Blumenstein Ultra Fi

[Grainger49]

Yesterday I spent a large part of the day preparing and smoking the Thanksgiving turkey in my Big Green Egg fighting the cold and rain.

Also, I got the delivery of Modern Jazz Quartet's Live At Music Inn Vol. 2. LP.  So this morning I fired up the system to listen to the LP of a CD (MOFI) that I have enjoyed for many years.  The mix is odd, MOFI must have cleaned it up.  It is very early stereo.  Some songs are all bunched up in the right speaker (or it could be a bad connection in the phono setup).  Others have Sonny Rollins in the left speaker, piano just left of the right speaker and bass and drums in the right speaker.  The bass sounded very good with a lot of wood on the string bass.  The cymbals have definition but I don't hear the extension of the sizzle that I did years ago.  I'm listening to the Orca/Dungeness combination.

After moving the seat forward 1.5 feet the bass filled in very well.  It seems to go way down!

Then I put on the SACD of Kind Of Blue.  Just to test the highs.  It might be cleaner but I'm still suffering from 20 years of industrial noise, a hearing loss.


Update:  I got some of the sizzle back today by putting Kind Of Blue in proper absolute phase.  When reversed the sizzle is one of the things you lose.

[tdogzthmn]

I was wondering if there's any benefit to using a stereomour to drive my orcas in a near field application. My sex has the cs4 board installed and so far the system has great detail. I know the stereomour has more power but I'm not sure if there are advantages of using it in this setting.

[Clark B.]

Thomas,  I'll do a good sitdown comparison of these two in a desktop application for you soon. 

But to respond briefly, while I've always recommended the Sex amp for desktop use, its partially because of the implied size, budget, power, and microphony constrains of a typical desktop setup.  But if your considerations arent so constricted, then other options definitely open up.

In small to mid sized living spaces, the Orcas work really well with 3-5 watts as well, be it 2A3, el84, El34se, low power solid state and the like. 

But I personally (and many people tell me as well) that the 2A3 or 45 tube is probably the easiest and ultimately the least expensive way to "get there."  The 2A3 is the cleanest and funnest sounding "mid power" triode available to use with many speakers, and the Stereomour does the tube justice like few other 2A3 amps I've heard at any price, with the other most obvious next step up and frankly off the ladder entirely (at least for me anyways) being the 2A3 or 300B Paramount, also in Bottleheads lineup. 

The continued commercial success of these models should come as no surprise.  We are all lucky that these guys are pushing the performance to price envelope with these classic triodes so far in the modern day.  In a sense, they've been under continuous development for 90 years.  Just like Bach, theres a reason people keep coming back to the classics.  Feeling great thanks for the beautiful music we have to share with our family on this wonderful thanksgiving day.

Clark

[tdogzthmn]

Got my Stereomour fired up today and playing with my Orcas.  Some immediate differences I have noticed coming from the SEX is the larger more powerful sound with a boost in the bass.

It's hard for me to quickly switch back and forth between my SEX and Stereomour so making comparisons won't be as immediate as with headphones. 

I'll post more impressions once I've had some time to soak in the sounds of the Stereomour.

[Phillip Townsend Lontz]

Clark and friends...

I am as happy and grateful as a shelter dog with a new home.
Molly and Clark have seen to it that I have received a pair of Orcas. (I did have to part with a few dollars)
Thank you both.

A few things to get out of the way... First... Phil Townsend has been my name on various forums since the early days. I have decided to use my full name since NSA knows all anyway.
I am a Ham, K5SSR and have been so for years. But I can heard good and bad speaker wire.... They do not some the same. I am also a pretty good EE but thankfully retired.
I met Clark the first time at RMAF in the Feastrex Room with Joe Cohen and Hal Teramoto San. I am a builder of all things of wood and electric. I am also lazy.
Why build if you can buy something that is as good OR better than you can build yourself. Orca is that way for me.
Now I am not going to say the Orca is better than my Feastrex 5Dnf...
It is a very different animal. But bear in mind that the 5Dnf is around 4000 thousand USD. Yes. So how does a little 3 inch 40 dollar driver compare?

I am not going to answer that. It's silly. How does my Rolls Royse compare to my VW bug? Silly question.
But I will say this... You have got to get Molly and Clark to ship you a pair.
Love etc
Phil

Pure music player, Jriver, Ammerra... Etc....
Mac mini
Brick
Apogee Duet
Aurora 8 by Lynx
A few of Pappa Nelson's efforts ... Amp Camp Amps... Pass Lab x...
Some 811 DIY and 2A3 DIY.s
2a3 design stolen from Jeffery Jackson fair and square. Stacked ps.
Was a Sex amp to start... Now it's... Well a very serious well modded amp
DIY 45 with Cunninghams, quality measured in poundage. Iron by Dave Slagle and Mike of Magnequest...
No turntable.
No CD player.
No arm.
No micro Benz or denon.

Lots of speakers... Big Bens... Bigger is better.... OB ( with Feastrex and Altec 16")
Orcas, and a bunch of subs all of which suck.

 

[Jim R.]

Hi Phil,

Welcome! I like your attitude :-)I too am retired (disability) and used to be an EE as well, though only a fair to middlin' one -- much better at software and embedded systems. I'm also a lifetime wood, metal, and electronics designer/builder.. But I do have a TT in addition to my mac mini based computer audio setup, but no cd spinner.
I currently have two pairs of orcas and a beatiful pair of Clark's now-discontinued Nagas and a new pair of Rethm Trishnas breaking in. 45s and 2a3s are where it is for me.

Anyway, welcome again and just wait until those Orcas get some serious playtime on them!

Best,

Jim

[Molly B]

We ran into a little hitch trying to source our regular caramelized bamboo of the right color and quality. We're having a batch shipped to the shop from San Francisco to fulfill current orders. In the meantime, we decided to ramp up production on birch to fill the void in the wood shop.

We'll have 15 pairs of birch Orcas and 8 pieces of birch Dungeness subs ready to ship the week before Christmas. For those who are longtime followers of the company, you know that this is a record low turnaround time, and we're encouraging anyone who is interested to get their orders in now.

Thanks, Phil, for posting!

Molly

[Clark B.]

Our new guy Tim Taylor (yes, that is his real name, and he's a fantastic woodworker!) and I just picked up our order of dark caramelized bamboo and its going to make for some truly awesome systems.  So we are still on target to ship the majority of our orders prior to Christmas. 

We will also be making additional components THIS WEEK of our most popularly ordered items (both birch and bamboo), and so if you'd like to get in on the action, let us know what you'd like to order from us, and we'll let you know the feasibility of getting your order out in time for the holidays or very shortly thereafter.  We are trying to keep our order volume healthy and our turn around time quick through these holidays and thereafter, so if you've been sitting on the fence, now is a great time to jump on board with us.

We need the continued support of our fans and clients to keep this American made dream alive and flourishing for all our sake!

Cheers,

Clark

[tdogzthmn]

After having spent two weeks with both the Stereomour and SEX I have come to appreciate greater soundstage and air which the Stereomour gives the Orcas.  After installing the CS4 board into the SEX amp, I found it did increase the gain of the amp along with the bass impact.  The Stereomour Is able to expand the sound to a greater level and provide a better sense of completeness around each element of sound.  A worthy step up in sonic ability for the Orca.  Next step is to try some different 2A3 tubes to further unleash the capabilities of the drivers.  Any suggestions as to what tube I should try is welcomed!

[Hank Murrow]

I changed the National Union 2A3's out in my PB-built Bottlehead Customs amp for JJ 2A3-40's, which provided an immediate enlargement of the soundstage, and frequency extension in both treble and bass.

Cheers, Hank in Eugene

[tdogzthmn]

Thanks for recommendation Hank.

I have seen a few recommendations for the JJ 2A3-40 which also happens to be a reasonable price.  Do you know a particular retailer that sells matched pairs?

I have seen several NOS RCA tubes that are recommend but a matched pair is hard to find and costs at least $100 more than the JJ's. 

[Mike B]

I like EH gold grids.  I get them on ebay from some guy in AZ that matches them perfectly.

About $130 shipped for a pair.

[Jim R.]

Tom,

The only real good place to buy the JJ 2a3 40s is from Eurotubes.com -- He is Czech himself and has a relationship with the folks at the factory, and takes his time to match and cull the dead and noisy tubes.

HTH,

Jim

[tdogzthmn]

Ended up going with the JJ-2A3-40 and picked up a NOS Telefunken 12AT7.  Looking forward to seeing how they mesh with my Orca's which have been settling in very nicely.  I'm not exactly sure how many hours are on them but I feel like they now produce a more mature and controlled sound. 

[vladimirwolfe]

Second thumbs up for Bob Pletka at Eurotubes.  Been ordering from them quite a while for both audio & guitar/bass. Great service and good product.

Doug