Finally took some time to introduce myself

timmydawg

New Around These Parts
Joined
Apr 26, 2021
Messages
19
#1
I suppose that I am a lot like most folks on this forum, music lover, vinyl collector and a must have is a great sounding stereo.
I was born in 1958 and raised in Seattle, Currently residing in Buckley Washington home of the Buckley Log show the last weekend in June. Yee haw! I have three brothers that are musicians and as a kid growing up my parents home was the band house from 1966 - 1983
I am not musically inclined but I can spin a mean reel to reel, does anyone remember Columbia tapes and record club? When I was in seventh grade you could get 10 free records or tapes and just had to buy 2 records. I was the weird kid that had a Roberts tube reel to reel so I got pre-recorded 7 1/4 inch reel tapes, all my friends were getting cassette tapes. Santana Abraxas & Ten Years after Space in time were some of the first freebies that I got from Columbia tapes. As a teen I would go to the electronic stores and dream about someday owning an awesome stereo . In Seattle it was pretty cool to check out the Speakerlab store in the U-district and Magnolia High-fi, in 1975 some of the best kit form Rock & Roll speakers were the Super 7s, the Mila Nestrovich designed Speakerlab 30's and of course the K horns. I wonder how you all were introduced to Phase linear ? I lost my virginity in 1976 when I was invited to a home of a couple of Phase linear employees that had 2 Phase linear 700B's (the Doublemint twins) and 4 Speakerlab K-Horns, one speaker in each corner and I was in lust with the concert type sound and the pure power, Plain and simple the amps were just brutes, Sexy, silver, Laboratory Standard, 700 Watts R.M.S, I wanted them so bad, the rack handles had a nice feel, strong and smooth, a burly design that could support the mass of the transformer, they were unlike any other that I had experienced . Someday ...I had hoped that I was going to have a sound system as impressive like that.
Over the years I have collected some nice vintage stereo gear, I have always had an affinity toward local electronics from the Seattle area , Phase linear, Carver , Speakerlab and last but certainly not least Chapman audio, Stuart Chapman makes absolutely killer speakers . The issue is that the old stuff does not sound that good in its present unrestored state.
The final straw just happened; I was going to fire up one of my Phase linear 400s - Side note fire up and Phase linear not to be used in same sentence;
just the bulk caps and outputs had been changed by a tech and from reading on this forum everyone suggests adding a Watts output relay. So I installed the relay and it did not click, pull in or do anything. After trouble shooting the circuit I had -79V going to the protect relay.
So a big thanks to Watts Abundant your relay saved my speakers !! Out of extreme frustration I have gutted that amp down to the bare bones and kind of enjoyed ripping the old innards out of it.
So I have just embarked on the journey to WOPL every fricking Phase amp that I have, starting with the 400 and then if all goes well move on to the 700B's
Thanks To everyone on this site for sharing your experience with your WOPL builds and giving a newbie enough confidence to try it. And like most forums I look at the pictures first then the read the articles.
Woof - Woof
Timmydawg
 

Vintage 700b

Chief Journeyman
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
791
Location
Wisconsin
Tagline
Fabricator
#2
Welcome Aboard Timmydawg,
You check all of the boxes for adding to and participating in this forum.
Very nice intro, enjoy the journey. You will absolutely love the builds, and the sound of your newly WOPL'd Phase
Linear equipment. It is very addictive.
Have fun !
 

MarkWComer

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
3,479
Location
Gaston, SC
Tagline
Victim of the record bug since age five
#4
Welcome to the zoo- your cage is waiting!

My first exposure to PL was at a store called the Grammophone in Lutherville, Maryland. They had a beautiful audition room. I wandered in from curiosity about the Rotel linear tracking turntable. Of course, everything in that room was far beyond my financial means. They put “Wish You Were Here” on the ‘table, pumped it through the 700/II into a pair of Klipschorns. Needless to say…

At the time I had built a Heathkit (forgotten model) receiver with the AS-103A speakers (AR model 3A). Was satisfactory for the moment, but have gone through a few different receivers with those same speakers. Eventually surrendered the speakers as “settlement” to a love interest that I shouldn’t have entered. Bought a pair of ADS L-1290 from the Grammophone, still drooling over the PL system, but if I bought the amp, I couldn’t afford the preamp, vice versa. Went to Radio Shack, bought the STA-2300 (120 w/channel). Still wish I had the Heathkit speakers today…

A few systems later, still have the ADS speakers, memory flashed back to PL, found a 400 and a 4000 preamp on ebay for reasonable prices. I entered the big league! After WOPLing the 400 my first test was Joy division’s “Heart And Soul” on a Pioneer PL-L1000 linear tracker. Once again, needless to say…

I intended the 400 to be a practice build for an eventual 700, when the 700 was finished, even more ecstasy…
 

Rat44

Journeyman
Joined
Jun 29, 2010
Messages
399
Location
Tacoma,Wa
#5
Welcome aboard from another Washington music nut.
I remember all those old stereo stores.
I was a frequent visitor at the local Pacific stereo.
 

laatsch55

Administrator,
Staff member
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
74,738
Location
Gillette, Wyo.
Tagline
Halfbiass...Electron Herder and Backass Woof
#10
I noticed when you joined. Something about the username stuck wih me. Wondered if you were ever going to post. Ihave one of those combinations of gear you described....the Speakerlab k-horns and lots of WOPL's. Quite a combination when the drivers have been upgraded. Looking forward to your trials and travails.
 

mr_rye89

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
2,593
Location
Land of Entrapment
Tagline
Lost in the Ozone Again
#13
Welcome! I WOPL'd a 400 back in '22 and am finishing up a 700B currently. Gonna be bi-amping/active crossover-ing some Altecs with em. All hail the mighty WOPL!
 
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