AliExpress Amorphous SE OPTs + Jean Hiraga and the SE-DHT Amp Revival

SETUP 2024

Single Ended Triode Users of the Philippines 2024

At the dawn of the 21st century, I uploaded hifi systems owned by audio buddies who had been inspired by the Sound Practices ethos. These were the guys who originally coined SETUP. After a couple of decades, the number of Filipinos who indulge in this hobby has increased exponentially.

Here's what I saw and heard during my recent visit.😊

Harana Audio Workshop

Altec 311-60 horns + 288 drivers with Fostex super tweets on top of a pair of Harana V-Vent bass bins with partial horn loading

JE Labs Choke-Capacitance Coupled SE2A3 amp

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.

Finemet FM-MCT1 MC Step Up Transformers

MC step up transformer redux + Hashimoto HM-7

Noguchi Finemet: FM-3WS-H + FM-6WS output transformers

This was the last extensive testing and listening session I did in the attic before we moved back to the states. I misplaced some data and just recovered them recently. So as promised in a previous blog entry, here's the write-up on the two entry-level SE Finemet OPTs from Noguchi.

WARNING

These are bonsai-sized output transformers. If HUGE iron + HIGH inductance and thumping bass frequencies is your idea of high-fidelity you should STOP 🛑 here!😉

However, if the finesse and realism a WE/Altec 755A can provide within its 70-13 kHz bandwidth is your idea of a GREAT time, please proceed!😊  

Noguchi FM-3WS-H

Noguchi FM-3WS-H + Tamura F7004

David vs. Goliath - indeed, the FM-3WS-H is tiny. I had to mount it on a perf board so that it wouldn't fall from the square mounting hole left by the Tamura F7004 ;)