Friday, February 14, 2020

Fotofox Contax (Kiev) RF to Leica Thread Mount Adapter


While shopping for a Contax RF inner-bayonet type > Sony E/NEX-mount adapter, I came across this Fotofox adapter which claimed RF coupling on Leica Thread Mount (LTM) compatible camera bodies. 

The Good

Canon P + Fotofox CRF + Zeiss Opton Sonnar

At about $60 landed in the USA, the Fotofox is a lot more affordable compared to the more deluxe Amedeo or Kipon equivalents. I'm glad to report that my gamble paid off. My Contax/Kiev RF mount 50mm lenses - Zeiss-Opton SonnarJupiter 8M & Helios 103 - mounted successfully on my Bessa R, Canon P and 7s bodies.

Bessa R + Fotofox CRF  adapter + Jupiter 8M

LTM>M + Fotofox CRF adapter + Helios 103

 By adding an LTM to M adapter, the Fotofox adapter functioned just as well on my Leica M6 below.

Leica M6 + LTM>M + Fotofox CRF adapter + Helios 103


Using the appropriate adapter, the Fotofox also mounted the aforementioned Contax and Kiev 50mm RF lenses to my Fuji X-E3 and Sony A7II.πŸ‘

The Bad

Left: Jupiter 12 + Right: Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f4

Sadly, my efforts to make it work with my Kiev RF mount Jupiter 12 and Contax RF mount Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f4, were all in vain. πŸ˜”

The Ugly


Zone focusing is out of the question since there's no distance scale and no infinity lock/stop either. 😏


Sample Pics


Canon P + Zeiss Opton Sonnar 50mm f2
Ilford FP4+ in Rodinal 

Canon P + Zeiss Opton Sonnar 50mm f2
Ilford FP4+ in Rodinal 

Canon P + Zeiss Opton Sonnar 50mm f2
Ilford FP4+ in Rodinal 

Bessa R + Helios 103
Ultrafine eXtreme 100 in Rodinal + HC110

Bessa R + Helios 103
Ultrafine eXtreme 100 in Rodinal + HC110

Leica M6 + Jupiter 8M
Fuji Neopan 400 in Kodak HC110

Canon 7s + Helios 103
Ultrafine eXtreme 100 in 
Rodinal + HC110

Canon 7s + Helios 103
Ultrafine eXtreme 100 in 
Rodinal + HC110

Click here for more samples. 

 Is it worth 60 something bucks? Let your eyes decide.😊










Sunday, February 2, 2020

John Piro, Craftsman Extraordinaire!

When John emailed me a picture of his WE753C clone cabinets, I had to have a pair!

JP in the man cave with my freshly minted Altec 753C boxes

JP's System (in constant flux)
Thorens TD124, Marantz 7T, Garrard 301
DIY Stuff
Marantz 8B, REL Precendent
DIY amps
Wharfedale SFB3

Garrard 301 + Karmadon Viscous Damped Tonearm

WIP - Gray Research HF-500 Turntable
Hey JP, are you prepping this for a SchrΓΆder BA tonearm? 😎

JP repurposed a WE chassis for his preamp

JP's preamp is based on JE Labs Circuit

JP's Simple 45 amp using James 6113HS OPTs

JP's Stereo SE300B with James 6123HS OPTs visited the man cave,
it's based on the JE Labs circuit


JP's Vintage RCA Collection

RCA Theatre Amps

RCA Theatre Amps

RCA Compression Drivers

RCA Horns

Altec 614 cabinet
by JP

Open Baffle by JP

Open Baffle by JP


JP's handcrafted multi-cell horn made from wood, 
based on the Western Electric WE26A 


REL Precedent 646B with a DIY front faceplate by JP

JP's take on the Dr. Bae/Silbatone 755A cabinet


Unlike my friends in Manila who have reported good things using the Altec 755C in this box, JP prefers the Lafayette SK98/Pioneer PIM8L


If you want to contact John for a commission, please leave a comment with your email address. Your comment will not be published, instead, I will reply with his contact info.

Coming Soon
JP757A











Friday, January 24, 2020

Syntec S220 Tonearm - bearing adjustment

AKA Piezo PU-402 or Sparta ST220

I've handled a few of these through the years and the horizontal bearings usually have too much slack. I've yet to encounter a sample that had vertical bearing issues though.

Follow the tips below on how to reduce horizontal bearing slack.



This is a highly underrated tonearm that works great with medium to lower compliance cartridges!


Happy Listening!



Thursday, January 9, 2020

TBT '96-'97: JE Labs Project Pics



I'll start the new decade with scanned negatives of my DIY Audio projects from the mid to late 90s. Most of these pictures were taken either with my Pentax K1000 or Leica M3 + Rigid 50mm Summicron, loaded with either Agfa Vista or Kodak Plus X, processed by a local lab. I didn't know how to develop film yet back then. πŸ˜‰ 

ca. '96

My last Dyna PAS hack



This Dyna PAS 2 chassis sports an RCA phono circuit with Ni-Cad batteries for cathode bias. Check out those wonderful (then) anti-high-end paper in oil caps from Jensen, Facon and Icar. Too bad they get leaky after a couple of years.


Yup, that's an octal socket in the line stage for the mighty 6SN7!


Under the hood of the outboard power supply is a choke for the B+ for better filtration. Connection to the main preamp is via an octal plug/socket.


By this time I was already a firm believer in tube rectification. I retained the original PAS transformer for B+ supply duty only and relegated DC filament duty to another power transformer.


JE Labs Stereo "Classic" SE300B with Audio Note UK 2.5K OPTs



A Thorens TD124 + a (then) newly-acquired ($60!) Grace G540L tonearm + Grado 8MZ on my very first laminated plywood plinth project. All these components are still in service.


The original Simple 45


ca. '97


JE Labs Stereo SE2A3 with Tango U808 OPTs


JE Labs Classic SE300B mono-block with Audio Note UK 3K OPT


I briefly owned a pair of AES/Soliloquy 5.2 TQWT speakers. Coming from Spendor LS3/5As, these sounded lean and weren't more efficient either - probably in the high 80s rather than the claimed low 90s.😏


Fortunately, I snagged a pair of Altec 755Cs at a hamfest and quickly whipped out a pair of small open baffles. I was hooked!


The Altec 755Cs in open baffles based on dimensions published by Stereo Sound "Tube Kingdom" Issue No. 3/1996. And yes, I added a Garrard 301 to my system!


I got my Garrard 301 in the early summer of '97 along with the Altec 755Cs. 


This was the block diagram of my system before the end of the millennium as a featured "Home-brewer" in Sound Practices.  I can't believe 20 years went by so quickly!