JE Labs Man Cave 2024

This is the side of the man cave where I spend a lot of time listening and evaluating new projects.

In the coming months, I will be talking about phono preamps, autoformer volume control, revisit the transformer coupled line stage topology, SE amps, etc. I will also continue my classic Japanese idler-driven turntable series, feature a couple of SE-DHT amp-friendly drivers + more.

Most of the audio components listed below are hyperlinked if you mouse over the text. Those that are not will be linked once the article is uploaded.

I like to taste new sonic flavors that are within the DIY realm😊

JEL man cave tour

3D printed WP12024 horn from Lycan R&R

In late September, I received a message from Trieu of Lycan R&R, asking if I'd be interested in evaluating his 3D-printed prototype pair of multi-cell horns.

Before proceeding further, this blog entry contains a lot of hyperlinked texts to either previous entries or other sites pertinent to the article (e.g. "Lycan R&R" above). Mousing over and clicking those texts will open the link on another page. Thanks!

Design notes from Trieu: "These horns are slightly wider. The original KS12024 has a rather narrow 50° horizontal dispersion. When updated to the 1" driver opening, the wider initial diameter of the of the 1" driver would not allow for the throat geometries to work correctly. I felt the slim vertical profile of the original KS12024 is important sonically.

The best way to maintain it is to increase the horizontal width via a wider angle. So I increased the horizontal dispersion to 62.5° allowing for the proper expansion and geometries of the throat piece. BTW, I used carbon fiber infused PLA filaments."

OJAS Listening Room @ USM in SoHo NYC

I never imagined 30 years after the late Don Garber closed his Fi audio gallery at 30 Watts Street, that there would be a similar gallery in SoHo NYC again.

In the summer of 2022, I visited Devon Turnbull's OJAS exhibit at the NYC Lisson gallery. Click here to read about it. This past summer, a similar exhibit was presented at the London Lisson gallery. 

As soon as the London exhibit concluded, Ken Micallef, whom I follow on YouTube, uploaded this video featuring OJAS hifi systems inside a posh SoHo boutique. This was the main motivation to add it to my list of must-see places on my next NYC trip! 

Without further ado, here's what Tish and I experienced when we visited in mid November 2023.

Harana Audio @ the November 2023 Hi-Fi Show

After a four-year hiatus, my frequent collaborator and buddy, Joey of Harana Audio is back in the game with Klangfilm inspired speakers. 👍👏😊

November HiFi Show 2023

 An event not to be missed by music enthusiasts based in or visiting Manila, Philippines 

Mark November 11-12, 2023 on your calendars.🍻

Celebrating music for twenty years!

Kutztown Radio Show Fall 2023

 What I saw...

...and heard 😊

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.

Shoten R50 Pentax K to Leica M adapter

Inasmuch as I love music and retrotech high fidelity music reproduction, I think it's healthy to take periodic breaks from hifi. Frequent visitors know that I also enjoy photography, especially using black and white film loaded in old school manual focus cameras. 

So today's blog is about the Shoten R50 lens adapter that's designed to take a 50mm (Note: a 35mm, 45mm, 55mm or 58mm, etc. won't focus accurately) Pentax K bayonet mount lens and fully couple to the rangefinder focus cam of a Leica M body from 0.7 meters to infinity. 

Japanese Idler-Driven Turntable Part 5: Lafayette PK300

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.

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.

Ortofon STM-72 + Weller WTCPS repair + Hakko FX-888D

One morning, I discovered the right channel of my Ortofon STM-72 was dead. While waiting for the Weller WTCPS soldering station to heat up, I carefully peeled the foilcal to pull apart the 2-piece tubular housing so I can resolder the broken cable connection(s).