Hi, my name is Bill Berndt

berndt

New Around These Parts
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
14
#1
IMG_20181109_064616_547.jpg


I'm a maintenance machinist for the city of San Francisco. I've been a machinist and a mechanic my whole life. Moved to SF from Milwaukee in 91 after being deployed in the Persian Gulf War. I grew up in Oshkosh Wisconsin. I rediscovered audio around twenty years ago and got on the buy sell merry go round. I took a diy class at the Randall museum and built my first piece of gear. I've built a lot of turntables, mostly empire replinths. My speakers have been Duke Legeunes Audio Kinesis Jazz Modules. They have been great for tube amps, a linear impedence curve and a good load. I came from magnestand magnepan but Maggie's always showed an amplifiers weaknesses and in the damp coastal air delaminating was a constant struggle. I've had a few solid state amps, krell ksa 150, coda, threshold, but they ended up not really being listenable over any period of time. I always went back to the tube rig. The Amp in the picture was built on a table saw leaf that I dug out of the garbage. An old audio friend was cleaning out his garage and gave me a Pl400. I bought all the woa bits and am in the process of finishing it. I spent some time on this forum and I saw the 700 was the one to get. But it seems the only thing woa doesn't sell is the iron. So I bought the underwater 700 off of ebay thinking I just need the transformer.
Anyways, here I am, just wanted to properly introduce myself. FB_IMG_1556889631934.jpg
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I also was a burning amp volunteer for many years working with Mark variac. I used to frequent many forums but ended up spending less and less time talking about it or seeking approval from the internet for my viewpoints. I'm really here to work through my phase linear projects. Thank you in advance for your help and advice. Bill
 

berndt

New Around These Parts
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
14
#4
Thanks for the welcome Mark, you have helped me a lot with the 400 build via your youtubes
 

Gepetto

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
13,473
Location
Sterling, MA
Tagline
Old 'Arn Enthusiast
#5
Welcome Bill, you already have many curious followers here that want to know how that transformer works out. It was being tracked for the week that it was up for auction. You will get plenty of PL help on this forum.

Joe
 

Geegz

Journeyman
Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
349
Location
Atlanta, GA
Tagline
---there is no replacement for displacement
#6
Welcome to the forum Bill. You will find plenty of help from the guys here, I found the forum a few years back through Mark’s YouTube videos for his 400 build and now have a few 700 WOPL’s I will never part with.
 

orange

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
17,704
Tagline
Broken beyond repair but highly affable
#7
View attachment 36111


I'm a maintenance machinist for the city of San Francisco. I've been a machinist and a mechanic my whole life. Moved to SF from Milwaukee in 91 after being deployed in the Persian Gulf War. I grew up in Oshkosh Wisconsin. I rediscovered audio around twenty years ago and got on the buy sell merry go round. I took a diy class at the Randall museum and built my first piece of gear. I've built a lot of turntables, mostly empire replinths. My speakers have been Duke Legeunes Audio Kinesis Jazz Modules. They have been great for tube amps, a linear impedence curve and a good load. I came from magnestand magnepan but Maggie's always showed an amplifiers weaknesses and in the damp coastal air delaminating was a constant struggle. I've had a few solid state amps, krell ksa 150, coda, threshold, but they ended up not really being listenable over any period of time. I always went back to the tube rig. The Amp in the picture was built on a table saw leaf that I dug out of the garbage. An old audio friend was cleaning out his garage and gave me a Pl400. I bought all the woa bits and am in the process of finishing it. I spent some time on this forum and I saw the 700 was the one to get. But it seems the only thing woa doesn't sell is the iron. So I bought the underwater 700 off of ebay thinking I just need the transformer.
Anyways, here I am, just wanted to properly introduce myself. View attachment 36112
View attachment 36113
I also was a burning amp volunteer for many years working with Mark variac. I used to frequent many forums but ended up spending less and less time talking about it or seeking approval from the internet for my viewpoints. I'm really here to work through my phase linear projects. Thank you in advance for your help and advice. Bill
Bill Berndt has bitchin' bottles and a trippin' table... (applauding that scheme) Welcome good sir!
 

mlucitt

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
3,339
Location
Jacksonville, FL
#8
We will be curious to hear how you evaluate the PL WOA gear vs the tube gear. There are differences, mostly related to power output! Welcome to the group. Your machinist skills may come in handy around here for the odd mechanical part.
 

berndt

New Around These Parts
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
14
#10
Screenshot_20170629-112132.png
I also restore bmw airheads. But it gets rather time consuming. I really enjoy rebuilding 5sp gearboxes and my local dealer sends people to me to do these rebuilds.
 

stetter

Journeyman
Joined
Dec 1, 2018
Messages
316
Location
Tower, MN
#11
Welcome to the show, Lots of great help with the bunch that live here. You do nice clean work, fun stuff to look at, great lookin table saw amp.
 

MarkWComer

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
3,198
Location
Gaston, SC
Tagline
Victim of the record bug since age five
#12
Thanks for the welcome Mark, you have helped me a lot with the 400 build via your youtubes
Welcome to the forum Bill. You will find plenty of help from the guys here, I found the forum a few years back through Mark’s YouTube videos for his 400 build and now have a few 700 WOPL’s I will never part with.
Wow! Humbled and flattered, THANKS! All I was doing was trippin off with a VidCam!
 

MarkWComer

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Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
3,198
Location
Gaston, SC
Tagline
Victim of the record bug since age five
#13
That brass platter table really intrigues me...
Closeup photo? Looks like a massive sucker!
 

MarkWComer

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
3,198
Location
Gaston, SC
Tagline
Victim of the record bug since age five
#17
Ooh... Bruckner! Great stuff!

Beautiful turntables, no question about speed stability there.
Looks like you could seat 12 people around that ‘table for Thanksgiving!
 

Gibsonian

Chief Journeyman
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
777
#20
Some beautifully done TT's.

Hope your PL build ends up being better for you than your prior SS experience.

Welcome!
 
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