The All Analog, All Lamm, PBN M2!5 System of JeffreyT

[Al M.]

First Watt:
Introduction to Static Induction Transistors

 

[jeff1225]

First Watt:
Introduction to Static Induction Transistors

Al,
Thank you for posting this "white paper." A quick read let's even the lay person understand why the SIT =-3 is very different from other solid state amps.

 

[Folsom]

Ron did not hear the SIT-3 on the Westies. He heard my system with the SET and then heard Jim’s with the 200 watt Canary’s.

I have not heard the SIT run out of headroom on my system and disagreed with Ron when he believed it was.

A good amplifier clips in such a way you don't even hear it. Ron is underestimating the importance of this because frankly if you're listening and you don't hear it, then you're not losing anything. 200w amps clip, too, but again you probably don't hear it if it's made well. In his case his speakers would probably be clipping too much because they're not nearly as efficient.

 

[Al M.]

Jeff, do you notice any difference in rhythm & timing -- for jazz, the ability to "swing" -- between your Lamm amps and the SIT-3?

 

[jeff1225]

The Lamm is broken for the second time in 1 year and is back at Lamm being fixed. They do not release the schematic so it cannot be fixed locally. Once I get it back I’ll do the comparison.

 

[cjfrbw]

A slight comment pertinent to previous posts. The Yamaha and Sony VFET/SIT from the day were made for audio. However, Tokin made SITs for switching purposes and they were 'industrial SITs'. Sometimes, the Tokins are called 'elevator SITs' because they were used widely in elevator electronics in skyscrapers. The SemiSouth SITs were used for radars.

However, they all sound great in audio circuits because they are all solid state triodes with generally high power handling capacity. The Tokin SIT in my Defisit amp has 500 watt anode dissipation capacity, so tootling along at 10 to 20 watts Class A barely challenges its capabilities.

On DIY audio, some of them are currently building single ended 50 watt SIT amps using the Tokin devices. Word is from the first completed amps they sound as good as the Defisit/SIT-3 types with more power.

 

[morricab]

A slight comment pertinent to previous posts. The Yamaha and Sony VFET/SIT from the day were made for audio. However, Tokin made SITs for switching purposes and they were 'industrial SITs'. Sometimes, the Tokins are called 'elevator SITs' because they were used widely in elevator electronics in skyscrapers. The SemiSouth SITs were used for radars.

However, they all sound great in audio circuits because they are all solid state triodes with generally high power handling capacity. The Tokin SIT in my Defisit amp has 500 watt anode dissipation capacity, so tootling along at 10 to 20 watts Class A barely challenges its capabilities.

On DIY audio, some of them are currently building single ended 50 watt SIT amps using the Tokin devices. Word is from the first completed amps they sound as good as the Defisit/SIT-3 types with more power.

Interesting about the SESIT...50 watts would drive most interesting speakers.

 

[jeff1225]

 

[jeff1225]

New full post Covid system shot. Covid cost me a pretty penny with about 500 new records and new gear:

1. New turntable: Garrard 401 build with power supply
2. Additional SME 3012R
3. New racks: Atacama Evoque Special Edition
4. New tuner: Magnum Dynalab (thank you @Ron Resnick
5. New amp: First Watt SIT-3

And a few new cartridges as well to mess around with.

 

[Mikem53]

The Lamm is broken for the second time in 1 year and is back at Lamm being fixed. They do not release the schematic so it cannot be fixed locally. Once I get it back I’ll do the comparison.

Good thing you have that SS SIT3 between fixes.. Great looking system !

 

[jeff1225]

Good thing you have that SS SIT3 between fixes.. Great looking system !

The SIT-3 is an excellent amp, I have no plans to ever sell it.

 

[Mikem53]

The SIT-3 is an excellent amp, I have no plans to ever sell it.

I understand completely !!

 

[Steve williams]

I have visited JeffreyT, a member of the Long Beach, CA division (of which I consider myself an honorary member) of WBF, several times over the last couple of years. Jeff, like me and PeterA, is 100% analog, 0% digital. Like me (someday, anyway) Jeff plays only vinyl and tape.

Jeff’s primary musical interest is jazz, but he also likes some classical and some classic rock and pop. He has a large collection of jazz recordings, and is very knowledgeable about the genre.

About a year ago Jeff acquired from Peter Noerbaek, founder of PBN Audio, a pair of M2!5 loudspeakers. According to the PBN website:

“Two JBL drivers are the heart of the system: First, twin JBL 2235H 15” woofer classics, with a low-loss magnetic structure and Symmetrical Field Geometry, which reduces harmonic distortions to near zero. The second is the inimitable JBL D2430H mid-range/tweeter compression driver, with dual-diaphragms. The drivers are aligned “in time” via their amazing 900 Hz charge-coupled crossovers.”

The standard version of the speaker has the compression drivers and waveguide atop two 15 inch woofers. Jeff requested a woofer - wideband driver - woofer (M-T-M type) configuration, so the compression drivers are in the middle of the woofers. I think this is a brilliant request, and it is how I would’ve ordered the speakers myself.


View attachment 50301

Jeff’s turntable is the Acoustic Signature Ascona sitting on top of its matching stand. I have always liked both the design and the look of a turntable the feet of which sit on top of legs which visually and physically extend the turntable all the way to the floor on its own integrated stand. As turntables go I think the Ascona with its integrated stand is a beautiful and sleek, yet extremely serious and industrial-looking, design. The machining quality of the plinth is fantastic.

Jeff has a wide variety of contemporary and vintage cartridges and headshells, and he enjoys cycling through them on his SME 3012R. Presently Jeff’s favorite cartridge is an Ortofon SPU.

Jeff has a full suite of Lamm electronics: the LP2.1 Deluxe phono stage; the LL2.1 Deluxe line stage; and the ML1.1 80 watt per channel mono amplifiers. A skeptic of very expensive cables, Jeff has settled on Belden 8402 interconnects with Switchcraft RCA connectors, made by Jeff Day, after comparing them to Kimber Cables. Power cables are Ching Chengs.

Taking it all together, on paper, this system checks a lot of my personal design preference boxes:

1) all analog,

2) all tube,

3) fairly tall speakers for height and scale,

4) M-T-M driver configuration,

5) simple, two-way speaker,

6) wide-band (900 Hz and up) driver,

7) big woofers to move air,

8) woofers playing high up in frequency, and

9) overkill amplifier power given the sensitivity of the speakers.

While I heard the system three times before several months ago, shortly after Jeff installed the new PBN speakers, it wasn’t until I listened with PeterA and Jeff for about five hours recently that I realized how great this system is. Jeff reports, and I agree, that the speakers have taken a long time to break in.

Dynamics, detail, realistic leading edge transient (PeterA is an expert on this sonic attribute, and I take his analysis on the matter), naturalness and openness are some of the gifts of this system. It is utterly unfatiguing (as are, to these ears, all Lamm-based systems).

The system has a very open, live, dynamic, high jump factor sound. Overkill amplifier power on sensitive speakers is what it takes to achieve this.

I continue to believe that musical preference significantly drives loudspeaker selection. It is no coincidence that the speakers do a remarkable job of reproducing realistically and believably the sounds of both brass instruments and string instruments. With the big woofers playing up to 900 Hz there is plenty of realistic oomph and weight to piano and double bass and drums.

On vocals I do not hear quite the resolution, transparency and in-the-room liveness I hear from electrostatic and ribbon drivers. But I think these PBN speakers reproduce vocals more transparently and realistically than any other compression driver system I have heard, except for audioquattr’s Cessaro Zetas. And to get the transparency and resolution I like on vocals from electrostatic and ribbon speakers, I have to sacrifice some of the weight and body of instruments, and some of the dynamics, I hear from Jeff’s system.

I think Jeff really has achieved something with this system! When he relocates the system to the dedicated outbuilding he is constructing to house the system the sound will take a big leap higher still in sound-staging, overall scale and realism.

Thank you, Jeff, for a wonderful afternoon!

I thought that I would copy Ron's opening post to this thread as I couldn't have said it better. I had the fortune of visiting Jeff yesterday afternoon to her his system. I have followed Jeff's system progress and changes since he became a member and I was eager to hear this system. For one reason, Jeff was using all Lamm from end equipment and Lamm M1,1 Reference hybrid mono amps. Like an early comment by micro strip that it takes some power to drive his PBN speakers. Jeff felt a minimum of 40 wpm were minimum and his amps were putting out 80 wpc
I was smitten by Jeff's Garrard turntable and I was quite familiar with his SME 3012R arms and was even more anxious to hear his A95 cartridge. The plinth Jeff had built for the turntable was gorgeous

Jeff's room is very interesting as it included many things unrelated to sound of the room but in the great scheme of things what I heard was extremely good to start and somewhat sensational at the end. My visit was brief as other commitments had already been made. Nonetheless it was a fun one hour drive up the coast to Long Beach. I discovered the Jeff lives about 2 miles from my daughter,

Jeff's record collection was worth the time alone. Jeff got into audio by collecting excellent pressings. When he told me what he spends a month I could believe it.We started with some Jazz which, as Ron stated, seems to be Jeff's favorite. My first impression was that the speakers were absolutely invisible regardless of music genre or gain used on the volume control. Small jazz bands were an up close and personal experience. (Jeffs speakers and listening distance are a 9 foot equilateral triangle.). The soundstage was realistic regardless of what we played

Then we moved on to rock and prog rock and this is where I was smitten. I have followed PeterA's Natural Sound thread closely and I was anxious to hear Pink Floyd DSOM as that was a topic of several posts

I have many pressings of DSOM but not the one Jeff played and I couldn't move from my seat as it was that good .

PINK FLOYD - Dark Side Of The Moon - Amazon.com Music

PINK FLOYD - Dark Side Of The Moon - Amazon.com Music

www.amazon.com

I can say that this was the best version I have ever heard and we were playing at realistic levels

There was excellent tonality from top to bottom and nothing stood out. Kudos Jeff

Then Jeff caught my attention with 2 other albums which lit up my ears

The first was a live rock album

Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus (Vinyl, US, 1979) For Sale | Discogs

Shop the 1979 US Vinyl release of Waiting For Columbus by Little Feat at Discogs.

www.discogs.com

and the second was Jeff's favorite which I had never heard and really enjoyed

Weather Report - Black Market

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Black Market by Weather Report. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

The visit was brief but a return will be arranged. Jeff has done a great job with his system and his speakers were truly unique. It was very interesting to me to hear all Lamm gear in another system

The other great thing for Jeff is that he is soon to add an extension to his house which will allow for him to build his own dedicated sound room. I look forward to hearing this system in the new room. I bet it will be spectacular Jeff. Thanks again for a very fun afternoon

 

[PeterA]

Great report Steve. I heard Jeff’s system about two years ago and really thought it was fantastic but that was before the Garrard turntable. I’m looking forward to coming back and hearing it someday soon. The record collection is very impressive.

Did you compare his VDH Colibri with his Ortfon SPU??

 

[Steve williams]

N

Great report Steve. I heard Jeff’s system about two years ago and really thought it was fantastic but that was before the Garrard turntable. I’m looking forward to coming back and hearing it someday soon. The record collection is very impressive.

Did you compare his VDH Colibri with his Ortfon SPU??

Unfortunately Jeff had sent it back for fine tuning as it had 300 hours on it

 

[cjfrbw]

Lamm M1,1 Reference new additions? Last system pic showed what looked like Lamm 2 types and SIT 3.

 

[PeterA]

I think Jeff has the push pull tube ML1, not the M1.1 100 watt solid state.

 

[jeff1225]

 

[Ron Resnick]

A big congratulations to you, Jeff! I can't wait to hear these things! I have a feeling I'm going to be a big fan!

 

[PeterA]

Congratulations Jeff. Very cool Speakers that I can’t wait to hear when I visit you next. They look like they’re in great condition.