Can't wait to hear the results with the khorn ,fairchild preamp the rca amp and craftsman.
Which amp would you buy first at an estate?
- Thread starter sheltie dave
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sheltie dave
Addicted Member
I can't promise we will get to everything, but after half an hour of horsing a large stereo rack, large tv, and 200 lb Khorn around, we have stellar sound with the modded 1963 Khorramshahr, 1957 Fairchild 245(which will be used throughout, due to space,) and the Radio Craftsman 500a.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
And a couple photos...
I so wish I were in St Louis right now.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
Francis, Kent, and Debbie made it over for the planning/listening session, and we started off with the Marantz 8b and Juicy Music Merlin preamp on the Altec 19s. Francis, who has in the past reviewed for Tas and Stereophile, in short fashion verified that the right channel speaker mid was down about 3 db, and the crossover needed freshening.
The RC 500a was a hit across the board with the Khorn, and then we threw the Fairchild 275 on with the Grant Fidelity LS3/5a. Debbie was enamored with that combo, to the point that we made no more changes for the duration of their stay. She said she could be happy with that exact sound for the rest of her life.
I have the Fairchild 260 on the khorn now, and cannonball adderly has never sounded better with Something Else. Oh my, the brushwork Art lays down, the reasonating bass, Miles and Cannonball blowing so smooth, Hank with his linear fills on the piano all unfold in a perfect space.
All three amps show the upper limits that the respective kt66, kt88, and El34 can deliver. This is some serious good listening!
The RC 500a was a hit across the board with the Khorn, and then we threw the Fairchild 275 on with the Grant Fidelity LS3/5a. Debbie was enamored with that combo, to the point that we made no more changes for the duration of their stay. She said she could be happy with that exact sound for the rest of her life.
I have the Fairchild 260 on the khorn now, and cannonball adderly has never sounded better with Something Else. Oh my, the brushwork Art lays down, the reasonating bass, Miles and Cannonball blowing so smooth, Hank with his linear fills on the piano all unfold in a perfect space.
All three amps show the upper limits that the respective kt66, kt88, and El34 can deliver. This is some serious good listening!
One of these days I'll get around to rebuilding that PPP 2A3 Capehart amp and bring it up for some testing. Trying to track down four matching US-made four-pin sockets has proven to be a bit of a headache.
bean_counter
Active Member
they're expensive, but Nebraska Surplus has some phenolic brown MIP four-pin sockets. Somebody gave me a pair years ago, and bought another pair to build a PP stereo amp
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
"Dave,
Thank you again for hosting us today. It was a small but fruitful consortium.
Just to be clear: the problem above about 1,000 Hz. in that right speaker of yours might be the driver. One can't be sure. But given how "clean" that break is, I would guess it's the crossover. And with a speaker that age, it never hurts to get the crossovers upgraded anyway, which seldom costs much. You could take them out, let Mike replace (and maybe improve) the critical parts, and you're going to end up with better sound even if in the end you do need to re-do those upper horns.
When I say next to nothing while listening, it usually means I am giving the music all my attention. The mono experience with that Fairchild today was really stunning. One of the finest revelations in high-end gear I have ever had. I am grateful.
All the best,"
Quoth a new Fairchild fan..
Thank you again for hosting us today. It was a small but fruitful consortium.
Just to be clear: the problem above about 1,000 Hz. in that right speaker of yours might be the driver. One can't be sure. But given how "clean" that break is, I would guess it's the crossover. And with a speaker that age, it never hurts to get the crossovers upgraded anyway, which seldom costs much. You could take them out, let Mike replace (and maybe improve) the critical parts, and you're going to end up with better sound even if in the end you do need to re-do those upper horns.
When I say next to nothing while listening, it usually means I am giving the music all my attention. The mono experience with that Fairchild today was really stunning. One of the finest revelations in high-end gear I have ever had. I am grateful.
All the best,"
Quoth a new Fairchild fan..
We either need fewer Fairchild fans to drive the price down, or to find someone insane enough to make new double-C-core grain-oriented OPTs at a semi-reasonable price. 
Was he referring to the 260 or 275? Any comments on the relative sound?
I'd add that the 19s in proper working order are very "right", I'd be wary of attempts to upgrade or improve the crossovers apart from replacing faulty parts with proper functioning ones. Very different than Valencias or 604s or VOTTs or many other Altecs that can benefit greatly from upgrades.
If you haven't read it before, you might find this thread interesting: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/z19-crossover.328530/
Wow, 18 pages is a lot to get through! Interesting stuff as far as I got. I'll say, the listening test is sufficient for me, M19's are a special speaker and if I had a set I'd be loath to mess with the crossover if it's working properly.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
That was the 245 with the 275. We are still going through the process of listening to all of them,which involves getting a couple good ears besides me, changing the amps out, listening, and then getting the time to write up the experience.
I already know my ranking from owning and hearing these bad boys, so I want the other ears to have their input without my influence.
That said, Francis, Debbie, and Kent all have significant music and listening experience. Kent and Francis both have a significant published body of stereo reviews, Francis also has played bass professionally and currently works as a researcher/ writer for four classical music publishing labels. Debbie was previously worked as a music recording engineer.
Kent, who has a significant current history with tube system listening, was impressed but not awed by the system.
Debbie has little tube listening time and loved the mono setup. She said she was stunned by how good the 275 sounded. Francis is in love with the 275, to the point where he is going to write what sounds like a full blown review of the experience.
With a few Blue Note CDs on a Sony ES CD player, some 12 gage wire run to a single Grant Fidelity LS3/5a speaker, the 275 presented a very relaxed and detailed experience. The drum work and upright bass were both right there, the horns were just so. It was a fun time.
I already know my ranking from owning and hearing these bad boys, so I want the other ears to have their input without my influence.
That said, Francis, Debbie, and Kent all have significant music and listening experience. Kent and Francis both have a significant published body of stereo reviews, Francis also has played bass professionally and currently works as a researcher/ writer for four classical music publishing labels. Debbie was previously worked as a music recording engineer.
Kent, who has a significant current history with tube system listening, was impressed but not awed by the system.
Debbie has little tube listening time and loved the mono setup. She said she was stunned by how good the 275 sounded. Francis is in love with the 275, to the point where he is going to write what sounds like a full blown review of the experience.
With a few Blue Note CDs on a Sony ES CD player, some 12 gage wire run to a single Grant Fidelity LS3/5a speaker, the 275 presented a very relaxed and detailed experience. The drum work and upright bass were both right there, the horns were just so. It was a fun time.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
Here are the 245 and the 260.
