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Folks,I have been away from the Asylum for a year and just returned to find out that John Hogan had passed away. I am the fortunate owner of two of his creations and will aways remember him for the very special amps he built using vintage OPTs and unconventional tube line-ups. For example, the picture below is a 6SN7-45-300B amp - I'll bet you don't see one of those everyday!
Also, even though I disregarded it as quirky at first, I am now fond of the handwritten labels in silver pen that John used to label the amp controls and tube positions and the flat black Henry Ford paint.If all other Asylum member's can post their pictures of John's amps we can have a lasting reminder of his legacy. If you are fortunate enough to have schematics of his designs, please share those as well.
-- josé k.
Follow Ups:
Picture and description provided by njjohn.'the pics are of a Edgar horn with a vintage altec compression driver on top of a Klipsch K-horn bass bin. I replaced the 27/45 with a 26/45 in that set-up and I'm using a different cd player that pictured too. Using a Denon 1600 dvd player that I picked up real cheap. this is just an extra system I squeezed into my living room behind my home theater system'.
Also pictured is a John Hogan 6SN7 preamp rigjt below the amp.
Enjoy,
Here's a picture of the insides of my 6SN7/45/300B amp. John's amps are all point-to-point wired, do not use exotic components, and usually did not have a bottom cover.
Enjoy,
which must be among his last amps he built. If someone has some place to host a pic, I can send it. It is awesome and truly a work of art.
I have been told that this is possibly the last amp that John built - a 6SJ7/300B.
It continues to amaze me how prolific he was and how many lives he touched with his craft.
I have been told by someone who owned twelve of John's amps that, soundwise, this was his finest creation ever - a 26/45 SET.
Please keep the pictures coming.
It's just my personal favorite. I think he built about a total of 6 of them and I have three of them. I also have the parallel 26/45 that he built.John introduced me to the 26 tube, and I think I liked it more than he did. He trusted my judgement and he did concede alot to me in his direction of amp development.
John built perhaps a total of around 60 amps. Probably 55 with the webster opts. Anyone of those 55 is worth having, and I also wouldn't mind having the one he built with the bigger Electroprint opts. There are certain qualities and magic in all of the ones with the websters, and like children, each amp has its own qualities. Nearly all of them are made on the vintage chasses too, some type of superior conductive metal.
There are many gems and I'm not sure I even know all of them.
I just feel that the 6sn7/26/45 is the best or the best perhaps in a single driver application. John had modified the 26 circuit and I know he still have that schematic in his basement. Once a certain sound was achieved, I had him made a schematic so he could clone the amp.
The 6sn7/26/vt52 monos, one pair in California, are probably something quite special. The 45 amp I have with a 717a pentode driver, similar to what seems like the well regard Yammoto but with all ac, is a really good sounding amp. I like the 183 I have. Plain old fi 6sn7/300b, which started the whole thing, can just be magical and awesome. I got one paired with some great vintage JBL's, and if that is all I had, that would be enough for me. The ones with the 26 in-between the 6sn7 and 300b, a probably better, or maybe not.
I might be a little less enthused about those with idht drivers, like a 27 or 76 tube, in between. It seems to add a little more sweetness to the sound compared to a 26 or dht driver. But I would still grab them if I could. And I have a 6sn7/27/45 in one situation and it just seems like the best amp for that situation.
John has about two amps left in his home, and I don't know what will become of them. One is a pair of 6sn7/vt52 monos. I always thought that the sound had some distortion in it with those. I had suggested for him to scrape the 6sn7's out of the amp and replace it with a 26, and just make a seperate 6sn7 pre for it. He didn't get around to it. I would take it now just because it does have some qualties to it.
He also has a 5687(?)/300b amp. I don't think a top amp either but he was certainly enjoying it, and I would like to get it.
I think it is great that there is appreciation of John's amps. Time will tell where they will really fall in the scheme of things, but I believe it will be very favorable. I think something was discovered and some aspect of the best of set sound and its potential is in them. I believe there is a primevial art in the sound of those amps, and I am happy that maybe people do treasure them, or will treasure them, like I treasure them.
For those of you who may hear special qualities in say certain highly regarded vintage speakers or drivers, when you can hear the potential or qualities of sound in something vintage perhaps that you don't seem to hear anywhere else; for those interested in something like that, I would particularly recommend to you to try to seek out one of his amps.
Thanks for this thread.
Many thank for all you have said about my dad. He was a man of few words but one of great talents. We have many of his works still. Again many thanks for your tribute to my dad John N. Hogan.
From the couple of times I listened to John's amps at the Elkton MD meets, I see to remember that he spoke of the importance of the output transformers. As I remember, he got a bunch of them out of old organ amps. Perhaps those of you who knew him better could confirm my impression.As well as the pictures, it would be helpful to post the schematics. I realize that layouts and parts are also important componenets, but these would be interesting.
Here's one of mine. I'll take pictures of the other as well and some close-ups of these beauties. Love 'em.
Third time's a charm? That's better...
Yes it is. I trusted John and just asked him to build me one of his favorites and that's what I got. It's a vtv 6sn7/76/300b. The VTV being a modified Vacuum Tube Valley design I believe, so maybe there's hope in finding a partial schematic. I need to flip it over and take a picture of the guts so folks can see what's in these. I think they'll be amazed.
Let's try this again...http://gallery.audioasylum.com/cgi/gi.mpl?u=32270&f=IMG_0049_32.JPG
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