ETI System A pre amp by Stan Curtis. Full article.

[jez]

For all those who asked....here it is.
I figure that as the article is nearly 30 years old and the magazine long defunct it should be OK to post it here?..... I hope

[jez]

And the rest.

[Mooly]

Thanks for sharing... it brings back memories of my very early days of first building stuff.

You wonder how such a design would be received today... and how it might compare sonically to the later IC offerings.

thanks

[jez]

Originally Posted by Mooly

Thanks for sharing... it brings back memories of my very early days of first building stuff.

You wonder how such a design would be received today... and how it might compare sonically to the later IC offerings.

thanks

I know exactly what you mean Mooly! I had already been building stuff for years by the time I built this aged 17.....
All the little dots etc around the pcb layout are from me cleaning my Dalo pen nib whilst hand copying the layout to copper clad.
It does actually sound very good indeed. As a matter of interest I built a copy of the design a few years afterwards but using NE5534 op amps in place of the discrete ones. It sounded good but was very obviously inferior to the original..... there could be life left yet in the original design in spite of the fairly crude discrete op amps

[Shaun]

Lovely! Thanks for this!

[switcher101]

Many thanks!

[Ian Finch]

Thanks too, Jez
Was "Electronics Digest" an occasional volume of similar material?
ETI here used to run a lot of basic design, audio, test gear etc. publications with cross- publication from their continental and, of course, UK editions. I'm looking at one such title here called "ETI circuit techniques" volume 3, ca. 1983.
Interestingly, it carries some reworked IC app. notes by Ray Marston and has Prof. Cherry's own condensed magazine version of his NDFL technology paper! ETI had some good years.
I don't recall Stan Curtis' design in our editions as most interest at the time seemed to be focused on big Mosfet pro style gear with many 5534s and knobs. Small, separate preamps were very "high end" and almost unknown to even electronics enthusiasts.

It would be good to see something like this concept reworked with little SMD discretes
or even E-line Txs. on small sub-boards. Yes, I know its been done commercially and DIY but one is never enough, is it?

[burbeck]

i remember this project very well, what is striking is the resemlance to a meridian 101 preamp of the same era. even the case is very close in looks

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Ian Finch

Was "Electronics Digest" an occasional volume of similar material?

Yes it was. And, IIRC, it sometimes had themes (audio, musician, etc.). The Digest usually consisted mainly of projects, though I do seem to recall the occasional app feature.

This project article had a different revision that includes a table with RC loading for various MM cartridges of the time.

[jez]

It was indeed a great mag at the time! I too have some of the Prof. Cherry articles etc.... all good stuff.