AudioCircle
Community => Regional Audiophiles => Gateway Audio Society => Topic started by: daves on 1 Mar 2017, 12:59 am
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It is almost that time of year again, and Abbe and Francis are having their medical mission organizational meeting this week, so I figured it would be good for us to have a low key planning meeting ourselves on either March 11, 12, or 19th. We have again volunteered to host it at our house in south county. Last year we had a lot of people open their hearts and wallets to help the less fortunate in Honduras, and I would love to make this year's fundraiser even bigger, better, and more fun!
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I should have another pair of speakers to donate.
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We will have the meeting on Sunday, April 23, at 2pm. There may be a couple interesting top notch mono systems to listen to, as well as the planning session.
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Here is one of the mono amps to be featured.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2519_zpst3m9ywld.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2519_zpst3m9ywld.jpg.html)
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Dave,
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but someone stole the transformers off your Fairchild amp, and set a pair of old refrigerators they found in a dump there to disguise the fact that the transformers are missing.
I just thought I should let you know, so you can get them replaced in time!
Best,
Francis
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It must be this dumpster they found em in!
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?attachments/20170416_112018-jpg.911006/
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?attachments/20170416_112038-jpg.911007/
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Dear GAS members,
A close look at that Fairchild would suggest that there is something bad wrong with it. And indeed there is.
See that empty tube socket? When Dave went to remove its tube, that tube broke. It was a 1955 Mullard EL-34. They cost about $600 on eBay. (And, I might add, their sound is worth every penny.)
Since Dave didn't commit suicide, should we send him flowers? Or take up a collection to buy him another 1955 Mullard EL-34? I think I'm too jealous to choose the latter. Any opinions, more benevolent than mine, would be welcome.
Grimly,
Francis Baumli
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Francis, that is a noble thought, but Mike already had a pair of EH EL34s that I procured for slightly less. We will run this with the 10" RCA full ranger from 1954. :-)
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Dear folks,
Just a reminder: April 23 @ 2 P.M. is our planning meeting at Dave's, for the June 4th fundraiser. I am going with Kent Johnson; others are planning to be there. Dave is going to play show'n'tell with some of his gear, and watch our faces as he gloats.
Meanwhile, I just had a tooth pulled, so if you see a chipmunk walk through the door, don't take down your shotguns.
I'll see you then. Please put up with my mumbling.
All the best,
Francis Baumli
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A message for JohnH12,
Just to let you know, those speakers you donated last year are well broken in. They have received much play. They're mated with a small sub, but the sound is really excellent, and I still love the design. So if you are considering donating another set, then I shall eagerly look forward to beholding them, but won't stand in the way of someone else purchasing them!
Thank you for being your generosity, but I shall just as much look forward to your company!
All the best,
Francis Baumli
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A footnote,
Since, after all, I do work with words, I am embarrassed by that glitch in my last post. I meant to write, "Thank you for your generosity."
On a side note: I told Abbe the other night, when she was (as usual) holding forth, that she is like an open baffle speaker. She didn't understand. I didn't explain. I have learned to parse my words wisely.
All the best,
Francis
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On a side note: I told Abbe the other night, when she was (as usual) holding forth, that she is like an open baffle speaker. She didn't understand. I didn't explain. I have learned to parse my words wisely.
Francis, that one baffled me. [rolls eyes while the rest of you groan]
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In this case, I would conjecture that Francis was implying that Abbe was speaking with great clarity, impact, and decisiveness, qualities open baffle speakers are noted for providing.
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After consulting with my wife/ manager I have two options available. A full dipole speaker in purple, and a custom remake of Parts Express speaker kit BR-1
Here are the pictures. You guys can choose. These would be considered a budget build in my world. Either will certainly sound better than many commercial offerings. Someone will get a good deal.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=161212)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=161213)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=161214)
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These both look delectable, John!
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The testing is done, and the mono amp lineup probably will be four amps that no one has ever heard. We have either the Fairchild 260 or 275, the Acrosound UltraLinear II, the RCA MI 12191, and the Radio Craftsman C500a, run from the Fairchild 245 preamp, with all predating 1960. This is quite a set of vintage amplifiers, if you are old enough to have receding hair, bad hearing, cataracts, and holes in your socks!
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2531_zpsezhmtizg.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2531_zpsezhmtizg.jpg.html)
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2529_zpskmh2yrcg.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2529_zpskmh2yrcg.jpg.html)
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2530_zpsypydbbll.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2530_zpsypydbbll.jpg.html)
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2528_zps0jhlgec1.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2528_zps0jhlgec1.jpg.html)
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This is a message for JOHNH12,
Actually, this message was posted last night, but then it disappeared. (Not the first time this has happened.)
John, I extend my thanks both for your generosity and for your imaginative choice. I shall say more about my motives for choosing later.
Meanwhile, the choice would be easier if we had an idea as to the size of that open-baffle proffering. If you told us the size of the woofers, we then could more or less figure out the overall size. If they're 4-inch, that's a very different choice from what is taken into consideration if they're 15-inch.
Looking forward to this information, and eager regardless, I thank you again.
Francis Baumli
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Hey Dave,
I see the Fairchild 275, but where is the 260? :lol: :rotflmao:
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Mike, with all this excitement, I have forgotten where it is...hmmm
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It sounds very nice! 8) :thumb:
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It's up and working?
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I'm running BeBop in it now, so it has all the bass you need! :icon_twisted:
Yes, working.
You owe me a 12AU7, needed to install to adjust AC balance.
Mine was a GE, I want a ..... good replacement.
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Nice touch with the Fiesta ware.
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Yes, the Fiestaware is awesome! very colorful. brings life to the kitchen. 8)
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Francis the purple speakers are 4 feet tall. They use 15 inch woofers, and would go with Fiestaware. I'd be happy to bring them to Dave's on Sunday, the only problem is once they leave the house my wife won't let them back in. :scratch:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=161249)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=161250)
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Is the actual event this Sunday?
EDIT: Never mind, June 4th. Duh. :oops:
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Dear John,
Thank you for your clarification regarding the size of the purple speakers. Those things must be imposing when witnessed in the flesh. Out of curiosity, what brand of drivers did you use?
As to which pair I would rather see at the auction, I must cast my vote for the little Parts Express clones, but this is based on experience which I readily admit is as personal as it is, shall we say, idiosyncratic. It all began with a woman I came to call (in my mind) Purple Patchouli Polly (although Polly wasn't her real name, and maybe thinking of her as Purple Patchouli Polly is why I don't even remember her actual name). I met Purple Patchouli Polly (a.k.a. PPP) when someone brought her to a party I was giving. She was nice, had a five-year-old son whose father was out of the picture, and for reasons unbeknownst to me PPP, after that party, began coming to visit me. Always late in the evening when it was almost night. This was sometime between my two marriages when I was chastely profligate, so I allowed her to indulge her carnal prowling on the sole grounds of trying to be polite.
Why did I, in my mind, give her this name? Because she always, I mean always, wore nothing but purple. Sometimes there were various shades of purple, sometimes they might be so light as to border on pink, other times so dark as to be almost Navy blue. But always it was purple, and always she reeked with patchouli oil perfume. ("Essence," she called it, when I protested.) So I bestowed upon her some pious commingling (just to be polite, let me remind you), she polluted my bed and my entire house with the reek of patchouli, and after coming for the night she would have to leave for home early the next morning to take care of her little boy. Only five years old, she had brought him once, and I tried to interact with him but he seemed to hate my guts--mainly, I think, because his father had abandoned him and he wasn't going to warm up to any man. At least not for another year or two.
PPP was a "nice person" but generally unremarkable, whether physically, carnally, or mentally. Frankly I couldn't even understand why she wanted to drive the distance (about a 50-mile round trip) to spend the night with me. Our conversation was not strained but tepid, our commingling was not happy but it happened, and our attachment to one another was not uneasy but very undefined.
Things came to a head one night however, when amidst the tumult of our close proximity, gravity had arranged matters so I was looking upwards, and right when the tumult was becoming more frenetic, she abruptly halted all movement and said, "I forgot something!" Unceremoniously (and not without discomfort to me) she disengaged, hopped out of bed, and went to the living room. In there I heard her going through her large backpack. (She always brought her things in a backpack, never in a suitcase.) I heard her rummaging, then she came back in the room, switched on a lamp, and holding something in her hand said, "I intended to show you this."
It was a gorgeous bottle, seemed to be made of cut crystal, almost glowed with a dark and intense purple color, and indeed it was beautiful. One would almost think it had been stolen from an ancient Egyptian tomb.
"Here. Smell," she said, pulling out the stopper and holding the bottle to my nose. Sure enough, it was patchouli, so strong it nearly burned my sinuses. "It's pure patchouli oil," she said. "Not mixed down with alcohol or water. I'm going to use it for making soap. It cost a fortune, but I don't remember exactly how much, and I'm glad I won't be able to find out since I lost the ticket."
"I lost something too," I almost mumbled, but I didn't much care about that, and ... well, somehow one more evening, contaminated with patchouli, commenced until it ended.
The relating ended too. Nothing climactic happened. (Not at the end, anyway.) It just sort of stopped. We talked by phone a couple of times, she stopped coming, and then I didn't hear from her or of her again. Until ... some years later, way up in the corner of Northwest Missouri, there was and is a tiny town called Hopkins that had a small weekly newspaper. One of the friends there I was visiting needed to go by that newspaper and deliver some news. There on the wall were clippings from back issues of that tiny newspaper, and quite visible, was a large picture (I would guess about 6" by 8") of Purple Patchouli Polly. In Hopkins! That was 400 miles from where I lived, and where I had had my previous encounters with PPP. The article suggested she was now living in that area, and the article highlighted her business--which involved making and selling patchouli soap. I was there, sans mate ... but no--I was not tempted to go nosing after the reek of patchouli, no matter what the rewards (dubious at best) might have been.
So that was my last, and sparse, encounter with Purple Patchouli Polly. But there have been after-effects. I have always thought of her when I meet a female named Polly. Or when I see a woman dressed in purple. Or when I smell patchouli.
So you will have to forgive me my neurosis on this matter, but I would rather you bring to the auction the speakers that aren't purple. Nothing against the color, mind you. I would probably like it, except whenever I feel particularly affected by it, PPP's words, "I forgot something!" come to mind. And somehow that goes against my very refined atavistic sensibilities.
So thus you have my vote. I felt you deserve an explanation, even if this explanation involves casting aspersion upon my character.
Degraded again, as usual,
Francis Baumli
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Francis so noted, the black speakers are on the block. They are a bit more versatile and likely more appealing to others.
Regarding the purple speakers they were built on a challenge from Parts Express, “Create something that sounds good with $14 buyout woofers”. The mid tweeters are the Tang Band W2-1803S 2" Neodymium Poly Full Range Drivers. The little 2 inch TB drivers are crossed over to the woofers at 600 Hz, so the TBs are covering most of the vocal range. There is no tweeter so the off axis high frequencies fall off quite rapidly (this is speaker builder talk for a narrow sweet spot).
This is a full passive design so it can be used like any other speaker. Sensitivity is about 85 dB at 2.83 volts and the impedance says above 8 ohms.
The purple speakers are quite enjoyable to listen to and are certainly a conversation piece.
If any GAS members would like to borrow to experience open baffle/ dipole speakers sound please send me a note.
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Here is the murderer's row of mono goodness. This will be fun tomorrow, are there any special requests?
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2536_zpsikcpcwvi.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2536_zpsikcpcwvi.jpg.html)
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We'll start things off with either the Marantz 8B, or the mono with the Radio Craftsman setup, depending which way Francis wants to go.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2537_zpsee9dfii3.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2537_zpsee9dfii3.jpg.html)
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Dear folks,
Our planning meeting for the Honduran trip went well. Debbie's financial acumen provided some fertile avenues for fund-raising which Abbe and I will quickly explore.
And by the way, that Fairchild amp of Dave's is to die for. Mono, yes, but who cares? It could convert a person to being a mono-only buff. And Dave made a comment, in answer to Debbie's question, that I don't know if he realized the importance of. It is a matter I hadn't figured out for myself until the last couple of years. Debbie, as all of us do, was wondering about the longevity of those power tubes. Dave answered her that they would last "forever" (he was being a tad figurative, of course), because back then when that Fairchild was made they didn't bias the amps so that the power tubes were driven so hard.
That is what I was glad to hear, and I don't know why it took me so many years to figure this out for myself. Why do ARC amps lose their power tubes so quickly? All those tubes are there to do their job, and yet I know ARC amps that won't give you even 300 hours of use out of their power tubes. My old DM-120's would get about 500 hours at the most. Well; you look in to the circuitry, discuss the matter with a good amplifier engineer, and you soon realize that the problem is that most modern amps (especially, mind you, ARC amps) are biased to drive the hell out of their power tubes, all in the interests of getting more and more of that almighty grail called power. Well, a lot of us don't listen at ear-splitting levels, and a lot of us have speakers with some degree of reasonable efficiency, so we don't need a tube amp that is engineered to drive speakers that are demanding loads at ear-splitting volume. By analogy: If you have a nice, comfortable car that performs well, why try and turn it into a super-charged dragster?
I am now at the point where my system is all solid state, and I don't regret it. But I suspect that if, long ago, I had been steered in the direction of using amps that didn't have their tubes biased so hot, I would to this day have all-tube gear.
Well, enough of nostalgia. But a big thanks to Dave for hosting our planning get-together, and a bigger thanks to Dave if he gets on his direct line to God and arranges for a Fairchild just like his to come my way for my 69th birthday. (That milestone is coming up soon. I'm one of the old guys now.)
But not yet geriatric,
Francis Baumli
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Francis, you can turn down the bias. My ARC amp (VT-60) I have owned for a number of years (almost 20) still has the first set of tubes that I put in it. Still sounds great and the tubes are still going strong. Mind you I don't listen everyday for hours on end. I do have my solid state system and it sounds great also, but I like the sound of my tube system much better.
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Well, as usual, Master Mike the guru tech comes along and sets the world aright. I knew Leonard at ARC for many years, and sometimes spoke with Chris the head repairman, and they both said you absolutely do not turn down the bias on an ARC power amp. Chris gave technical reasons; Leonard said it would degrade the sound. So I never did it. And along comes Master Mike and he says otherwise. The mere fact that I trust his judgement over those two ARC luminaries says a whole lot about the confidence I have in him. Mike, you have a beholden duty to live to an old age, in good health, just for the selfish reason that we GAS folk need you. Can't get along without you.
Gratefully,
Francis Baumli
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The sound can and will change with different bias. The question is, quality sound or long tube life. How far do you want to turn down the bias. Most ARC amps are biased very hot. I turned mine down just a bit.
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Dear Mike,
Thank you for your cogent advice. If I ever go back to tubes, I shall remember all this: If it's a power tube, turn the bias down just a little so she still runs hot, but doesn't run so hot she burns herself out. In other words, treat her like a woman, and you'll get a great deal of pleasure without too much expense.
Always grateful,
Francis Baumli
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With all the rain, we decided to listen to a melancholic "Autumn Leaves" in mono. Francis, the CD player is a Sony 508 ESD.
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2565_zpsydwxgxr3.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2565_zpsydwxgxr3.jpg.html)
But there is still joy in life, so good food follows...
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2557_zpsdxgpqdjw.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2557_zpsdxgpqdjw.jpg.html)
(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/sheltiedavid/IMG_2555_zpsr1lfscrd.jpg) (http://s232.photobucket.com/user/sheltiedavid/media/IMG_2555_zpsr1lfscrd.jpg.html)
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A query to Daves,
So now I know what CD player you were using. Would you please refresh my itinerant mind as to the brand of that speaker? I seem to recall it was a clone of another speaker. If so, what was that one?
You've set up an obsession in me, Dave. Rural folk down south would put it more bluntly: "You done flung a cravin' on me."
Afflicted with desire,
Francis
P.S. Lordy me oh my, the price those Fairchild amps go for on eBay!
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Francis, the speaker is a Grant Fidelity knockoff of the venerable Rogers LS3/5A, the ubiquitous BBC monitor.
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Francis, I'm suffering from the same affliction. I canNOT seem to get that setup out of my mind. If Kent is suffering, too, I truly think a plague has been put upon us. But, oh! what a way to go! Amidst the monaural singing of angels....
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Dear wise woman,
Now that, most certainly, is a wise thought that should keep minions of theologians busy pondering for centuries. Do the angels sing in monaural or stereo? I place my silver shilling on monaural.
Patristically,
Francis Baumli
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Francis, one angel one ear is monaural, one angel two ears is stereo. Multiple angels with a conductor is THX.
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Dear John,
Well then, I think I'll pass on the conductor. We don't need God getting jealous and smiting someone.
One ear for monaural? I'll consider going the Van Gogh route and slicing off one of my ears, if that's what it takes to hear what Dave has. Or maybe I'll spend a few evenings in a rough bar and someone will bite one of my ears off before I punch him senseless. That would require less courage than taking a knife to my own ear.
Thank you for the suggestion. I never realized heaven was such a rough-and-tumble place.
Waiting for eternity,
Frrancis
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Francis,
you could always climb a tree with a chainsaw again. You almost did a Van Gogh the last time.
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Tim the electricbear,
Just remember, it wasn't the chainsaw that sliced my ear; it was the tree as I fell down alongside it scraping my ear as I went. And that accident was my fault, not because I lack skill, but because distracting neighbors were trying to get my attention and I didn't exercise the patience to just come down out of that tree and get away from those wimps.
My ear is fine now. But I won't slice it off with a tree. My ear did more damage to the tree than the tree did to my ear. The tree died, I cut it down, and now it is stacked firewood doing its slow curing.
If I slice off my ear, I'll do it with a sharp knife. Or maybe I could borrow one of your trusty Scottish swords?
One thing about Van Gogh: Few people know this, but he didn't actually cut off his entire ear. He just cut off a tiny piece of the ear lobe and gave it to his landlady. Also, while it's not unlikely that Van Gogh was indeed being poisoned by licking his paintbrushes and getting lead of arsenic from the paints in his system, his main problem was that he was way down the tubes with alcohol abuse.
Revile me if you must, but I only occasionally like seeing a Van Gogh painting. I find him boring. But I've never seen "The Starry Night," which I hope to make amends for when I next get to New York.
Tired of sunflowers,
Francis Baumli
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I'm more of a Monet lover. "Lady with a Parasol-Madame Monet and Her Son" is one of my favorites. "Water Lilies" is another. I could go on, but we were talking about cutting Francis's ear off or mono. Just try an ear plug, it is safer and cleaner!! :lol: