Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Music Maker - Stevie K with a 16a

.

so my friend steve... no, not that steve with a 16a from North Carolina... this Steve... lives in a quiet little town... nice sunsets... small farms... and he is that guy who hears the records calling his name from every Goodwill he drives past.. which was a great very many as he drove quite a bit for work... now he just feeds his cows and spins those records... so he bought a new music system for all of those records... yep, another Western Electric 16a in North Carolina... and GIP 555w drivers..... which are beyond amazing... 

and Steve is a super hardcore DIY'er.... DHT line stage... DHT amp with DHT driver... built it himself!  and it sounds great... just fabulous... and he built the "Bass Base" for the 16a... check it out!


proper way to clamp



expansion shown with bracing every eight inches - super important!



walnut ply looks good




*live* Muddy, Chester, Buddy, Sonny Boy!!





NERDS!





 how is that for documentation?




and packaging...




these things sound absolutely stunning.. and remember, I have originals... contact me if you want to hear some.. 




Hey Furby!  You look like a sheep!!


peace,
me






15 comments:

  1. I should hope they sound amazing for the obscene prices they charge. Bought by those with more money than brains. They should be ashamed of themselves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ok.. sincere thanks for your comment.. two questions, however... one, why post anonymously such comments? let us have an open and honest discussion.. this gentleman is certainly not wealthy by American standards.. this is clearly his passion.. he built most of his system *himself*!! and two, have you ever tried to make such an item yourself? I suspect that you would not be able to do so any cheaper... ask me how I know....

      all said as openly and honestly as possible...

      peace,
      me

      Delete
    2. Funny comment as with that stuff you actually get something for your money. How much does Suzuki invest in marketing? Well,... ?

      Delete
    3. I have no issue with making stuff myself to get something much better than commercial. My all DHT pre and amps cost about $5k and my friends think I'm mad. My issue is the cost of joining the WE horn club. $80k+ for pairs of WE 555 + 597 (Western Labo). GIP 597 are $10k a pair (EIFL) No prices for GIP 555 but GIP 594 $25k a pair so guessing $35k for GIP and no horns yet.or bass. Sorry, but to me those incomplete costs are obscene and well beyond my means. I'll jusy have make do without.

      Delete
    4. The name of this blog is HiFi HEROIN, not HiFi bubblegum. ;)

      Delete
  2. That's just beautiful! Nice work. Love the "bass base"!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brakes my heart, with joy!
    Lovely post in all ways.
    So happy for farmer Steve.
    And we know that when you have cows,
    you can never leave, so best make it good at home

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeffrey's post is better than I deserve.

    I recommend giving a system like this a chance because of the fun factor from the music and the joy of creating. No doubt in my mind about it being right for me for those reasons. I know of nothing else in this world that I would willingly spend the same amount for and for that reason it is the best purchase I have made. The downside is I will probably forsake a few sunsets for some music time.

    My oldest cow is north of 20 and her vet bills alone prove I am brainless.

    Thanks to Jeffrey and our Eastern brothers who appreciate Western Electric and have allowed me to benefit.

    It stopped raining. The sunset tomorrow will be awesome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Steve I've only heard the 16a briefly but I understand why you went to such lengths. Your bass module is just beautiful. I would love to hear that sometime.

      Top notch.
      Bravo!

      Delete
    2. Here is to many good years of enjoying those beauties, wish I could hear them!

      Delete
  5. I am Steve’s brother and not at all familiar with your (audio) world but Wow! I am really fascinated by the Western Electric 16a and GIP 555w drivers (and the people who own them and other high-end and unusual audio equipment). I recently went to an opera presented in one of the 1930’s era movie theaters (Richmond, VA) and understand this type of sound system was used there back in the day so this is my only (and loose) connection to this piece of equipment.
    About the cost to own this device: I once bought a nice new seaworthy boat that got about 3 miles per gallon and cost even more to haul it 90 miles to the Chesapeake Bay. So I’d say this is comparable to having the Western Electric 16a and GIP 555w drivers (with the addition of a few high maintenance cows).
    Hope to hear the sound one day soon.
    Mike

    ReplyDelete
  6. The white wave guide in the middle is to give more stereo separation? What's it made of?

    ReplyDelete
  7. @streamenterer

    The white material is textile covering the confluence of the left side and right side horns. Think of it as the right and left horns joined at the lip or mouth or orifice. Had to do something to make it fit behind the theatre screen (27" deep)before there was stereo? It is phat mono or skinnie stereo, take your pick.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jeffrey this looks *****fucking amazing

    ReplyDelete

Blog Archive