So here’s the upgraded set up from top to bottom:
Linn LP12 with Ittok LVII tonearm and Dynavector DV 10X5 cartridge
Metrum Acoustics power supply and DAC
Audiolab 6000 CD Transport
Croft Vitale pre amp (the only component apart from the speakers that survived the upgrade)
Trio L-O5M monoblocks
and out of the picture, a pair of B&Ws on the wall.
So here’s the upgraded set up from top to bottom:
Linn LP12 with Ittok LVII tonearm and Dynavector DV 10X5 cartridge
Metrum Acoustics power supply and DAC
Audiolab 6000 CD Transport
Croft Vitale pre amp (the only component apart from the speakers that survived the upgrade)
Trio L-O5M monoblocks
and out of the picture, a pair of B&Ws on the wall.
Nice but are you not concerned about heat? Mono blocks don’t look like they can vent heat very well down there.
It’s the angle of the photo I think. I had a guy here to set up the new arm and cartridge and asked him if he thought the monoblocks were positioned ok and he thought they were fine.
Hello all. Fairly new on the forum here. Saw this thread and couldn't resist popping in. Love seeing other enthusiasts' setups.
Here is mine:
Rega Planar 3 w/RB330 and Denon DL-110
Dynaco PAS-3X preamp
Canary Audio CA706 power amp
KEF 104ab
For digital - Tidal HiFi + DacMagic
Hello all. Fairly new on the forum here. Saw this thread and couldn't resist popping in. Love seeing other enthusiasts' setups.
Here is mine:
Rega Planar 3 w/RB330 and Denon DL-110
Dynaco PAS-3X preamp
Canary Audio CA706 power amp
KEF 104ab
For digital - Tidal HiFi + DacMagic
Welcome! I own/have owned all of the above except the Canary, and you have some true classics. I had a pair of those Kef’s once (my boss has them now in his family room) and they have amazing imaging- like shocking 10 feet behind the speakers imaging.
The 104ab's are true classics. But what happened to the Dynaco cover? 😎
They're great speakers for sure, especially for the money. A few years back I found a pair of 104s (non ab version) for $200 on local classifieds and bought them for my dad. Then I found a pair of 104ab crossovers for $150 and "converted" the 104s to 104ab's. For $350 all-in they replaced his Harbeth P3ESR's (costing many times more) as his "main" speakers.
I bought the Dynaco without the cover, unfortunately 🙁
Thanks! Maybe this will be my Christmas present to myself 😁
Just stay away from the mod kits. I have a PAS3 that was perfectly fine but is now in pieces becuase I got a wild hair and lost interest half way through. 🙄 Maybe I’ll get back to it when I retire in 20 years.
Oh yes, I know this all too well. It can be quite the rabbit hole. I've made a rule of only buying fully serviced/recapped vintage tube amps.
That being said it's definitely on my bucket list to take a dumpster-destined vintage tube amp and fully recap/restore it on my own. I've dabbled with replacing the odd blown resistor here and there, but fully rebuilding an amp is not for the faint of heart!
Oh yes, I know this all too well. It can be quite the rabbit hole. I've made a rule of only buying fully serviced/recapped vintage tube amps.
That being said it's definitely on my bucket list to take a dumpster-destined vintage tube amp and fully recap/restore it on my own. I've dabbled with replacing the odd blown resistor here and there, but fully rebuilding an amp is not for the faint of heart!
Harmon-Kardon Citation II. I have rebuild plenty of Dynaco in my day. The HK is a better amp.
The citation tube stuff is pretty wonderful. Bogen actually ripped off their design for their domestic line (as opposed to commercial) in the early 60’s- I believe there was litigation. I had the Bogen RP60 (the Golden Bogen) and it was a sensational receiver.
Back in the day we would second-guess the designer, especially the Dynaco. Mind you, the paraphase inverter worked mostly fine, and that's what feedback is for.
But using a differential amplifier as a phase splitter was much more better. I regret that I never had a chance to desigin and build one. Maybe some day.
The problem with Dynaco equipment wasn’t so much the design, but the parts and design had to allow for a specific price point. I have an ST70 that was rebuilt with no compromises and it a very nice amp. David Hafler really has some excellent amps during his career.
A friend of mine who did repairs for decades finally designed and built his own amp based around 4 KT88’s, 2 tube rectifiers and 6SN7’s for input (his favorite tube). He sent his final design to Bob Carver who gave him feedback on how to improve the design- apparently Bob is very approachable.
I look forward to the demo of your amp, Tom.
That sounds interesting, I'll have to look into the PS upgrade. Mine has the tonearm rewired with an analog/ground outputs done by KAB. Also put a higher mass headshell with a HOMC Denon DL160. It did improve things and it fits my system in terms of being non-fussy and fun, if not a little sterile. Toyed with the idea of putting a SME 3009 on there but decided to stick with the Technics arm and make light mods (maybe a fluid damper later on). I'm guessing isolation or decoupling the deck will probably help too.
