Before I tell you this story, I have to say that I’ve seem to always be a newbie at everything, even before I start. And I’m generally a geek, having difficulty around the other gender. When I spoke to a friend about his success, he says “ya gotta be cool – start listenin’ to vinyl lps.” Well, others and I are amazed that I was able to marry so well, but things started to cool so I took the plunge into jazz lps. The resurgence was halted when I spun Ornette Coleman’s “Free Jazz.” That’s when things became dysfunctional and she threatened to leave with the credit card “Either that music or I go!” So I did what any post-modern man would do, I blamed my equipment. “Honey, if you buy me Jim Hagerman’s Cornet2 Half-kit for my birthday, we might have a chance and we might not have to go to counseling.”
Again, I can’t believe my luck… Knowing my Cornet2 kit was on it way, I started thinking about components. Gotta have that Lansing in black, and the RCA connectors gotta be gold plated. Also gotta read the website to see if anybody else has done this…whoa, there are several cats that have been modding the parts with many “upgrades.” This is getting complicated. Those Mundorf Silver/Oil couplers (C208) must be nice so I ordered them. Also ordered some Sonicaps (C202, C204, and C200) from Sonic Craft. That Michael Percy guy out in CA has some nice stuff that could help, like a DynamiCap for the input coupler (?) (C203) and bunches of Kiwame 2W resistors for most circuit duty. A Mills 12W resistor goes in R223, but what about those resistances in the signal path. Well I cut open a carbon composite resistor, looked at how it was made, and thought about how in those fancy computer simulations, components have reactivities added because real components are far from ideal. After some internal debate, I ordered TX2575’s from Texas Components Corp for all signal path positions. They’re very similar to the nude Vishays and expensive, but so is a counselor. Fancy using air as a dielectric! Well, getting really carried away, some of those Russian FT-3 teflon caps were ordered from the Ukraine and they are now sitting on my self. I’ll figure out something for them.
Construction was straight forward but I did it slow, two days. Everything fits like a glove but the component labels on the PCB are covered when some of the part are installed. Jim, what’s with that? Are you that confident that I won’t have to troubleshoot some day?
Funny thing is, I checked four times on which side to solder the tube sockets (this was the first component I mounted) and I still soldered them on the wrong side. My advice, check five times before soldering. I used silver solder which needs a hotter iron, so I used a copperized alligator clip on the opposite side of the PCB on all component leads during soldering. I didn’t want to burn those nudies ($).
I do need to figure out how to transfer the Hagerman decals in white from the pdf file to place on the black Lansing. That would give a beautiful finish. And now the interconnects will become the focus for improvement.
Tubewise, I started with a Sovtek 5Y3GT rectifier, a couple Mullard 12AX7’s, and a GE 12AU7. I am lucky to have the “oldest electronics tech shoppe” in the county located in a hobbit hovel in the FlatIrons of Boulder. He has an entire wall of tubes and was able to help replace the GE with an Amperex Bugleboy 12AU7. A funny thing happened to the sound when I made that change. Many people have commented that better tubes broaden the soundstage (hollowgraphic is a term often used). Well, I am humbled by all I don’t know about this audiophile verbage and I don’t have much experience with very many quality systems. When I changed to the Bugleboy, each instrument and singer assumed a focused, distinct position. Before the soundstage sounded “wide” but now I thinking that I was deceived by my perception. I thought I knew what these common audiophile terms mean but now I am in doubt. But I still can rely on the emotional involvement with the music.
Burn in is well into the 50th hour. I have a heavily modded Thorens 145 (all the Analog Dept mods) with a Denon 103r cartridge w Uwe Ebony wood body (Cardas wired tonearm, short) into a DIY Cinemag SUT into the Cornet2. A Pioneer SX1250 (aux in) provides power to the AV123 Strata Mini’s.
I chased down a hum that was fixed with star grounding to all components.
So how’s the sound, you ask? Well, as with the comment above, I question my ability to judge. My system sounds better than it ever has. I attended the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest last year and can honestly say that I now have a system that I can be proud of. I look forward to this year’s fest because my ears have grown some.
More importantly, did the Cornet2 add to the music experience? Is there more emotion in my musically experience. Emotion? I remember that, I had it a couple of years ago. Well last night I spun the Stan Getz Quartet and found my wife dancing, doing a languid Astrud Gilberto imitation – oh yeah, there’s that emotion again…
Wait, I think my wife is putting on another record
She’s dancing again
Jim, this box of yours is going to kill me
Gotta go
