Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:21 pm

Superman wrote:Thank you, sir! You're one of the SULSUL-tants! :D


And just by rolling the tubes, you can reach another level, I kid you not. :rock:
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:24 pm

Like this one on the left, doesn't it remind you of Kryptonite? :D

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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby muypogi » Sat Jul 09, 2016 11:19 pm

Trying out my Minimax Phono with some EI 12Ax7 on the buffer stages i found on the phono stage of my recently restored Knight KG-250 amp. They "pop" when they first start up, like vintage Mullards do.

Image

Also found to my surprise my center tube was not a Chines tube but likely a Telefunken installed at the factory . . .

Image

Combo sounds pretty good so far along with a previous installed NOS rectifier tube. Very airy and detailed . . .

Image


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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Sat Aug 13, 2016 8:43 pm

Thanks for sharing, Muypogi. Interesting to know that the E! tubes flashes on startup, I never notice that when I had EIs. And yes, Morita always supply a premium tube in the middle 12AX7 position, be it Telefunken, Mullard or Amperex. That is why there is an added premium over the SRP.
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:00 am

muypogi wrote:Trying out my Minimax Phono with some EI 12Ax7 on the buffer stages i found on the phono stage of my recently restored Knight KG-250 amp. They "pop" when they first start up, like vintage Mullards do.

Image

Also found to my surprise my center tube was not a Chines tube but likely a Telefunken installed at the factory . . .

Image

Combo sounds pretty good so far along with a previous installed NOS rectifier tube. Very airy and detailed . . .

Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Good thing your pictures are still showing here, Miypogi. Hail to uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com !! :D
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby TheAnalogSource » Mon Apr 30, 2018 8:25 pm

our beloved minimax has just been kicked ass haha we should ask for a rematch with the 803s in it hehe
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:21 pm

TheAnalogSource wrote:our beloved minimax has just been kicked ass haha we should ask for a rematch with the 803s in it hehe


well, noly, i really don't know what to say, maybe to summon pat morita who may just be waiting for such a moment. :D
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby Mamimili » Wed May 02, 2018 5:16 pm

There seems to be a lot of interest in phono stages recently, what exactly makes a phono stage "good"?

Not a troll but a genuine question as its something i am trying to understand better. Because i think i need to modify or replace mine and do not know if i should go with fixed loading or switchable loading (MM only, resistance and capacitance switching)
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Wed May 02, 2018 6:50 pm

Mamimili wrote:There seems to be a lot of interest in phono stages recently, what exactly makes a phono stage "good"?

Not a troll but a genuine question as its something i am trying to understand better. Because i think i need to modify or replace mine and do not know if i should go with fixed loading or switchable loading (MM only, resistance and capacitance switching)


Well, Paul, it's actually a good question, and not that really easy to answer.

In my own experience, I judge a good phono stage with its tonal character. I want my overall sound to be 'body-ful'. In short, Coke regular, not Diet Coke or Coke Zero. :) I want to hear emotion when a vocalist sing. I want to feel what she feels. I also do not go for a lean sound with highs that can go to infinity or lows that are boosted and boomy. Actually, we all seek much of the same qualities in key components like amps, preamps and sources. So to add to more good traits of a phono stage, the gain should be enough to handle medium to low MC cartridges, otherwise, there will be noise when pushed to the max limit. A good phono stage should also exhibit great soundstage, and for example, my old ARC Ph3 excels in that area - wide and deep with excellent layering and separation of instruments. And another concern and quite an important one is the price point of the phono stage, again, just like in other components, there is a price which we are willing to pay vis-a-vis its performance.
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby Mamimili » Wed May 02, 2018 8:46 pm

jadis wrote:
Mamimili wrote:There seems to be a lot of interest in phono stages recently, what exactly makes a phono stage "good"?

Not a troll but a genuine question as its something i am trying to understand better. Because i think i need to modify or replace mine and do not know if i should go with fixed loading or switchable loading (MM only, resistance and capacitance switching)


Well, Paul, it's actually a good question, and not that really easy to answer.

In my own experience, I judge a good phono stage with its tonal character. I want my overall sound to be 'body-ful'. In short, Coke regular, not Diet Coke or Coke Zero. :) I want to hear emotion when a vocalist sing. I want to feel what she feels. I also do not go for a lean sound with highs that can go to infinity or lows that are boosted and boomy. Actually, we all seek much of the same qualities in key components like amps, preamps and sources. So to add to more good traits of a phono stage, the gain should be enough to handle medium to low MC cartridges, otherwise, there will be noise when pushed to the max limit. A good phono stage should also exhibit great soundstage, and for example, my old ARC Ph3 excels in that area - wide and deep with excellent layering and separation of instruments. And another concern and quite an important one is the price point of the phono stage, again, just like in other components, there is a price which we are willing to pay vis-a-vis its performance.


Philip, thanks again.
To my ears i have the sound you describe and i certainly would not want to lose that.
Now i am a confirmed born again Decca Head i wonder if i can fine tune even more as people talk about changing resistors (a huge range from 12K up to 1 megOhm).
I look forward to the coming shoot-outs to learn more and will get my questions ready for a new thread, or my guru :D
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Thu May 03, 2018 7:25 pm

Mamimili wrote:
jadis wrote:
Mamimili wrote:There seems to be a lot of interest in phono stages recently, what exactly makes a phono stage "good"?

Not a troll but a genuine question as its something i am trying to understand better. Because i think i need to modify or replace mine and do not know if i should go with fixed loading or switchable loading (MM only, resistance and capacitance switching)


Well, Paul, it's actually a good question, and not that really easy to answer.

In my own experience, I judge a good phono stage with its tonal character. I want my overall sound to be 'body-ful'. In short, Coke regular, not Diet Coke or Coke Zero. :) I want to hear emotion when a vocalist sing. I want to feel what she feels. I also do not go for a lean sound with highs that can go to infinity or lows that are boosted and boomy. Actually, we all seek much of the same qualities in key components like amps, preamps and sources. So to add to more good traits of a phono stage, the gain should be enough to handle medium to low MC cartridges, otherwise, there will be noise when pushed to the max limit. A good phono stage should also exhibit great soundstage, and for example, my old ARC Ph3 excels in that area - wide and deep with excellent layering and separation of instruments. And another concern and quite an important one is the price point of the phono stage, again, just like in other components, there is a price which we are willing to pay vis-a-vis its performance.


Philip, thanks again.
To my ears i have the sound you describe and i certainly would not want to lose that.
Now i am a confirmed born again Decca Head i wonder if i can fine tune even more as people talk about changing resistors (a huge range from 12K up to 1 megOhm).
I look forward to the coming shoot-outs to learn more and will get my questions ready for a new thread, or my guru :D


My pleasure, Paul.

I just remember that 3 years ago, the importer of the Minimax changed some Multicaps into Mundorf Gold Oil caps. He changed 6 of them and brought it to my house. The result it that the sound became clearer, more transparent, more highs and tighter lows, but the mids became a bit leaner. He liked it, but I did not so I didn't have to change the caps. So to each his own, it is like cooking, and eating. :)

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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby TheAnalogSource » Fri May 04, 2018 9:20 am

i like them that can bring out the most detail from the cart. ill do the flavoring in the succeeding stages.
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby Mamimili » Fri May 04, 2018 10:02 am

I can eat better than i can cook!
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Fri May 04, 2018 10:38 am

TheAnalogSource wrote:i like them that can bring out the most detail from the cart. ill do the flavoring in the succeeding stages.


That's a good way to do it. But what I liked immediately with the Minimax phono was its tonal balance, even with the stock tubes (Morita supplied a middle Telefunken as stock tube)
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby jadis » Fri May 04, 2018 10:39 am

Mamimili wrote:I can eat better than i can cook!


I'm trying to improve my cooking to balance it. :D
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Re: Eastern Electric MINIMAX Phono and Line Preamps

Postby audiostar » Wed May 09, 2018 3:21 pm

A good phono stage should be able to 'decode' accurately musical information that your cart picks up from the record grooves. Some like the sound to be fuller, some prefer linearity while others want more pratt. These are the different characteristics that phono stages offer but the bottom line is still resolution.
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