Another Stereomour

[G-horn]

I have just finished my Stereomour build and I couldn't be happier with the results. It's my first tube amp - I've built a few Gainclone amps and found them hard to beat, but this new amp sounds fantastic with the Lowther drivers. The instruction manual is one of the best I've ever seen. The amp checked out and sounded wonderful right from the start. I've tried many amps with our speakers including some very high-end tube gear, and to my ear, this one stands out. Thanks Doc, Eileen, Paul and all the other forum people that I have learned from. A highly recommended product!

I've attached some photos. The base of the amp is burled rosewood (soon to be French polished). Other equipment, all DIY: Shigaclone CD player, Audiosector DAC, turntable with air-bearing tonearm, Medallion horn speakers, Ex-Anarchy 25Hz Subs, mini-DSP filter.

Malcolm

[howardnair]

very beautiful--nice woodwork--the black with the rosewood -VERY NICE!!

[Doc B.]

Gorgeous!

[Jim R.]

Malcolm,

Welcome, and always nice to hear of another stereomour convert.

I'm blind so can't comment on the woodwork, but I do appreciate the artisan touch to BH gear.

-- Jim

[Grainger49]

Malcolm,

I swear I posted right after you but it doesn't appear.  This is called the disappearing post syndrome.  It hasn't happened to me in a long time. 

Beautiful work.  I'm very impressed with the Burled Rosewood.  I have never seen this wood before.  I have a pair of speakers in Brazilian Rosewood from the 70s, before the embargo.

Please tell us more about the DIY Table and CD player.

[G-horn]

Thanks all for the kind words.
Grainger, I posted in the Gallery section as well so maybe that's what happened to your earlier post...

A little more info... my brother owns a custom cabinet-making business which is very fortunate for me. We are obsessed with building horn speakers in our spare time. So, the burled rosewood is a rare antique veneer that his friend and mentor, a British master-craftsman, gave to him. I doubled up the thickness of the BH base and applied the veneer. To finish it, brother Pete and I are going to be schooled by the old gentleman on the secrets of French polishing.

The turntable was built from scratch with the plinth made from layers of padauk, aluminum and wenge. The bearing came from an Oracle table. I laminated clear acrylic and lathe-turned the platter in Pete's shop. The DC motor is a Maxon 110191 controlled by a Teres Audio card in a Teres motor pod. The tonearm is based on the Ladergard air-bearing tangential design that is well documented on the diyAudio.com site. And the whole thing sits on a stand that has sand-filled cavities and a slab of granite. Yeah, it's heavy.

I built a couple of CD transports based on knowledge gained from the diyAudio site. (There's a huge thread here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/120229-finally-affordable-cd-transport-shigaclone-story.html )
It's a clone of 47 Labs Shigaraki, but starts out with the gutting of a JVC EZ-31 boombox. Replacement of key capacitors and resistors, building an outboard power supply and a very substantial chassis for the mechanism gives you a pretty sweet sounding CD player. The one shown is built from cocobola and wenge.

Thanks again for your interest.
Malcolm

[Grainger49]

Malcolm,

Will your brother adopt me?

IIRC from The Furniture Doctor (by George Grotz) French polishing is a way to spread existing lacquer or shellac to "dry" areas on the same piece of furniture.  It ends up with a very smooth and shiny finish.

A-Ha!  I have heard of the 47 Labs CDP clone.  But of course, I like the wood the most.  Thanks for the explanation.

[Doc B.]

French polish is a complete finish for raw wood. It's basically a 2lb. cut of shellac thinned with alcohol, applied with a piece of hard felt that has been wrapped with cotton cloth and lubed with a tiny bit of olive oil. As you say, it is really easy to touch up. It's extremely time consuming but also a very sensuous process and really looks wonderful. I've done an electric guitar with a french polish and it makes for a really nice feel on the neck.

One trick I'll suggest - if the wood has an open grain that needs filling you can fill it with clear 5 minute epoxy that you apply using a razor blade like a squeegie. It took very little to fill the mahogany back of my Tele, maybe 1/2 tsp. Makes the buildup of the shellac go a lot faster.

[G-horn]

Hey Grainger - my brother is probably the most generous person I know. He's "adopted" many people in his shop over the years!

Thanks for the epoxy tip Doc. I'm a big fan of West System epoxy and always using it for something - but I hadn't thought of that.
I will take some photos and (possibly some video) of our French polishing tutorial. I could maybe post something if anyone is interested.

Cheers,
Malcolm

[Thoburn]

Beautiful work! I too have a Stereomour driving Lower DX4 in the Medallion cabinet. I made my cabinets a bit taller and will be installing down firing Rythmik subs in the base. I'm very happy with the setup.

[bullandvodka]

Hi Malcolm,

If you can share, would you mind letting me know what type & brand of paint did you use for your top plate and chokes?  I'm getting ready to paint mine and would like to some guidance.

Thanks!

[G-horn]

I used "Dupli-Color Perfect Match Premium Automotive Paint" in a spray can from Canadian Tire. The color is called "Black Magic" - and I guess it matches an original VW color! If you haven't put the transformers together already, I suggest painting the bells beforehand, and touch up the bolt heads afterward with a small paintbrush.
I'll look forward to seeing photos of your finished amp!
Cheers,
Malcolm