[Mike D]

My good friend, Shabda, has and AMAZING system made up of JBL theater speakers (15" x horn x horn) in JBL cabinets.  They are used Hartsfield parts in small movie theater folded horn cabinets.  The original numbers for the midrange was a 375 driver with a slant lense plate together with a 075 ring radiater.  ALSO a smaller slant lense plate in front of the treble ring radiater to smooth the highs.  He is triamping with two integrated SC35 Dynacos.  His bass is being run by a 1980's model denon integrated amp that has been unintegrated.  He is using the Denon preamp to run the overall volume.  His crossovers are pro-sound ART, etc.  He is using the Musical Fidelity X10-D at the outputs of the preamp before going to the crossovers.  The crossovers need to be replaced with something that can triamp in one unit.  Tubes here would be prefered.  He is using a Def Tech 15" powered sub that is run from one of the crossovers in a low mono mix.  He asked me what he should do.  I told him to keep the speakers and dynaco's, replace the Denon with a 70 watt dynaco amp for the bass, bypass the preamps on the other two Dynaco's, get a good triamp crossover, and he wants a good (tube) preamp that can handle plenty of inputs maybe 5.  He needs a good phono stage in the pre.  AND he needs a  new record player/cartridge all together.  However, I told him the best thing to do would be to send the question to all of you.  What would you tell him to do?  In January, his budget for upgrading may be as high as 5K.  However, with his system, would it really be necessary to spend much money?

[Scott F.]

You're right, all the solid state stuff has to go in front of the Hartsfields.

Here are my thoughts:
Bass amp - PP KT88
Midrange amp - 300b
Tweeter amp - 2a3 or 300b
Crossover - vintage Pioneer SF750 (that Pro Art has to go)

As for the pre with a phono stage, I'd go for separates. Get a decent tubed pre, maybe one of the lessor expensive Chinese models. Then I'd go for a Graham Amp 2se.

Don't know that it will take all 5K but you'll be into it a solid 3.5K. For the amps, be money conscience. Think Fi, Handmade, Bottlehead, Decware, guys like that. As you well know, a quick change of caps and a few resistors will transform the amps into stellar performers for not much money. The PP KT88 might run you a few bucks. Maybe we could mod a Jolida turning it into a standard amp to save a buck or two.

Same goes for the pre. Buy something cheap but a decent design then upgrade the caps and resistors. The Graham 2se is a phenominal phono pre (my Jazz Club in the Fleapowered system is based on it's topology).

And last but not least, I've got freezey dibbs on the Hartsfields if he decides to sell them

Just my $.02

[DeadFish]

You get home too early, Scott.
(2nd dibbs.)  

First, Mike, you already say it is 'AMAZING', so he is definitely moving in the right direction.
IF he would like to be conservative until he knows what he wants better, that pair of Dynaco integrated, SC(A?) can be modded up a lot to cut the pre section and crispen up the amp.  I have a notebook of stuff I've gleaned off the net, 2 being guys that kept visual logs as they tinkered with them.  
I never got ballsy/knowledgable enough to go after mine.  Would be happy to do same right next to you  if you felt like helping him tinker with what he had.
And yeah, get a decent tube pre and rid of that tube buffer.  I still find my Clarinet a bargain for the dough. ..Bloated noise (in my opinion) with that X-10D, like some of the pre in the SCA's, as I understand it.
Well, anyway, those amps put out 14w/ch, and might work for a while so he could be less limited in how he chased the phono and crossover end.
Just a thought.
Would love to hear the Heartsfields myself.
Fell in love with them at RMAF to go back everyday.

Regards,
DeadFish