4krow

The first Triplite product that I bought was a long time ago from a surplus store. I believe that it was an isolation transformer. The metal case was heavy as way the rest of the unit. The unit did not ever give trouble, but I never found it to improve my audio experience either. Years later, I bought another unit but it was for keeping the AC voltage at a steady level per many different windings of a special transformer. Perhaps it did its job, but the relays were almost constantly changing at times. Well, so much for having that sort of contraption in an audio system. Apparently a volt or two caused a relay to click to another secondary, and who knows maybe that is a good thing for computers. There are a very few audio tweaks that actually could be heard, but then are they improving the sound or just changing it? With the Korg SP1 tube, I believe that it is the biasing of the tube that causes it to produce different amounts of distortion of the music second harmonic. Some (me included) like the added distortion in some cases, so it would be one of the few tweaks that I would stand behind. If this is what you like to hear in audio, then right or wrong be damned. You have the say so. Of course Bob proved that the sound of his amplifiers could be changed to sound like many others being produced at that time. I still love the idea that someone can walk into a situation and be confident of the outcome. Man, I would have loved to listen first hand at that event.

Another company essentially used the multiple cancellations with DSP that you are describing with your unit. Sound is literally 160-180 degrees wide. Every inch in the room has part of an image in it. So, do I like it? No. Not life like at all. You are inside of the orchestra, deeper than the conductor. Again, and as always, we each like what we like. The hybrid tube designs seem to go with the tube used in the input for 'tube flavor' and a SS output for sheer power and bass slam. But I am sure that others put the cart before the horse successfully and win too.

I had a tube preamp once that had so many options for the available tubes themselves, and then different options for how those tubes were operated. I found myself switching back and forth often, ending in me just selling it to someone else to have a toy. It seems right to have a unit that does every possible thing to the music, with endless choices. I prefer a unit that is straightforward.

That sounds like another challenge altogether. I am not so sure if the Digital Time Lens is as useful as it was when CD's first came out. Don't worry, there are plenty of recordings even today that could benefit from it. Just tonight, I dared to listen to Super Tramps 'Breakfast in America'. Great music, NASTY peaky and harsh CD recording. The album was so much better. The other two circuits I have no experience with.

Fortunately, there are a variety of small tubes out there to use if space were an issue. I forget the number, but Vincent used small, and i mean small tubes in some of their equipment. Then of course, for those that know me, The Korg SP1 is quite the DHT choice to use. So many of my customers are very surprised by its full sound. Honestly though I wonder if the need for a tube buffer is necessary. I would see a case for having a switch for in or out of circuit here. Of course, same with the Gundry. I am not a big fan of this circuit but I can say that there are those cases where it has a use. I do agree with making some changes in the new model, and I really like the idea that the chassis would be bigger as it would make fitting all the other stuff in much easier. FWIW, the second iteration of the C-9 way back in the day had bolt on rack handles that could be added to the chassis, but I have never, ever seen any.

I had a Black Ice Audio unit designed by 'whats his name' famous guy oh yah Jim Fosgate. It had some of the same ideas of the C-9 and as I have already mentioned a variable control for the hologram effect. It wasn't called that, I believe that it was a soundstage enhancer. The reason I am so adamant about this idea is because I was surprise at just how little that I have to turn the knob to get effect. Turned the other way past the center point detent, the sound stage would start to narrow. Interesting. Yes, it is an apples and oranges comparison to some degree but the variable control is what sold me. It also had a tube buffer, and for some reason bass adjustment was also variable. Most people liked it but I didn't use that part. FWIW, I still preferred the C9. That was not much of a surprise as I have heard other units of this type and the C9 is the clear winner.

Fortunately, tubes can also be mounted on their side.

I have always wanted to see a variable amount of hologram rather than a pushbutton on/off type of affair. Yes, I would probably buy one!

Glad your here. We need troops.

Ok, now you have obligated yourself to post photos.

Let me just say this. Recently, I decided to go outside my wheelhouse of musical taste by buying a few recordings that I wouldn't have bothered with normally. These included BTO (an 8 CD remix of their albums), Michael Jacksons thriller which is a great recording for most of the album, Cher Gold, which made me feel like barfing, having been heaved so far back into the 60's. It was the style drum music rhythm popular in that day that got to me most, plus the fact that on these recordings, I really never heard Cher voice that well. Fortunately, I got CSN put out by Mobil Fidelity (I'm surprised that they didn't claim that the CD was recorded off a one step process 78 album). But the winner is easily Crosby Still and Nash. Great music and the recording too. Michael Jackson's Thriller came in second because I like a few songs on the album and the recording is reliably good. All the others were something that I would trade off in moments notice. And that is what I have been listening to.

I do not know if this will apply, but I am going to offer up the project that I am currently working on. Will Meyer sent the bare board to me, and I have been populating it as time goes by. There is not much left to do. Would you be interested? It is the DQ-LP1 low pass crossover.

Sorry, not great photos but this gives a bit of an idea of where I am at so far. Fingers crossed, I may have a suitable transformer downstairs. Crap, I just checked, and the tranny isn't the one needed for this project. Jeffs, Note the 3.3uf output capacitors instead of 2.2 It is what I had and figured that it would not be a problem, but am checking with you just to be sure.

Getting to the final soldering of little stuff, but the transformer will be next and probably a part here and there that I overlooked. This was all very easy and I had a lot of the parts on hand, as well as Will to the rescue for many that I did not have on hand. Want to get the right transformer though. If I get to completion, I plan to put it up for sale and then figure a way to do some kind of karma with the proceeds. OR I would be willing to put this up as Karma if someone were interested. Dunno. It just popped into my mind this moment.

Of course, you have a BOM available. The board surprised me in the mail today. So, more out of curiosity at this point. For a moment, I thought that I was looking a LP preamp board, but then saw the other outputs.

I agree.

I knew it. This topic caused me to search for information of another JBL speaker that a friend of mine bought from me. I did not like the internal wiring or the switch on the back of the cabinet for single or bi-amping. Sooo, a very long time ago, I rewired everything myself, and I cringe to think of what it must looked like when I finished. my soldering skills and tools back in the day sucked. Now, I am on a mission to somehow get these rewired in a proper way. Of course, going to the JBL commemorative site has helped a bunch, but it would still be a challenging job. Now crossovers might be easier in a way but really expensive to build.

Man, That is a strikingly clean looking build there. I get frustrated when running wires all over the place. A circuit board can clean it all up.

Example: Test Post (I chose a larger file, so maybe something small is better for test).

Fortunately, I have not had the trouble that you describe but can relate. One other site that I visit is next to impossible for me to navigate photos to. Anyway, Perhaps you can try a 'test post' by typing just that, and attach a 200kb or so to it. This should be able to be resolved.

AJ, Here is a question for you. Even though music is being played in pitch, does it ever sound flat to you? This is something that I often hear, and really wonder what the truth of it all is. Not just on my system, but when the organ in church is playing it sounds flat, and sometimes pace is slow as well. Yes, many church organists play as if it were funeral, and a few of them with liven the tempo which might be a relief, should the piece intended it. Look at Hyden's Clock Symphony. Sometimes played as a grandfather clock (my preference) and other times played as a pocket watch.

Brian, I sure wasn't getting excited about this possibility after seeing what we have done so far concerning hearing loss. And yes, I can be a poster child for how screwed up our sense of hearing can get. No doubt, if the ear doesn't get it right to begin with, you may be dead in the water, but unfortunately for me, there is much more. I will just say that there is a link between the two halves of the brain (at least how an audiologist told me) for sound/speech recognition. If that is impaired in some way, the sound may be there but the brain doesn't 'get it'. It is not translated well. God, can I ever relate to this! When I was young, my sense of hearing was incredible, but my speech recognization has always been horrible. So, when everyone else loved an album for the lyrics, I loved it for the music, and music only. In fact, music is the one thing that I still understand fairly well. Speech in most cases is becoming useless for me, and I seem to explain this multiple times per day in public (twice today, so far). I want to know more about all of this even if it doesn't help my situation.

Just got done biasing my amp this morning and wasn't surprised to see that biasing one tube affects another. Something to keep in mind.

Well crap, why are lashings still illegal? It would straighten some up out there. I am pretty tired of being ripped off seemingly anytime I choose to trust audiophile "common sense".