A Cousin's Listening Room

 

This is a hifi system I built for a cousin who loves music!

The speakers, which I dubbed Altec 753C, is the culmination of my Altec 2-way horn system project.

Western Electric 753 inspired cabinets meticulously handcrafted by John Piro of Hommage Audio

Garrard 301 turntable + Ortofon RMG309i tonearm + Ortofon SPU Synergy for stereo LPs and Alfred Bokrand AB309 + SPU Mono for mono LPs 

Turntable plinth by Hommage Audio

The JE Labs preamp line stage is a plate choke loaded 76 while the SE300B mono block amps feature a Komuro-inspired circuit using type 37 input tubes + Intact Audio nickel plate choke loaded 6V6s or 6F6Gs (connected in triode) and Hashimoto H-30-3.5S output transformers. 

Preamp and amp woodwork by Hommage Audio.

Hifi cabinet by George Nakashima Woodworkers.

Projects like this keep me busy during the pandemic.😊

Begin the Beguine 2022

A well worn 78 rpm shellac disc of a Cole Porter classic recorded in 1938 by Artie Shaw spinning on a Gray Research HF500 turntable + a GE RPX cartridge amplified by my DIY je2a3 mono integrated fitted with a Hashimoto H203S output transformer driving a GE A1-400 speaker in a "vintage DIY" tuned pipe enclosure by Raymond H. Bates from Audio Magazine May 1955.

GE "single stud" RPX + 3 mil sapphire stylus
in a Karmadon slide shell

Cheers to 2022! Hopefully, it will be a much better year for all of us!

 

Happy Holidays 2021

 With the blessing of Early Bender of Hifitown.com, I uploaded two articles written in the 1980s for The Absolute Sound by his parents, Walt Bender (1944-2008) and Lennice Werth. 

WE/Altec 755A is in Part I

Olden Golden Components Part I

Berning EA230 is in Part II

Olden Golden Components Part II

I've owned quite a few of the components discussed and still listen to a couple. This is a reflection of the articles' profound influence on my pursuit of the audio hobby. Since I believe that they are as relevant then as they are now, I added them to the JE Labs Arkiv.

2021 Index

January: Looking back to the past for a Better-Sounding Future + 6C8G

February: Happy Birthday Mommy + Happy Birthday Daddy

March: PSE 6SN7 Headphone Amp + Snell Type J III Part 1

April: Lar Retro-resto Shure M65 phono preamp + Marcel Breuer House with an Altec 604C

May: Hi-Fi for the Deck - Simple Triode'd 6F6/6V6 amp + Kutztown Spring Radio Show

June: morrison micro 2A3 reimagined + Thorens TD124 Tips

July: Old Flame - Rogers LS3/5A + 9"-10" Tonearms from Denon, Fidelity Research and Grace

August: Billingham Hadley Pro & Leica II half case + Gray Research HF500 Turntable & 108B tonearm

September: DKL and Exacta mount lenses & Exa camera + Budget SUTs - Sony HA-T10 vs. Shure mic transformers

October: Kutztown Fall Radio Show & Summer Events + Classic Shoe Mount Light Meters 

November: Tube Rolling Fun (and Peril) & adapters + TT Artisan Light Meter

December: JE Labs Man Cave 2021 + Holiday Greetings/2021 Index

As the year comes to a close, I'd like to thank all the visitors, especially those who've contributed to this blog.😊

Wishing everyone a great Holiday Season and all the best in the New Year!

man cave 2021

 

From mid September until mid November, the man cave was out of commission so I set up a temporary system in our living room. 

Flooding in the lower level had been a major issue since we moved to this house. Tish and I finally bit the bullet and had a French drain + sump pump system installed.

Knowing that jackhammers would create a big mess, we packed up all of our books, LPs, CDs, etc.

I had to repaint/reseal the floor because it was badly scratched by contractor traffic.

Listening lounge chair

At least 12 square feet of floor space was gained from the removal of a built-in bench. We reclaimed a small window that had been blocked off, which most likely had an a/c in the past. 

Monaural hifi view

Stereo + Monaural Hi-Fi

Still working on the main hifi system and filing my LPs...😉

I'm really liking the less cluttered look, which means I have to reduce my audio collection. So keep your eyes peeled for goodies at the JE Labs Flea Market after the New Year. 😄 

TT Artisan Light Meter

 Eleven days after I uploaded my shoe mount light meter article, I took delivery of this light meter from TT Artisan. It came in a nice Japanese-style package!

The light meter requires a 3V CR2032 battery, which is not included due to shipping restrictions. A small screwdriver is supplied for installing the battery + a user manual. The official set up instruction is available on You Tube, so I'll skip those details.

I guesstimate it to be about 15% larger than the Voigtlander VCII.

Unlike the VCII, there are no alternative locations for the feet. As is, the light meter didn't clear the rewind knob of my Contax II and clones made in Kiev. A cheap and quick solution is some sort of an accessory shoe that can elevate the meter. 

Does it overwhelm a Barnack type body?

Despite the larger dimensions, the dials and markings are smaller than the VCII. Perhaps this only matters to a certain demographic that requires reading glasses, that's why I noticed it. 😉 

The TT Artisan has a 45 degree measuring angle vs. the VCII's narrower 30 degrees. This probably accounts for the 1/2 stop difference. Since it’s equipped with a Silicone photodiode, low light sensitivity seems to be as good as the VCII or at least at par with the Vivitar 24.

The Doomo Meter D shares similar technical specs with the Voigtlander VCII, including the svelte proportions of the latter at $125. I snagged my TT Artisan at the introductory price of $56/shipped. The price is now hovering at the $70 mark, but it still is the only shoe-mounted light meter with analog dials available new for under $100.

 

The Canon P is loaded with ISO 100 film. Watch out for the results in my Flickr!😊

Tube Rolling Fun (and Peril) + Adapters

Tube rolling is a fun aspect of the audio hobby. It only gets tedious when audiophiles start splitting hairs about a VT231, 5692, etc. I draw the line when an audiophool claims, "...my line stage preamp resolves the R train rumble under Carnegie Hall better when I use a 6AS7 in place of the original 6SN7..." 🙄  

Those two tubes may be pin compatible BUT a power transformer 🔥melt-down🔥is imminent since the 6AS7/6080 draws 2.5 amps @ 6.3V. That's over 4 times more filament current drawn by a 6SN7, which only draws 0.6 amps @ 6.3V.

 💣 💣 💣 Rolling tubes is dangerous unless you have a working knowledge of electronics to comprehend tube data/specs. 💣  💣  💣 

It's been a while since I listened through Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plates on an RCA phono. Since I used to graft this circuit on a Dyna PAS preamp, I ordered a pair of 12AU7/12AX7 > 6SN7/6SL7 adapters to relive the experience on my RCA octal preamp.  

Back in the 90s, Steve @ Angela Instruments had a boatload of Raytheon 5755s and shared a sleeve with me. Since I never found a project requiring these tubes, I got a pair of 5755/WE420 > 12AX7 adapters to listen to them in the Shure M65 clone. Piggy-backed to 12AX7>6SL7 adapters, they also worked nicely with the octal phono preamp. 

Despite slight differences in transconductance and plate impedance between the 6SL7/7F7 and their younger 9-pin siblings (ECC83, 12AD7, 5751 and 5755), there was no visible variation in square waves nor frequency response aberration when I bench tested those tubes in both circuits.

Admittedly, loctals don't look as glamorous as their octal cousins with bakelite bases. But I'm very fond of them to the extent that I built and use a full function loctal preamp. I've been adopting unloved loctals at radio shows and hamfests. Essentially the industrial looking 7F7 and 7N7 are rebased 6SL7 and 6SN7, respectively! My only issue with loctals is, the tube pins are prone to corrosion. This is easily remedied by a wire brush + DeoxIT before use.

I purchased these tube adapters from the seller xulingmrs. They are very well made and fairly priced. Shipping cost and transit time from China was also reasonable. Highly recommended!