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In Reply to: Van Alstine posted by Bigromano on September 12, 2009 at 18:47:05:
PHOTO: The rare 1965 Volvo 122S transformerless, de-integrated with key start, ashtray, and "pencil sharpener" variable capacitorator. Power cord is Audioquest NRG-2
Bigramano,
I have a 1964 Dynaco PAS3 and ST70 set and three of four years ago gave strong consideration to refurbishing them as my office system. At the time, I was not able to try the ST70 as it had a known serious hum and anyway, one of the Sylvania 6CA7's was broken in shipping.
However, I did try the PAS3 briefly. At the same time, I was trying some NOS tubes in an Audio Research SP8 and while I wasn't making A/B compariosns and the PAS3 was somewhat tired- though it had 4- strong Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7s, I could hear -especially by comparison with the SP8- that I probably wouldn't be happy with it, or rather happy enough, after all the work and expense. While much of the PAS3 range was rather pleasant, the bass was tubby, slow, and opaque. A dynamic, transparent bass is a fundamental for me and to make sure I was keeping my perspective, I compared the PAS3 to a Marantz 2235, which has a pre-amp out and which I know well, having bought it as my first audio purchase in 1971. The 2235 is not perfect by any means, and the PAS3 I think was nicer in some ways- a sense of depth, but it was still too liquid- that thin film of syrup. In the end I bought a 1996 Audio Research LS3 solid state line stage- for about the amount I imagined the PAS3 redo would cost. And I bought a stock 7199 replacement board for the ST70.
The metaphysics of industrial objects > Again, I say this without having had experience with the Van Alstine or Curcio redesigns which may cure all the troubles of the original. But then you have the "Frankenstein effect"- it's alive, but it's soul is not the original. I used to think about this aspect- with regard to my enthusiasm for Morris Minors, the VW Beetle of England. While I had a 1928 Dietrich- bodied Packard, 1957 Jaguar XK140MC, and 1965 Volvo 122S station wagon to play, and a 1970 Mercedes 6.3 (300HP, 140MPH) as my everyday car, I also drove a 1957 Morris Minor convertible. Minors can be rebuilt with 1500cc Datsun engines- 80HP instead of 40, 5-spds, disc brakes, actual comfortable seats, and so on, but the soul is lost and the money spent- nut cases in England will spend $25,000 on one of these- and that would buy something that might be even more fun, like a Ferrari Mondial or Mercedes 280SL.
Recommendation > The thing is, you seem not to be confident in your technician skills and also reluctant to put a lot of money into hot-rodding the PAS3. To me this calls for consideration of non-project alternatives. If you'd like a very good tube preamp with phono stage for probably less than a redesigned PAS3 - and ready to use- consider a good Conrad-Johnson PV10. The PV10- I used one for 6 years at my old radio station (with of all things a pair of Crown amplifiers and JBL studio monitors) and the PV10 was smooth, fairly nimble, very nice, open and dynamic mid-range and a pleasant bass. Not the SP8 but completely acceptable. It certainly took the edge off the Crown and JBL's!
I really wanted to love the PAS3 which a friend had assembled as a kit in 1964. It's one of the cutest puppies of the audio world- so appealing it's ieresistable, but also difficult to train for work! I have an EICO HF-14 (3-12AX7,2-EL84) mono, tube integrated and I feel the same way about that one, except the sound of the EICO is really impressively good- direct and open- simple, mono circuits can be very convincing.
-By the way, the PAS3 kit was purchased by the way on Radio Row in New York more or less on the site where the World Trade Center was built.
As I get older, I've begun being more realistic about accomplishing audio projects too as I haven't touched a soldering gun since assembling a Scott shortwave at 13- that was about 1934 I think, and anyway have never really learned what the electrons are doing.
Happy hunting!
Cheers,
Bambi B
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Follow Ups
- Dynaco PAS3- one of the cutest puppies of the audio world - Bambi B 09/13/0908:50:18 09/13/09 (2)
- Bambi, can this be true? - M3 lover 11:05:55 09/13/09 (1)
- If I mentioned that my first two cars were a 1937 Riley and 1952 Bentley, would that help? - Bambi B 11:41:56 09/13/09 (0)
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