Woo hoo! Telefunken V76 score!! (pics inside)

[underthebigtree]

So an old friend/studio maintenance guru is closing up shop and moving to Russia. I had mentioned the last time I saw him, to call if he was ever planning to sell his stuff. So he did this morning, and I jammed over there to see if anything interesting would turn up.

Lots of scopes, gazillions of dead ADATs and Be*ringer crapola. I figured the trip was in vain. Then I looked up on the top of a shelf, and there it was: a cardboard box that said "****'s Telefunken V76".

I took it down, opened it up, and there they were. 2 of 'em. 500 bones later, I was on my way, thinking about how I would possibly have time to take on another DIY project.

I got home, and got a nasty surprise. 1 looked to be in fine shape. The other was missing the tubes, as well as what appears to be a transformer nestled in between the tubes. I was crestfallen, but them's the risks you take.

I will of course rack 'em up, fix 'em up, and get 'em working in my studio. I don't want to go to tab-funkenwerk or Marquette Audio Labs, because I can't afford them and that flies in the face of true DIY-dom. Can hardly wait to jump in!

So here they are (pix at the bottom). And a couple of questions for our august group of experts, if I might:

1) Where is the best US source for 12-pin Tuschel connectors?
2) What do you suggest for a 100W 120V to 220V step up transformer?
3) What is the best/most reasonably priced source for the Telefunken EF804S and E83F tubes? Are there appropriate substitutes, or are those the beasties?
4) What is that missing hunk of iron? Is it going to be hellaciously impossible/ferociously expensive to replace?
5) Does anyone have a schemo they could lay on this poor laddie?
6) What do you think about recapping these babies? The fellow I bought them from said that it was unlikely that they needed it. One looks like it already has a bunch of modern caps inside. I'm planning on it, but always interested in other POV.

Many, many thanks in advance,

Nick

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[soundguy]

nick, for $500, if they are both broken you got a massive deal...

dave

 

[Winston OBoogie]

...

 

[CJ]

You fine. Your not missing the 300 dollar input transformer thats in the mu cans.
Don't pull the cans off or you might damage the silk wire.
www.tubesandmore.com has EF's.
Nice score!

 

[jrmintz]

Is there a difference between an EF804 and an EF804S?

 

[CJ]

The S is supposed to be scrutinized more in the qc process.
There's a whole page on that at the Ollinators site.

That's the first choke i believe so you can either have Ollie wind you an original , use another cheaper choke, or use a resistor in place of the choke.

 

[mcs]

[quote author="CJ"]or use a resistor in place of the choke.[/quote]
Don't use a resistor - Hammond chokes are cheap...

Best regards,

Mikkel C. Simonsen

 

[Samuel Groner]

5) Does anyone have a schemo they could lay on this poor laddie?

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~gwagner/v76.gif

BTW, what ratio is the input tranny? Hard to read on the schemo, 1+1:10?

Samuel

 

[rafafredd]

I´m not sure, but I think the V76 input is a 1:30 :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[rafafredd]

[quote author="mcs"]Don't use a resistor - Hammond chokes are cheap...

Best regards,

Mikkel C. Simonsen[/quote]

It seems that the bigger choke hammond sells is 150H:

http://www.hammondmfg.com/153.htm

This is the 156C

V76 calls for a 250H and a 400H chokes. Maybe, if those are cheap, would it be possible to use chokes in series?

Tab Funkenwork is the only one I know that sells the exact replacement chokes.

 

[Samuel Groner]

I´m not sure, but I think the V76 input is a 1:30

Now I can read it on the schemo. It reads "2x1:30" which means 1+1:30 or 1:15. Sounds reasonable now! Thanks!

Samuel

 

[underthebigtree]

Thanks for the schematic and great info, guys. I think I'm off to the races. I'm sure I'll have lots o' questions in the future.

For now, hoopy holidays to all!

Nick

 

[volki]

i heard that it's advisable to use the lower noise version ef804s in the first stage, but that it's ok to use the normal 804 for the other stages.

 

[CJ]

That's what I am running Volki, 804s-0804-804 and then the amperex sub.

I did an a/b test between choke and resistor and could not here any difference.
mcs , have you done this test?

 

[volki]

cj, that's weird. did you also perform measurements, or did you just listen? just curious. i mean, one should think an expensive part like this is there for a good reason...

 

[CJ]

It just jacks up the gain a bit and cuts down a little on thd, but nothing dramtic.
The amp has 76db gain already so ......

 

[tommypiper]

My experience is same as CJ. Ollie told me a while back that replacing the choke or not is a matter of taste. It may be a little brighter with the choke, he said, but it's very subtle and some people prefer not to replace it (separate from the cost).

 

[tommypiper]

[quote author="CJ"]That's what I am running Volki, 804s-0804-804 and then the amperex sub....[/quote]

I've heard CJ's wit' me own ears, and it makes an sm57 sound like a big hot Neumann condenser! Gorgeous, sensitive and quiet.

 

[CJ]

Thanks Tommypiper! How much do I owe ya for that one?
Happy Holidays

 

[tommypiper]

If you insist, you can help me with an LA2 some day... or an AM16... but tis I who owe you! You're way ahead of me.

Happy Christmas!