Audiophiles anyone?

Yep...snaps down into a sort of audio Hockey Puck !! LOVE Stickers Too !!!!! Bernie, Matt and others have been pretty much the only contributor to my Home Decor !!!!

My first amplifier back in high school in 1970 was a Stromberg Carlson monaural tube amp with a pair of 6BQ6 push pull power amp tubes. I used it for years, hauling it to my first stint in college and it served well, albeit with a sub-par Radio Shack turntable. I had a pair of Electrovoice EV13-A speakers that weren't too bad. The power transformer smoked and I replaced it with a new one that didn't mechanically fit, so for the next few years and on through the rest of my college career it stood on one end with the cover removed and wires to the transformer belching out. I thought it looked cool.

After it finally gave up the ghost I used an old Heathkit tube stereo amp my Dad had built years before on a coffee table in the den at night while I was in bed. I tinkered with the feedback wiring thinking I had souped it up, not realizing I still had a lot to learn about audio electronics.

While I was finishing up at Devry U., I built a Dynaco SCA-80Q solid state amp that had a pretty nice sound to it, Still using the EV13-As and added a set of Bose 601 floor standing speakers. I set them to asymmetric since I didn't have a special room for their reflecting setting. The EVs amazingly complimented the Bose, so they were all on line now, spread out across the wall of the den

In about 1980 or so, after I had a regular job and no bills... boy life is good when you don't have any money pits yet... I built a 150 watt per channel Kenwood amp. I don't recall the model, just a plain amp with basic I/O and controls with a pair of power meters up front. No need for new speakers. The Den had a slate floor with an area rug and the couch and chairs formed a semicircle in front of the opposite wall from the sound, and a 7 foot ceiling.. I was seriously in need of some control over the sound. Over the next few paychecks components filtered in; a Kenwood direct drive turntable, Soundcraftsman equalizer, A JVC tuner, and a Pioneer front loading dual cassette deck rounded it out.

My girlfriend/wife, I forget which... same girl... bought me a nice light oak system cabinet and we rode that stack of equipment with the addition of a CD player on through the end of the 20th century. When sound started coming out of little things that didn't take up the whole wall of a room, I gave everything except the turntable away. That piece might be in a garage sale coming up soon. I still have a pretty good stack of LPs, but they just sit there.

Audiophile? Maybe... Probably not. Other people may have thought so. I was particular about minute adjustments, nut not as nutty about it as people I read about in audio mags. Now I just listen to Pandora on my 5 speaker Logitech system on the PC. It sounds pretty good to me. It gets loud, but won't peal the paint off the walls like the Kenwood did. And I have a Philips home theater system that never gets any use except me listening to a football game on the radio now and then. Its DVD player quit.

So, that's my story.

Rusty

I am a kind of Sansui and Akai nut. I still have the Akai AA-1150 receiver that my parents bought new in 1977 or so. I got myself the Akai 570DII cassette deck. It's all coupeled together with a Sansui SE-8 equalizer. In my office upstairs, I installed a Sansui 210 receiver. Not very extraordinary but good enough to listen to the news. The stereo rack I got is made of marble. It can be carried by 2 persons if you don't have to walk very far.







I bought the equalizer second hand via an internet advert and once tested, 1 channel was cutting out on low volume. The outlet is  fitted with reed relais and one was low on tension. I just bypassed the reed relay: problem solved. The Dual turntable needs changing. I'd like to have a tangential one. And what I'm really missing is an 8-track player!

Lieven

roddie wrote:You must remember the short-lived (high-end) "quad" era of the early 70's... I have (2nd and 3rd hand...) 2 of the receivers that were competing against each other...

Yeah, I remember. I scoffed at them, but they actually sounded pretty cool, especially if your senses were enhanced at the time.

I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, at least not yet. Probably the best tuner I have is a Marantz 2238B which needs complete restoration so it sits in the basement closet along with all my other tape decks and stereo components. I'm currently using a Sony home theater system switched into 2 channel as my main stereo (which I'm getting tired of). One of these days I should just go all out and buy a completely better system to replace all this junk. I'm buying 8-track decks and tapes all the time. I have records, cassettes, reels and CDs but just seem to enjoy dealing with the disasters of the 8-track more. I have around 25 players and decks and close to 1500 8-tracks. They usually work to some degree when I find them but they always need some amount of repair. Usually a new belt, head adjustments, speed adjustments, head cleaning, contact cleaning, recapping... Same goes with the 8-tracks, most will play but they usually need new pressure pads and foil splice to achieve the best sound quality and to ensure they won't break in the player. I have a case of quad tapes but no quad deck (yet), they will play in a regular deck but you don't get the most out of them.

roddie wrote:

OVERLORD wrote:
And what I'm really missing is an 8-track player!

Lieven

Maybe "Jacob" could hook you up with an 8-track player

I have enough but he would need to replace the transformer in it with one rated for 230v. As for units with AC motors, most of the time the motor is also wound as a transformer for the preamp so a step-down transformer and freq converter would probably be the best option there.

Here's some options

The Akai CR-81D is known to be one of the best decks, this one here can be switched to operate on 100v-240 and 50-60Hz.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Akai-CR-81D-8-Track-Recorder-made-in-japan-we-ship-outside-the-U-S-/331054017865?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4d145b6d49

Heres another cheaper option: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WEIN-Vintage-8-Track-Cartridge-Player-New-item-never-used-Original-Box-/251371791803?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item3a86ed25bb

I'm kind of a nut, ....or stereo nut as well, still have my first old Technics amp and tuner up in the attic.

Currently, i have Yamaha receiver with a nice pair of JBL bookshelf speakers in the shop/computer/koi tank room'


In the family room i have a pretty nice Onkyo setup with Bose 701 and old Rectilinear Speakers


And in the garage a Pioneer receiver, that suffered from a case of "watch this" as i tried to throw a disc thru the garage out thru the back door to the basket....and yes i was sober....and almost made it!

I also like tube radios. Here are some of them.


1957 Sonora 623


1955 Wards Airline 35GSL-1564B


1949 Zenith 5D810Y


1949 Airline 84KR-1520B


Early 1960s "Knox" Japanese miniature



I also just got this barn find Sencore TC130 tube tester.


It will need some cleaning up, going to have to recap it, check the resistors and clean all contacts. Should also find a way to properly calibrate it. Probably should find a schematic, I noticed a few clipped off and removed wires on tube sockets when I had it open. It also has the cover that latches on top of it, its just not shown in the pics.


Good thing it has its setup guide




50C5 beam power amp tube used in the output stage. I already know this tube is bad, besides an erratic output when used in a radio, other testers show bad results.


Look it up in the setup guide


Terrible grid leakage


Alright emissions

The tube had no shorts.

Audiophillia!

For me - the smaller the speaker - the better.

Grew up in a household where the family stereo consisted of a Dynaco Pas-3 preamp and Stereo 70 tube power amp. AR XA turntable for the primary 'source' (can't recall the speaker make/model).

Must have gotten into my blood, for once I left home and was on my own in the USAF I purchased a Hafler DH-100 pre-amp and DH-220 power amp, both in kit form and assembled them in my dorm room. Sources were a AR XB turntable with a Shure V-15 Type 5 cartridge, and a Nakamichi 682ZX cassette deck. Started out with a set of NAD 2-way speakers, but traded those for a pair of Wharfdale Diamonds.

Despite being 30 years old, the majority of my current system is unchanged. Turntable died a death at the hands of military movers, and has been replaced by a Systemdek IIX. Eventually a Yamaha CD player joined the ranks when LP's become increasingly scarce.

Casually speaker-shopping at present, looking for who knows what...

Good Listening,
Dave

The strangest good sounding system I ever saw was my brother in law's Bang & Olufsen. It looked something like this:


Here are Google pictures of my Dynaco kit. I got it for Christmas and finished it after I got home from a New Years Eve party. It served me well. I had to replace the driver transistors on one side after years of heavy use. I finally gave it to my Mom and it's probably in her attic now.

roddie wrote:
betcha' the Dynaco still works!

I'm sure it does. I loved that amp, it was just time to step it up. The Kenwood was a kit too. I can't find a picture of it, nor do I have a digital pic of my tower of music making equipment. Paired with an equalizer it really did great for my untrained ears. I never did like the idea of a built in tuner, I always preferred just a plain amp. Just a matter of preference I guess. All of my friends had "Receivers." I wonder if my Stromberg Carlson rang a bell for anyone. My best friend back then had a big S/C tube amp. He didn't know how to use it though... what a waste.

roddie wrote:The thing that confuses most people is "load impedance". It's easy to toast an amp, if speakers are wired incorrectly in a custom-built system.

Yeah, well it helps to understand voltage, resistance, and current flow. I hear people that should know better say something like, "... and then the voltage goes through blah blah blah..." Dude, the voltage doesn't Go anywhere, electrons do. I guess people ain't born knowing that stuff, but damn, didn't ya go to high school?!

Just a question. In France, a Wollensak 8075 8-track player/recorder with manual is for sale. Is that a good quality player and worth buying? Looks like new.

Lieven

OVERLORD wrote:Just a question. In France, a Wollensak 8075 8-track player/recorder with manual is for sale. Is that a good quality player and worth buying? Looks like new.

Lieven

YES IT IS!!! The 3M Wollensak 8075 is known to be one of the best sounding players made. Do you know if it works and works well? These Wollensak decks are known to have motor trouble. My Wollensak 8075A runs fine but I have already rebuilt the motor and motor control in my 8055 about 3 times now (the brushes in the motor have worn down and finding replacements doesn't seem to be possible). I'm not going to let it die though, I'm planning on swapping the motor in it with one out of a cheaper player.

Thanks, Jacob for the info. Now, the seller wants 120 Euros for it, must be negotiable though. He says in the advert it's in very good condition and about 40 recorded cartridges come with it.

Lieven

RknRusty wrote:The strangest good sounding system I ever saw was my brother in law's Bang & Olufsen.

My turntable is a Bang&Olufsen that I got 30 years ago. Still the best, even though I only use it rarely these days. Mostly at Christmas. For me, Christmas songs just don't sound right without a few pops and hisses. In fact, all of my personal stereo I bought 30 years ago. I have the B&O turntable, an Onkyo T22 tuner, and a Nakamichi RX-202 tape deck running through a NAD 3155 amp, and filling the room from a pair of Polk Studio Monitor 10 speakers. I don't use it a much as I should, as I more often use the computer or home theater setup for listening to music.

Actually, when the loser brother-in-law finally moves out of my formal livingroom, I'm thinking of making a home theater setup in there using the Polk 10's for the rear. I've been keeping my eye out for an inexpensive set of 7B's for the front channels and a Polk 5JR for the center channel that I can re-build. The 10's have awesome bass that shakes the walls, so I don't know if I'll go for a subwoofer or not. If so, I'll find a vintage Polk sub for the setup. Can you tell I'm a Polk addict?