BNR_1

These are so beautiful. GLWTS. I would love to own a Martin. They only get better as they age.

Hi Mark: I was fortunate that my friend has the tool for the KK pins. If not, I would have probably done what you recommended and that is removing the header pin and solder the wires directly to the PCB. But with the new Molex connector and pins it works perfect. I am back in business listening to music. Does the sonic quality improve with the 12X4 rectifier? All I have as a point of reference is with the SS diodes in lieu of the 12X4 tube. Is it difficult reversing it? Also, I read others doing the SS diode mod. Do you know why anyone would have performed such mod versus simply leaving it with a tube? BTW, thanks for confirming that my brige rectfier is sufficient. Regards

If anyone is curious or has a similar issue with the Molex connector or crimp this is what I ordered from Digikey and it worked perfect. This is for the connector with the 3 wires - red, green & green. Molex connector - Part #WM2103-ND; Molex product #0009503051, 5 pin rectangular connector Molex pins - Part #WM2300-ND (18 to 24 AWG); Molex product #0008500106, KK2478 series I ordered by check so I avoided shipping and handling fees. It took about 1-1/2 weeks from the time I dropped off the check and order form into the mailbox. Just remember the Molex KK pins require a certain tool to crimp. Fortnuately for me, my friend had the tool. I guess you could carefully use other wire crimpers and solder the wire to the KK pin for added isurance. Or as Mark suggested, remove the header pin from the PCB and solder the wire directly from the transformer to the PCB. Regards

Hi Mark: Got some good news. I replaced the Molex connector & pins. My friend is into pinball machines and fortunately he has the tool to crimp the pins. I purchased new pins and molex from Digikey. As an added insurance, as Mark suggested, I also soldered the pin besides crimping. It works wells. All powered up. I noticed that my unit does not have the LM350K, but LM338K. With the new Molex & crimps, it reads 6.485V DC. Spot on to the to 6.5V as by design. I am at least the 3rd owner of this unit, and the seller I purchaed it from did not have much info on the work done by the prior owner(s). But the tube recitifier was replaced with diodes and the bridge rectifier was removed from the PCB and mounted (bolted) to the chasis. This was likely to improve heat transfer. I was able to determine the type - GBPC2501. There was another marking, but I could not make it out. N1S0435 or N180435 or NJS0435. Anyway, this series of codes did not matter on google. The GBPC2501 popped up on a number of electronic stores. Is this the stock unit or a replacement? I looked it up on Digikey and it has a peak reverse voltage of 100V and an average rectified current of 25A. I compared it to the unit you recommended from Digikey 641-1381-ND (GBPC5006-G). This unit has a peak reverse voltage of 600V and an average rectified current of 50A. I assume regardless if my bridge rectifier is original or replaced but it may not be adequate compared to your recommendation. Any thoughts? Regards

Hi Mark: Well I checked the voltage across the two green wires from the transformer and read 13.52V AC. As you indicated it was not that easy to read due to the DMM probes into the Molex. It is not 18V but is the 13.52V AC within the proper design range? Due to an existing issue with one of the green wires (loose in the Molex connector), I could not get a read on the LM350. The spring clip for the green wire is broken and loose so I don't get a good contact with the Molex connector inserted and gold pins on the PCB. The tube filament does not light up. My next task is to replace the clips and Molex for the red, and two green wires. The green wires due to the filament do draw a lot of current. The Molex connector (brownish & scorch) looks similar to the images posted by Rex Everything (02.22.2023). John Warren posting (02.26.2023 northreadingeng.com) shows that his measurements for X7-X8 (Peach II schematic) was 2.9 to 3.2 A. I assume the Blueberry Extreme is similar.

Thank you Mark for the quick reply. I will test my pre. Regards

Hello Mark: To verify the AC voltage for the two green wires do you connect each lead of the DMM to each of the green wires setting DMM to AC? Can you explain how to test the voltage of the LM350? Regards

That is a nice job on the grills. Is each order from the vendor only adequate for one grill for the Forte? I also went to the restoration site in Texas. Wow. Some of them are too much for my conservative taste, but boy there are a few that I really like.

Thank you Mark for posting what you are able to recover with regards to your schematic and other information. It helps for many of the JM customers like me. Regards.

Hi Mark: Hope you are enjoying your vacation. When you get a chance is there an opportunity to obtain a schematic for your Blueberry Extreme. I have an issue with my preamp. Regards

This is awesome. The designer and fabricator of Juicy Music is here to support his product. I am anxiously awaiting his info on the Blueberry Preamp. I am experiencing some issues. I hope to get this preamp up and running because I enjoyed what it offered for my listening experience.

Beautiful. Very clean. GLWTS

Thanks for the inputs. I was looking forward to the Forte II but unfortunately the seller changed his mind. There will be other opportunities.

I reached out to the guy with the Forte II for sale, and unfortunately he changed his mind and kept his speakers. Oh well. I did not mention the Chorus II because I was only referring to speakers that are within my drive distance.

I was thinking the limited distance to the wall was one reason working against the Forte II. Appreciate your input.

Thanks for the quick replies. Any further thoughts/comments from others? Regards

Hi Folks: First posting for me. Been a lurker for most parts. I am interested in getting a pair of Chorus I or Forte I or Forte II speakers for my listening enjoyment. I have not listened to neither of these speakers, but read so often the positive feedback on these speakers. I have an opportunity to purchase one of these speakers. I will be using a tube amp & preamp to drive the speakers. Most of the listening will be jazz, blues, and classic rock. No hard metal, etc. Most of my listening is done at lower levels. Levels that you can enjoy the listening while reading. If the volume knob points to 7 o'clock for zero sound level then my listening levels are usually around 9/10 o'clock. About 80% of my music is digital and the rest is LPs. My dilemma is whether my listening area is too small. The speakers will be placed near a corner of my living room. The room is shaped like an "L" lying on its side. The room is 12 feet deep (shallow leg) by 18 feet, and it opens up to the longer end about 22 feet deep. The room has an 8 foot ceiling height. The face of the speakers will be about 10 feet from my couch along a corner wall and speakers will be about 6 feet center-to-center. My couch is against a wall, 8 feet long, running parallel to the 18 feet wall. The room is entirely carpeted. I can probably afford to have the back of the speakers no further than 6 to 9 inches away from the wall. I know that matters for the rear passive speakers in the Forte II. I am leaning towards the Chorus I, but I am concerned that the speaker maybe too large for this room and it will not be driven to the sweet spot for listening pleasures since the volume will be set somewhat low. I read some of the postings on this forums site and others, but most speak of larger rooms or rooms that are perfectly rectangle or square in shape. My listening area is a combination living room and dining room ("L" shape). Regards

PM sent

Nice pre. Are you the original owner?