Tony Bombera
My audio journey started in Grade 9 on when I picked up a ham/DIY audio magazine. I was hooked ever since and as a result I started building audio gear and went into engineering. The first amplifier I built was a germanium 2 x 6W integrated. That was followed by speakers, tuner, more powerful quadraphonic amplifier, … I did not have time to build gear in early 1980’s and bought commercial gear. I was not too happy with the sound so in late 1980’s building of audio equipment started again: JFET and OP AMP preamplifiers, solid state amplifiers, modifications of tuners, amplifiers, … Then around 1990 I “discovered” triode tubes and high efficiency speakers and was hooked again. This was in pre-Internet days when it was very difficult to find any information about the emerging SET (Single Ended Triode) movement. Sound Practices magazine was the main source of information in those days. I started building SET amplifiers, preamplifiers, highly efficient speakers and modifying tube equipment. I have a long list of equipment which I want to build. A number of project are on the drawing board: Hiraga Class A amplifier, battery powered chip amplifier, SET amplifier, LCR tube phono stage, discrete component DAC, … However, the biggest project is a big 4 way horn speaker system. One day – maybe when I am retired?
I mostly listen to jazz and classical music.
Audio System:
Speakers – Great Plains Audio 604-8H II (or Altec 604E) Coaxial drivers in 9.5 cu ft custom enclosures of my own design
Amplifier 1 – Serious Stereo 2A3 SET
Amplifier 2 – SET (417A – 45 – Tango NC-14 – 45/2A3/300B – Tango OPT of my own design)
Amplifier 3 – Gainclone (of my own design)
Preamplifier – Passive Autotransformer (of my own design)
DAC – Meitner BiDat
CD Transport – CEC TL-51 TX Transport (modified)
CD Player – Rotel 955 (modified)
Turntable – Le Platine Verdier with platter height adjustment modification, speed control of my own design, battery powered
Phono Stage 1 – Tempo Electric Loesch (modified) with shunt regulated power supply of my own design
Phono Stage 2 – “Le Pacific” style JFET phono with battery supply of my own design
Tonearms – Reed 2A / SME 3012 II / Fidelity Research FR-64S
Cartridges – Allnic Veritas / Shelter 901
Step up transformers – Allnic / Dave Slagle / Peerless 4665 / Ortofon / Kurt Strain
Tuner – McIntosh MR-67 with Modafferi Mods
Reel to reel – Studer 807 MK II
NAS – Drobo
Music Server – HD-Plex
Music Server OS – Windows 7
Music Server Software – XXHighEndPlayer
Headphones – AKG 701
Cables / Speakers – Ensemble
Cables / Interconnects – Siltech SQ-110 MK II / Kimber KCAG / Chimera Laboratories Advantage II / Luminous Audio Silver Reference and Reference / Audio Note AN Vx / Ensemble DYNAflux fsf / My own designs
Cables / Power – TG Audio / Serious Stereo / Acrolink / Furutech
AC Power – Four dedicated Cardas 10AWG AC lines
