tlarwa

I had my eye on a Scout ... but not enough of a budget. I just pulled the trigger on a Marantz TT15s1 (essentially a rebadged Clearaudio Emotion). I've always liked the looks of that table, and came across a deal I couldn't pass up, which included a near new Dynavector 10x5 and a Clearaudio Nano phono pre, as well as a custom made full plexi cover. I guess I couldn't have gone for a more "different" table than the Empire. I sure hope I like it as well ... I'll have it Monday, so it will be interesting to compare the two. But I still like those Scouts ....

If you want it I'll buy it and trade you your scout even up. Wait, I'LL trade you for your Scout, even up! That's hopefully my next upgrade table.

Again, it's Schu's fault! But I will sell you this turntable ...

The system switchout continues... This is an Empire 208 turntable that has been fully reconditioned. The motor was disassembled and cleaned and relubed, the motor bushings were replaced, the belt was replaced and the spindle and bearing well was cleaned and relubed. I also replaced the power lamp. The aluminum top plate was cleaned and polished. It does have some marks in the clear coat, but overall is very presentable. The wood base is original and largely defect free. It has been cleaned and restained with Howard's Restor-A-Finish and #0000 steel wool and treated with Howard's Feed 'N Wax. It has adjustable brass spikes on all corners. It also includes a custom dust cover (shown in last picture). The original 980 tonearm has been replaced by the excellent Jelco 750D tonearm. It comes with the standard counterweight and azimuth adjustable headshell with Litz tonearm leads (essentially a Sumiko HS-12). This is an excellent arm, with fluid damping and VTA adjustment (not on the fly). This is a highly regarded tonearm and a great "bargain" performer. Also included is an upgraded Jelco tonearm cable (the red Jelco cable), which sells for $130. The arm is mounted on a custom red oak arm board which is attached from the underside of the top plate through the existing holes. I did not drill additional holes through the top plate, so if you ever wanted to remount a 980 arm you could (but you'll never want to!). The arm is mounted at the Jelco-recommended 214mm spacing. I've enjoyed this table with both MM cartridges (AT150Mlx and Dynavector 10x5) and MC cartridges (Denon DL-103 and DL-103r). All have performed well on this arm, which is flexible enough to accept a wide range of cartridges, I will also include an extra headshell and leads (similar to the Jelco/Sumiko headshell that's shown on it, but black) that was $70 new. I currenlty have my AT150Mlx mounted on one (as shown in the pictures) and my DL-103r mounted on the other, which is convenient as all I have to do is change the VTF when I swap cartridges. No cartridge is included in this sale, however! There are no issues with this table. The belt is the correct length and width, so the speed is accurate. I'm only selling to fund the more expensive table I just bought (and I hope I'm as happy with). By the way, this table was made in October of 1961, as inscribed on the inside surface of the motor cover. Amazing! I have shipped 4 tables to date (2 AR XA's, a Pioneer PL-50 and a Thorens TD-280 MkII) and have not had one issue with damage during delivery. I've got the packing thing down! I also have a lot more pictures, just let me know if you want to see them and I'll email them to you. SOLD! Retail on the arm/cable/headshell combo is ~$770, and 208 tables, in nice condition, are going for close to $400. So I think this is priced fairly given its condition. I would consider splitting the table and the arm. Contact me if you are interested in doing that and we can work out a deal.

I dont know either, but I'm glad you did Pays for the Jolida JD9 I just bought. I needed more gain with the 1.5W SET and passive pre combo I just went to. Otherwise I would never have sold it!

Blame Schu...

Sold pending payment

Schu, check your PM's

I beleive they are the CMQEE-3440AH transformers. And yep, they're in there! Shannon was planning to market an all-in-one unit like this, but must have decided to stick with a separate SUT instead. I believe I was one of the first (if not the first) to get the per built like this. It's incredibly flexible, and quiet. Plus, it doesnt take up much room at all and eliminates a set of cables between the SUT and the preamp.

Bought a new phono pre, so this one has to go! $625 OBO with free shipping.

I am selling my beloved Parks Audio Budgie phono pre. It's the 3rd one Shannon built, and has the (IMO) more desirable case with wood end caps. I sent the unit back to Shannon in early 2013 and he upgraded the grounding scheme and also installed an SUT with Cinemag transformers. The pre features the Exacta loading scheme, with top accessible DIP switches to set the loading. The MM or MC LO/HI selection is done via DIP switches accessed via a port on the underside of the chassis. Simple, simple. The pre is in excellent condition, and performs flawlessly. I am including the stock EH 6922 tubeset that it shipped with, as well as a matched pair of Holland orange label 6922 tubes, which have been considered to be the best tubeset for this unit. The power cord/charger is also included. The pre is dead quiet, even with my 99 dB speakers. This is the message from Shannon when I was getting ready to make the upgrade: Hi Tom, I started using an internal SUT of my own design with CineMag transformers about a year ago. The performance is amazing! But the gain settings required opening up the Budgie to flip switches or swap cables (to go back to MM). I’ve modified it slightly in the past few weeks and the design is now switchable from a 1” access hole in the bottom rear of the Budgie. I can send pictures this weekend. It is also backwards compatible with your Budgie. You can switch from MM passthru, MC lo (1:18) and MC hi (1:36). I’m super excited about it, and feel this makes the Budgie one of the best preamps out there. I use an Ortofon MC 100 with the MC hi and a Denon DL-103 with the MC lo. It just sounds like pure gold. The caveats with SUTs in general are that almost all of them are external boxes. This creates a huge problem and attracts hum like a magnet. Even shielded and short RCA cables don’t alleviate the problem. The second problem is that the RCA cable that connects to the SUT needs to be tuned with an RC filter to prevent ringing, and its associated harshness. The SUTs ideally need to be in the same enclosure with a very short cable, which the Budgie does. So the Budgie SUT has no hum and no ringing, which lets the SUT really stand out doing what it does well. Let me know if you are at all interested, and I can send more info and pictures. I do have the SUT boards and CineMag transformers in stock. Warm Regards, Shannon Parks http://www.parksaudiollc.com Asking $625 OBO. I'll pick up shipping if you use PP gift. Please contact me with any questions. Tom

It didn't sell on this forum. But thankfully it survived the shipping trip ... I packed it to basically survive anything short of a nuclear strike. From what I understand, the new owner is happy with it. I'll miss it, but my new hand built SET amp is awfully pretty!

Price drop. I've got to move this beauty to make room for a Decware Rachael... If you're interested let's try to work something out. I'd also consider a trade/partial trade for a good passive or tube preamp.

Here's the pic

Gotta move this beauty! Price drop to $700. Got a line on the SET amp that I had my eye on, so I need the funds. If you're serious about a really nice example of Vintage Fisher, get in touch and we'll work something out. Pic attached of the 400 and my Forte II's ... in case you need a little incentive.

Offered for sale is my excellent Fisher 400 FM stereo receiver, serial number 60029. I will go out on a limb and say that the condition of this 400 is as good or better than any other 400 I've seen offered for sale in the several years that have passed since I secured mine. Take a look at the posted pictures, as well as the others in my Photobucket album (http://s850.photobucket.com/user/tlarwa/library/Fisher%20400?sort=3&evt=email_share_media&page=1). I believe these pictures speak for themselves, and accurately show the fantastic condition my 400 is in. I am not a professional photographer by any means, but tried to take enough views to show physical condition as well as the updated condition of the internal components. Physically, the overall condition is exceptional. All lettering is intact, and the aluminum faceplate and glass are virtually defect free. The knobs are all original, and the gold discs are in place. The dial lights all work properly, as does the magic eye tuning tube. The chassis is exceptionally clean, with minimal pitting (actually, I'm not even sure the few existing dark spots are pitting, I think they are just discoloration). The included wood cabinet is also in excellent condition. There are a few flaws, but they are not visible unless you are looking for them at close range. The wood has been cleaned with Howard's Restor-A-Finish and 0000 steel wool, and then treated with Howard's Feed 'n Wax. It really does look good. The 400 was rebuilt several years ago by the late Paul Grzybek of Tube Audio Design in Chicago, IL. Paul had a great reputation restoring Fisher components, and this one received his "Bizzy Bee" rebuild. I honestly can't tell you everything that was replaced or modified, but suffice it to say that it needs NOTHING, and is truly plug and play. The on/off/volume switch is perfectly functional. Because they have a reputation for failing (and they are "unobtainable") I don't use it to power on and off. Instead, I plug it into a switched outlet, and turn it on and off that way. I would recommend you do the same. The tubes are mostly original, labeled "The Fisher", with the exception of V3 (6BA6), which is a red labeled RCA. The output tubes are a matched quad of Electro Harmonix 7868's, which are about 2 years old. They sound wonderful. The tuner is in perfect alignment, and pulls in stations with ease. And the "magic eye" tube is really neat to watch as it locks in on a station! All inputs and outputs function properly, and the speaker output impedance is currently set to 8 ohms (for my Klipsch Forte II's). One word about the phono stage ... I have used it quite a bit with my second table, and personally feel it performs exceptionally. But, there is a thread in the AK Fisher forum that explains how to make it even better by replacing the 4 coupling caps with Sprague Vitamin Q' s and K40Y-9's (the thread can be found here http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=7667884&postcount=13). I considered making found this mod, and even bought the required caps, but never got up enough nerve to do it. So I'm including the 4 capacitors in case you want to do it yourself. Lastly, I'm including 4 spade-to-banana speaker terminal adapters, which were also made by Paul G. They are well made, and invaluable if you like to use bananas. Even if you don't, they are a lot easier to work with than the small terminal screws on the receiver. You'll be glad you have them, trust me. I'm not sure what else to say about this fine example. I'm confident you'll be hard pressed to find a better one on the used market. I'm very sad to have to offer it up for sale, but I'm moving to low-power SET amplification, and need to generate cash to fund a new amp purchase. Plus, I never listen to FM radio at home (I have horrible reception where I currently live), so I really don't need a receiver. But I will honestly miss this one! Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Asking $700 + actual shipping charges. Sure, you can find a less expensive example, but the hidden costs will drive the price up eventually. Not so with this one ... plug it in and enjoy it for years to come.

PM sent

Definitely 4.2's. I've owned a couple pairs. Killer price...

Charles, I haven't gotten a response from you on the Uwe. Did someone grab it before me? PM me please. Tom

PM sent on Uwe body

Al confirmed that the 36uF cap value shown in the schematic and layout should really be 33uF.

If you cannot find 36 mfd capacitor values anywhere, you can solder capacitors in parallel where the sum of the values equal 36 mfd. For example, two capacitors at 18 mfd equals 36, four at 9 mfd equals 36, or even three 10 mfd and a 6 mfd equals 36, etc. Yeah, I understand that, but it didn't even cross my mind to do that! Thanks for the slap in the forehead But, in looking at the completed Forte II crossover picture on the ALK site, he's actually showing a 33mfd capacitor in that position (see attachment). Does anyone know if that's the way these were shipped when Al was still selling kits?

Also, I can't find a 36 mfd Bennic polyester cap, which is called for on the Forte II x-over in place of the 39 mfd used in the Forte x-over. Anyone know where I can find these? I looked on Madisound, Solen and P-E.

Well, a year after considering this, I'm finally going through with a build of the ALK Forte II crossovers. I re-found Al's schematic and board layout, which makes things super simple, but I've run into a question that I need clarification on. I'm atttaching the scehmatic and layout pics that I'll be referring to. On the schematic, boxed in by the dashed lines, are shown a .66 mH inductor and a 6.8 ohm resistor. The box is labeled "K25-K", which I realize is the woofer model of the Forte II. On the board layout, these 2 compnents are not shown. So, is this inductor and resistor already part of the woofer? Or am I missing something somewhere? I want to order parts, and I'm not sure if I need to order these. Thanks! Tom Forte II ALK Network Board Layout.JPG.GIF.pdf

I guess I stand corrected. But they are a completely different color than my oak sub. That much, at least, is inarguable. But I guess you'll have to take my word for it ...