My DIY Altec Lansing A7 - Voice of the Theater

[captrajesh]

Quoting Lynn Olson

Beyond the Ariel - Page 804 - diyAudio

high-efficiency systems with good-quality tube amps (no Audio Research, please) lets you enjoy a far wider gamut of recordings

Wonder why he said that! Can someone explain!

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

Wonder why he said that! Can someone explain!

I guess this explains IT.

What started the long journey into the kingdom of Tone was hearing a beat-up Dynaco Stereo-70, with the trivial "triode conversion" (move one wire), completely annihilate the latest $3000 Audio Research and every transistor amp on hand. This was in 1990, at the second meeting of the soon-to-be-notorious Oregon Triode Society. No, the dealer didn't ask us back, after the laughably ugly ST-70, complete with plenty of vintage rust, demolished and humiliated every product he carried. It was an amazing eye-opener for me; I set aside the 200-watt MOSFET amp project my two Tektronix pals had been working on for three years and took vacuum tubes seriously.

It was the tone that got me. That miserable-looking ST-70 had TONE; it sounded like real music, like the players were right there in the room, or at least somewhere close, like hearing them play in a nearby club while you ate a great lunch at a sidewalk cafe.

Beyond the Ariel - Page 815 - diyAudio

Regards
Rajiv

 

[captrajesh]

@Rajiv, Thank you for the information. I was looking at LS17 being disposed off by an FM. It is a different issue that the quoted amount of 1.4 lakhs for preamp alone is beyond my budget.

 

[santhosh]

I received my Lyrita DHT Pre and 2A3 Power amp last night. Actually Virenji had sent the amps last weekend and the amps reached Bangalore on Wednesday itself. I was tracking it on the GATI site every few hours but there was not much movement, so gave them a call and decided to get it myself as I was too eager to wait till today.

Virenji had packed it very well and the pre and power made it safe. He had crated the power amp as it is quite heavy and the preamp was packed in a carton. He sent me the tubes earlier in the week by seperate courier. Set up was a breeze. There was a manual inside with detailed instructions and also the amps had labels indicating the different tubes that were to be inserted in the sockets.

The amps have been dishing out music for since the last 10 hours (worked from home ) and already clocked more than 15 hours since last night. I am currently listening with the 2A3 tubes and they sound very good. There have been a few changes in my system since the last time I heard Stevieboy's amps in my system - larger Altec 805 horns, Lenco L75 and the Ortofon SL15 with Ortofon STM72 Step Up Transformer. I could live with this sound, simply love the way it sounds now. It can only get better from here, what with 45 tubes, Altec 288 HF drivers, crossover completion etc round the corner. With the amps, the sound has become very fluid, very effortless and has a very "live" presentation. The biggest improvement apart from tonality is the better 3 Dimensionality and focus.

The high efficiency Altec Horns and the SET amps are a superb match. Many thanks to Rajiv at whose place I first heard this combo and helping me at every step in this journey, Stevieboy who kindly brought the amp twice to my house so I could listen to it with my Altecs. Many thanks also to Virenji for making these nice amps for us enthusiasts and also for patiently listening to my many requests to customise the pre and power.

BTW, at 9'o clock position, I get 80-85dB SPL at my listening position - that's like half a watt .

Here are some pics shot with my iPhone camera, please bear with the PQ:

I requested Virenji to give me a chasis with less depth since my rack does not have too much of depth. Virenji kindly obliged with a teak cabinet. No, the knob is not red. It is a nice bronze color that matches well with the teak cabinet of the DHT Pre.

Tried to capture the glow of tubes on the DHT Pre

The 2A3 power amp:

Full System:

Pics of the tubes, when I received them

 

[grubyhalo]

Lovely setup!

 

[stevieboy]

Congrats Santhosh. Enjoy the amps! Do post impressions as weeks go by.

Regards

 

[malvai]

congrats santosh! Have fun.... i am waiting for my phono to come back all modded!

 

[gobble]

Nice! Looks like i need to invite myself to your place once again

Sent from mobile on a crappy keyboard. Pls excuse typos.

 

[anilva]

Awesome Santhosh. The setup seems made for each other. Though I have deliberately kept myself away from Tubes as I did not want to open another zoo section in my place, seems too tempting.

Cheers.

 

[GeorgeO]

Anil

Looks like we have another visit coming up.

George

 

[prem]

Hi Santhosh


Congrats on the amps. Looking forward to your views on the 45 tube v/s 2A3 tube.

 

[reubensm]

Great going Santhosh, nice to see you make the transition from solid state to tubes. I'm back and all set to get started on those few projects of my own

 

[captrajesh]

Congratulations Santhosh, I'm very happy that it worked out for you.

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

Many thanks to Rajiv at whose place I first heard this combo and helping me at every step in this journey,

Santosh ,you are welcome.

It can only get better from here, what with 45 tubes, Altec 288 HF drivers, crossover completion etc round the corner.

I see the Altec 515B woofers replacing the Altec 416 woofers in the A7 cabinets, and a pair of Karlson cabinets with the Altec 416 as subwoofers in the near future.:lol:

Though I have deliberately kept myself away from Tubes as I did not want to open another zoo section in my place, seems too tempting.

Anil, a tube zoo section is worth opening up.

Looks like we have another visit coming up.

George, Anil, I will be in B'lore month end and plan to visit Santosh on 1 Nov,between 2PM and 6PM. It would be great if we could all meet up.


Regards
Rajiv

 

[hydra]

Congrats, Santhosh! So it has all come together now, huh!

 

[santhosh]

Lovely setup!

Thanks Gruby, please visit when you are in Bangalore next

Congrats Santhosh. Enjoy the amps! Do post impressions as weeks go by.

Regards

Thanks Steve, sure thing. The sound is freeing up already, adding to fluidity and openness of the sound, guess the amps need about 100hrs ? Do the tubes also sound different with burn in? BTW, when do the kits arrive from GPA?

congrats santosh! Have fun.... i am waiting for my phono to come back all modded!

Thanks bro, what mods are you getting done to the phono? Different SUT loadings for the Onyx?

Nice! Looks like i need to invite myself to your place once again

Thanks buddy. Anytime man, just drop by.

Awesome Santhosh. The setup seems made for each other. Though I have deliberately kept myself away from Tubes as I did not want to open another zoo section in my place, seems too tempting.

Cheers.

Thanks Anil, I think you should have these in your cave too .

Anil

Looks like we have another visit coming up.

George

Thanks George, let us please plan for Anil and you to come over. I'll be interested in your listening impressions.

Hi Santhosh
Congrats on the amps. Looking forward to your views on the 45 tube v/s 2A3 tube.

Thanks Prem. Will definitely listen and share my views in a few days. I have never heard the 2A3s or the 45s for an extended duration. For the few times I have listened briefly, I have always preferred the 45s over the 2A3s. But so far, the 2A3s have done pretty well in my system for the various genres I have listened. The 45 tubes have already reached Bangalore and are with a dear friend, I have deliberately not picked them up yet as I wanted to give the 2A3s a honest listen

 

[santhosh]

I see the Altec 515B woofers replacing the Altec 416 woofers in the A7 cabinets, and a pair of Karlson cabinets with the Altec 416 as subwoofers in the near future.:lol:

Progressing slower than planned but getting there Rajiv. I had requested Viren to give me two pairs of Pre-outs so they are now ready to hook up the subs when the 515s are reconed and Karlson cabinets ready.

George, Anil, I will be in B'lore month end and plan to visit Santosh on 1 Nov,between 2PM and 6PM. It would be great if we could all meet up.

Regards
Rajiv

Sounds like a plan, Nov 1st is a public holiday here in Bangalore. I have spoken to George already, will speak to Anil in the evening and confirm.

Great going Santhosh, nice to see you make the transition from solid state to tubes. I'm back and all set to get started on those few projects of my own

Thanks Reuben. Keep us posted on your projects.

Congratulations Santhosh, I'm very happy that it worked out for you.

Congrats, Santhosh! So it has all come together now, huh!

Thanks Captain & Hydra, slowly things are coming together.

 

[malvai]

Thanks bro, what mods are you getting done to the phono? Different SUT loadings for the Onyx?

Nah... that's not needed... just getting virenji to load the SUT's on a separate enclosure...

 

[Dr.Bass]

A majority of the audiophiles around the world, which includes the filthy rich people living in the most happening audio locales are in a pursuit to after all achieve a presentation which lets them feel "settled". But in most cases it remains a journey. Some claim to achieve it after 25 years into the hobby, while most are still waiting.

And here we have a setup which is made out of components which are mostly forgotten, some call it vintage and some call it outdated, and some dont even know what to call it. The concept has no novelty, after all it is a horn speaker with a SET amplifier which has a little camp of its own. The amplifier is also a very simple design, without any exotic parts or tricks to stand out. And a decent turntable to play some music. This has achieved what many USD 500k setups promise but never achieve:clapping:. After all this is all that is required for music to reach out and make its presence felt and it was all available 50 years back. A setup which is well matched, with some strong fundamentals of music intact.

I know this is not an easy project to achieve though. I have seen Santhosh really sweat it out in the process of making this happen. It requires a lot of drive and patience to collect these antiques in good condition from the right sources. And then building them into a properly functioning speaker and that too as his debut project is just not easy. Having a vision is one thing but when it comes to execution of such tiring and complex projects, without knowing the results, normally things get shelved half way. In the end when everything falls into place, with a SET amp from a guy like Viren, it is a stunningly infectious moment.

 

[santhosh]

A majority of the audiophiles around the world, which includes the filthy rich people living in the most happening audio locales are in a pursuit to after all achieve a presentation which lets them feel "settled". But in most cases it remains a journey. Some claim to achieve it after 25 years into the hobby, while most are still waiting.

Thanks Abhi, this is turning out to be a such a fun-filled and fruitful project for me - an ongoing project, a continuous journey where every destination is just to pass, for the next destination is already in sight. The system has transformed so much in the last few months, and it has taught me so much about music, electronics making this hobby more enjoyable.

With about 40 hours on the 2A3s, I can say Viren's SET amplification is one of the most significant additions I have made to the system in the recent past, the Lenco L75 on cobble stones (Thanks Arj for the idea/link), being the previous big one. I am in love with my system for it sounds effortless, dynamic and so involving yet very easy on the ears. It has a certain realism and presence that never ceases to amaze me. As far as the speakers are concerned, it can only get better from here, for there is lots more that can be done to take it to the next level....

And here we have a setup which is made out of components which are mostly forgotten, some call it vintage and some call it outdated, and some dont even know what to call it. The concept has no novelty, after all it is a horn speaker with a SET amplifier which has a little camp of its own. The amplifier is also a very simple design, without any exotic parts or tricks to stand out. And a decent turntable to play some music. This has achieved what many USD 500k setups promise but never achieve:clapping:. After all this is all that is required for music to reach out and make its presence felt and it was all available 50 years back. A setup which is well matched, with some strong fundamentals of music intact.

There are two such journeys that I have been fortunate to be part of wherein I have been fascinated about how they were designed 50+years ago. One is the ownership and restoration of my 1955 Willys Jeep (currently on hold for want of time & $$). The second is building this vintage audio system.

Once I receive the NOS 45 tubes and the 288Cs (both in next 10 days), the newest component (Ortofon SL15 Cart) in my system will be ~ 35 years old and the oldest component (NOS Ken-rad 45 tubes) will be ~70 years old :clapping:.

I know this is not an easy project to achieve though. I have seen Santhosh really sweat it out in the process of making this happen. It requires a lot of drive and patience to collect these antiques in good condition from the right sources. And then building them into a properly functioning speaker and that too as his debut project is just not easy. Having a vision is one thing but when it comes to execution of such tiring and complex projects, without knowing the results, normally things get shelved half way. In the end when everything falls into place, with a SET amp from a guy like Viren, it is a stunningly infectious moment.

There are several FMs who have been of great help to me in this journey - Rajiv, Anilva, Viren, Stevieboy, GeorgeO, Rajagopal to name a few....and even you. On the many trips to Singapore over the last year, you and I have had several conversations about the Altec speakers even before the build commenced. You accompanied me to listen to several Altec based systems in Singapore and even to buy some of the components required for this build. And you even followed it up by dropping by for a listen on your visit to India. Thanks buddy. Much appreciated.