WopOnTour

A happy ending [] Enjoy your new table WOT

^Good Advice^ If you can get it for his current asking, (doubtful) it would be a smokin' deal, (even without the dustcover) and yes IMO this should represent a considerable upgrade from the TD-160, especially given the added improvements. Looks like a cheezy $25 cartridge though, likely just installed so it was functional. Since it's a shop within a record store by the sounds of it, (consignment deal?) I would try to visit F2F before a bid appears (as there's only a couple of days left in the auction) Good Luck WopOnTour

I recently purchased 8 of those same adapters from this ebay storefront http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Style-Banana-Plug-Adapter-for-Fisher-SA-100-EL84_W0QQitemZ190087715690QQihZ009QQcategoryZ32838QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I received them a couple of weeks back They seem to be of excellent quality - about $3 each HTH WOT

70 Bee First car I ever owned, First pistol grip stick car I ever drove, First BB engine I ever spent $10K on,First "all takers' money race night I ever won, even cost me a First wife...Lot of Firsts for this one for me... Some people called it butt ugly, but I beg to differ. WopOnTour

How True!

Thanks for posting that data. I paid $450 for my 76 Lascalas (black in just "decent" shape w/ blown tweeters). Based on local availability, it seemed like a pretty good deal, but maybe not outstanding.(tweeter diaphrams from BEC were only $48 though THANKS BOB!) I've often wondered about the Blue Book on that forum. Is it based soley on sales from THEIR site, or is someone feeding it sales info from other sources (such as eBay auctions etc) Just curious WOT

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Nice I'll bet they'll sell here Too bad I'm so far away or I'd take them. Any plans for a cattle drive from Colorado to Alberta?? [] Edit: Oh New Hampshire, getting FURTHER [:'(] WOT

I didnt care for the SED 6L6GCs in my Harmon Kardon.They sounded gruff despite being used for 100 hrs or so in another amp.I've also tried some Groove Tubes GCs in there but they were quite weak/thin sounding. The RCA black-plates that came with my amp actually sound quite good, although it's probably a toss-up between them and the quad of NOS General Electric 7581A that I found on eBay- depending on the music you listen to. The 7581 definately have much better bass extention and are really ROCK the Lascalas (hence they've in there a LOT) but for more subtle tunes, blues, and jazz the RCAs seem a bit superior (detailed?) in the mids. I've only had this amp for a few weeks and basically have only recapped the main output couplings so far (McShane power supply upgrade is enroute) but once I'm done I may order a set of these EH KT66 to try . For $100 they would be hard to beat if they sound that good. I've been looking for a "steal" on some WU/WE 350Bs but... WopOnTour

I'll take 4 - email sent Thanks

Thanks Craig If you want to check out the schematic again I've uploaded a revised version. I've added some proposed circuits to add a DPDT switch for triode/pentode switching. I've read 100-300 ohms in the grid circuit is an acceptable starting point for this mod (the Citation 2 uses 270 ohm) but I'm a bit unsure of what what influence this will actually have. So for now I've selected a value of 200ohm. Can you shed some light on this? Also I've purchased some high resolution 15-turn wire wound pots (with counter dials) for the 10K bias adjustment. My insticts tell me that this wont affect things much sonically, but Craig what do you think? Will the use of a wire-wound pot in the control portion of the bias circuit have a significant sonic effect? Thanks again for ALL your help on this project WOT PS> I'm planning on installing a Jim Mcshane inspired power supply upgrade designed to significantly increase the capacitance and DC stabilization. Below is a diagram the stock PSU. I wouldnt mind trying to get a little more available negative bias voltage available. I'm thinking of replacing the silenium rectifier with some hex-freds or other "fast" device. Does Craig or anyone have a recommendation for this?

Budda Bump Bump for comment Craig? Whuddya think?? Thanks for your help WOT

How's this? This is nearly identical to the bias circuitry in the infamous CItation 2 amps, with a few minor value changes. a) individual cathode circuits with test points to use vdrop to measure quiescent bias current. 10K multi-turn Bourns type pots which are easier to source than the 7.5K used in the Citation 2 c) counter dials for quick n easy adjsutments when rolling tubes d) Orginally I had 3.3K in series with the 10K pots, but I have since revised that to 500ohm which more closely approximates the stock bias network for now- but I realize this may need to be adjusted Would YOU still add a pair of caps on the pot wipers Craig?? Thanks WOT

Something like te diagram below then? I realize some of the R values in the negative bias curcuit may need to be adjusted (most notably the 3.3K), just trying to sort out a valid plan for the reroute. Currently the amp is up and running bone stock but with Chinese AX and AUs and Groove Tube 6L6GC (just to protect the vintage RCAs it came with) and it sounds VERY Good! Well, actually the original volume pot is quite scratchy (even after a thorough cleaning) so it appears I will have to replace it. However the factory 500K attenuator has 170K and 300K taps and are obviously not that common- but I've ordered a 500K 23-stepped resistor unit that should allow me to tap off at similar resistances. I've also ordered all replacement signal coupling caps from PartsConnexion (a combination of Auricaps in the preamp, with Mundorf M-cap Supremes in the output coupling) as well as bolstered power supply caps directly from Jim Mcshane http://pages.prodigy.net/jimmcshane/ that are basically identical to his heavily damped Citation V power supply, except with HEXFRED rectification. So my plan is to do just the coupling caps first , measure/test, then add the Mcshane power supply and re-test, THEN finally rewire the cathode/bias circuits adding a triode/ultra-linear switch (and some cathode circuit test points) before starting the actual tube rolling. I've got all sorts of old 6L6GC, and a real nice set of matched GE 7581A to try. But I still want to audition some KT-66 types or perhaps vintage 350B from either National Union or Western Electric. Does anyone think the Shunguang 350B is even worth a listen? Cheers WOT

I seen that too Here's another http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDW%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110079142344&rd=1&rd=1

Your own TT and a decent sound card will certainly out-perform either of these contraptions IMO WOT

Wow , that IS a nice tip. Does it matter if you are running DC vs AC filament currents? What are you running? Thanks WopOnTour

That's definately how it happens... you got it BAD! [] WOT

Sorry my mistake according to that schematic, it's Push-Pull I thought I could only see only 2 wires on the primary sides of the output transformers but it was the secondary side, plus it's somewhat "odd" that the coupling caps to each push pull pair are of a different value (.047 vs .0047) which had me thinking SET (still unsure why that's the way it is as it seems to me the PP pair would quite imbalanced) Sorry WOT

Although it doesnt meet all your criteria like twin inputs or gain selection (other than MM/MC) one of the best phono-pre under $200 is the Parasound- Zphono.(Stereophile Class C rating) Despite it's outwardly simple appearance, it has excellent construction inside and out, has good gain numbers and most importantly is ultra- FAST! I'm using one on my LP "ripping" workstation (Thorens TD-318 with a Blue Point No.2 MM cartridge) Great performance per $$ IMO I had a Pro-Ject MKII Phono Box before which was just OK but the Zphono has lower noise floor and did I mention it's FAST!? For completely variable output levels (not just a HI/LO switch) in a NEW preamp the cheapest might be the Bellari VP129 ($250) But it uses a single 12AX7 tube as a preamp. I've never used it but heard good things... WOT

Nice find for a "landfill special" From the primary output tranny wiring and differences in the caps to the 6V6 it appears to be SIngle Ended not Push Pull... SWEET! WOT

I too am using the EH Golds, what I like is while right outta the box they are a bit harsh but they start sounding significantly better after only 8-12 hrs and keep getting better and better for the next 100-200hrs. Best SQ / $ value in a 300B IMO WopOnTour

Does anyone have a diagram/outline neccessary to shape the square cut tweeter opening on the Lascala in order to correctly match the opening to the proper shape of the tweeter horn? If I had some sort of guide or template I'd even just dremel or hand file it to the correct shape Someone MUST have done this I would think as it's so shrouded by the plywood opening the tweets dispersion is obviously pretty narrow Thanks WOT

Vinyl = [8][Y][][:'(] My primary analog system is in my sig but I also have a Thorens TD-318 MkII with Sumiko Blue Point No.2 cartridge parked next to my computer for "ripping" LPs to APE and MP3/4 digital. iPod+Shure e4c = neccessary evil. [] WOT

Thanks Craig I'll scan the SAMs and email you a copy. I too have encountered technical errors in the SAMs or even factory schematics. However, in general I've found the various pin-out voltages in the SAMs to be fairly accurate (barring a misprint or significant mains voltage variation) as they've supposedly been established by actual measurment on a live amplifier. The SAMs schematic shows -28VDC on the pin 5 grid and only 390V on the anode plates, 375V on pin 4 screen and as I mentioned previously, 0.5V on the cathode. I'll take your advice though and restore this amp to bone stock first, measure it up @117 VAC on the variac, and THEN consider the potential circuit modifications. I look forward to your input. Cheers