JE Labs: May 2023

Tish and I were delighted to have our dear friend Tony, organizer of the annual November Hi-Fi Show event in Manila, as our house guest this past week. Even if he presents the latest in high end audio, his hifi set up is quite eclectic and chosen by ear. It consists of bespoke SE-DHT amps, horn speakers using classic Altec drivers, a grease bearing Garrard 301 + contemporary components for digital streaming and headphone listening. He makes it a point to also feature local DIYers in his annual hifi event by subsidizing their demo rooms.

Thus, the Kutztown Radio Show is very much his kind of scene too!

Tubes galore!

From novals (9-pin), directly heated triodes

...to 110-year-old tubes

I'm not familiar with this pair of Hartley speakers.🤔 Interesting, nonetheless!

Presenting the Electro-Voice 30W super woofer and...

...the proud new owner.😉

15" Altec 602A Duplex with an intact cone but burnt out 3000B tweeter😔

Altec Flamenco + a large format 288-8K (K = Ferrite) driver

4 x Russco idler driven turntables + a pair of Altec 511 horns with 808 (802 motor + Symbiotik diaphragm) drivers

A pair of Russcos housed in a mixing console

A belt-driven Rek O Kut

Bogen B61 (Lenco L70) x 2 with original boxes at $200/each

A restored Fairchild Model 530 transcription turntable

A nice McIntosh MR67 tube FM tuner

A very clean McIntosh MC225 PP7591 stereo amplifier

What's this guy staring at?🤔

Ooooh 😲..that's a Western Electric 86C amplifier.👍👏

Feast your eyes on this Holy Grail!

(Please disregard the Sovtek 300Bs.😆)

After a long day of digging for tubes, transformers and miscellaneous parts, it was time to refresh and recharge with beer 'n burgers at Kutztown Tavern. 🍻😊

More crate digging, this time for LPs

at Young Ones Records in downtown Kutztown

Instead of heading back directly to the Philly 'burbs...

We took a slight detour to BEK HiFi and Double Decker Records in Allentown PA.

A glimpse of DeVore Fidelity speakers

Lotsa LPs!

Looking forward to the next event.

Hopefully the rest of the gang can tag along too!🍷

Page 12 of the 1958 Lafayette Radio Catalog

This is a Lafayette branded turntable manufactured by Teac of Japan in the late 50s. The drive system is an innovative implementation of the basic Rek O Kut L34/37 Rondine Jr. design.

PK245 + Musicmaster Model 12 + GE VRII

I got this unit with pulverized motor mounts.

Since the original motor mounts are no longer available, I had to improvise by using rubber grommets...

~~...and 1/2" x 0.72" 302 stainless steel springs 😊 from Grainger. IIRC, it was part number 1NDJ1.🤔~~

!!!UPDATE!!!

After further listening tests, I determined that the rubber shock mounts used in the Gray Research turntable were better suited to this design. They can be sourced from Surplus Sales of Nebraska, part number RPS 426-0001.

PK245 + Musicmaster Model 12 + GE VRII

The main bearing isn't as substantial compared to the Rek O Kut.

However, the captive bearing is highly polished and the threaded bottom cap houses a hardened gun metal blue thrust pad.

I used SAE 30 non-detergent oil for the main bearing and "Blue" 3-In-One for motor lubrication.

The aluminum platter is a little over 3 Lbs.

This hysteresis motor is similar to the unit fitted to the NEAT P58H. Please click here for full details on servicing that motor and etc.

The pictures below highlight features unique to the PK245.

Top shell motor bearing reassembly sequence

The bottom shell motor bearing reassembly is exactly like the top shell except for the motor shaft terminating with a 3mm ball bearing on a thrust pad as shown above.