Bottlehead Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Paul Joppa on March 27, 2023, 08:49:10 AM
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Magnequest Mike was a major influence in the early days of Bottlehead and of the SET scene. I'm proud to call him a friend, and grateful for all I learned from him over the years.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/michael-lafevre-of-magnequest-passed-away.397550/#post-7308691
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Wow. I kinda suspected this was coming, but wow anyway. For those of you newer members, Mike and I went waaay back. I think it was 1995 or 96 when he called me and suggested I try his TFA-204 transformer in the original S.E.X. amp. For a few years after that we were selling about $40K worth of MQ products every year.
Man, I'm flashing back to things like the original audio internet flame war between Mikey and Andre Jute, that started over those very TFA-204s in a S.E.X. amp. Apparently a bee had crawled into a TFA-204 box while sitting on the shelf in our shop. That box was shipped to Jute (quite a nutcase) in the UK and said bee flew out when he opened it. Their two personalities were kind like phosphorus and oxygen, both loved a fight. Jute called out Mikey about the hornet. Mikey responded to the effrontery with a mixture of anger and thinly veiled delight. The resulting flame war on the prepubescent internet (rec.audio, joelist) was the thing of legend, and I was caught in the crossfire.
I also have a very fuzzy recollection of Mike getting J U written on his butt cheeks with a felt marker and me getting T E on mine and us mooning side by side (spelling JUTE) for a photoshoot at VSAC 97 or 98 after a night of drinking. Next morning Mikey says "I woke up this morning and saw JUJU printed on the bedsheet. I must have rolled over at some point last night."
Last talked to Mikey a few months ago. Couple of old geezers talking about the good old days. Glad he called. One of the best winders in the biz and a true one of a kind. I'll miss you, Mike. Vale.
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I fear I have sold Mike a bit short to those who aren't aware of his influence. Mike was the guy who introduced me to parallel feed - a core part of our amp design philosophy. Back in those days I had this breadboard amp setup (widowmaker) on the floor in my listening room. I would lash up whatever new circuit gadget had caught my attention at the moment with clip leads and give it a listen. Luckily I never killed anyone with it.
One day Mike called me and said he had mailed me an article by a Japanese author about this output circuit called shunt feed or parallel feed. Mike had pitched it at a couple of other designers whose names I won't mention. They said it was no bueno. Mike told me I was his last resort and that he had confidence because "Schmalle will try anything".
Long story short - I got the article, Mike sent me a brand new pair of TFA-2004 parallel feed output transformers and some plate chokes. The rest is history.
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That is sad news to hear, Mikey was always someone who would pick up the phone to chat.
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Sad to hear, my condolences to his family.
Debra
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I am saddened to hear of the loss of your friend. I never had a chance to purchase his iron but I am sure scores of people are thankful.
God speed.
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In an effort to add some levity is this the night of the cheek action? I hope this does not offend but rather bring up happier times.
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So sad to hear about Mike. I never got to meet him but I have a pair of his full nickel output transformers and chokes in my S.E.X. amp and I love it. Definitely one thing I’ll keep the rest of my life and pass down to my son. My condolences to his family.
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In an effort to add some levity is this the night of the cheek action? I hope this does not offend but rather bring up happier times.
Haha, yeah, that would be the night in question. That's John Tucker standing between us. Those shows are kind of a blurry memory now but I recall that it was a pretty wild night. I have a recollection of Paul deLay kicking a videographer who got in his face too much during his gig. IIRC it was the videographer's girlfriend who volunteered to marker our butts. I'm thinking that was '98. Those shows were exhausting to put on but we had a heluva lot of fun.
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Sorry, I'm not going to revisit it. It was a portent of the bad parts of the internet that were coming with the growth of the web.
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Sorry, I'm not going to revisit it. It was a portent of the bad parts of the internet that were coming with the growth of the web.
yup you're right.. I removed it..
I do miss Usenet a lot.. that used to be so much fun for the most part... vi vs emacs wars.. :)
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Living near Philly, I got to meet Mike a few times. When I needed some iron we would meet somewhere for a cheesesteak and argue about who made the best in town. We went rideing a few times and he ended up buying some of my old motorcycles...John
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Sorry, I'm not going to revisit it. It was a portent of the bad parts of the internet that were coming with the growth of the web.
Andre Jute; now there's a really bad memory..........
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Damn. Saw this news on the diyaudio site last week, and was quite saddened. I met Mikey at one of the VSACs long ago, and I was one of his semi-reliable customers and sometimes beta testers.
We spoke quite a bit for a while, but less so as his business ramped up and he got involved with racing, about which he was as passionate as he was about iron and winding. (Sample conversation topic: Who is his right mind would drive a racing vehicle without a clutch? Answer: Mikey)
I'll miss him.
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"in his right mind"
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I met Mike LeFevre at VSAC several times and liked him. A real character. I still have a number of Magnequest products including the TFA-204 in my 2A3 amps. Sorry to hear of his passing.
Richard
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I've not been in the tube world as long as many here, but it's been long enough to understand that Mike was a legend. I have been enjoying the fruits of his skills in my 300B amp for a while now! My condolences to his friends and especially to his family.