The Duelund CAST Carbon/Sn-Cu Resistor: The "Jeffistor" makes its debut!
I really want to thank Frederik Carøe for being so generous as to indulge a resistor idea of mine, and then going way beyond what I imagined to handcraft a truly amazing resistor, which Frederik has humorously dubbed the "Jeffistor". The idea behind this resistor was a result of my listening impressions while doing trials with... Read More »
The Duelund CAST Sn-Cu Capacitor: The World’s Finest Capacitor!
The Duelund-Altec Project is a world’s first for crossovers built exclusively using the new Duelund CAST tinned-copper (Sn-Cu) components (below), and these particular crossovers are currently the only crossovers of their kind in existence, at least for a while, until others start building their own crossovers with the new Duelund CAST Sn-Cu components. In the... Read More »
The Duelund CAST Sn-Cu Air Core Inductor: A Breath of Fresh Air for Low Frequencies!
I thought I'd follow the same basic progression for introducing the Duelund-Altec Project to you as I did for the Duelund-Westminster Project, where I discussed each Duelund CAST component in detail, then detailed each step as I breadboarded the crossovers, modified the loudspeakers, and then constructed the final version of the crossovers, followed by updates... Read More »
New Duelund 600V DCA20GA tinned-copper tone wire now available at Parts Connexion!
I wanted to give you a heads up that the new Duelund 600V DCA20GA tinned-copper tone wire is now available at Parts Connexion. The price of the 600V Duelund DCA20GA is $5.99 USD per meter, but is on sale now for an introductory period for $3.99 USD per meter. The 600V DCA20GA tinned-copper tone wire... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Stokowski Altec's, Duelund CAST Sn-Cu, Acoustic Revive, and more!
After my buddy Chad helped me move the big Stokowski Altec's into the position normally occupied by my Westminster Royal SE's last weekend (thanks Chad!), we did a fair amount of listening, mostly to a lot of classic rock (Chad's fave), but also some jazz. I was a bit surprised how good the Stokowski Altec's... Read More »
The Duelund CAST tinned-copper capacitors, inductors, and resistors have arrived!
I want to share every step of the way with you about the Duelund-Altec crossover project that Frederik and I are embarking on, so that you can come as close to possible to experiencing the project as if you were doing the project for yourself. A 32.30 kilogram parcel from Frederik (Duelund) arrived at 10:30AM... Read More »
The Duelund-Altec Project is about to get under way - the adventure begins!
It's almost time for the Duelund-Altec Project to get under way! Back in November 2015 my buddy Ron Barbee and I did a road trip to Seattle to audition a pair of vintage Altec loudspeakers that were for sale. These particular Altec's were custom made for conductor Leopold Stokowski by Altec for listening to music at... Read More »
The Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier review is now live at Positive Feedback!
The Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier review is now live at Positive Feedback HERE. The Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier is a honey of an amp! Enjoy! As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
Sneak Peek: The Still Audio EL84 Integrated Amplifier Review for Positive Feedback!
I'm in the last stages of finishing up my review of the Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier for Positive Feedback. As is my custom I thought I'd give you a sneak peek into the review before it is published at Positive Feedback, and I hope you enjoy it! This is a very special little amplifier... Read More »
A couple of things ... Still Audio, Duelund, Fender, and music on vinyl!
There's always a lot going on here at my place, and I'm hoping you're enjoying these little updates to share it all with you. ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Still Audio ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ I'm working on writing up the Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier review for Positive Feedback this weekend, and with a little luck I'll be able to get... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Baby!
One of my goals as a new retiree is to become a decent guitarist. I've loved guitars for as long as I can remember, and mostly have always had one around to tinker with, but I've never learned to play as well as I'd like, as it seems that some sort of life situation always... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Acoustic Revive, Belden 8402, Collings, Fender, Soundsmith, Spec, Still Audio, and Waterloo!
I had lunch with my good friend, Santos Ortega, on Friday. It's always a pleasure to get together with Santos, who is one of the most interesting, insightful, and decent guys I've ever had the pleasure to meet, not to mention that he has impeccably good taste in all things! I've known Santos for nearly... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... my good friend, George. Update!
It's crazy how fast time rushes by! It seems like I've been running a marathon lately trying to get everything done and keep ahead of the tsunami that's right behind me! Speaking of marathon runners, I just got some really sad news about my good friend George, who happens to be an avid runner and... Read More »
The Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III phonograph cartridge review is live at Positive Feedback!
I finished up the review of the new Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III phonograph a little bit ahead of schedule, and it is now live at Positive Feedback. The new $1500 USD Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III is one heck of an impressive phonograph cartridge, and it dethroned my Ortofon SPU Classic GM MkII stereo phono cartridge... Read More »
Sneak Peek: The Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III Phonograph Cartridge Review for Positive Feedback!
I'm nearing the point of finishing up my Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III photograph cartridge review for Positive Feedback, and as is my custom I thought I'd give you a sneak peek before I send it off to ye olde editors Dave and David for review and publication! I hope you enjoy it! ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... what's coming up!
It's been an incredibly hectic week on all fronts, and I feel like I've been sprinting to keep up! I've been writing up my listening impressions for the Positive Feedback review of the new Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III phonograph cartridge from Peter Ledermann, and you should see that review published in the next week or... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Fender '65 Princeton Reverb
As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I’ve been using a Henriksen Jazz Amp, but I decided to order a Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb vacuum tube guitar amp from Sweetwater to use with my Collings Eastside LC Deluxe jazz guitar. The Henriksen is a nice sounding solid-state guitar amp for jazz, but I've been wanting to get... Read More »
For sale: Vintage McIntosh MC225 (sold) and MC240 (sold)!
I've been agonizing about whether to do it or not, but I've decided to put my vintage McIntosh MC225 and vintage McIntosh MC240 stereo power amplifiers up for sale, as they're not seeing much use of late. I hate to leave such wonderful vintage McIntosh amplifiers sitting around when they could be making beautiful music... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Soundsmith, Spec, Acoustic Revive, Still Audio, First Watt, and Fender!
I'm working on Part 2 of my Soundsmith review series for Positive Feedback right now, the Zephyr Mk III phonograph cartridge, and hope to have it published in the next few weeks. In my Part 1 Soundsmith review for Positive Feedback I reviewed the Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phonograph cartridge (HERE). I found the Carmen Mk II to... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Collings Eastside LC Archtop Guitar
I've always loved jazz guitar. One of the highlights in my life was being able to study with the extraordinary jazz guitarist, John La Chapelle (above left), who was Larry Coryell's guitar teacher when he was a youngster and introduced him to jazz, and the two maintained their friendship over the years. Jazz guitar is... Read More »
The review of the First Watt SIT-3 is live at Positive Feedback!
My review of the First Watt SIT-3 is now live at Positive Feedback HERE. Within its areas of strengths (and power limitations) the First Watt SIT-3 is one of the best, if not the best, amplifier I’ve ever heard. If you think you might want a First Watt SIT-3 of your own don’t wait too... Read More »
First Impressions: The Still Audio EL84 Integrated Amplifier!
I've been wanting to write a "First Impressions" update about the Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier for a while now, but life has been busier than anticipated, so I'm a little behind writing-wise. Many of you know of my affection for EL84 amplifiers, and I've been very impressed with the performance of the different ones... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The New Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cords, Absolute RCA FM Interconnects, and PC-TripleC/EX Headshell Leads! (Now updated with USD pricing)
Today's Fresh Catch are the exotic new Acoustic Revive Absolute Power Cords, RCA Absolute FM Interconnects, and PC-TripleC/EX Headshell Leads. I always get excited when new Acoustic Revive products arrive from Mr. Ken Ishiguro (Acoustic Revive) via Mr. Yoshi Hontani (Muson Project, Exporter), as Acoustic Revive products always have an extreme level of quality materials, technical ingenuity, a ... Read More »
Sneak Peek: The First Watt SIT-3 Stereo Amplifier Review for Positive Feedback!
I am hard at work writing up my listening impressions for the First Watt SIT-3 stereo power amplifier review for Positive Feedback, which I hope to have completed in the next few weeks or so. Until the review is published, I thought you would enjoy a "sneak peek" into the upcoming review - enjoy! ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪... Read More »
Watt's up? The Nelson Pass designed First Watt SIT-3 stereo amplifier!
A couple of memorable Pass Labs moments in my life came to mind as I have been listening to Nelson Pass' new First Watt SIT-3 stereo power amplifier over the last two weeks, a design which Nelson is very pleased with, I am told (and which I will be interviewing him about for the Positive... Read More »
A blast from the past: listening to the vintage "Fisher King" SA-100 power amplifier!
My friend Ron Barbee enjoys finding vintage audio gems and restoring them, like the Fisher SA-100 stereo power amplifier that is the subject of today's post. The Fisher SA-100 came out in 1963 and sold for about $120 USD ($986.63 in 2018 USD). They are relatively rare today, but if you run across one in... Read More »
First Impressions: Custom Spec RSP-AZ9EX Real Sound Processors by Yazaki-san for the Vintage Altec 832A Corona loudspeakers!
I think most of you know I've been having a "love at first listen" affair with my vintage Altec Corona 832A loudspeakers that I purchased from LA Jazz Audio. It is a little hard to tell in the accompanying photographs, but the Altec Corona 832A's are fairly large loudspeakers, being about as wide as my... Read More »
The Positive Feedback review of the Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phono cartridge is now live!
I didn't think I was going to be able to get the Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phonograph cartridge review finished up over the weekend, but I was able to put in some long hours and get it finished up! The Positive Feedback review of the Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phono cartridge is now live HERE!... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Soundsmith Carmen Mk II, First Watt SIT-3, Still Audio EL84, Spec RSP-AZ9EX, and vintage kit!
I was hoping to get the Positive Feedback review of the Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phonograph cartridge finished up this weekend, but it's looking like it is going to be next weekend instead - it's turned out to be a busy weekend! Also, something very interesting happened during the review of the Carmen Mk II - in a... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Still Audio EL84 Integrated Amplifier!
As you know, I'm a big fan of EL84 integrated amplifiers, as they provide a live-like musicality that always seems to thrill me! So when Mark Still contacted me about writing up his hand-crafted Still Audio EL84 integrated amplifier here at Jeff's Place and for Positive Feedback, I was happy to say "Yes!". Adding to... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Custom Spec RSP-AZ9EX Real Sound Processors for the Vintage Altec 832A Corona by Yazaki-san!
It is always such a pleasure to hear from Yazaki-san, he is such a gracious and kind gentleman, and he has more good audio ideas in a day than most of us do in a year! I have a fascinating multi-part story of serendipity and intrigue to relate to you about Today's Fresh Catch, the Spec RSP-AZ9EX Real... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Vintage Fisher SA-100 Stereo Amplifier
Ron has a way of finding nice vintage audio treasures, and as a very talented tube tech Ron enjoys the process of freshening them up so they can be heard in all their glory. Ron brought along his latest project for the listening session with the First Watt SIT-3, the very interesting vintage Fisher SA-100... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The First Watt SIT-3! Postscript added x2.
Today's exciting arrival is the First Watt SIT-3 stereo amplifier, which was designed by - and in the case of this particular SIT-3 amplifier - hand-built by Nelson Pass himself! I consider Nelson's First Watt amplifier designs to be an artistic expression of what is possible at the cutting edge of audio performance, and as... Read More »
Sneak Peek: Positive Feedback Review of the New Soundsmith Carmen Mk II Phonograph Cartridge!
I am hoping to finish up writing my Positive Feedback review of the new Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phonograph cartridge next week, with the reviews of the Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III phonograph cartridge and MMP3 Mk II phono preamp to follow in separate articles in due time. I thought you would enjoy reading a little "sneak peek"... Read More »
Breaking news! Bumblebee capacitors ride again - hooray!
After discussing this topic in a couple comments with capacitor guru Daryl Stahler, I wanted to follow up with a proper post to give this exciting news more visibility in case you didn't read it in the comments. To reiterate what I said in my comment: I want to let you know some more interesting... Read More »
Traveling in England and Wales!
I had a really nice visit to England and Wales over the last couple of weeks, and just got back. If you were wondering why I was slower than usual answering comments and emails, that's why, and I still might be a little slow catching up on answering email and messages as I'm really jet-lagged! If I... Read More »
