After a few weeks with the slate plinth / "new" 401 (and new Jelco 750L with Expressimo Audio brass weight and stub), it's time to report back. First off, it looks great. After power up, out of the box, the slate version was a little 'cooler' sounding than the birch plinth version but not as much as I'd expected. It was also a little more monochromatic than I'd hoped, removing some bloom and color from the music.

noromance January 04, 2018 09:58

Hello Noromance,

islandmandan October 08, 2016 15:09

I thought I'd add that my other pair of Eico HF35s monoblocs power the Spendor SP2/2 speakers on the end of a Sony DVD player. The sound is quite remarkable since I swapped out a Japanese sand amp. Tubes, man!

noromance September 18, 2016 01:07

Hi. Yes, 12AX7. Fixed bias, 3 chokes, redone from ground up. Ground busbar, oil caps etc.

noromance September 18, 2015 22:39

I have a couple questions concerning the mods to your HF-35. Did Stuart change the input tube to a 12AX7 instead of EF-86? And did he change the amps to fixed bias, i.e. adjustable bias, as opposed to the self-bias mode of a stock HF-35? Both of these mods are mentioned on Stuart's website. I was just curious whether yours has them or not.

salectric September 17, 2015 09:33

Excellent! I am sure you will be very pleased with them.

salectric September 10, 2015 21:59

Ha! EICO HF35s rebuilt from the chassis up by Stuart Remington of Eicobuilders. It is the first time my rig has portrayed such holophonic imaging. The old amps portrayed good imaging from left to right-stage width- and decent depth and modest speaker disappearing tricks. These new amps have increased the perception of depth to fill the room. Instruments exhibit front to back presence as if they were in the room. I don't think I have ever heard so much information retrival before including shows. It was one of those rare "listen to my records all over again" moments. I do have some nice black plate tube installed.

noromance September 10, 2015 17:48

Don't keep us in suspense! What amps replaced the EICOs?

salectric September 10, 2015 10:31

Just swapped out my EICO HF35s for new power amps.

noromance September 10, 2015 08:55

The black and the blue versions I'm thinking of are about the same vintage, both were called Gold and no longer made. The current ones are silver colored and not the same. The black Gold had more body than the blue Gold which I find more neutral and more to my taste.

Its not just the copper type that influences the sound, its the design, the shield the connections, etc. all affect the sound quality. its not gong to be easy to find high quality basic copper interconnects these days, most of them are very heavily tweaked. Let me know if you find anything.

david

dkarmeli November 06, 2014 13:08

Thanks David. I had a look at the rooms and gear in your Big Horns+Sets+Vinyl system! Goodness!
I have been using the Belkins (black i think, blues are not made anymore I think) for ages and have no complaint.. but what you don't know. I recently swapped out my speaker cable for UPOCC and was impressed. Now, I'm wondering if using the same type of copper will be an improvement over the Belkins. I'm not a big spender on cable.

noromance November 06, 2014 12:39

Thanks Salectric. Yes, the EICOs are magic. You are right-classic circuits, good components, old Deccas and old jazz vinyl beat much of the new reissued stuff .

noromance November 06, 2014 12:27

Congratulations on a very musical system! As a vintage guy myself I'm happy to see others who know about and enjoy the musicality of some of these treasures.

Good choice on the Belkin Gold, which ones do you have the black or the blue ones?

david

dkarmeli October 23, 2014 16:30

Nice system! I am sure it gives you much pleasure.

I am surprised I hadn't noticed it before since we share some interests in equipment. I bought a mint pair of HF-22 amps in 2002 and converted them to HF-35's. The EICOs sound really nice and they are quiet and ultra-reliable. I even like the brown finish!

I also share your appreciation of Spendors. I have had my SP-100's since 2001 and they continue to hold their own against current offerings (at much higher prices).

Lastly I ran some Deccas a long time ago, starting with a 4RC in the early 1970s and switching to a Mk V around 1975. I have fond memories of the Deccas. In some ways I have never been able to equal them in all the years since.

salectric October 23, 2014 16:11

Re Croft Micro 25R. Ended up with 2 x
Telefunken ECC83 in phono stage and 2 x
Telefunken ECC83 in the PSU regulator and
a GE triple mica black plate 5751JG in
the line/buffer stage. Magic. Don't
assume that the regulator tubes don't
make a difference. This amp is ruthless
in revealing differences between tubes.

noromance October 23, 2014 08:54

Thanks Needfreestuff!

noromance October 14, 2014 21:40

Love the 57s and one great looking turntable. Best of Luck

needfreestuff October 08, 2014 19:48

UP-OCC solid core copper for speaker cable

After reading about all these expensive cables and their extravagant claims, I decided to source most likely the same wire that goes into many of them.

I have my monoblocs underneath and therefore close to the speakers, so I ordered 8 feet of 14awg UP-OCC wire (with PTFE insulation) online. It is quite springy so I clamped it gently to the bench and cut it into 4 equal lengths. Assembling it into 2 x 24" speaker cables took a few minutes. I kept it running in the same direction, just in case. Be careful to gently slice the insulation and not to scar the copper.

Anyway, the improvement in sound quality was of a high order. Large increases in speed and transparency, more air, better definition of instruments, less coloration, backing voices I never noticed before etc. I urge folks to try this before spending lots of money on speaker cables. I don't bother with connectors as I feel they are another item in the way but that's your call. The wire was $6 a foot.

Available here:http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_neotech_copper_teflon.html

See a photo of my cable here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6iot28p0weuwytn/up-occ.jpg?dl=0

noromance October 07, 2014 13:00

Hmm. ok, after more extended listening and comparison between the 25 and 25R, I have noticed that whereas the GE5751 worked a treat in the 25, they are lacking in the R. (I know about ht e gain)I went back to the ECC803S. While a tiny bit "steely", they offer more punch and air. With the same tubes in both amps, the R is definitely better. (I was getting worried there for a minute!)

noromance September 20, 2014 14:44

Swapped out Croft Micro 25 for the R
version. It came with cryoed JJ ECC803S
which are decent enough tubes but don't
hold a candle to the vintage ones I
swapped in. See item for more info.
Compared to its lesser stablemate, the R
has a lower noise floor, slightly fuller
more colorful bass, more timbral
differenciation, improved focus with more
stable imaging and a subtle speaker
disappearing trick.

noromance September 19, 2014 07:06

Hi Sunnyboy. Yes, amazing how bad it was!

noromance March 19, 2014 13:00

Noromance
I have a Boston Audio 2 mat on my TW AC TT that I tried on my Garrard 401 with disappointing results. Just killed the soundstage, no sparkle etc. My 401 works best with the original rubber mat. I have not tried any aftermarket tweaks on my 401.
Best
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956 March 18, 2014 04:59

The wife bought me a Boston Audio Mat 2 for Christmas... Quel suprise! Out of the blue. I think I might have mentioned something a while back. We had friends over but I disappeared into the basement clutching the carbon.
Anyhow, I put it on and played a familiar track by Joan Baez. I'd had a few single malts and it sounded fine, a little darker and quieter. It was late so I went back to the party and looked forward to some more serious listening in the morning.
After letting the amps and 401 warm up and making sure no one was using any lights with dimmers in the house, I settled down for some extended listening. First up was Leonard Cohen Famous Blue Raincoat with me listening for the intro tinkling bells that let me know what the system resolution is like. They weren't really audible. The song itself was darker than I remember with Len's voice having a full wooden tone. Joni Mitchell's Amelia is a dark recording and now it sounded darker, more reticent and I had to increase the volume over the normal setting. I listened to a bunch more and the same pattern emerged. Given that the Mat is higher than the standard rubber on the 401, I raised the arm and listened to a few more tracks, Carol Kidd, Robin Williamson, Puccini, Joan Collins, Julie Andrews before settling on Neil Young's Pocahontas from Rust Never Sleeps to try some detailed A-B comparisons. I moved the arm up and down and swapped mats and realized this was not going to work. The Mat simply robbed essential information from the system. Bass was muddy, air, timbre, color and fine detail were severely ameliorated. Swapping in the rubber was a relief as the music came to life and the tiniest of details like the rasp of rosin leaving a puff of dust could be heard on Paul Tortellier's cello on Saint Saens The Swan. One good that came of this was that playing with the VTA has brought the Decca up a notch to new heights of performance. Fine details are now jaw dropping and the musicality is breathtaking on the right recording. Not to disparage the Mat2 which is beautifully made but I cannot imagine how it gets such good reviews. Each to his own I guess.

noromance December 26, 2013 22:51

Here is a clip which I took with my Samsung S4 phone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1LS5iN3G54

noromance November 24, 2013 15:10