Grommes "Little Jewel" LJ6 Amps

Yup. Caught my eye, too, when I opened it up earlier today. But it's not as weird as it looks. Both plugs are wired with green as hot, white as return and black as ground. So that lug on the speaker 'common' terminal is the chassis ground.

Nice little amps,,,

I would rewire the line with the proper color codes ( black=hot, white=neutral, green=ground),,, but more important, put the fuse on the hot (should be black) wire... While you're at it, maybe an insulated fuse holder, also...
The way its wired now, the hot wire is unfused, thru the switch, and, if teh PT shorts out, the chassis would become hot, even with the fuse blown... Your house fuse would then be your 1st line protection, and, its at least 15A....
Safety mods are always a good idea...

Regards,
John
 
Last edited:
A friend just gave me a pair of these Little Jewels. They don't have the front tube... I'm guessing it was a 12ax7 that was used on one of the inputs? I see several through a yahoo image search that don't have that tube, and several that do.
 
How can I physically connect two mono Grommes little jewel lj6 in stereo if they have only inputs on them? I would like to use the amplifier section in each integrated amp in a stereo format. I apologize for my naivety.
 
A single stereo amplifier basically has two separate mono amplifiers built onto a single chassis.

For stereo, just simply use two mono blocks or two mono amplifiers where one mono amplifier is the left channel or left speaker and the other mono amplifier is the right channel or right speaker.

This set-up will be stereo but since you are using two separate amplifiers to achieve stereo, you will have to deal with two volume controls, two bass controls, etc.
 
Last edited:
If yours are like teh amps pictured in this thread,,, connect one stereo input jack to each amp input and connect a speaker to each amp,,, then one will control each channel R or L...
 
I do realize the difference between mono, dual monaural and stereo amps. The rest being receivers with amp/s, preamp and tuner combined whether mono or stereo and of course mono and stereo preamps. I just acquired two of these Grommes Little Jewel LJ6 amps each integrated mono amps. I appreciate your reply cademan using the left and right monoblocks as an example for your explanation. The beauty of dual mono amps whether they are on the same chassis or not is that one can play with various stereo preamps and enjoy or not enjoy what they have to offer. I admit though that I favor separates over any other combination available to the vintage audiophile enthusiast with tube topology being in the forefront next to solid high end SS equipment.

I had an inkling that I would have to set up these amps as described by knockbill to achieve stereo. So based on your responses and my understanding, the process would be as follows:

1 - Plug each integrated amp into ac
2 - Connect a input like a turntable via its rca stereo jack; one rca jack to the left LJ6 phono input and the other rca jack to the right LJ6 amp phono input
3- Connect your left speaker wires to the output speaker posts of the left LJ6 amp and the right speaker wires to the the output speaker posts of the right LJ6 amp. Ensure that these speaker connections are connected to the appropriate speaker output terminal posts matching the impedance of your speakers to the corresponding output speaker terminals on each amp. For example, connect your 8 ohm rated speakers to the 8 ohm terminal post and common (ground) post on each amplifier.
4 - set the input selector switch on each left and right amplifier to the corresponding phono input you previously connected your turntable to in step 2.
5- Turn on each amp, place an album on your turntable, lower the tonearm,
adjust volume and tone controls for each amplifier and enjoy.

I would just like to say that I am new to this site and I sincerely appreciate the prompt responses i received from both cademan and knockbill which allowed me to reply and hopefully clear up the confusion not only for myself but others who may be in the same predicament regarding this type of set up or connection.

If my explanation is incorrect feel free to critique and resolve any errors I may have made in describing the said process.

I look forward to interacting with any and all members of this site and will contribute to the best of my ability when called upon. Thanks
 
I understand that this thread is 2+ years old, but...

As a longtime "lurker" on this forum, I came across this thread while doing a little research on a "Little Jewel" that I currently own. The OP's amps are VERY nice amps indeed, cosmetically speaking. However, after seeing the under chassis pictures I feel compelled to speak.

Robert1 is absolutely correct in his last post. Whatever "restoration" that was performed by the seller (or on his behalf) appears to have been done in a very ham-fisted and amateurish manner. At the very least, it's probably contributing to the thin midrange the OP experienced. At the worst, this restoration attempt could possibly burn down the house! Some observations:

  1. THE BLACK WIRE CONNECTED TO THE NEGATIVE SPEAKER OUTPUT IS AN ABSOLUTE DEATH TRAP!!! The power cord black wire - aka the HOT wire - should be connected DIRECTLY TO ONE END OF THE FUSE. Another wire should then run from the other end of the fuse to one lug of the power switch. Yet another wire should then be connected from the second lug of the power switch to one wire of the transformer primary. The WHITE wire - aka the NEUTRAL wire - should connect directly to the second transformer primary wire. The GREEN wire is the actual mains ground, and should connect directly to the chassis. I'd forget about the the 2-prong socket on the chassis; it was there to power the turntables or receivers of the era, which didn't use polarized plugs.
  2. There appears to be no strain relief on the power wire. Any good tug on the power cord could possibly pull it through the rubber grommet in the chassis - with disastrous results. The old school method involved knotting the power cord so it wouldn't pull through (the thickness of the wire shown in the photographs may make this a problem). Another quick-n-dirty-and-not-so-great method is to wrap a nylon cable tie TIGHTLY around the power cord just inside the chassis. The best method of connecting a 3-prong power cord is to use an IEC connector like the ones used for computer power supplies, but this would involve enlarging the hole in the chassis.
  3. The fuse should be placed in a proper fuse holder instead of floating around in the chassis!
  4. Those electrolytics give me the willies also. First, I'd check and make sure they're of the proper values and ratings. Then I'd mount them to a terminal strip that was firmly screwed to the chassis. That cable tie looks highly suspect...
  5. All wire splices should be at least wrapped with electrical tape; heat-shrink tubing is much better.
  6. I suspect that any midrange woes are due in part to those cheesy-looking green caps. I'd replace them all with "Orange Drops" of the proper value and rating.
  7. It's a little hard to tell from the photos, but the heater wires don't appear to be twisted. I realize the OP said the amps were quiet, but tightly twisting the heater wires would improve the noise further.

A review and schematic of the Grommes "Little Jewel" can be found here. Please note that the fuse should be placed between the plug and the power switch, not on the neutral lead as it is shown.

I certainly hope that the most egregious issue - the power cord - has been addressed in the months since the last post. And please bear in mind that I didn't write this post to put the OP down or to pontificate. On the contrary, I just want him to enjoy his beautiful finds to the fullest - and in safety!



old thread but still this deserved a thumbs up andd well done! thank you and given the quality of this post i am sad to see you still only have 4 posts because obviously Mr Zenith has some things to say
 
Back
Top Bottom