Output tubes burn-in

Didn't know about the West-Johnson connection. Remember Dayton-Wright?
Of course i remember the old McIntosh stuff- even owned a few pieces along the way.
why don't you email me at bill@flyingreptilemediagroup.com
We can connect offline.
Best,

Pretty cool that you have and still use a Dual 75. I have a Dual 75a that i bought from a dealer in around 1974 and have maintained it over the years, had it recapped, etc. several years ago, and just ordered a new set of output tubes from ARC. I don't really use the amp anymore, but have kept it for sentimental value. Out of curiosity, what did you use to plug into those quarter inch jacks to bias the tubes? I have a meter, so that's no big deal, but I'm not sure how those jacks are wired.
And, fwiw, different tube equipment would seem to react differently to burn in, in terms of sound. I just retubed my SET Lamm amps, I really could detect no shortcoming in hearing the new tubes, in fact, the amp probably sounded better. In burning in my new phono stage recently, (an Allnic) it took forever, and the sound changed dramatically over time.

Thanks, Kisawyer. Yep, even back in the day, you didn't see those much.
I suspect the really early ARC stuff, including the Pelpoe(?) Industries equipment that WZJ first made, is extremely collectible these days. I owned alot of ARC stuff over the years, had the companion SP 3-a-1 preamp, then eventually went to the SP-10mkii preamp, which I used for a long, long time. Also a succession of amps, including D- 70mk ii, and Classic 60, all of which I used on my Quads. I kept the Dual 75 a for some reason, and used to use it in my home theatre system, which was at one point all tube amps. Kinda got warm watching a movie. :)
The company still makes really good products, and provides amazing support, with that mid-western sincerity that seems so out of place in NY- but I find kind of endearing.
I still have a bunch of older equipment that I eventually need to restore, including a pair of Quad II amps, a pair of vintage Decca ribbons and of course, my original Quad ESLs. Just a question of time, money and priorities.
Thanks for the info, and continue to enjoy your amp. I kinda liked the build style of the Dual 75, with that gap in the cage.

Kisawyer: Man, you are really one of the few! They should reserve a place at the museum for your system. The D-51 was a sweet little amp. I vaguely remember the SP-1, honestly can't say if I ever heard it. You are right, of course, that the products were branded Electronic Industries early on- somehow, I pulled 'Pelpoe' out of my, ahem, ear? I couldn't remember the connection with that name- I did a quick search and they bought him out early on, but I think that was really before ARC. You also know that some of his first amps were basically heavily modded Dynaco St 70's, right?
I doubt i ever inverted the leads- I used the amp with my old Quad ESLs (which weren't quite as old in 1974), and I think i just used the 16 ohm tap. I also vaguely remember something about a floating ground, but I may be misremembering that. It has been a while. I still have all the packing and literature that came with mine (I need to hunt for the screwdriver) so I will dig down when I retube. I need to replace the barrier terminals- they have had their barriers broken off since the 1970's when the amp was in active use- i just never got around to replacing them, and ordered new terminal strips from ARC which arrived yesterday, along with a new set of power tubes.
The company, as you know, went through a variety of 'sounds' over the years. They even introduced a failed solid state product at one point- i think they called it the 'analog module'- they were sealed modules on the circuit board that were 'like' tubes- I don't think that went very far. And of course, they had their 'white period' when the tube stuff sounded drier and less euphonic. I've heard the current Ref stuff and it sounded great on big dynamic speakers.

You should let the company know if they don't already that you are still running these pieces. It would be an interesting PR exercise for them to show an owner who has had their equipment for 40 years and still enjoys it.
That's very cool.

You were really there. I remember the KLH 9- I grew up in Pittsburgh and the store which had the highest end stuff was Opus One. Tasso Spanos, the owner, was a KLH 9 devotee. (I think this was in the days of the Janzen tweeters) The 10B was, for me, the fish that got away- a friend promised to get for me, - one that had been on display at a showroom in NYC for years since new -but it never happened. I only met WZJ once, briefly, when I worked as a drop out in an audio store. (I was probably about 19 or 20 at the time). And i certainly remember the Servo-Statik but never heard one.
I was always pretty cautious about using any amp with the Quads, but once i get the Dual 75a retubed, I will probably run it through a set of dynamic speakers first and will try the phase thing. Best,
Bill Hart

Love it. I think i remember that chair. Issac Hayes was the man. Great story, you could do a blog of audio days gone-by. It would be fun to read.
Keep 'em coming.
We visited Memphis recently- the bbq was phenomenal, we went out to the 4Way for some soul food, and of course, we did Graceland and the Sun Studios tour. I thought Beale St. was disappointing- at best hard rock blues, no country or delta blues or any other kind of blues that we could find. Some of the storefronts were great, but the city had a very dangerous vibe (I lived in NYC during the crack-crazed 80's, and know what 'edgy' is about). Too bad, cause it has the potential to be a little jewel of a city- nice architecture, the locals were cool, and man, that bbq! You could smell it when you woke up in the morning in town.