Handcrafted, one of a kind.
TPA3116D2 with all the boutique audiophile bits.
Vintage US Navy panel meter.
Solid walnut faceplate.
American made aluminum enclosure.
KrappyKables Interconnects
It’s always exciting to discover a piece of audio gear that doesn’t just result in a different flavor of sound, but takes one’s system to the next level of musical enjoyment. After thirty years in the hobby, this is quite a rare occurrence.
Inserting a pair of KrappyKable interconnects into my system, I had that exact exciting experience. Using my Fostex FF165K equipped Frugal Horn XL’s and one of my TPA3116 amplifiers, I was gobsmacked by the bass response improvements over my previous two reference interconnects! Not only was the bass deeper, but it was tight and tuneful. Midrange was as hauntingly real as my previous cables with perhaps a bit more separation between instruments. The bass response alone had me sold on these as my new reference. I’m looking forward to trying out their speaker cables in the future. Link below for more information.
“Texas Oak” Sold to Tim of Bella Vista, AR
20 watts per channel into 8 ohms. 40 watts into 4 ohms.
Handmade in Texas heavy aluminum enclosure with solid Oak side panels.
Oversized, high purity copper EI transformer, OSCON and Nichicon Muse power supply capacitors, Belden Brilliance fully shielded input wire, Alps blue velvet volume potentiometer, REAN RCA input connectors, Cardas machined copper binding posts and a machined aluminum volume pot knob.
Two input integrated (Sold to Larry of Montgomery, Texas)
Two input integrated amplifier producing 20 watts into 8 ohms.
Alps Blue Velvet volume pot, genuine Fender guitar volume knobs,
Cotton insulated high purity copper output wire and Nichicon gold tune power supply capacitor.
Perdomo 20th Anniversary Cigar Box Stereo. (Sold to Emre of NYC)
Commissioned Cigar Box Stereo. TPA3116 amplifier with
Tang Band 3” full range drivers. Regulated power provided by external power supply.
Inputs are 1/8” stereo input or traditional RCA’s. Integrated power switch/volume pot.
Perfect for use with external Bluetooth receiver or Wi-Fi Streamer.
“Sotho Blue” TPA3116D2 (Sold to Rich of Clarksville, Tennessee)
Beautiful Maple faceplate with US Navy stamped General Electric panel meter.
R-Core transformer, Nichicon KG and Panasonic OSCON capacitors.
KLE Innovations harmony binding posts and Jupiter Condenser high purity copper hook up wire.
20 watts per channel into 8 ohms
40 watts per channel into 4 ohms
"Murat 124" TPA3116D2 (Sold to Emre of New York City)
This amplifier was made with an external power supply by special request.
Hammond diecast aluminum enclosure. Three inputs with a side mounted rotary Alps switch.
Other features include Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors, rubber isolators under circuit board, REAN RCA connectors and Jupiter Condenser cotton insulated 4N copper wire. Cardas Solder used throughout.
The Frazier Super Texan
I plan to pay tribute to Jack Frazier and the Super Texan model by documenting some of it's history while simultaneously providing a centralized resource for information on this rare speaker. There is a F.U.G. (Frazier's User Group) that is quite active on Facebook. There is also a 200+ page FUG thread on the Klipsch forum. Unfortunately, both take hours of searching to find small bits of information pertaining to the Super Texan. If you own Frazier Super Texan's or have ever heard a pair, PLEASE email me. I would like to obtain as much information as possible from actual owners, past owners or those who enjoyed their sound. I want to pay special thanks to Todd Crane and John Daggett. Todd was the sales manager for Frazier from the early 1970’s until 1983, when Jack Frazier died and the company was sold. John worked in the woodworking plant and the electronics plant. Both men have been helpful in my research. This post will continue to evolve as I collect more information. I hope in the end, it is a good resource for the Super Texan aficionado.
The Super Texan, manufactured first as the “Texan” with an 8” woofer began around 1959. Later transitioning to a 12” woofer, it earned the “Super Texan” moniker. Made by a small group of craftsman in Dallas, Texas the Super Texan was a folded low frequency exponential horn with a Frazier F-333-300 medium throw high frequency exponential horn. The drivers installed were a Frazier F-1277 12" heavy duty woofer with 2-1/2" edgewound aluminum voice coil and 78 oz. ceramic magnet.
The F333 horn was fitted with a Frazier compression driver manufactured by Atlas.
Frazier noted frequency response of 35hz to 15,000hz with an efficiency of 105db!
The crossover frequency of the stock cabinets was 600hz with a 12db slope. The stock crossover of the Texan was a 2.25mh coil and 24uf capacitor. It is believed the same crossover values migrated to the Super Texan. The dimensions of the system are
36-5/8" x 33" x24" with a weight of 190 pounds each.
Super Texans were typically employed in Discos, night clubs, movie theaters, churches and auditoriums.
The Frazier Super Texan F1290 folded horn bass speaker was equipped with a 12" woofer.
The original woofer installed was a Frazier F-1277. However, many are found to have Electro-Voice (EV) woofers installed. These were special order when requested by the customer or often installed as replacements by their respective owners. (My pair had EVM 12S drivers) The horn path is 7.5 feet in length.
The F-333-300 exponential medium throw high frequency horn had a dispersion of 90 x 40 with a rated frequency response of 600-15000hz. The impedance of the compression driver was 16 ohms. Power handling was 30 watts continuous and a rated efficiency of 119db. Interesting note, the stock crossovers used a tapped resistor as opposed to a rotating L pad to attenuate the F-333.
Above is the pair of Super Texans I acquired. The gentleman I purchased them from told me they came from the Cornerstone Church in Livonia, Michigan after it closed. He believes that is where they lived since new, but I have not been able to substantiate that. The seller elected to keep the EVM12L woofers that were installed. One horn had a missing compression driver and there were no crossovers installed.
The holes for the piezo tweeters in the front baffle are not factory and it was a shame they were put there.
I will be fixing the holes and then using wood veneer to cover the horrific butcher work.
The adventure continues....
The modified Frazier Super Texans are nearing completion.
The cabinets have a primer coat on them and are awaiting black paint. I will be building stands and possibly baffles for the midrange horns.
The midrange compression driver is the EV DH1A with ZXPC 10x18 horns. The bass bin is equipped with an EV12L woofer at the moment. Ciare 12” woofers are on order. I designed and built the passive crossovers, using measurements from my seating position and hours of listening tests with various components.
The soundstage is very large and the dynamics are excellent. The EV DH1A combined with the ZXPC horns are very smooth and among the smoothest horn combination I’ve heard.
These photos and Super Texan story were graciously shared by Bob…..
Here's my Frazier Super Texans story.
In 1987, I was hired by the Ryan Road Baptist Church in Warren, Michigan to be their youth pastor. The church had a "youth center" building next door to the main church building where the young people (teens) met. In the youth center, there was a great PA-based sound system, but the speakers were unlike anything I had ever seen.
For one thing, they were huge and heavy and hung from the ceiling joists by chains. For another, they didn't look like any speakers I had ever seen. They had horns on top, and openings along each side for the bass to come out (I would later learn what folded horns are). I didn't understand how they worked, or why they looked the way they did. I only knew they ROCKED. They could play deafeningly loud and had very clear sound, driven in mono by a sound board and a Peavey amp (model/power unknown).
I remember the church's lead audio tech telling me, "Those are really special speakers," but he didn't elaborate. I believe the Super Texans in our youth center were originally the main speakers for the church auditorium; and that they were handed down to the youth center after the church auditorium was redone with Bose 802's.
I would learn over thirty years later, thanks to the internet (including your blog) that those special speakers were in fact Frazier Super Texans. Ours did not have the logo sticker on the front of the cabinet like some I've seen; and they had two metal carrying handles on each side of each cabinet which I believe may have been added. Otherwise, I remember them as being quite stock in appearance and function, with the original horns on top and no modifications other than the handles.
The church sold that building in 1994. I have no idea what ever became of the speakers.
The church audio tech, who became a close friend of mine, passed away of brain cancer many years ago. I wish I could ask him more about those speakers.
I am attaching a picture of the stage end of the youth center, with the Super Texans clearly visible.
Regards,
Bob
Bond Street Tobacco lamp (Sold to Steven in Saint Hedwig, Texas)
Vintage Bond Street Pipe Tobacco can
like Dad used to have. As with all of my lamps, it is
equipped with a vintage style cloth cord and plug. Dimmer switch and LED bulb allows for just the right ambiance in your man cave.
Radio Dial Belts Lamp (Available)
Frugal Horn XL with Planet 10 enabled Mark Audio Alpair 10p
I've built nearly twenty pair of speakers over the years. Many single driver, back loaded horn designs including the Frugal Horn Sachiko, Saburo and numerous Nagaoka Tetsuo models. The Frugal Horn XL designed by Scott Lindgren is likely the most successful full range, back loaded horn for it's size. The huge Sachiko double mouth horn, using a Fostex 206e has a larger presentation, but bass is equally as deep with the Alpair 10p in the XL cabinet. As with most single driver speakers, imaging is spooky real and the signal is incredibly pure with no baffle step correction needed. I built this pair using Baltic Birch 18mm ply and birch veneer. Internal wire is Dueland cotton insulated copper.
TPA3116D2 "The In Crowd" Soft Maple (Sold to Will of Arlington, Virginia)
Deep midnight blue powder coated aluminum enclosure. Soft Maple faceplate with operating vintage Weston brand panel meter.
R-Core transformer, regulated, high capacitance power supply, Panasonic OSCON low ESR power supply capacitors. Jupiter Condenser cotton insulated 6n purity copper output wire. Shielded copper input wire. Rubber vibration isolators under the amplifier circuit board. Rubber enclosure feet.
40 watts into 4 ohms. 20 watts into 8 ohms
ICEpower 50ASX2SE "Rachmaninoff" (available)
Powdercoated aluminum enclosure adorned with a Oak faceplate and vintage Burlington panel meter.
KLE Innovations naked harmony binding posts. REAN RCA connectors. Cardas solder throughout and shielded copper wiring.
50 watts per channel - 4 ohms
TPA3116D2 "Eric Coates" Integrated Amplifier (Sold to Ryan J. of Ridge, New York)
Features include a Made in USA aluminum enclosure with gorgeous walnut faceplate and vintage panel meter. Alps blue velvet volume pot with vintage style knob. Two inputs with toggle switch.
Shielded Belden brilliance input wire, Nichicon Muse power supply capacitors, PTFE insulated solid core copper output wire, filtered AC IEC, REAN RCA connectors and gold plated five way binding posts.
40 watts into 4 ohms. 20 watts into 8 ohms.
"Storyville” TPA3116D2 (Sold to Sean C. of Sacramento California)
R-Core Transformer, regulated power supply, Dueland cotton insulated hook-up wire, Nichicon KG and Panasonic FC capacitors,
Hickory wood faceplate and vintage General Electric panel meter.
"Kenny Burrell" 5670 Tube Buffered Volume Control (Sold to Scott K. of Ft. Wayne, Indiana)
Kenny Burrel is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on the Blue Note label. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan have cited Burrell as an influence.
This two input tube buffered volume control utilizes a GE brand JAN 5670 tube and a Alps blue velvet volume pot. Adds switching between two inputs and passive volume control with the benefits of tube warmth and bloom.
"Strayhorn" TPA3116D2 Amplifier (Sold to Scott K. of Ft. Wayne, Indiana)
Billy Strayhorn was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist and arranger, best remembered for his long-time collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington that lasted nearly three decades.
Features of this build include: Made in USA powder coated aluminum enclosure, soft maple wood faceplate with vintage domed shaped glass panel meter, Nichicon Muse power supply capacitors, Jupiter Condenser cotton insulated 4n purity copper output wire, Belden brilliance shielded copper input wire, REAN RCA connectors and Solen brand five way binding posts. 20 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 40 watts per channel into 4 ohms.
"Glenn Gould" TPA3116D2 (Sold to Paul H. of Boca Raton, Florida)
Features include a R-Core transformer, Panasonic FC capacitors, Jupiter Condenser cotton insulated 4N copper output wire and a solid wood faceplate with operational vintage panel meter.
"Fletcher Henderson" TPA3116D2 (Sold to Zachary M. of New York, NY)
TPA3116D2 20 watts 8 ohms - 40 watts 4 ohms
High quality R core transformer.
Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors.
Dueland cotton insulated, copper output wire.
Fully shielded copper input wire.
Neoprene supports under the circuit boards.
Powder coated, made in the USA aluminum enclosure.
Maple wood faceplate with NOS vintage panel meter.
Handmade, one at a time, in Ohio.
"Buddy Bolden" TPA3116D2 (Sold to Eric K. of Fairview Park, Ohio)
The back of this amp is the same as the "Syndney Bechet" amp below. The "Buddy Bolden" amp has a solid walnut wood faceplate, black powder coated aluminum enclosure, United States Navy stamped WWII vintage Western Electric panel meter, Schottkey high speed rectifier diodes, Nichicon Muse power supply capacitors, R-Core transformer and Dueland cotton insulated high purity copper output wire. A one of a kind hand built amplifier that is sure to be an heirloom piece.
"Sydney Bechet" TPA3116D2 (Sold to Mark N. of Shreveport, Louisiana)
Solid Hickory wood faceplate, black powder coated aluminum enclosure, R-Core transformer, VALAB power supply board with high speed rectifiers, Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors, Dueland cotton insulated high purity copper output wire, vintage Weston panel meter, gold plated hardware.
A vivid sounding amplifier that will allow you to touch the spirit of the music.
"Rampart Street" TPA3116D2 Integrated Amp (Sold to Michael W. of Livonia, Michigan)
One input integrated. R-Core transformer, high speed HEXFRED bridge rectifier, audiophile grade Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors, Japan Alps Blue Velvet volume pot, Solen brand binding posts, Neotech PTFE jacket solid core copper output wire.
20 watts into 8 ohms
40 watts into 4 ohms
14"x9"x4"
"Dauphine" TPA3116D2 Integrated Amp (Sold to Paul N. of Vancouver, Washington)
Some of the features of this build include: Machined aluminum enclosure, R-Core Transformer, High Speed Rectifier Diodes, Nichicon Muse capacitors, Dueland output wire, Alps volume pot, REAN RCA connectors, Solen brand gold plated brass binding posts and two inputs.
20 watts into 8 ohms
40 watts into 4 ohms
9"x14"x4"
Mahogany GE TPA3116 (sold to Tom of Maumee, Ohio)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)