SE Amplifier Shootout Serious Stereo Livingston, MT

Montana Listening Panel 2019

At the end of July 2019, a small but elite group of LOW DCR SE Tube Amplifier builders were gathered at Dennis Fraker's Serious Stereo Corporation in Livingston, MT for the purpose of reviewing a SE DC KT 88 tube stereo amplifier that was designed and build by Jeff Medwin aka DrLowMu.

From left rear to front, the attendees were : Dennis Fraker aka Tube Wrangler, Jeff Medwin aka DrLowMu, Tom Thomas aka CoronaDope, Willie Rivers aka DrummerWill and Ash from Seattle.

Most of these men I know from Audio Asylum forums or from exchange of emails.

At the end of the Montana amplifier shootout, the Serious Stereo 2A3 mono amplifiers were still king of the hill.

Jeff Medwin's SE DC KT88 stereo amplifier showed promise and will continue to be developed further as time allows.

DT 667 August 2019

The Path part 2 ...

The War That Never Ends

I had another visit to the doctor's office today to get my right shoulder evaluated for surgery to clear an impinged tendon and clean up some bone spurs near the AC joint.

Been suffering from chronic shoulder problems for over 2 decades and recently had another flare up of bursitis which required more cortisone injections.

My work in the lab has been getting more difficult and have I been restricted to lifting lighter weights in the gym.

This condition has not only been painful, but frustrating because I have had to slow myself down instead of going at things with 100% focus and intensity.

Eventually, I will get back to building SE tube amps again but soon it will be more time off work, then back for another round of rehabilitation.

The miserable audio forum trolls and moderators oppose "the great cause" will rejoice in my suffering for sure, but they will not laugh last.

DT 667 11/18/2019

The Path of Low DCR SE tube amps

Our Eternal Struggle

Hello friends,

I have returned to this website after a several months of recovery from knee surgery. I have been back to work in the R & D engineering lab for about a month and trying to get back into the SE tube amplifier hobby, but it as been a great struggle.

The operation took a great toll both physically and mentally. I was confined to bed for 3 weeks waiting for my doctor to return from vacation to perform the surgery, then spent a month doing rehabilitation exercises to prepare for return to the lab.

I go to a gym almost everyday after work to do rehab and it leaves me with little energy at the end of the day. I find solace listening to fine music on my Altec system and my low DCR SE tube amplifiers - an escape from the reality of the daily grind.

The path of a low DCR SE tube amp builder under the influence of great men such as Dennis Fraker and Jeffery D. Medwin is one of eternal struggle.

There are forces of pure evil and darkness working against us at all times and they emerge in the form of audio forum "police" , for lack of a better word to describe them.

We as builders of low DCR SE tube amplifiers under the DF/JDM banner, hold the high ground in this battle.

DF is the sun and we are rays of the sun illuminating the darkness of our SE tube amplifier hobby.

Our mission will never end, we are the eternal struggle.

DT 667 October 13, 2019

Post Surgery Update 12/4/2019

Hello Friends of DT 667,

Right Shoulder surgery on 11/26/2019 went as expected. I had the surgical dressing changed out on 12/2/2019 and the nurse said everything looked OK. Going back on 12/10/2019 to get the stitches removed.

Follow up with the surgeon on 12/23/2019 to determine course of rehabilitation and return to work status.

Until then, been back at the gym doing cardio on a stationary bike and using the hydro massage beds for my legs.

There has been some pain and dark days mentally, no lie.

But giving up the cause of low power low DCR SE tube amplifiers? Never !!!

DT 667 12/4/2019