Today's Fresh Catch: The new Duelund 'Dual' DCA12GA tinned-copper wire speaker cables!
I really have to hand it to Frederick Carøe at Duelund Coherent Audio in Denmark, he has truly revolutionized the production of tinned-copper wire that is specifically designed for high-performance audio applications. Frederik has produced tinned-copper wires for audio applications in three different styles. The first style of Duelund tinned-copper conductors are wrapped in an... Read More »
Jeff checking in: Sophia Electric, Pass Labs, First Watt, Audio Note (UK), and more!
It is one of those time periods where I am in the midst of shuffling equipment around between systems in preparation for upcoming reviews. As you are no doubt aware, the performance of a component is greatly dependent upon the associated equipment in a given system, and the room it is installed in. I've found... Read More »
Sneak Peek: Sexy Blue Tubes, Part 2, The Sophia Electric EL34-ST and KT88-ST Vacuum Tubes!
As is my custom, I wanted to share a "sneak peek" into my next feature review for Positive Feedback "Sexy Blue Tubes, Part 2: The Sophia Electric EL34-ST and KT88-ST Vacuum Tubes!" I'm hoping to have the feature article finished up over the next week, so check back for more in about a week. Enjoy... Read More »
Yazaki-san's Ultimate Ruby Mica Capacitor Mod for the SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound Amplifier! Part 3.
It's taken me much longer to try the next level of Yazaki-san's Ultimate Ruby Mica capacitor mod for the SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound Amplifier than I had anticipated, due to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its impacts on my life and health. You can read my original SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound... Read More »
Tube swapping in the Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier!
If you've been keeping up with the posts here at Jeff's Place, you know I've been thoroughly enjoying listening to music with the combination of the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD player combined with the Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier. The combination of the Audio Note... Read More »
Jeff checking in: Audio Note (UK), Duelund, Leben HiFi Stereo Company, Pass Labs, Sophia Electric, and other stuff!
I just finished up the feature review of the Leben HiFi Stereo Company CS-600X vacuum tube integrated amplifier for Positive Feedback, which you can read HERE. Like the CS-600 integrated amp that preceded it, the CS-600X is a terrific moderately powerful integrated amplifier, with 32W from 6L6GC output tubes, and 28W from EL34 output tubes. ... Read More »
Feature review of the Leben HiFi Stereo Company CS-600X integrated amplifier is live at Positive Feedback!
My feature review of the Leben HiFi Stereo Company CS-600X integrated amplifier is now live at Positive Feedback HERE! As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
Pete Riggle Audio Engineering custom "Woody Headshell" in stock now!
Pete Riggle has been putting his time in Covid-19 quarantine to good use by developing a new "Woody" headshell. Pete's new "Woody Headshells" are replaceable wood headshells that can be used on "Woody SPU" tonearms like mine, or basically any other arm with an SME type headshell connector, like my Thomas Schick tonearms, for example. ... Read More »
Sneak Peek: The Leben CS-600X Integrated Amplifier Feature Review for Positive Feedback!
As you know, it is my custom to give you a "sneak peek" into my upcoming feature reviews for Positive Feedback. Todays "sneak peak" is for the Leben CS-600X integrated amplifier feature review, which should be published in the next week or two! Enjoy! The Leben HiFi Stereo Company CS-600X integrated amplifier – an old... Read More »
Audio Note (UK): Peter Qvortrup & Darko Greguras on making digital sources sound like music. Part 1.
As you know, I'm rather enamored with what I'm hearing from the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD Player. I said earlier that "The musicality of Audio Note (UK) digital is not a gimmick, it is for real, and I am very excited about it, because really, this is the first... Read More »
Good Souls Better Angels
I just picked up a copy of Lucinda Williams' new album Good Souls Better Angels from Amazon. My first Lucinda Williams album was World Without Tears, where the intensity and darkness of her lyrics mesmerized me. Lucinda's songwriting skills are formidable, and she no doubt picked up a few tips about writing while traveling the world with her... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Audio Note (UK), Fender, Leben, Pass Labs, Sophia Electric, and other stuff!
POST COVID-19 RECOVERY I’m doing a little better all the time in my Covid-19 recovery phase. My post Covid-19 symptoms are reducing in intensity and frequency, so things are going in a good direction. I'm hoping to be fully recovered in the next three to four weeks, so I can resume more of my normal activities,... Read More »
More Adventures with NOS vacuum tubes for the Fender '65 Princeton Reverb reissue guitar amplifier! Postscript added.
Have you ever done a head-slap and said, "Why did I do that?" That's what I did after I wrote up my blog post about my tube-rolling adventure in my Fender '65 Princeton Reverb reissue guitar amplifier a little over a week ago (HERE). When I ordered the NOS Sylvania tubes from Roy & Dale... Read More »
Initial Listening Impressions: The Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD Player!
Life has been a little chaotic of late with the COVID-19 pandemic occurring, and then being infected with it and getting sick myself. The good news is that over the last two days my temperature has dropped down into the normal range, and this morning as well. According to the health care professionals treating me,... Read More »
NOS vacuum tubes for the Fender '65 Princeton Reverb reissue guitar amplifier!
Even though I've been sick with the COVID-19 virus that's going around, I've been trying to play my guitar when I feel good enough. The stock power tubes in my Fender '65 Princeton Reverb reissue guitar amplifier were starting to sound ratty, so I thought I'd order some NOS vacuum tubes for it from Roy... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... COVID-19, Audio Note (UK), Leben, Sophia Electric Vacuum Tubes, Pass Labs, and Other Stuff!
Due to the rapidly increasing threat of the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping over Washington State where I live, I started home-isolation on March 13th in an attempt to stay safe from the virus. Today is April 10th, and I'm in my 28th day of home-isolation due to COVID-19. Even being extremely careful, and... Read More »
The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier feature review is now live at Positive Feedback!
The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier feature review is now live at Positive Feedback! You can read the review HERE. Enjoy! As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
Jeff checking in ... upcoming reviews, posts, and other stuff!
Everything is a bit topsy-turvy at the moment, with much of Planet Earth being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as I write this. I live in Washington State, which was the epicenter in the USA for the COVID-19 outbreak that has now spread around the country. As you might imagine the situation is rather dire... Read More »
Audio Note (UK) Prototype Field-Coil Loudspeakers!
When I was visiting Audio Note (UK) last fall, Daniel Qvortrup showed me drivers and cabinets of some prototype field-coil loudspeakers they were in the process of developing, as we did a walk-about of the facility. Daniel just sent me some photos of the completed prototype Audio Note (UK) field-coil loudspeakers that were installed into... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Sophia Electric, Leben, Pass Labs, Audio Note, Fender Telecaster, and other stuff!
It's been a busy time for me, both personally and on the audio & music side of things, but I thought I'd take a moment and tell you about what's going on here at Jeff's Place. First of all, there's the whole COVID-19 outbreak thing going on here in Washington State, which is the epicenter... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD Player!
Today's Fresh Catch is the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD player ($3874.00 USD). I have thousands of Red Book CDs that I haven't listened to in years. My Red Book CD collection is full of great music, a lot of which is not available on LPs, and I have really... Read More »
Sneak Peek: The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier Feature Review for Positive Feedback! Part 2.
In this Jeff's Place post you'll find Part 2 of my "sneak peek" of the Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier feature review that will be coming to Positive Feedback in the very near future. If you haven't yet read the Part 1 "sneak peek" yet you can read it HERE. The... Read More »
Sneak Peek: The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier Feature Review for Positive Feedback! Part 1.
I'm getting very close to having my Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE integrated amplifier feature review for Positive Feedback completed and ready for publication. As is my tradition, I like to offer a "sneak peek" of my feature reviews to readers here at Jeff's Place. I do that for two reasons, the first being I think... Read More »
The Tube Rolling Begins: NOS Vacuum Tubes in the Leben RS-30EQ Phono Preamplifier!
In my last Today's Fresh Catch post (HERE) I mentioned the variety of NOS 12AT7 signal tubes and NOS rectifiers that I had purchased from Radio Electric Supply to try in my Leben RS-30EQ: 6X5GT, 4 pieces (NU, GE, RCA, JAN Raytheon), at $10 each for a total of $40. 6X5GT 2 pieces, Sylvania, at $10 each for... Read More »
The Seven Books In Seven Days Challenge - an "Other Stuff" post!
The tag line on Jeff's Place is "Music, Hi-Fi, and Other Stuff". This is an "Other Stuff" post. My friend Andy Moore invited me to join the "Seven Books in Seven Days Challenge" on Facebook. As a prolific reader, I thought Andy's invite was an opportunity to reflect back on some of my favorite books... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Vacuum Tubes for the Leben RS-30EQ Phono Preamplifier
As long-time readers know well, I really love my Leben CS600 integrated amplifier and the matching Leben RS-30EQ phono preamplifier (as well as the new Leben CS600X that I think is even more gorgeous sounding than my original CS600). There's only one caveat to consider with some of the Leben components, like the Leben CS600... Read More »
The Great Anatoly Markovich Likhnitsky - From Russia With Love!
What I wrote in this post I had intended to tell you about after the publication of my upcoming feature article for Positive Feedback titled "The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier – An Affordable Masterpiece!", which includes snippets of my adventures with Peter Qvortrup while visiting him at Audio Note (UK) headquarters,... Read More »
Leben CS600 & CS600X: Tube Rolling with Sophia Electric vs. Electro-Harmonix EL34!
Besides their superb musical & sonic qualities, one of the great sources of joy for owners of vacuum tube amplifiers like the Leben CS600 / CS600X integrated amplifiers are adventures in trying different vacuum tubes to voice their amplifiers to best match their overall system characteristics, room, and their personal preferences. I've been a huge... Read More »
First Listen: The Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier with the First Watt SIT-3 Stereo Amplifier!
I think most of you know that my usual way of getting an adequate amount of run-in time on a component is to put it in either my vintage Altec 832A loudspeakers based bedroom system or in my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre based audio-visual system and let it accumulate hours until I... Read More »
New Duelund Production Efficiencies Allow Bypass Capacitor Price Reductions! Updated x 2!
Way back in 2017 when I wrote about the 0.01uF 600V Duelund tinned-copper foil wax/oil bypass caps (HERE) they were selling for an MSRP of $96 USD each, and the 0.01uF 600V Duelund pure silver foil wax/oil bypass caps were selling for an MSRP of $132 USD each. You could pick up the 0.01uF Duelund... Read More »
Jeff checking in ... Fender Telecaster, Ed Bickert, Pass Labs XP-12, First Watt SIT-3, Audio Note UK, music, booze, and good friends!
I've been on a semi-pilgrimage to build a "near replica" of the 1964 Telecaster of the late Canadian jazz guitarist, Ed Bickert, who is definitely one of my favorite jazz guitarists. Many thanks to Roman Pokorny for sharing his photos with me of his visit with Ed and of Ed's Telecaster. You might notice I... Read More »
Yazaki-san: "Stereo Sound" Altec issue and Ultimate Ruby Mica Capacitors!
It's always exciting to hear from our friend Yazaki-san, and this time Yazaki-san really outdid himself! You all know how much I love my humble vintage Altec loudspeaker collection of the A5 Voice of the Theatre, Corona 832A, and the "Stokowski" Altec's. Well, our friend Yazaki-san sent me a special issue of Stereo Sound from 2006 that... Read More »
First Listen: The Sophia Electric Blue Glass KT88-ST in the Leben CS600X Integrated Amplifier! Updated.
Last night I installed the fresh out of the box Sophia Electric blue-glass KT88-ST long-life vacuum tubes into the new Leben CS600X, that's currently powering my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers in my audio-visual system. I'm running the Sophia Electric KT88-STs with cathode resistor and plate voltage settings used for 6L6GCs, which... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Sophia Electric Blue Glass KT88-ST Long Life Vacuum Tubes!
In my "Sexy Blue Tubes: The Sophia Electric EL34-ST and Aqua 274B Vacuum Tubes!" feature review article for Positive Feedback (HERE), I provided a brief history of the EL34 and 274B vacuum tube designs, and then described the various technical performance enhancements that Richard and Sue of Sophia Electric implemented in their flagship Sophia Electric EL34-ST... Read More »
First Listen: The Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier with the Pass Labs XA25 Class A Stereo Amplifier!
In my most recent Today's Fresh Catch post (HERE) I told you about the arrival of the much anticipated Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier. This Saturday morning I installed the Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier ($5800 USD) into my vintage Altec 832A Corona loudspeakers based bedroom system to get some run-in time on it, along with the Pass Labs... Read More »
2019 in retrospect, my 2020 New Year's Resolutions, the year ahead, and other stuff! Part 4.
It was great looking back on 2019 in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this post, and I had no idea that this post would turn into a four part series. So much happened in 2019, and there was so much to talk about that it really took me by pleasant surprise. Now... Read More »
