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...for the squirrels to start building a nest in one!
Treehaus Audiolab's Richard Pinto likes field coil speakers, tube-rectified power supplies, and 300B power tubes. All are present in products enjoying their debut at Capital Audiofest 2021.
Based in Southport, Connecticut, Treehaus Audiolab showed three new products: an open-baffle loudspeaker called the Phantom of Luxury ($24,000/pair), the Treehaus Audiolab preamplifier ($16,000), and the Treehaus Audiolab power amplifier ($16,000).
To play records, Pinto used a Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable with a Hana ML cart on a Fidelity Research FR-64S tonearm. The phono cartridge's output was stepped up by a prototype step-up transformer; from there it went to a heavily modified Ear 834P phono stage.
Qobuz streamed via a MacBook Air to a Schiit Eitr USB-to-S/PDIF converter into a Concert Fidelity 040Mk2 DAC. Belden digital, Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnects, and Canare 4S11 Star Quad speaker cables completed the setup.
The Treehaus Audiolab preamplifier uses a separate power supply, a Finemet Transformer–based Volume Control, a 4P1L amplification circuit using Coleman filament regulators, Finemet output transformers, Cardas RCA input and output jacks, Elma input switching, Amphenol connectors on the PS umbilical cord, and a hardwood veneer case over a Baltic Birch multi-ply core. The preamp’s dark toned outer shell, corroded aluminum faceplate, copper mesh vents, and brass control knobs recall industrial and mid-century design esthetics.
The Treehaus Audiolab power amplifier is a collaboration with electronics designer and builder Radu Tarta and is based on the work of the late, legendary Susuma Sakuma. It’s rated at 6.5Wpc, running NOS 10Y/801A driver tubes and Gold Lion 300B power tubes, with a separate power supply based on Sakuma architecture. It employs Finemet interstage and output iron transformers, Coleman filament regulators, Cardas RCA input and output jacks, and, like the preamplifier, a hardwood veneer case over a Baltic Birch multi-ply core.
The 30" wide, 52" tall, organically shaped Phantom of Luxury open-baffle loudspeakers are made of Walnut or Elm with Maple side walls and legs. The driver complement is a Fostex T900A Super Tweeter, 8 1/2" Oleg Rullit “Super Aero” full-range field-coil driver with tube rectified power supply, and a 12" Supravox field coil woofer and power supply. The sensitivity specification is 102dB into 8 ohms.
The sound of this system put me in mind of Art Dudley and Herb Reichert, both of whom would have been tempted to close the door and call it a day, listening to the wee hours, but instead would have kept working the show. Tone was deep and the sound was tactile, with textures you could almost touch. The bass was soft, but the sweetness of the system’s sound was special and moving.
...for the squirrels to start building a nest in one!
Lovely.
Already in your reports, look at how many ways to make sound!
Do you remember the articles about the guy in Asia who had an eight story house full of different types of gear? If I had scratch, that would be me!
If you had four or five nice systems , with tubes , transistors , digital , etc . , after time you'd probably be saying ," ahh a nice Rolling Stones , James , let's have it up in the red room ..."
There is a lot of beauty and creativity to be found out there.
I enjoy the fact that there are people building these things.
Thank you Ken for bringing us there.