erik2A3

Happy to have a look Glen. Your Laurel's were built more neatly than many other Welborne kits I've seen or worked on. It will be a very simple problem to remedy. It may also be surprising to learn that the power supply electrolytics, as well as those in the 300B filament supply, may be perfectly fine. Truly. If you have hum, we'll see whether it's 120cps or 60, and that can help diagnose the problem. There is NOTHING that can't be repaired on these things, Glen. Moreover, they are actually very simple, and in my opinion, extremely good sounding amps. I've built my own 300B amplifiers using a different schematic/design, and, after fixing another pair of Laurel IIs, have decided to rebuild my own using the Laurel II schematic. Ron Welborne also worked with another designer by the name of Pete Millett, who is an extremely talented designer. And of course Jack Eliano from Electra-Print. Eliano was the one behind the Direct Reactance Drive triode amps. Anyway. I sent you a PM erik

Nice work!

Someone please buy this so I DON'T!!

BTW Bruce: The extra octal socket in the Moondog top-plate is not 'overkill' per se.' W. Labs made use of the same chassis plate that was used for the Laurel 300B, which required it for the additional octal valve used in that design over the Moondog. So, maybe we can substitute 'overkill' with....I dunno....frugal, perhaps? I know I mentioned this many moons ago, but hey....so what.

I know I needn't apologize, and I'm really not....but sorry, John. I will say what you did is cleanly soldered, with nicely dressed leads. In my view and experience, the P-to-P folks have it quite easily. As if this were a race or a competition; which sure, in good fun why not...

There are historically renowned artists, architects, designers, and engineers whose works focus strongly on exactly of what you speak!!! I have taught art and art history for 30 years (now retired), and the fascinating relationship between form and function was always a very important topic of discussion. An amplifier, regardless of how well-dressed-up, machined and polished its chassis may be, is worthless without the circuit inside. The 6C33C is one tank of a triode. Very interested in your OTL.

Robert, Yes. Do you have experience working with high voltages?

Shucks. But good you sold them. Those are nice hunks of iron! You would most definitely catch, find, witness, and/or observe me working-on, listening-to, and/or/otherwise enjoying a well-designed single-ended or push-pull 300B amplifier! Wish you could pop over for a listing to mine, Jeff! I think you would appreciate at least SOME direct coupling in the input/driver stage. eam

Great looking amp! Would it be possible for you to post a picture of the inside of the amp to show the wiring? Thanks, erik

Hi Joe, You are so right about Lowther making available many different models, with different magnet choices as well. I would like to point out that your opinion about this -- rolled edge, vs classic straight cone -- is really much more in keeping with I would say probably most Lowther users. What I like about them, drama, dynamics, and, in particular, a hyped-up or shouty upper midrange, has actually been their main Achilles heel for generations. And PLEASE know I was not in any way trying to be contrary. There was a reason that Lowther started making that midrange cone modification: TONS of people complained about the shout. Before that, most Lowther sites had entire sections devoted to suggested modifications to help tame its overbearing response. In fact, I almost decided against buying them for that very reason. But when Art Dudley's review in Listener (some of you will remember that!) of the very speakers in which I was interested, and because he spoke so glowingly about them, I was sold. And then AD eventually sold his pair because of that pesky shout!

Quoting here to make sure I'm reading correctly: What caught my attention was your reference to "...single-ended VRDs...." What?! Seriously??!! Did Craig design a single-ended version of his VRDs? For as long as I can remember, Craig and single-ended amps were like oil and water, or wax resist and ceramic glaze! Is there more information on this?

Posts focused on Lowthers are not common here, although I have mentioned my experiences with them since I started contributing to the Klipsch forum in 2002. I've been using Lowthers since the 90s, and found the rolled edge whizzer to completely destroy the classic Lowther sound - lightening fast transient response; completely unveiled, crystal clear reproduction (with well-recorded material); unrivaled tonal qualities (of course totally subjective); efficiency equal to that of the most efficient Heritage systems. I went so far as to extremely carefully remove the rolled edge by trimming away the majority of the half-roll with a fine razor knife, using a brand new blade for each driver. This brought back at least some of the clean, super-fast transients and instrumental timbres I heard with the old whizzer, but not completely. I eventually found a pair of older DX4s with the unrolled edge, and am much happier with the sound. I will also be ordering the older style diaphragms with the classic whizzer cones for my PM5s. So! I suspect this is just the long-winded way of pointing out that one person's "famous Lowther shout" - with which Joe is not alone in hearing (it's an ancient and well-trodden trail on many forums) is another user's extremely accurate portrayal of live instruments. And I have corresponded with others on the same classic Lowther boat as I! I will say that there are probably more Lowther users who prefer the rolled whizzer cone to the not-rolled version. And thus, this is ultimately another way of saying that the sound quality of that capacitor (expensive or not), that output transformer, that 2A3, 6L6, or 5687 is, very simply, in the ears of the beholder... (wink, smile, emoji of choice) Hoping that you and your families are 'ok' as we work through this very spooky and unprecedented global problem. I just couldn't help responding to a topic involving the drivers I hold most dear, despite their monumental insignificance at this time.

Hi History Kid! Are these still for sale? Thanks, erik

Dave Totally agree!

Because of the fact that the occurrence of the viscous droplets is directly under the firm, 360 degree pressure and tension of the zip tie securing the cap to the board, I'm thinking the sap-like goo may be residual adhesive between the outer insulation and the inner cylinder that forms the body of the capacitor. I've seen the same gunk on heat-damaged Solens in amplifiers. Sticky, messy stuff! A wipe of acetone on paper towel should take care of it, and performance wise a non-issue. Just my half-cent's worth Dean 😉

Agreed. They brought a completely renewed sense of presence, sheen, shimmer, and light to what was already really excellent sounding reproduction. Dave has reminded me about the need for a break-in period, but I knew immediately that I was going to keep them. The sound is of course their best trait, but the thinking and design work, as well as the absolutely perfect fit in the cabinet, make the MAHLs a top-tier upgrade. This isn’t just about DETAIL for its own sake, but rather about more sharply, crisply, and cleanly giving more equal weight and definition to subtle yet critically important HF information — information that helps lend a sense of realism and 3-dimensionality. I couldn’t, and in fact wouldn’t, do without them now.

I can't recall if I mentioned we are now listening to a recently acquired and near-mint pair of Chorus IIs. With long term experience with Heresies, La Scalas, and Klipschorns, the Chorus IIs are providing some of the best listening I've heard -- on their own and in the completely factory-stock condition we got them. Of course I've both heard and read about the several upgrade paths others have taken with the Chorus, my interest tended to have to do with wanting 'more' upper frequency prominence than I was hearing, though what was there was definitely very good, and reminded me of the Heresy IIs I used to have (that now reside in my dad's living room, along with the Dyna ST70 that drives them. We purchased a pair of titanium diaphragm; and, while I found them distinctly smoother than the former phenolic part , I was still missing the really sharp transient snap and non-harsh detail I like to hear with plucked guitar, brushes on snare, cymbal pings, etc. And then I remembered the beautifully machined tweeters from Dave A. ....and suddenly dinner is ready! I will follow-up with more later, along with a picture or two. Short story, the MAHLs are probably the best Klipsch upgrade I've implemented. For now,

As with Forte's vs Chorus in your room, give both tube and solid state a try. I don't agree that there is a universal 'best', but rather a choice based on personal preference and your own experimentation. I've built and used tube amps for years with Heresies, La Scalas, Klipschorns, and now Chorus IIs. I am running a Parasound Halo right now, which just what happened to be in my system. It's superb sounding, but am using a very good valve line stage (The Masterpiece, as it's called, from Transcendent Sound). If you have the opportunity to try a tube amp, do give it a chance! There are some that I think would be outstanding with your Chorus IIs. Let your own ears and brain make the decision -- not someone else', regardless of how much experience that person has. It's always completely up to you!

Hi Dave, Sent you a PM! Thanks, erik m.

We just acquired our like-new Chorus IIs, and they sound incredible...the-best-we've-had good in our large room w/vaulted ceiling. However, those of your with Forte's are honestly making me curious about that smaller, Forte' system! And I appreciate the Chorus II crossover schematic. While I have had different preferences for signal capacitors, I can't help but make note of the midrange settings on the auto former. Another possibility here is to move the squawker setting up, along with the appropriate new value of capacitance in order to maintain the original crossover frequency. This change obviously brings about greater midrange output which might possibly help improve the perceived frequency balance in the OPs listening room. If it doesn't help, it's easy enough to return things to factory positions.

As you found, some speakers can most definitely over-power some rooms. We've had Klipschorns, La Scalas, Heresies, and most recently, Chorus IIs. The Chorus IIs seem to be an ideal match, but I can definitely see how that might not be the case in a smaller space. And no you are not crazy! In fact you are being discerning about your taste, and this is a case where the horsepower of a V8 might be a poor choice. Art Dudley, one of the current reviewers for Stereophile (former editor of Listener -- which I miss terribly!), recently replaced his big Altecs with another pair of speakers after moving to a new house when he found that the woofers swamped everything else. But try this before you decide: Since the Chorus IIs have both the active 15" on the front baffle, as well as the 15" passive radiator on the back, move the cabinets further away from the back wall and out into the room than you have the Forte's. That way, less low frequency energy will get muddled up against that back wall, and the speaker will have more room to 'breathe.' Maybe you'll find a better frequency balance that way. Gary (I think it was) above set up a great little equation consisting of all the components of a system, the most important of which arguably probably being the room. Ultimately it may simply be a case of a big speaker in a room in which the resident listener finds the bass overpowering. Good luck! Consider this to definitely be a GOOD problem to have!

Basic looks awesome with La Scalas IMO - accents an already very sculptural speaker! So. No, not sold. I traded them for a like new pair of Chorus IIs. From a historical and I suppose somewhat emotional standpoint, the La Scalas win. I will say that the Chorus IIs are among the very best speakers I have ever heard, however. I really, really like them, and the pair I picked up in Phoenix (maybe you saw them on CL?) is in perfect condition.

Enjoyed meeting with you too Russian Spy! So impressed with your work on that Bottlehead amp!

Phooey! I heard those some years ago, listening near-field, and thought they were excellent.

Two others!