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The Dynaco Tube Audio Forum

Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of all original Dynaco tube audio equipment - Customer support for Tubes4hifi VTA tube amp and preamp kits and all Dynakitparts.com products


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audiobill
aguaazul
6 posters

    Blend Switch - Yes or NO?

    aguaazul
    aguaazul


    Posts : 136
    Join date : 2012-07-08
    Age : 63
    Location : Livermore, CA

    Blend Switch - Yes or NO? Empty Blend Switch - Yes or NO?

    Post by aguaazul Tue May 12, 2015 5:40 pm

    Hi, I have a Zmod TCLA - new ALPS Volume and Balance. I listen to Stereo material 99% of the time.

    My question is should I include the Blend Switch? Mine is roached but I do have a stereo selector laying around.
    Does anyone have any experience building up a new blend switch with a Rotary (6) Position Switch?

    Any help is appreciated.

    Aguaazul
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    audiobill


    Posts : 425
    Join date : 2014-03-13
    Location : Albany, NY

    Blend Switch - Yes or NO? Empty deleted

    Post by audiobill Tue May 12, 2015 5:53 pm

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    Last edited by audiobill on Tue May 12, 2015 9:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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    TN Allen


    Posts : 164
    Join date : 2013-01-01

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    Post by TN Allen Tue May 12, 2015 7:17 pm

    Had to research a few words to understand the question, and 1st response.

    Perhaps you can add a simple switched circuit that gives you either stereo or mono, using a single rocker switch, rather than a selector switch and several circuits to blend the channels in stepped percentages.
    deepee99
    deepee99


    Posts : 2244
    Join date : 2012-05-23
    Location : Wallace, Idaho

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    Post by deepee99 Tue May 12, 2015 7:45 pm

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    Last edited by deepee99 on Wed May 13, 2015 9:44 am; edited 1 time in total
    aguaazul
    aguaazul


    Posts : 136
    Join date : 2012-07-08
    Age : 63
    Location : Livermore, CA

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    Post by aguaazul Tue May 12, 2015 7:49 pm

    Actually it was the connections to the rotary switch on the output side. I removed the old wire and cleaned off the old solder, followed by de-oxit. The switch connections are pretty snappy now.

    I'm moving forward with it in the circuit. I actually have an FM3 that is next on the bench. I was thinking the Blend may come in handy.

    Now I just need to know where I drop the ground. The connection schematic sent does not bring the ground in from the RCA jacks. I'm thinking I need that ground on the blend switch so where to drop the ground if that is at all necessary.

    Thanks guys.
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    wildiowa


    Posts : 237
    Join date : 2012-03-19

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    Post by wildiowa Wed May 13, 2015 9:06 am

    Is that a huge Bozak Symphony speaker in your avatar? Or is that a very small child?
    aguaazul
    aguaazul


    Posts : 136
    Join date : 2012-07-08
    Age : 63
    Location : Livermore, CA

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    Post by aguaazul Wed May 13, 2015 11:22 am

    It's a 130 lb Bozak Symphony speaker with my 4 year old son (he was 3 when we took that picture).
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    wildiowa


    Posts : 237
    Join date : 2012-03-19

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    Post by wildiowa Wed May 13, 2015 11:48 am

    Thought they looked familiar. I just got rid of a pair of Century 4005's absolutely had no room for them to give them justice. They had 2-12's and the multi-cell type tweeters, huge huge huge. I never even got them pumped up but felt one was somewhat weaker than the other...I just did not have the time or patience to get them rebuilt. I tried and tried to join the yahoo Bozak site (private) but no one ever responded. There is little info on them lots of history but not too much current stuff except some crossover mods and general discussion. They are a weird bird for certain. Jack Webb had a pair of the big Bozaks in his TV studio in LA. I ended up trading them for a killer EV guitar speaker, and took about a $150 loss on the whole deal but moved them to a place they may find a home. Old school for sure, lots of theories and experimentation with speakers going on during that time. When these old guys who founded the companies died and the place was sold they all went down the tube. You need a pretty big tube amp to drive them, very inefficient.
    aguaazul
    aguaazul


    Posts : 136
    Join date : 2012-07-08
    Age : 63
    Location : Livermore, CA

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    Post by aguaazul Wed May 13, 2015 2:48 pm

    Hey Wildiowa, I received mine for a charitable donation through the Bozak Yahoo Newsgroup. I drove from the bay area to LA pick them up. Yes, the yahoo newsgroup has moderator issues. You are not the only person who has tried to join and finally gave up.   But, when I dug into mine, I snapped some pictures, shared them with the group and a wealth of information and advice was freely given to me. There are a few folks that frequent those pages who were part of the Bozak lineage thought the years.

    If you would have checked your crossovers and solder connections, I bet you would have found the reason for the lack of volume on one speaker, the pesky cold solder joint that is referenced here quite often.

    Here is a photo album of our Bozak Symphony journey.  We’ve got a pair of B-313’s that is the next project after the FM3.

    https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115713517853904698674/albums/6148408094937696785/6148419393363702114?pid=6148419393363702114&oid=115713517853904698674

    https://plus.google.com/photos/115713517853904698674/albums/6148408094937696785
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    GP49


    Posts : 792
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    Location : East of the sun and west of the moon

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    Post by GP49 Thu May 14, 2015 12:26 am

    aguaazul wrote:
    I'm moving forward with it in the circuit. I actually have an FM3 that is next on the bench. I was thinking the Blend may come in handy.

    Yes, a blend comes in handy on weak signals where stereo may be noisy, but mono is quiet.

    However if you have a genuine Dynaco FM-3 (as opposed to a Dynaco FM-1 with the MPX-3 converter and new front panel
    so it LOOKS like an FM-3), it comes with a blend control.  Pull out on the VOLUME knob, and the shaft will click out and
    actuate a slide switch on the volume control assembly.  It's a blend switch.

    That blend switch and "pull to blend" function is why the FM-3 came with setscrew knobs instead of the splined ones
    on the FM-1 and the retrofit aluminum faceplate for the FM-1/FMX-3.
    aguaazul
    aguaazul


    Posts : 136
    Join date : 2012-07-08
    Age : 63
    Location : Livermore, CA

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    Post by aguaazul Thu May 14, 2015 12:54 pm

    I do have an FM-3 with the pull out volume pot. I knew that the pull out feature was used in the alignment process but not for blend. I learn a lot from coming here, thanks! I need to re-read the FM-3 manual / build guide. It's been a while.

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