Whether it was a good idea or not to bring the eTracer to ETF was yet to be seen. Fortunately enough, I escaped smartly to become a prisoner of my own suggestion.
Did quite a few tests with the tracer and contributed to avoid auctioning a worn out 45. Instead, the auctioned pair became a single 45. It felt like a nice contribution.
On the flip side, tracing Pete’s 50 mesh stash was a joy. Handled with care his pension investment when tracing them. However, we found a gassy and a open filament one. Ouch. At the same time, saved the curves of a 50 measuring 100% which was really nice.
The bass horn is Jeffrey’s designed conical horn with an Altec driver. The woodwork was kindly made by Tim over in Bellême. On top sits an WE 24a mid-range horn with a 555 driver.
What a beauty, I keep saying to Jeffrey that there’s no point in building a stereo system with this configuration. It’s just perfect and even your brain gets tricked with the 24a geometry to create a pseudo-stereo imaging when listening to certain tracks. It’s just amazing.
Finally, there is a tweeter EMIA (Experienced Music Impact Audio 60Hz field coil with Le Cleac’h horn.
Looking at the amplifier, which has a unique aesthetic design which I’m very fond of, you can see Jeoffrey’s design using Dave Slagle iron at length. Rod Coleman regulators for all DHTs. Mercury Rectifier 394a. The clever stuff is on the output transformers which are in series for substractive crossover between the 555 and Altec drivers. There is a Mundorf cap to cross over the EMIA field coil driver.
From a valve point of view, the driver this year is a rare Electromekano DHT triode. The output valve is was either a 205d or 50 (mesh).
From a source point of view, the turntable is a Garrard 301 refurbished by Audio Grail. Schick tone arm and Slagle’s cartridge based on modified DL103. RIAA stage is EMIA LCR stage into Slagle’s Autoformer control.
Listening the system
So we put the 50 mesh valve on Jeffrey’s system. That was a mind-blowing fit. It just married perfectly with it. Sound was so detailed, clear and just perfect coming out of the horns.
We listened to Art Pepper, Art Tatum and Charles Bradley before the gassy 50 mesh showed a deadly blue which forced us to stop the music. Damn, it sounded so rounded and good.
Changing the 50 to the 205d wasn’t a straightforward match. We sat down and played Mingus “Changes” – which is a record I know by heart – and realised a bumpy bass response was evident and not right. The higher output impedance of the 205d didn’t marry the horn system without adjustment which Jeffrey put away for a later modification and returned to the 50 valve, not a mesh one of course.
After diner, we spent a nice time listening to Fred McDowell’s Alan Lomax recordings with JC Morrison, Herbert and other nice ETF folks.
Vegard brought a delicious Aquavit which I enjoyed whilst sitting and feeling myself in the Mississippi. What a joy ETF is.
Looks like an incredible time. I have a mono system in my workshop, Altec 1505/288c, and 4x 15″ open baffle bass. I absolutely love listening to it. I bet the horn loaded bass with the 24 was absolutely lovely!
Great seeing you in Belleme this past week, Ale