kevinmi

CB, check out my thread on updates/ modifications-early review on Selenium 2" drivers and a couple pics of half-built wooden horns. so far I'm impressed with the Seleniums, but only have 1 built so far, so I can't hear the whole picture.

Comparison of the Selenium 2" driver to the K55-V driver

Another pic

These are not complete yet, but I wanted to try out the Selenium D405 2 inch phenolic diaphragm drivers before I went any further to see if I'd like the sound. I did a short comparison with 1- 2 inch horn vs. my K55-V driven tractrix horn. It's not an easy comparison, but what I info I did get is that it plays louder, so I'll have to attenuate it more than the -5 db that I have my 1 inch horns set at. It seems to be more open and a little crisper than the 1 inch, but still retaining the same timbre overall, with a little bit quicker response. Although this driver lists a response of 300hz to 7000hz with a recommended 500hz crossover, I think crossing it over at 400 is a safe bet considering the low amount of wattage it will see in real life. I heard no signs of it breaking up whatsoever. But remember that this driver is only good to 7000hz, so it won't work in a 2 way system. My complete upgrade will include new tractrix tweeter horns also. Stay tuned..

I would try something that has been recorded with tube equipment, or some music that used tube amps. I listened to Lenny Kravitz's Sister off the Are You Gonna Go My Way CD. His guitarist uses a vintage tube amp with some sweet distortion that sounds great through a tube amp. Another favorite of mine is Janis Joplin/ Big Brother and the Holding Company live version of Ball and Chain (Cheap Thrills LP). Excellent tube guitar amp again. If you are like me, you'll find that everything sounds better through tubes!

CB, I got those Selenium 405D phenolic's in the mail today. They are quite large and heavy. The box with both of them in it was 40 lbs! Anyway, I hope to try one out this weekend to see how it sounds. My horn is a 210hz monster that I am building for my Khorns, and I'll be using ALK Universal crossover clones built by Gothover. I believe they cross at 400hz. I'll take some pics and post them this weekend. -Kevin

CB, I found these while surfing the internet. It's a car audio company out of Cali. Price is only $125.00 ea. 2 drivers and shipping to the great white north came to $294.00--very reasonable for 2 brand new 2"exit drivers, I thought. Here's the link:Car Audio wholesale distributor Alpine Pioneer Kicker Clarion Hifonics Kenwood

I found some D405's with phenolic diaphragms that are good to 300hz (-10db). They should be here this week. Unfortunately, my 210 tractrix horns won't be ready by then, but I'm working on getting them done by Christmas.

What possible good could the straight pins do? Could this be upgraded to the MKIII version?

I see the problem already. There are big rubber bands hanging off your tonearm. Everyone knows that it is much better to place pennies on the headshell for extra weight. Seriously though, I've done some plinth modifications, and I think you are on the right track. As a matter of fact, I have a very similar project to yours ongoing right now using a direct drive JVC QL-7 turntable. Here's an idea I'm kicking around- splitting the plinth and using springs in between the upper and lower half, like the Wilson-Benesch turntables. Here's a pic of the plinth I did this summer for my JVC QL-5.

Yeah, Big D, I saw the response graphs, and it looks like they start to roll off after 7,000hz. I'm planning on crossing them over at 6000 to 6500, so that won't be a problem. I'm more worried about them reaching down to 400 hz without hurting them.

Does anybody have any experience with this driver? I'm looking to use a 2" driver for a pair of homemade tractrix mid horns crossed over at 400 Hz.These are sold through Parts Express for $185.00 which is a lot cheaper than the BMS drivers. I know you get what you pay for, so I don't want to buy these only to find out they don't sound good. Any input is greatly appreciated. thanks, Kevin

This is a little off subject, but it won't stop me from posting! I built 1 inch horns with a 2:1 ratio for my Khorns and they sound really good compared to the stock K400 horn. They are a bit taller than the ALK horn. I'm in the process of building a 2:1 horn for a 2 inch driver which is going to be huge compared to the V-Trac,( 12.75 tall by 25.5 wide by 19.25 deep) but of course won't fit in a conventional K-Horn top hat. I would be curious to do a comparison on both the 1 inch and 2 inch 2;1 ratio horns to other ratio horns to see if there really is a difference in sound in real world listening.

I think Procol Harum sang about the Vestal Virgins in Whiter Shade of Pale

I painted the transformet bells myself. they come black in the kit. Bob has instructions in the kit on how to disassemble and paint the transformers. The Mullard tubes I got are the 4024 military spec that Bob recommended. I put them in last night and they sound wonderful!

Check you local Home depot also for colored heat shrink.I've found some there before in different colors and sizes in one package. Of course, it seems every Home Depot carries different stuff.

Buy a kit and do it yourself. Not only will you have the pride of doing it yourself, you will have an amp that is made from brand new components instead of 60 year old electronics. And with a kit, you can have an inexpensive amp instead of a cheap amp. If you can't build it yourself, you can usually get one built for a reasonable amount of money from the supplier or many other qualified people. Why waste your money on a Chinese amp with questionable build quality when you can get more for your money with a new amp kit or a good rebuild of a classic amp. I know that there are some very respectable Chinese products out there (I own a Shanling CD player), but if you don't know what to look for, you could end up with something that is sub-par for the price. There are great deals out there, but you have to know what to look for. Buying an old Scott or something similar off e-Bay for a cheap price doesn't mean it's going to sound nearly as good as the ones you hear from people on this forum. If it hasn't been gone through by and experienced and knowledgeable person such as Craig at NOS valves or Terry DeWick, you probably are paying for a "project" that will need to be revamped to bring it to it's full pontential. The best advice, which has been said before, is try to listen to other people's systems to get an idea of what things sound like in the real world. Try to find the hosts that offer free beer and wine, and maybe a cookout!

Right now I'm running JJ ECC81's on the VTA board, and the big tubes are Sovtek KT-88's. I had a tube rectifier, but had biasing issues so I went to a plug in ss rectifier, which I got from Bob also. I have Mullard tubes ordered for the board, and will probably buy some Gold Lion reissue Kt-88's to replace the Sovtek. I bought the tube kit from Bob, which had the 4 Sovteks, 2 jan 12AT7's and one JJ ECC81, plus the tube rectifier. If I had it to do over again, I would have probably just bought premium tubes from the get go. The amp sounds fine with the original tubes, but I'm curious about how premium tubes will sound. All my tube suggestions I've got from Bob also. He is very knowledgeable and helpful. -Kevin

Big Stew, Bob's instructions are so easy to follow that even a shop rat like myself could follow them and come up with a working amp! As far as the sound--You might have noticed that my Mac stuff is for sale in the Garage sale Forum. Absolutely sounds better than my SS amp, IMHO. I'm suprised I built something myself that sounds so awesome! Hats off to Bob Latino and his awesome amp kits! The pride knowing that you built it yourself has got to make it sound better! Plus I can proudly say that it's built in the USA, Baby! Just like the Silverados and Sierras I build! -Kevin

Glowing in the dark

Pic of system in Man Cave

Pics of my newly built Bob Latino ST-120 amp kit W/VTA board.

Thebes, you are a geniouse, er, genus,um, jeannus, a really smart guy! Found 2 JJ ECC81 tubes at a local music store. Who wouldda thunk? Thanks for the common sense! -Kevin

Does anybody know where I can buy a 12AT7 tube locally around Flint? I just built a Bob Latino ST120 tube amp, and I broke one of the tubes. I have some Mullards ordered, but I have a 5 day weekend and was hoping to play with the new amp. Any leads would be most welcome. Thanks, Kevin

I had the same experience when I replaced my original top hat with a home built wood tractrix mid and Crite's tweeters. Bass was noticably improved along with more detailed mids and highs. Then I replaced the crossovers with ALK Universal clones built by Gothover, and it was like listening to a whole new speaker. Much more detail on both low and high extremes. Now everytime I play a familiar cd it's like listening to a remastered version--hearing things I've never heard before! I took my subwoofer out of the equation completely and put it back in the home theater room where it belongs! I never would have thought the mighty Khorn could have been improved so much until reading about all the upgrades/improvements on this great forum. Now I've got a serious case of upgradeitis....will it ever end?