[78-L] SHURES & 78s, etc. (was Turning the tables)

[Royal Pemberton]

I have one of those Stereo Studio Dynetics too, the M216, wedded to a
Fairchild 412-1 table.  Wasn't there a 3 mil stylus made for them at one
time? I'd love to find one for it (if not a 2.5) for playing
transcriptions.  (Or swap the 216 out even-up for a more modern arm to which
a modern cartridge and headshell could be fitted.)

I'm also a Dynaco fan and user.  I have a pair of Mk IIIs, a Stereo 70 and
one each, a PAS 2 and a PAS 3X.  I'm not sure which of today's KT88s would
be good in the Mk IIIs....I CAN tell you to avoid the Sovtek KT88s like the
plague!  I bought two matched pairs of the Sovteks to replace two pairs of
mid-1980s production GE 6550s, and the Sovteks each had one tube fry out
within a few weeks of installation (and I'd set the bias to only 1 volt,
instead of the 1.3 I used with the 6550s, never mind the old-standard 1.56
they specified for the Mullard or Genalex KT88s of yore).  I went back to
the 6550s, and all was well ever after with them.

All my Dynaco amps have needed new electrolytic filter caps and tubes from
time to time but still sound great.  Where I live now the 70 is amp enough,
driving a pair of Altec 9849-8As in my wee living room.  (I am lucky enough
to also have a Frankenstein pair of A7-500s and can vouch for their
excellence.  In the summer of 2008 I ran sound for a local bluegrass group
called Blue Dogwood when they played on the square here in Mountain Home,
Arkansas, and two of the songs are on YouTube videos someone made with a
primitive camcorder....in one of them you can see one of the A7s when the
camera moved too far.)

My PAS 2 is up and running again.  12X4 rectifiers were a bit of a PITA over
the years so a few years ago I substituted a pair of silicon rectifiers to
replace the tube.  The preamp was given to me in 1982 (along with the 70)
and it's an oldie....the pots have the code 137 6003 on them (137:  EIA code
for the manufacturer, CTS; the other four digits comprise the year and week
in the year, thus '6003' means the third week of 1960.)  I replaced the 4
section electrolytic filter cap with two 47 µf/500 volt and two 100 µf/350
volt caps....works great and is amazingly quiet.

Sounds terrific on 78s!

I need to save my money for a new power transformer for my PAS 3X.  I bought
it used in 1986 (along with the Mk IIIs); it worked great until one day in
1994 when the transformer went up in smoke.

I'd recommend Joe Curcio's site (Dynaco Doctor I think it's called) for
replacement parts for Dynaco gear (transformers etc).  There are quality new
preamp tubes produced now from JJ (look for the ECC803S) and some of the
Sovtek types (reissue Tung-Sol brand or some under the Electro-Harmonix
name) also work well.

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 1:37 AM, Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com> wrote:

> From: "JD" <jackson1932 at cfl.rr.com>
> > My Shure cartridge experience goes back to their Stereo Dynetic
> > arm/cartridge combo (1962). It used a dedicated cartridge (a
> > physical body variation of their first stereo cartridge, I
> > believe) and plugged into the end of the arm.
>
> I remember that one.  Looked like a long black wand.
>
> > The arm moved in the lateral plane only and vertical motion was
> > restricted. Only the cartridge moved vertically via a cueing
> > button on the arm just behind the cartridge.
>
> > I do use the IV for 78 recording to CDR. With a Dyna PAS 2 or 3 preamp
> > (with the 78 curve wired in) or a Marantz 7T with its various curve and
> > filter options I'm in business. BTW, my original Dyna PAS 2 stereo preamp
> > (I built it fron the kit around 1959 or '60) still met specs a few years
> > ago on uts last bench test and has NEVER been a problem. A remarkable
> > record. Wouldst only that David Hafler and Dyna gear were still with
> us!!!
>
> AMEN!  And they were so affordable!  But once the selenium rectifier
> went out on me.  Have you ever SMELLED a burnt Selenium
> Rectifier????!!!!!  I can STILL smell it and this was thirty years ago!
> Was told by Dyna to replace it with a little silicone rectifier.
>
> > The Dyna tube preamps tested and sounded as good as the the
> > state of the art competition of its time and more than likely
> > still do. I have several and you'd have to kill me to get them.
>
> I will likewise defend my PAS-2.  About 20 years ago I decided to
> re-tube it.  I went into Lexington to a wholesale supply house and got a
> set of Amperex tubes.  When I put them in, the noise level was MUCH
> higher.  Then I looked at the tubes.  JAPAN.  What happened to
> Holland???????  Wrote Amperex a letter and got a set of Dutch-made tubes
> in the mail.  But I think I still have mostly Dynaco marked tubes in it.
>  Where the HELL would you get GOOD tubes for it now???  I've been
> needing some KT-88s for my Harmon-Kardon Citation II (which is out of
> service for a number of years now till I get around to putting in some
> new biasing resisters) but I think all I can get now are Russian
> Svetlana's.
>
>   Would love to have a pair of Altec A7s. but would have to build
> a new house.  I do have a pair of tweeter horns for the A7 which came
> out of one of the university's auditoriums.  I missed getting the
> woofers at the auction.  No cabinets.  I used the tweeters as a display
> in my recording class.
>
> > For the 78 collectors who always seem to be searching for a 78 capable
> > preamp I would suggest a Dynaco Pas 2, 3 or 3x. They're tubed and
> probably
> > no longer command high prices. The mic input can be modified (VERY
> simply,
> > a Dynaco option) to a 78 friendly curve. That along with the tone
> controls,
> > mono swittch & rumble filter of a PAS preamp and/or an outboard equalizer
> > does wonders for 78s. I've been doing it this way for years with my Shre
> > V-IV and V-II for my mid thirties & later collection and wouldn't have it
> > any other way. Caveat: Of course the Dyanas are only available as used
> > (experienced is a preferable term) today and unfortunately, there have
> been
> > all too many fools who thought they could "modify" them and other Dyna
> tube
> > gear to make them sound better. Arghh!! This was a travesty and an
> > impossible task.   Happy trails,  Jack
>
> I never fell for having it rebuilt, but the magazine catalogs he
> published were very convincing.
>
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
>
>
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