Marvel

Most of any I have tried are noisy, microphonic, etc., but the second of the four 6DJ8s you sent along is working magic. It is labeled HP, but was made by Amperex in Holland. Maybe Thebes will tell us what he kept. At least with the Merlin, I only have to deal with one audio tube and one rectifier tube. Bruce

I think you have nailed it. For me, my system IS HI-FI, and probably 98% of folks would (maybe that's my ego talkin'), but for the select few, my system is not worthy. That being said, I try to enjoy the music, no matter what system is playing it. Bruce

Once again it's playing so sweetly! A little over a week ago, the JAN Philips 6922 that came in my JMA Merlin decided to get really noisy and microphonic. First, I tried one of the EH 6922 tubes that Mark had recommended for the BBX. When I had tried the other Philips tubes in the BBX, they had been noisy and slightly microphonic. The EH had slight noise, but seemed stable, and I was good to go, until I sold the BBX. I tried an EH in the Merlin and it sounded like an open steam valve, all the way to my normal listening position. Then I remembered that seti had sent me some Amperex 6DJ8s, made in Holland. The first was a little microphonic, too, but the second one was good, is good... NO, it is INCREDIBLE!! Invidiosulus and his family are here for a few days, and he said he hasn't heard this system sound so good. Lots of detail, and the magic is back better than ever. So... a big thank you to Ian! [Y] Bruce

The last of three kids graduated in May, and has a nice girlfriend. I have a third grandchild on the way, who will arrive around the end of Feb. I still have a job, and they managed to slip in a small raise this Fall. The house is paid for, which is nice. I'm engaged, and working on all the paperwork to get my fiancee into the U.S. I would say life is going ok at the moment. It could always be better, could always be worse. I am just trying to accept whatever God sends my way with joy. Bruce

nick, Regular lamp cord is called zip cord, like some might use for speaker cables. Since it is unshielded, you couldn't use it for line level interconnects. I only meant the cable looked like zip cord, with two cables side by side. The cable we used was expensive, and could only be purchased in 500 foot spools. It might be hard to crimp connectors on it, as it was rather a pain to use and small, but it worked great. I'll have a look and see if we still have it around. Bruce

I don't think you need the quad shielding, but low capacitance will help. You should be able to go 30 ft. with unbalanced without too much trouble. It says balanced out on the FCA202... then again, they don't give you too much info on their website. We have some s-vhs cable at work that looks like zip cord, only smaller, two coax cables side by side. I've run video over that with very little loss in signal quality. It's a pain to work with because it is so small, but I imagine it would work. Bruce

and mostly well. Rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated, as my phone doesn't reach beyond the grave. [:|] I just got off the phone with him, after almost an hour. He has gone through a divorce and it isn't quite finished up with that, and is on disability, so his income is very reduced. He still has two pair of Cornwall IIs and a vintage set of Heresies. He uses SS for most, but still has a set of MC60s (if I am not too confused at this point). He has a Dell now, but hasn't been able to get back online yet. As soon as he can, he says he will be back to catch up. Bruce DD, I've sent a PM and email...

Memphis Bridge, taken in '78 with my Pentax and shot on Ektachrome daylight.My scan of this is way huge and you can see the detail on the bridge. Bruce

To what computer are you connecting this, and what will the cables run to? Bruce

The last time he and I exchanged emails was toward the end of April, 2005. He used webtv, and had an awful time with doing anything on the forum. I remember Amy working with him to try to get some of it resolved.Of course, MS had bought webtv and I think it has pretty much gone away. Bruce

The first pic I took with my Nikon a few years ago. It has the color reduced to 256, as I had used it as wallpaper on my old pc. I'll have to find the print and rescan it... Bruce

You talking about snow?

Or the "Millennium", releasing the L1000... [:|]

What if SHE is 6'1" and 200 lbs.? Just kidding... I like the 13 inch models, the 15s are ok. Bigger than that and they weigh too much to haul around.

I'm sure He'll be at Mass in my Church tonight. [] Even without the great organ, though some of our congregation won't recognize Him either.Have to miss my regular parish in Atlanta, with Richard at the organ. Blessings to all! Bruce

You also don't have 300Volts going through the primary, either. It is the rising and collapsing magnetic field in the primary that generates the voltage on the secondary. It needs a load on it.

Ronnie, Nice score! Get the caps put in and listen some more... a lot more and just enjoy for a while. I personally really like the CT125 tweeters from Bob, and think they sound much smoother than the K77s. If you decide to try the CT125s, you may find someone with a pair for sale, so th ecost might be pretty much a wash with new diaphragms for the 77s. Most importantly, they really are a drop in replacement. It only took be about ten minutes to swap out the K77s in my LaScalas. It will probably take you longer to get into yours to do the swap. Do the caps and then listen and enjoy. Bruce

A friend of mine actually had some Altecs catch on fire and do that. He was working in a recording studio in Memphis in the late '60s when it happened. I can't remember if they were 604s or what, but those come to mind.Bruce

Just turn the lights down low... put on some music and let it carry you to another place. That's really what is most important. Bruce

I still have it, and it is working great... as far as I know. I have two, and my younger son is using one of them. But they are both working fine. I had to replace a couple of fuses in the one he was using at school, due to a thunderstorm, but replacing the fuses did the trick.The one in my bedroom is not used as often as his, but it is rocking when it's on. Bruce

I have a pair fo Daven pots I removed from some broadcast equipment. I've had them more than 30 years, and they were far from new when I got them. They are stepped, but rotate smoothly. Still a huge collection of resistors. I have a calculator for H and T pads. If you can tell me the input/output Z and how much gain reduction you wanted, I'll give you the values you would need. H is balanced and T is unbalanced.

I emailed Dennis some time ago, concerning slot ports. He sent me this: "The vented LaScala as I described runs to about 4.8 cu ft net. Two 4" ID by 7.25" long ports gives an Fb=35hz. A 15" by 1" port would need to be about 5" long for a 35hz Fb. A 13" by 2" port would need to be about 8-7/8" long for a 35hz Fb. A 15" by 2" port would need to be about 10-5/8" long for a 35hz Fb It helps to have a good software port model, the long narrow aspect ratio requires a different length than the same area in a square or round port. It also helps to start out a bit long, and trim it shorter to reach your target Fb." Notice that the cubic inches for all of these is way different.

You might pull off the passive and check to see if any internal wiring is laying on the cone. That would/could cause a buzz. Bruce

I like your Moondogs, neo. Mine have the plates on the narrow end, so they take up less width. Bruce

Oh, oh....now I need newer pics of mine. Here's the living room...