Dimensions: 24’ × 20’ Large
Ceiling: 9’
My first Dyna amp was a Dynakit 70 that my uncle built in 1964. He gave it to me in the late 80s. I acquired a 2nd Dyna factory wired ST-70 a couple of years later. A friend beefed up the power supply caps a bit, and refreshed many other parts, and I used these as one-sided monoblocks for 20 years...they replaced a very good Distech LS-2 amp (which is essentially a modified B&K ST-140).
I
bought this new in the early 1990s from Paul Heath Audio. Very nice
sounding reasonably priced tube pre-amp in its day (~ $600). I freshened
it up with new Convergent caps, new resistors, and new tubes this spring.
It's been a fine sounding piece, and love the low profile look with the bold red lettering on the black face.
In late 2024 I found another slightly earlier version of the Lazarus on Reverb, and picked that up. It got the same updates as my main Lazarus preamp, and serves as a backup (or loaner).
These were made by my small company in Rochester, NY around 1990, and are the heart and soul of my system. They were the culmination of years of being in business and around the business. Focal 8K kevlar woofers in a transmission line, Focal 5k midbass with an aperiodic chamber that dumps into the transmission line, modified Seas tweeter, proprietary crossover with top shelf components. The side walls are an MDF sandwich with a silicone rubber between the panels.
The crossover has it's own chamber, is wired with Kimber Kable teflon coated OFC copper, Litz wire inductors, Convergent Gen 1 caps, and non-inductive resistors. It took nearly 5 years to dial in the crossover values before I moved them inside the speaker. Each driver has its own solid copper input.
I sold off my Merlin 4 speakers more than 30 years ago to fund the parts for these, and have loved them since finalizing the crossovers. They've continued to reveal every component or configuration upgrade I've made. They have a coherent, vibrant, and natural relaxed clarity with a vivid soundstage. Not sure what more I could ask anywhere near what I could afford.
A Topping E30 was added to my CD player's digital output in 2021. Wasn't sure what to expect, but it made an audible improvement.
Edit October 5, 2024: My E30 failed after 3 years (I suspect due to a wall wart failure), and was replaced by an SMSL C100 that's modified with a MUSES02 opamp (thanks to my good audio buddy "oranda"), and has a DIY linear regulated power supply... a very notable upgrade!
The Hagerman Bugle 3 phono stage got added recently, mainly because I was having some issues with the phono section of my vintage Lazarus tube preamp. It's a nice sounding unit for the money, and can be pretty easily modified, which appeals to my urge to experiment. I've upgrade the power supply significantly, along with the op amps, and some key resistors and capacitors in the signal path. It's sounds extremely good these days, and is a welcome addition.
This was a gift from my kids a while back. I sold my AR-ES1 with a Premier MMT arm and Grado Signature 8 many years ago, which I’ve regretted ever since. This is the newer version of the LP120"X" that offers some fixes and sound improvements over the former LP120. I upgraded the stylus to the nude Shibata, upgraded the RCA cables, added a cork mat, damped the underside of the platter with Flexseal, lined the plinth with modeling clay, added O-rings to the tonearm, and weighted grip tape to the counterweight to move it closer to the pivot point. I also added a zebra wood frame, sorbothane feet, a Brute record weight, and have since upgrade the VM95SH shibata to a Nagaoka MP150 with the MP500 nude line contact profile and boron cantilever....what a fantastic cartridge! I'm duly impressed with the sound I'm getting from this humble TT, and it’s performance has been enhanced by the addition of a modified Hagerman Bugle 3 to my vinyl playback.