jmdhancock system in progress

by jmdhancock on Ever Evolving

Description

I started my audiophile system in the mid 70s when I acquired a component system based around a Dynaco ST-70, PAS-3X preamp and FM-3 tuner, with a Sony 377 open reel tape deck and a Thorens 166-II turntable. In the late 70s I aquired a mirror pair of the orginal (# 17 & 18) of the Snell Type A speakers. In the 80s with the onset of the digital age, I acquired a D&O front loading CD play and retired my tube equipement for Kenwood L-07 solid state system consisting of the L-07C preamp, L-07T tuner & a pair of L-05M amps. With marriage and children my opportunity to listen to music decreased and I didn't make any significant changes to my system until 2000. In 2000 my house got hit by lightening, which fried the Kenwood L-05s and my Snell drivers. After I had new drivers installed, I pulled my ST-70 from storage and retubed it. Replace my L-05s with a pair of L-07M and in comparing them to the ST-70 I like the tube sound in the mid range & tweeter, and the solid state for bass. Always wanted to bi-amp my Snell Type A speakers, so pick up an DOD active crossover and replace the ST-70 with a pair of Sound Valves M-60 instead of the older Dynaco MKIII or MKIV. Upgraded to a Rega P-25 turntable with a Dynavector 17D2 mc cartridge, Rega Jupiter 2000 CD player, DBX 3BX-DS, 31 band equalizer. Replaced the L-07C with the L-07C-II preamp (both units had a mm & mc phono stage) before having my Dynaco PAS-3X modified (sound great by phono stage didn't have enough gain so acquired a Marcof PPA-2) which was replace by the Sound Valves VTP-1 tube preamp and replacing going first to a Dynavector 20X HO mc cartridge and then to a Clearaudio Virtuso wood mm cartridge both with enough out not to drive the VTP-I phono stage. Got into power by acquiring PS-300 in conjunction with PS Lab Cords to power my source equipement, Ultimate Outlets in conjunction with PS Lab Cords to power my Amplifiers. Variacs to control voltage and turn on & off equipement.

In the future, I may replace the VTP-1 tube preamp with the VTP 2.5 or 5.5 tube preamp. Also thinking of tri-amping my Snell Speakers using a 300B tube amp to drive the tweeters. Would like to hear from anyone regarding any recommendations.
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Components Toggle details

    • Snell Type A
    Early pair (#18&19) bought in 1978, replaced drivers in 2000
    • Janis W-3
    Subwoofer powered by Kenwood L-07M in conjunction with Snell Type A speakers
    • Sound Valves M-60
    Sound Valves M-60 upgraded version of Dynaco MK3 both designed by Henry Klaus. 60watts in ultraliner and 30watts in triode mode. I use them in triode mode to power top end of Snell Type A speakers
    • Kenwood LO-7m
    I use 2 L-07M (150 watts) to power the bass unit on my Snell Type A speakers, and the 3rd L-07M to power the Janis W-3 subwoofer
    • Sound Valves VTP-101
    Sound Valve VTP-101 which is an upgraded version of the PAS-3X that was built in the 1990s
    • Rega Planar-25
    Cherry wood fram P-25 with a Deepgrove Subplatter, Iron Man arcylic platter, & Extrmephono Non-Felt Donut Mat
    • Rega Planet 2000
    Used it in conjunction with Taddeo Digital Antidote II ($100)which I would recommend for any CD player
    • DBX 3bx ds
    Great unit to have if your into LPs
    • DOD SR 231QX
    1/3rd octave (i.e. 31 bands/sliders) equalizer
    • DOD SR 823
    Stereo Crossover that I use to bi-amp my Snell Type A speakers.
    • DBX 120A
    Subharmonic Synthesire with a seperate mono subwoofer outlet active crossover at either 120Hz or 80Hz. I use the 80Hz option for the signal I send to my subwoofer.
    • Kenwood L-07T
    Great sounding tuner and easier to modify (which I had done) then L-07T-II
    • PS Audio P-300
    With MW-II & MW-II+ (which I would recommend) and powered by a 9' Ultimate Lab Cable
    • PS Audio Ultimate Outlet
    Two 20A High Output units for the speakers, & 1 regular unit for the source equipement (i.e. P-25, DBX 224, and tape decks) not be powered by the PS-300
    • DBX 224
    Type II noise reduction unit that I use when I play DBX encoded LP, which are the best sounding LPs you can get.
    • PS Lab Cables
    Two 9' from 20A Ultimate Outlet to Sound Valves M60 amps; One 6' from PS-300 to Juice Bar (i.e. Power Strip); One 4' from PS-300 to Pre-amp; & One 4' mini-lab from PS-300 to CD player
    • DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1 Series II
    5 X 35'from source to amps; 4 X 8' from DBX 224 to preamp; 2 X 6' from CD to preamp; 2 X 3' from tuner to preamp; & 6 X 3' between processors (i.e., DBX 3BX-DS & 120, equalizer, & crossover). Also all the ends for all these interconnects
    • Appature Accusound Silver Twin 4
    Two 10' speaker wires that I cut in half to bi-amp my Snell Type A speakers with 4 mono amps
    • Teac X3R
    2 speed (7.5 & 3.75 ips) 4 track two channel bi-directional open reel tape deck. Back in the 60s & 70s when pre-recorded tapes were better then LPs, tapes were my primary source; however, tapes don't age as while as LPs and today LPs are my primary music source, followed by CD. Occassionally will listen to 7.5 ips tapes which sound much better then 3.75 ips tapes. Also recorded alot of LP on DBX encoded tapes that sound good.
    • JVC TD-W215
    Double cassette deck that I use to record music for my wife to listen to in her car. Also have pick up a few pre-recorded cassett on close out for as cheep as $0.50 that is a good way to preview music before buying LP or CD.
    • Viprapods 1-5
    Approximately 50 under all source equipement, power equipement and between top & bottom units of Snell Type A speakers
    • Final Laboratory Daruma 3-II Isolation Devices
    Worked best under my Rega P-25 turntable
    • Black Diamond Racing Cones
    4 under each of 3 speakers, and 3 under CD player.
    • MDF Board .75
    An inexpensive isolation self that you can buy at Home Depot, Lowell etc and cut to size. I have each source equipement on its own MDF self, and have cut to size MDF to fit under my amps and speakers.
    • PS Audio Power Ports
    I replaced 4 regular AC receptable with 4 Power Ports for the 2 outlets that I use to power my amps and the 2 outlets that I use to power my source equipement. I don't have any other equipement (e.g. lamp) plugged into any of these outlet so they are close to being a designated power lines.
    • PS Audio Juice Bar
    Power strip with 3 Power Ports for a total of 6 outlets, that is powered by the PS-300 and used to power my tuner and my source processors.
    • Stac 3PN1010 Variac
    I use one variac for my 2 Sound Valves M-60 tube amps and the other for my 3 L-07M amps to them on and off and to keep the power stable at 117volts. I use the 3rd, which I keep on at 115volts to power my P-25 so it runs at the right speed. The rest of the source equipement which is powered by the P-300 which is set to run at 117 volts. Would recommend a variac for anyone with a tube amp.
    • VPI HW-16.5
    Record Cleaning Machine. I use Disc Doctor's Miracle Record brushes with Record Research Lab

Comments 2

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Great system-I also had a pair of Kenwood L-07ms. Used them for 15 years-then traded them for a used Sansui tube integrated amp, as I already had other stuff for my high-power solid state needs. If you open up those amps, you'll see that the transformers were not made by Kenwood-but by Kensonic labs, which was the Japanese name for Accuphase back in the 1970s! I too have used some Sound Valves gear-a triode-wired version of their ST-70, in fact. Good stuff!
Regards,
Mike

actung

is it possible to tri amp a snell type A? my current set up are the foll. snell type A2 with two ARC D 79B using the ARC EC 21 with a 300/385 hz 6db cutoff. this set up sounds great. bi amping the snells greatly improves the performance.

audioresearchkid

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