Over two decades ago, I ventured into single channel music reproduction to trace the roots of high fidelity. From that whole experience, I developed an aesthetic quest for a certain purity and honesty in sound, which runs parallel with my other hobby of black and white film photography! Sadly, I had to leave that particular mono set up in the attic in 2017.
This ca. 1969 Kenwood turntable adapted the Thorens TD124 drive system sans eddy current speed control.
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| L>R: 6AH4 + AliEx, 12B4A + Sony/Tamradio and 6AH4 + Hashimoto HL20K6 |
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| from Western Electric Oscillator July 1947 |
Whether it's an open baffle as conceived by G.A. Briggs or an enclosed box like the Western Electric utility boxes above, I've always been an advocate for a wide baffle design. The wide frontal area serves as an acoustic reflector that helps propagate sound toward the listener instead of escaping to the sides and back. Somehow the wide baffle, whether open or closed, always makes reproduced music sound more alive to my ears!
A notable exception is the narrow front baffle Silbatone box designed by Dr. Stefano Bae for the Western Electric/Altec 755A. Since I uploaded the cabinet project under the auspices of Joe Roberts, it has garnered a following amongst DIYers who've reported successful results mounting other 8' drivers like the Altec 755C, 755E and the Lafayette SK98/Pioneer PIM8L.
I finally got a chance to mount and listen to my 755Cs and PIM8Ls + other 8" wide band drivers. Hopefully, this article will encourage readers to DIY this mini-monitor sized box because it really offers a lot of musical pleasure per cubic inch!
To recap, let's start with the...
Just like cars, a new turntable model has to be introduced every year or two to keep consumers' interest and convince them that newer is better.😊
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| from page 37 of the 1960 Radio Shack Catalog |
The Realistic Mark 8 improved upon the similar looking "motor unit-stye" Mark 7 in Part 4 of this series by adding a 16 rpm speed and supplying a half pound heavier cast aluminum platter.
My dad would've turned 97 today. To celebrate his birthday, the video clip above features a recording of his favorite violinist, Nathan Milstein, playing Presto from Bach's Sonata No. 1 in G minor for unaccompanied violin. While he was doing post-graduate studies at The Juilliard School in the mid 50s, he was fortunate to have attended concerts of the great violin virtuosos of that era - Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Nathan Milstein, etc.
He would later recount that Nathan Milstein's performance of the Glazunov violin concerto was the most unforgettable! Even if he never got a chance to add this violin concerto to his repertoire, he conducted the Manila Chamber Orchestra with me playing the Glazunov violin concerto in 1987. The music of the slide clip above is the middle movement from our performance.
Before I bore everyone reminiscing about my dad and our life as musicians, let's get on with the subject at hand. The amp featured in this upload uses a directly heated triode power tube that was introduced around the time my dad was born.
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| Canon P + Canon 50mm f1.8 LTM Foma 100 in Rodinal |
Inspired by my plate choke-loaded 76 line stage preamp adventures, I was curious how a similar driver circuit configuration would sound in an SE2A3 amp. So I pulled out my Radiotron Designer's Handbook, 3rd Edition to gain a better understanding of choke-capacitance coupling (aka plate choke loading) vis-à-vis resistance coupling.
Below are highlights of relevant information I gathered.
I bought this Lafayette PK300 idler-driven turntable because it looked like an improved Shield MO-19 (aka NEAT P58H) with the added feature of an eddy current pitch control as found in the Garrard 301/401 and Thorens TD124.
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| Shield MO-19 vs. Lafayette PK300 |
Comparing them side by side, the PK300 turned out to be proportionately smaller in all dimensions and lighter in weight. Hmmm🤔…let's travel back to the late 50s.
This turntable/tonearm combination has been in my collection for over twenty years. I wired the tonearm for stereo because I particularly enjoy using it with the Shure M3D and M7D.
I couldn't find this in any of the Radio Shack Catalogs issued from the late 50s to the early 60s unless it escaped my tired, old eyes.
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| from page 2 of the 1957 Radio Shack Sale Flyer |
However, the A-3 tonearm, which is essentially a Calrad SV12/Musicmaster Model 12/Velvet Touch sibling, was featured in the 1957 sale flyer above.
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| from page 4 of the 1958 Radio Shack Sale Flyer |
This is the Mark 7 turntable recorded in the Radio Shack Catalog Vault.
Based on the shape of the chassis, this Mark 7 is perhaps the younger of the two since it looks very similar to the succeeding Mark 8, which I will discuss in a future installment.
Although not quite as heavy and massive as a QRK or Russco, the cast aluminum chassis is very rigid on both units. The earlier MK7 chassis above is configured to accommodate a 9"-10" tonearm, while the later MK7 below was designed as a "motor unit" like the Garrard 301 and 401.
The speed selector linkage to the idler wheel in both are similar, but due to a slight difference in the motor mounting layout, the idler arm and idler wheels are not interchangeable.
Except for the paint color, this hysteresis motor is exactly the same unit fitted to my NEAT P58H, which I covered in Part 2 of this series. Click here for motor servicing information.
The main bearing is an oil lubricated design, which supports a 3-lb. cast aluminum platter.
Before moving on, the younger MK7 depicted above had a serious issue - the motor has a bent rotor spindle!😔 Will I be able to save it by adapting the motor from another Lafayette PK245 (don't ask my wife how many turntables I own 😆) with a warped platter?🤔
While planning the motor transplant, I examined the MK7 idler wheel condition and decided it might be worth rejuvenating.
So I mounted it on a handheld drill, deglazed the rolling surface with 400 grit sandpaper, and soaked it in brake fluid for over a week. This was suggested to me decades ago by a kind soul who visited the Rek-O-Kut Tips page in my old website. It has worked with two other Japanese idler wheels but I've never tried it on a Lenco or Rek O Kut. Back in those days, it was more convenient to just send Lenco and ROK wheels to Ed Crockett, RIP 😞 or Terry Witt 👍, who's still catering to the needs of audio DIYers.
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| The above idler wheel was resurfaced by Gary of VoM. 👍 |
Even if the rubber motor mounts were still supple, I replaced them with springs. A nice lesson I learned from servicing my NEAT P58H.
To my ears, the spring mounted motor + 8 mm ball bearing/nylon countersunk washer thrust pad help lower the noise floor.
Realistic Mark 7 stepped pulley specs
It is essentially the Realistic Mark 7 above with a different inscription on the badge.
I have a close affinity for the Mark-7 + A3 since this was the very first Japanese idler-driven turntable I acquired.
After going home with me to Manila and back stateside, I finally found time to try the JS 4120Ns in my preamp. After adjustment of voltages and operating points, I was impressed by the increased detail and resolution brought forth by replacing the Allen-Bradley plate load resistors while retaining the sonic aura I've come to treasure from my Bruce Berman-derived 76 > 1/2 6SN7 line stage circuit from Sound Practices Issue 13.
Unfortunately the JS 4120Ns have been out of production for quite a number of years. 😞
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| NOTE: According to the 7N7 data sheet, it has a maximum cathode to heater (filament) voltage rating of 90V. To get around the 142V at the cathode, I lifted the filament potential 65V above ground via a voltage divider network in the B+ supply. Hence, 142 - 65 = 77, which brings it back to spec. |
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| 100 Hz, 1 kHz and 10 kHz square wave output from 2 x Hammond 156C plate choke loaded 1/2 7AF7 + 1/2 7N7 cathode follower |
I tried the budget-friendly Hammond 156C plate load chokes in the circuit above on my loctal preamp as well as on my main preamp with the 76 line stage below.
Detail improved but I missed the micro dynamics and organic quality in the midrange of the JS 4120Ns. That said, I'm now using this topology in the nosTDA1541tube DAC in my main hifi set up. Meanwhile the loctal preamp line stage has been reverted back to its original state with Allen-Bradleys.
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| NOTE: This choke saturates instantly past 8 mA! |
Since the Hammond 156Cs are easy on the wallet (just like the 125ESEs I wrote about decades ago😉), why not try and judge for yourself? If you hear potential, then proceed to the nickel plate choke-equipped circuit below.😊
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| Custom wound Intact Audio 250H nickel plate chokes |
I was so impressed with Dave's nickel plate chokes👏 such that I ordered a pair for myself so I could use the JS 4120Ns for other tubes and circuits. I also confirmed that in order to get the most out of the plate load choke topology, one needs a competent winder, and nickel should be part of the equation!
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| Even if I always used more rugged 6SN7 GTA and GTB types in the cathode follower section, when I built this preamp over two decades ago, the power supply was configured so that the filament potential was about 75V above ground. |
I've always admired the sound (or more appropriately, the lack thereof) of nickel permalloy, having owned the Tamura F7002 and Tango NY15S since the 90s. Even if these output transformers are hefty beasts, which helps the low frequencies, it's not their bass response that captivates the listener. Instead, they present a very natural midrange replete with rich and harmonious overtones, which are virtues I also hear with Finemet.
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| 100 Hz, 1 kHz and 10 kHz square wave output from an Intact Audio nickel plate choke loaded 76 + 1/2 6SN7 cathode follower |
After praising the merits of exotic core material, I wouldn’t want readers to get the impression that nickel or Finemet are the quintessential elements to great sound. Tube choice, circuit topology and operating points, parts selection, etc. not to mention the synergy of components in the hifi chain, all contribute to the sonic stew. That's why I encourage audio hobbyists to listen and experiment so that they can carve their path towards their own musical satisfaction.
Although this video is merely a proof of concept, I got inspired and used my Sony A7II + Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f1.9 LTM lens mounted on a tripod rather than my usual iPhone. So plug in your Koss Porta-Pros or Sennheiser HD6XXs and (hopefully) enjoy!🎶🎹🎻
Maybe 🤔 I'll talk about my plate choke adventures with SE amps next time!😉
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| Page 12 of the 1958 Lafayette Radio Catalog |
...and 1/2" x 0.72" 302 stainless steel springs 😊 from Grainger. IIRC, it was part number 1NDJ1.🤔
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.
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Happy tinkering and listening!
