76 

Bonsai Amp: 720mW per channel SE 171A, coming soon! 

Speakers: Altec 753C

So watch how the 720 milliwatts per channel Bonsai Amp is pushed to soft clipping by Tchaikovsky's "Pas de Deux" from "Nutcracker" driving the Altec 753Cs. 😉

Thank you to all my readers and supporters!

🎄🎄🎄Wishing everyone happy holidays and a great new year!🎄🎄🎄

JEL Loctal Phono Preamp + Tube Shields

 

It's been over five years since I built this loctal preamp. I moved it recently so that it'd be between my two turntables. In this location, I was surprised by higher-than-usual hum and noise levels emanating from the phono section especially when compared to my RCA octal + 76 line stage. 

Given that it had been playing quietly and flawlessly until it was relocated, I was dumbfounded. Then I noticed that when I put my hand close to either 7F7 tube, the hum and noise got even louder.🤔 

Before taking the preamp out of the system for a thorough check up on the test bench, I searched for a couple of tube shields from my parts bin. 

Voila! The unusual hum and noise vanished.👍

Sit back and enjoy Alice Coltrane's "Blue Nile" from her album "Ptah, The El Daoud"! 𝄞 𝄢🎶