Meet Vivi, longtime CJ owner. Sorta. in NYC.

[AnotherJohnson]

It really does sound like it could be a cold solder joint. Hopefully Blackie is up to the task.

[admin]

MY PITA Nikko tuner and the Sherwood receiver both need an antenna and the one I have ain't worth a damn. I can kinda get a radio signal on the Sherwood but I need a better antenna.
So the next question, assuming this is successful, is what to get for the full kit - I have a lot of CD's and I listen to the radio and I have an MP3 player.

Glad to hear things moving forward. Keep us updated.

If you plan to listen to radio, any metal wire should actually make a pretty good antenna. I've used a cut piece of speaker wire before, the kind you get a big roll at walmart for a few bucks or just a single wire that you can buy from a hardware store. This should work just fine for FM (presuming that is what you are trying to get in). AM can be trickier but most people don't really listen to AM for music as the sound quality is not so great. Neither is the quality on FM for that matter but that's another topic in itself.

There are some great CD players out there for audiophiles but often they come with very large price tags. I'm going to make an alternative suggestion that may be cheaper and give you better sound for the money. If you have a extra computer/laptop, I would consider playing CD's off of that and buying a good DAC. This will most likely cost much less and give you overall better sound quality.

For an inexpensive but good quality, made in the US DAC I would recommend you look at a company called Schiit:

https://www.schiit.com/products

Look under the left hand column under "DACS". They have five which increase in cost/quality but start as low as $100.

This will also allow you to get good quality music from a streaming service (ie spottify, apple music, Tidal, etc...) in addition to playing CD's. So that's something to consider.

[vivi]

thanks again! but what's a DAC?
I think I found someone to look at the Linn, too, fingers crossed.

Tried to fire up the Sherwood receiver but can't seem to get a radio signal. Maybe another project for another day.

I"ve got a Bose CD player/radio and I was wondering if I could use the 3.5MM-RCA cable to connect it to the CJ once it's fixed. Might that work for a CD and radio?

thx for the lead to Schiit...I like that the components are all names from Norse Mythology.

I"m thinking that I don't need two power amps, also...the Carver works fine; I"ve also got a Dynakit 70 that Michael built but it's incredibly heavy and heats up a LOT and very quickly. I might try to sell it; I understand it's a collectors item. Michael dent really rely on it; he kept if for sentimental value, I think.

[admin]

"DAC" stands for "Digital-to-Analog Converter." It basically takes music that is encoded an an electronic format, like CD's, MP3's, DVD's, Blu-ray discs, etc... and converts that digital information to an analog signal, which is what humans perceive as music.

This article goes into further depth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital-t ... _converter

But for practical purposes, it is a device that sits between your preamp (the PV1) and your source (ie CD player, computer, etc.). Now of course your CD player, computer, etc... already have DAC's built in so the question is why buy an external DAC? Well, we live in the world of audiophiles so the goal is to get the best sound possible out of our equipment. The DACs they put in most consumer gear, like your laptop for example, are the cheapest of the cheapest. Thus sound quality is often rather poor. The output on those devices will often have background noise, static, distortion, etc.

By using an external DAC, you can have that cheap laptop read the 1's and 0's off the CD or that MP3 files but let the higher quality DAC interpret and transform it into the analog sound wave that you will ultimately hear from the speakers.

Nothing wrong with using the Bose CD player with the cable you bought. Just keep in mind that you are going to be limited to the DAC quality of the Bose player. If high quality music is your goal, I would probably not recommend this setup. For radio it probably does not matter too much as over the air radio tends to have very poor quality to begin with both due to the limitations of the FM signal as well as that they do a lot of "bad stuff" to the sound before they transmit such as dynamic range compression (where they make the loud and soft parts of the music more equal in volume). But for CD's or streaming music, you have the ability to listen to quality that most people do not get to experience. I personally think that is where the "magic happens."

I agree with you about not needing two amps. What I would recommend is that once you have the rest of your setup done. Experiment with the two amps and see which one you like the sound of best. When you have a winner, sell the other one.

[vivi]

sounds good. thanks!

[vivi]

Hi everyone! thx for the advice and support! Here's the update. Both the CJPV1 and the Linn have returned from the "hospital." Blackie did a bunch of cleaning and some testing and now I can hear sound in both speakers at least with my Mp3.. YAY!!! I have not yet tested the Linn because the guy needs to add the counterweight (which I ain't touching). I also need to figure out how to reattach the lid, since the hinges are broken.

I am going to get another 3.5mm to RCA cable so I can hook up my Bose radio/CD player to the setup, cause the radio/tuner Michael left me isn't working. At this point, I feel cautiously optimistic, but will wait till the Linn is operational and hooked up. I have to say a BIG THANKYOU to everyone here for their suggestions and support.

I even have a leftover pair of speakers I hooked up to Mike's Dynakit Power Amp and I can play the Mp3...although there's a hum in one speaker....(?) not a deal breaker...
BTW, I have a Dahlquist Low Pass Filter. what does that do? Can anyone fill me in? I"ll send another report as I re-connect everything...
best
vivi

[roberto]

Hola Vivi,

I have being reading you. My name is Roberto, and I am from Costa Rica. My English is not too good, so please I beg for your consideration and patience. It is good to know that your system is coming back.

Regarding the Dahlquist Low Pass filter, is it the model DQ-LP1? This is an electronic crossover. This device is used for bi-amplification. You have two stereo power amplifiers, and then you use one power amp to drive the woofers, the big cone speakers and another power amp to drive the midrange and tweeter speakers. You are allow to increase or decrease the level of the woofers, making possible to match the exact amount of bass energy right at your preferred seating position. Some speakers have separated binding posts for this purpose.

Long time ago, I had a Magneplanar speakers and the woofers were separated from the midrange and tweeter. Also, the unit is able to cut the frequency range for the woofers, making to blend better with the other speakers. It's a little complicated the explanation, in other words, the woofers and the other speakers can blend together with more dynamics and control the music low frequency energy at your sitting position. That's the goal.

"...even have a leftover pair of speakers I hooked up to Mike's Dynakit Power Amp and I can play the Mp3...although there's a hum in one speaker..." Sometimes the hum is due to a RCA cable connector that it might be loose or making a faulty contact. Having the Dynakit Stereo 70 powered off, make sure that both RCAs connectors are pushed all the way in. Or, a bad RCA cable could be the culprit too. Changing the cable will cure the problem.

I hope that soon you will be enjoying again the wonderful music sound with Conrad Johnson gear. I have a saying: The music is the nourishment of our spirit. Also a good friend of us here RJ, says: enjoy all those wonderful tunes...

Happy listening!

[admin]

Great to hear Vivi. Looking forward to having you experience the Linn. Roberto gave a good explanation of how a crossover is used for bi-amping a speaker so I won't speak to that.

As for the speaker hum in one channel. In most cases you can rather easily identify what component is causing that aberration. You simply have to switch the right and left channel wires along the path, starting from the speaker and working your way down the line.

For example, let's say your setup is a CD player to a Preamp to an Amp to the speakers. Switch the speaker cable from left to right. If the hum stays in the same speaker, the problem is the speaker, if the hum is now in the other speaker, then the hum is coming from a component further down the line. Let's say it switched to the other speaker. You would then put the wires back in original position, but now switch the right and left RCA cables from the Preamp to the Amp. If the hum doesn't change sides, the problem is in the Amp. If it does, then it's most likely in the CD player or preamp. If it changed sides, again put everything back, and then switch the CD Player to Preamp cable. If the hum changes sides, the hum is coming from CD Player, if not, then the problem is in the Preamp. Hope that makes sense.

BTW. I just a slight hum develop in one speaker in my setup and this is the exact methodology used to narrow down the problem. Just worked my way down to the path and it ended up being my preamp which need a new vacuum tube. I will be making a post about that in the next week or so when I get the replacement in the mail and get the system back up.

[Big Dog RJ]

Very nice one indeed Vivi!

I was wondering what the update was, since we hadn't heard from you...

Just last week I was mentioning to the wifey, what if I was not around what would she do with the system. Said she would pile it up and burn it! Then said she was just kidding and most probably auction it. I then told her your whole story and bought her this! It was our 20th anniversary last month and I turned 48 last week. So now she's a bit more aware how sentimental the system is to me.

BTW that pink sapphire is basically the price tag of the GATS2, since the matching ear rings adds up...
She deserves it, afterall putting up with my madness for 20 plus years!

That's a real achievement Vivi, obviously you could have gone the easier route and just thrown the lot out! But you didn't, you persevered and now have a CJ system with a Linn TT pretty much up and running. That's a major commitment on your part, well done mate!

Cheers, and oh! Do enjoy those fine tunes!
Big WOOF! RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

Congratulations to Vivi for bringing the system back to life. That took a lot of “spunk.”

Congratulations to RJ & wife! There are certainly compromises necessary to stay together for 20 years.

It takes two to make it work. It just takes one to ruin it.

My wife would probably ship my stuff to The Music Room in Erie, Co if she had to figure out what to do. She would keep the Denon Home 350 though. She loves streaming.

We’ve figured it out for 46+ years so far. It takes two to make it work.

[Big Dog RJ]

46+ years... AJ you the man! Or should I say, you & Mrs are the plan!

Nice one matey, may you both enjoy those fine tunes!
Cheers, RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

My boys are 41 and 43. I wish they shared my love of HiFi, but they’ve been far more interested in creating music than in reproducing it. My younger just got a “record deal” to compile his past work into a retrospective on vinyl. I suspect it won’t be a big seller, and I’m not even sure I will like it ... I suspect I won’t. But he’s chuffed, and I’m excited for him.

[admin]

Wife and I are coming up on being together for 22 years. She also does not share my passion for hifi. However, she loves watching movies/shows in our home theater room/listening room. Building that space in our house was a great choice. My view is "to each his/her own." I enjoy home theater as well so we share that for a few hours a day and then I get to do some solo listening on my own. She respects my hobby and has never said no to a equipment purchase. You don't have to share every single hobby with your significant other to have a successful relationship. But I do think you have to respect your partners interests.

AJ, that's awesome to hear about your son getting his own album. Congrats!

[vivi]

Hi,all, thanks for the info and the updates! (nice jewelry!!). I have not yet fired up the setup, since the Linn needs the counterweight added and I'm not sure I could do it correctly... I don't know if it's hard to do or if I do it wrong I'll ruin my albums...so maybe I should call someone to come over and add it for me?. BTW, I figured out how to make the lid work and the hinge operates like a charm. We're getting there.
.
I appreciate the tutorials about isolating the 'hum" and what the Dahlquist is for.

I could try to duplicate Michael's setup. thanks for the tutorial, Roberto! and I do think Michael used one power amp for the Sequerra speakers and the other power amp for the bass.However, the base speakers he had were handmade by Tom Cadawas and for some reason he replaced them with Bose (no comparison!) I don't think the sound from the Bose is worth the effort. I"m thinking of using the pair handmade by Peter Sequerra for the main setup (gotta figure out the best place to put 'em) with the CJ, the Carver Power Amp and the Linn turntable..maybe add my Bose radio/CD player and use it through the AUX input. (Jeez, do I sound knowledgeable or what?). And have a secondary setup in the backroom with the Bose speakers, the dynakit power amp, and a cheaper CD/radio player. Still trying to figure out how to make the Nikko radio/tuner work but if I can't make it work after three tries,I"m going to sell the damned thing. I might sell the Dahlquist, too, since I"m only using the Sequerra speakers. Michael had two sets of speakers but let's not get crazy. I've also got a Sherwood AM/FM stereo receiver but I don't think I need it anymore, do I? that would mean I have a pair of Magnavox speakers that I could either unload or sell or keep and try to hook up to my tv, or something.

Thanks to the community here for all the info,advice and support. I'm planning on a move to Florida in the next few years and need to pare down stuff and make sure things are working right. shipping the Linn is going to give me nightmares, though...

[admin]

Sounds like things are moving forward Vivi.

If you are worried about placing the counterweights for fear that the stylus will be pushing too hard on the records, you may just want to buy a stylus force gauge. They are under $15 so it may be cheaper to just get the gauge vs shipping the TT or getting somebody to come by. You can safely adjust the counter weight yourself and not have to worry about doing any damage and being assured about the proper downforce.

Here is an example: https://www.amazon.com/Musou-Turntable- ... 159&sr=8-6

[AnotherJohnson]

On the LP12, the counterweight is used to balance the arm and cartridge assembly with the dial set at 0. You then dial in the desired vertical tracking and antiskating forces.

The gauge may be useful to confirm the dial works.

I honestly think that cartridge and arm set up is important enough that you should have the person you buy the cartridge from do the set up. It is easy to make a mess, break the cantilever, and/or ruin some records.

[vivi]

hi again. I figured out how to get the Nikko tuner working, hurray!

Someone is coming over tomorrow to put in the counterweight for the Linn. Does that mean I have to hook up the turntable to the CJ and the power amp and the Sequerra speakers? It's a bit of a PITA because my late lamented darling was, as he called himself, a 'customizing fool." Everything sits inside a stereo rack system he built inside a niche in our apartment, and everything is meant to fit and all the cords are supposed to run down the back of the units so moving stuff in and out and around is a two person job. And, of course, my brother, in a burst of enthusiasm, screwed the CJ into the rack sides already, so I'd have to unscrew it so I can pull it out and hook up the turntable and etc.... and all those suckers are HEAVY.

and then I have to figure out speaker placement in a really awkward and not optimal room setup.

Ohwell, progress is good. Open issues now:

I"m not sure I really need the Sherwood receiver anymore if the CJ works.
I still need a way to listen to my CD's ...maybe hooking up the Bose to the CJ via the aux input?
I"m thinking about having a secondary setup in my living area using the dynakit power amp, the Bose speakers and the sherwood, if I can get the radio there to work...but I still need a CD player and I"d like to play my MP3 player somewhere too. it would be a perfect setup for the speakers.

still, I feel like I'm closing in. .

[Big Dog RJ]

Nice one Vivi, You go girl!

See how far you've progressed, it's totally awe-inspiring.
Cheers matey,

Trust you'll be enjoying those fine tunes in no time...
Big WOOF! RJ

[admin]

That sounds great Vivi. A 2nd setup is a great way to go if you have the extra equipment.

As for having to remove all the equipment to add to new components. It doesn't always have to be the case, but you do need to have enough room to reach the back of the units to plug the RCA cables in and out. If you can do that without having to remove everything, then it's ok to keep them in there. For some of my equipment it is very hard to reach in the back but I have plugged/unplugged things utilizing a mirror and just reaching around. A flashlight and a telescoping mirror like this, https://www.amazon.com/Ullman-High-Tech ... 296&sr=8-3 can help.

[vivi]

FML.

The Linn guy came over and installed the counterweight, and went the extra mile to put in a couple of the inputs and shoved the whole thing into the stereo niche/rack. We played a record and the right speaker went in and out and he fiddled with the inputs and said he thought the problem was the Carver Power Amp. it worked when he left.

But when he left, I had true stereo sound and it was glorious. I listened to two Marshall Tucker albums in full glorious stereo, every ping and every cymbal all in and it was great.I even played it loud enough to piss off my neighbor. SUCCESS!!! Of course I lowered it cause I'm not a dick. I savored two whole albums and it was awesome.

and then it wasn't. The right speaker went down again, it just....stopped. No amount of fiddling, switching or anything else with the input from the CJ into the Carver Power Amp would bring any sound to the right speaker.

what's so miserable about this is the head fake. The right speaker works and works and works and then.....doesn't. and every time I try it I get all excited and think the issue is fixed and then....it fades out.I'm Charlie Brown and somewhere, some miserable connection somewhere is Lucy, taking away the football of my stereo sound enjoyment. (whew, what a tortured metaphor). But like Charlie Brown, I fall for it every time.

My newest experiment (and I"m running out of 'em, me buckos) is to bypass the CJ entirely. I"m playing my Bose CD/radio off the Carver Power Amp. I started at 4pm. I'm going to keep it running (at different volumes, of course) for a couple of hours, as long as I can. If the right speaker continues to deliver, that tells me the problem is not the power amp...it must be the CJ. Maybe something gets overheated, or there's a loose solder connection somewhere. I don't think it's a tube problem, because Blackie tested all that, and returning it to Blackie won't change anything but my credit card balance.

So my next phase is figuring out where I go from here. I need a preamp with a phono input but I'd hate to go through all that expense and still have this problem. The Linn guy suggested I sell the whole kit - maybe even the Linn - and buy something made in this millennium. Apparently there are outfits that will show up, make an offer, give me cash and take the whole thing away. It's starting to sound tempting....but God, the Marshall Tucker Band was fine.