April 2010

Martin,

  Double issues are just great.  How about just emailing it to those of us who want it electronically. Saves time and money. I also like the email special info blasts that you first tested last summer.

I am considering a new CD player: Esoteric 50-sa. I do not use a pre-amp and my Wadia is now 10 years old. This Esoteric has some great features and maybe it sounds good too. ???????????? Computer hookups are really easy with it etc.

Any thoughts on this one?
Hunter Mattocks

Hello Marty,

I came across this addy today, thought you'd be interested if you have not seen it already. Note the info about lossless files available on the Rhino Records site - interesting!

Best wishes,
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/
Ted Kyles

On Audio Info #9

Hello Marty,
BFS #9 reminded me of an internet site I found of very costly equipment. In case you haven't seen this before I'm sending it to you. The lists give some sense of how costly audio equipment can get, and yet I'm pretty sure it isn’t all inclusive. I'm not astonished by ridiculously costly gear, but I was surprised by how much was on the list and by how high the prices went (over 1 million dollars)… The URL is for over $100,000 speakers, but as you can see at the top of the page, other gear is also displayed in other lists. If this is new to you I hope you get a kick out of it (good and/or bad):

http://www.higherfi.com/spkrlist/speakerlist.htm

Allen Edelstein

Mr. DeWulf,

This particular BFS Audio Info reminds me to renew my subscription to BFS, with the added advantage that the honourable editor might sleep even better at night, and thus continue to offer us his independent way of thinking, writing, and...listening! Funny that the man who originally introduced me to BFS (or was it the reverse?), saying that it was the only really independent and interesting audio "journal" around. Hervé Delétraz (of Dartzeel) does not himself make cheap gear!

Well done, continue!

Eric Favrod-Coune, Geneva

On our Vintage Coverage

Hi Marty,

I was excited to see your coverage of vintage audio in BFS issue 199/200 which I just received yesterday,  Since you asked for comments from those with experience in vintage audio, I thought I'd write to share my current thoughts.

1.  I agree with you that many of those now interested in vintage audio got into it as a result of wanting to acquire something lusted after when we were young, but were denied during adolescence due to lack of funds, parental controls, etc.  That was so in my case.

I graduated high school in 1970, so I'm only about three years older than you and thus share most of the same equipment memories.  I grew up in the heyday of AR - Acoustic Research – speakers and I vividly remember my older brother taking me at age 12 to the AR demonstration room in Manhattan's Grand Central Station where visitors could hear the same material played first through the AR-4x, then the AR-2ax, AR-5, and finally the top-of-the-line AR-3a speakers. I could fully appreciate the gains in clarity and extension of each costlier model even then. Oh, how I yearned to own those magnificent AR 3a's!  In my very early teens, even though I'd saved my allowance and other earnings thinking I could afford an AR-3a, AR Amp, AR XA turntable, and Shure V15II system, my parents thought otherwise.  Thus, my first component system, purchased at age 14, was comprised of an AR XA turntable, Shure M91E cartridge, AR-4x speakers, and a Dynaco SCA-35 integrated tube amp.  Not bad for my age… My older brother bought a system comprised of AR-5 speakers, AR Receiver, and the Empire 598 turntable and Empire cartridge.  I loved the sound of that system.  It totally put mine in the shade.

2.  As a consequence, recently I've been acquiring some vintage AR equipment and am restoring it, either personally or having the work done by others.  I have been very pleased with the old AR speakers that I’ve worked with. I now have my "vintage system" with AR-3as, which I restored myself, together with an AR Amplifier and AR Tuner restored for me by Larry at Vintage AR.  I use a "vintage" SACD player in that system, the Marantz SA-1, which is one of the two first SACD players made (the other was the Sony SCD-1). 

I also have a pair of AR-5 speakers in my bedroom system.  These were exquisitely restored a few years back by Greg Roberts who specializes in Klipschorn restorations and is branching out into building other horn speakers under the Volti Audio name…  Perhaps his focus on horn speakers is why he sold these ARs to me, but he said he quickly had "seller's remorse."  These are just wonderful sounding, equal to the memory of my brother's old system.  If you appreciate fine woodworking and speaker restoration eye candy, you have to take a look at one of Greg’s projects. I have also personally restored another pair of AR-5 speakers with truly exceptional and rare dark burl-patterned cabinets, as well as most recently a pair of AR-2ax speakers.  These both sound great as well. 

I share the feeling of some collectors that the 2ax is in some ways the most satisfying of the bunch in terms of overall listening pleasure.  The AR-3as have the deepest bass, but above the bottom octave, the AR-5 is at least a match for the 3a, with the bass integrating better into the midrange and the mids and highs otherwise identical to the 3a since basically the same dome drivers are used.  The 2ax has the most wide open sound of the bunch, however, Imaging and staging is excellent even by modern standards, and with an intoxicating blend of richness, smoothness, and just enough high frequency extension to make it all very believable.

I also have a pair of KLH Model 12 speakers.  These I bought because I so admired the pair a music student friend of mine in college had.  Physically these were in excellent-plus shape when I bought them, but they sounded a bit lumpy in the bass and quite rolled off on top compared to my long-ago memory.  A couple of weeks ago I re-capped the outboard crossovers myself.  Now they sound fine indeed, a viable alternative or competitor to any of the AR speakers I have, and with probably the most extended and detailed bass of any of the vintage speakers I have heard.  Generally, they are now a bit brighter and more forward sounding than the ARs, with more audible detail, but never any nastiness.  The KLHs are a subtly better in terms of realism of detail, while the ARs are better in terms of realistic tonal balance when the standard is what one hears from the audience at a live unamplified classical music concert in a good hall.

Finally, I have a superb example of the Sansui TU-X1 tuner from the 1970s, which has been fully restored by Mark Wilson of Absolute Sound Labs.  I'd use this tuner all the time in my "big rig," except that I also have an excellent modern tuner, the DaySequerra M4.2R which also receives HD signals.  Say what you want about HD FM, but from my distance of 30 miles from the Chicago transmitter and limited as I am by real estate covenants to an attic antenna, HD signals often sound better overall than the analog ones even with tuners at this level.  WFMT in Chicago is the only reason I insist on fine FM tuners these days since it's the only station I can receive which makes a fine FM tuner really worth the money, and that's only because I'm a classical music fan.

3.  I used a product called XL49 from Orange County Speakers (in California) to re-seal the cloth surrounds on my KLH Model 12s.  I debated about doing this for quite awhile.  There is some discussion of this product and other fluids, including Elmer's glue over on the Classic Speaker Pages - KLH discussion pages about re-sealing surrounds.  Not all experience is positive.  I finally decided to do it since the cones returned to resting position very quickly when pressed inwards, despite this being an acoustic suspension design, I figured the cloth surrounds must be leaking air. My measurements and listening tell me that the low and midbass response were being affected for sure, but I'm not really sure if it is for better or for worse.  The 20 Hz bass dropped in level by about 6 dB and a peak at 85 Hz was increased by a similar amount.  Used against a wall on the floor, the bass response measures better after treatment and excessive before, but mounted out in the room on short stands the bass measured and sounded a bit better before treatment.  However, this change may slowly be going away as the newly coated surrounds "break in."  I would urge caution in using such products.  If you don't see visible rips in the surround, I would not use such techniques.

4.  I have to wonder what kind of wire you were trying to use in replacing the wire in the Jensen crossovers.  No such hook-up wire should be insulated with aluminum foil or have multiple layers of insulation.  That sounds like some sort of shielded cable. (It was RWA speaker cable – MGD) Most restorers find that only capacitors need replacing in order to restore crossovers to "like new" condition.  The exception would be power resistors that show visible evidence of burning, charring, or other indication of excessive heat.  Wires which show no signs of suffering from bad soldering or other defective assembly or damage shouldn't need replacing.  Of course, if you are after "better than new," be my guest.

5.  I use non-polarized electrolytic capacitors from Parts Express in crossover re-capping since that is usually what was originally used and since they are cheap, small, and thus fit in the originally intended space.  KLH Model 12 restorers have used film, mylar, and electrolytics and have not heard much difference among the types in this application.  You can avoid hot-glue heat problems by just using silicone or acrylic caulk instead.  You can also use stapled down wire ties to anchor caps.  Or, if they are light, they need not be anchored at all since the wire leads hold them in place.

6.  Whenever you work on a speaker, you save and re-use all the original batting.  Sure, you can change the sound with more or less or different batting.  But if you are after the original sound, you use what was in there--assuming, of course, that a previous owner hasn't already mucked around with the batting.

7.  Old tweeters are the weak link in these old speakers.  They can be fried very easily with modern power amps and digital, especially SACD sources.  Ferro-fluid cooled tweeters weren't invented until later.  Also, the suspensions of even in-box NOS tweeters have, after 40 years, stiffened up enough to sound quite "soft" if newly pressed into use now.  Many restorers, including me, have taken to using modern ferro-fluid drivers chosen for sonic similarity to the originals when used with a modified crossover.  Vintage AR recently started selling some very nice modern tweeters for use in AR speakers and sells them with the crossover mod attached as part of the tweeter assembly itself. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t change the batting, or go to better caps and wiring to keep things original, but you put in different drivers and modify the crossover? – MGD)

8.  Many restorers find that these old speakers can in fact image better than they remember.  Part of this is that modern speaker set up techniques, such as mounting the speakers away from room boundaries, help staging.  But that messes with the tonal balance, which is the big appeal of vintage designs.  Most vintage speakers were designed to sound best used against a wall.  

Imaging problems intrinsic to vintage speaker design are primarily caused by the raised lip around the front baffle of the speaker which was an almost-universal design element many years ago.  The sonically best solution would be to saw it off and re-stain the cabinet edge.  But then the speakers would not look like they originally did.  You can also ameliorate the problem by using thick felt padding over the entire front baffle surface, leaving holes in the felt only around the drivers.  Use layers of felt to build up the front baffle until it is even with the decorative edge.  Some even try molding clay-like substances (like Mortite) to the baffle to gradually ramp up from the flat baffle surface to the decorative edge.

9.  Some professional restorers like Orange County Speaker and Van L Speakerworks in Chicago offer fairly reasonable rates on "re-coning" drivers, making the cost and labor of the re-coning kits less of a bargain, especially considering the problems involved in doing the work yourself and keeping the voice coils aligned, etc.  From Kewanee, you could hand deliver speakers to Van L and avoid shipping risk.  Jon Vann is a very nice guy and knows good sound.  I purchased some Totem Dreamcatcher speakers from him a number of years back for a home theater system and have never regretted it.

10.  Moving on to your vintage equipment reviews, I owned the Audionics BT-2 and CC-2 amps (a pair of these amps, actually) back when I had Snell Type A Improved speakers.  Yes, these electronics sounded pretty good compared to most other stuff at the time.  But the BT-2 had a subtle "crunch" distortion when hit with mid and treble transients.  I heard this when I owned it, but did not realize its seriousness until I replaced it with the much cheaper NAD 1020 preamp (the preamp section of the famed 3020 integrated), which was superior in every way. 

The CC-2 power amp, while very smooth and clear, lacked bass power and punch with the Snells.  I tried bi-wiring and bi-amping, horizontal and vertical with Snell's electronic crossover.  I found the Amber 70 amp to be superior in the bass, with comparable talents further up the range and eventually replaced the CC-2 pair with a single Amber.  Neither amp was really right for the Snell speakers, however, as I found out much later when I heard a Luxman 200-watter on those speakers - suddenly the bass was extremely powerful and more extended with at least equal performance further up.

11.  Earlier, I'd owned four Large Advent speakers, two in college and later added two more in law school.  I agree with your assessment of these entirely, especially the lack of sonic transparency of the grills.  Once I had four, I used them either in a Dynaquad-type surround system (but with a separate integrated amp for the rear pair so as to gain full control over rear level and balance) or "stacked" with the top pair upside down atop the bottom speakers, with the two sets wired in parallel.  I always knew there were better speakers around than the Advents, but liked the set of compromises the Advents offered at their price.  The bass was not the equal of the AR-3a or KLH Model 12, the frequency balance not so smooth, and the highs not so extended or filigreed.  But at half the price of those others the Advents could play louder without destroying the tweeters, the drivers were more integrated, they imaged better, and just generally had a balance which better suited the rock and jazz music I then favored. 

By the way, the Advents had great bass balance and imaged/staged like gangbusters when placed well off the floor when my roommate and I put the front pair vertically atop our school desks in the corners of our 12' x 18' dorm room.  So placed, the tweeters were at ear level when comfortably seated in our standard desk chairs.  The surround pair was placed horizontally atop the bookcases in the upper rear corners of the room and angled out and down a bit on wooden supports we built so they could face the front part of the room.  My Pioneer amp drove the front pair.  My AR integrated amp drove the rear pair with the amp's selector switch in the center "Null" position which subtracted left from right (like Dynaquad) and with the speakers wired out of phase with each other.

12.  Ah, "those were the days," as they say.  Recapturing some of the joy of a more innocent time IS very enjoyable. But in my saner moments I realize that we really have come a considerable distance in speaker performance, at least, since that time.  Modern speakers can run rings around the golden oldies in many important ways, including lack of distortion and consequent clarity, bass power, micro- and macro-dynamics, imaging, and soundstaging. 

But I don't really think we have made much real progress in terms of tonal reality, and that's what makes these old speakers so much fun to listen to.  The old speakers have the "tonal juice" some of us crave.  Realistic bass heft without boom, lower midrange warmth, midrange smoothness, and relaxed, sweet highs.  When played back through the old AR speakers, modern CD recordings produce a tonal balance closer to what one hears live from the audience at an unamplified classical music concert in a decent concert hall.  The designers of these old speakers were trying for that kind of realism and made some very astute design compromises given the technology available at the time to get very close indeed. 

Much of high-end audio took a detour beginning in the late 1970s in the pursuit of spatial artifact reproduction, a detour from which it has not yet recovered.  Accurate tonal balance was sacrificed on the altar of giving our eyes something to do by creating detailed spatial artifacts.  Even with only two reproduction channels we can now hear more about the apparent spatial relationships of the performance than one could ever hear at a live concert with your eyes closed.  Such spatial effects are fascinating for the listening room, yes.  But realistic they are not.  Audio reproduction has become a thing unto itself.  No one seems to care that you can't tell an oboe from a clarinet or even a bassoon on many modern speakers, as long as you can "see" the singer's lips part centered tightly in space in front of the speaker plane and hear the spittle surface tension break before the first word comes out of her mouth.  Never mind that such effects would never be heard live and unamplified, and would even be uncommon in a live amplified concert with the singer holding the mike to her lips.

Sorry for the soapbox and for going on and on . . . .
Tom Mallin

On Audio Info #10

Hi Marty,

I think you've nailed it. When your revenue model is based on advertising, you move into the business of promotion. The goal for manufacturers then becomes pleasing the magazine reviewers, who themselves are in the business (complicit or not) of influencing the consumer. The consumer becomes the victim of an increasing neurosis as the reviewers crown new "bests" with each ensuing issue. And the trend has cultivated among consumers a taste for gear instead of for music.

Things have gone topsy-turvey, as the record or CD collection becomes about serving the gear instead of having the gear serve the music. How many recordings does the average SP or TAS reader have featuring a female vocalist? Walk the halls of CES, THE Show, RMAF, Axpona (now) and listen for Diana Krall, Jennifer Warnes, Joni Mitchell, Jacintha, etc? What are the chances you'll hear Paul Robeson or Johnny Hartmann? I did hear some Nat King Cole in one of the rooms at Axpona, and we played some Joe Williams at our popsicle stand.

It's reaching a strange manner of critical mass, though. We've got an ever-growing population of manufacturers fighting for a slice of an ever-shrinking pie. The secondary market has become the primary market. And the chances that non-audiophiles would join our hobby are dim - convenience and portability trump quality.

I miss the old days, and for me that means the mid-to-late 80's into the early 90's.

Chris (The Signal Collection)

Marty, I think you are right.

Every new issue of Stereophile etc proclaims new best equipment and – as far as I can tell - for the reasons you mention.  I'd like to see vintage reviewed in BFS. I have a collection of Stereophiles going back quite a ways that I can check before I buy something on Audiogon.    Can't wait for your new issue.  Keep up the good work. 

Regards, Tom Larson

Hi Marty,
Your recent email (#10) has reminded me of what got me started in this whole stereo thing so many years ago: the love of music and the (almost as big) love of hearing music reproduced in the home well enough to begin to suspend disbelief and just sit back and enjoy the ride.
I remember, after subscribing to TAS with issue 6, the thrills and excitement of great music – it’s never stopped. In 1977 I bought a Sherwood S-8900a receiver and 2 sets of Large Advents with an M&K passive sub, all fed by a BIC 980 turntable with a Micro Acoustics 2002e MM cartridge. I had a pretty good assortment of LPs by then (I was 19 I think), maybe about 500 or so (I started buying at 12 when I started mowing lawns and got my first Radio Shack system with headphones). I thought it was just swell. Certainly better than anyone else in my school or neighborhood anywhere had close to my age...
Then I sold that system, stored away my LPs, went into the Air Force and started a family, etc, and Hi Fi became secondary in the sense that I still played records, just on pretty mundane equipment of the day (mid-80s). I so longed for the great gear that I had earlier in life when things were not so complicated...
Then came over 10 years of actually working for TAS and reviewing all manner of really cool gear, along with a stint at selling some of the same stuff. The TAS gig faded, and I am now in LA back to importing and distributing some of my favorite things in audio.
While the music thrill occasionally wanes (day in and day out dealing with the realities of selling audio gear can do that to you to a degree...), my enthusiasm for the hobby that started all those years ago in the 70s has never waned or become stale.

In addition to the "big rig" at my home with my wife in Hollywood, she has a full system comprised of some top vintage consumer electronics (Sherwood S-110CP receiver @ 100 wpc, a Pioneer PL-600 heavy duty DD turntable with, you guessed it, a Micro Acoustics 2002e MM cart feeding a pair of (mint and beautiful) ADS 700 2-way speakers [on stands], used with an Advent powered sub. Oh, and I also make use of a Dynaco Series II Dynaquad box for added stereo ambience (this thing really works, folks...). All wired with so-so interconnects and 16 gauge zip cord for the speakers. OK, I did recently buy a Phillips CDR machine instead of using a cassette deck, but hey, it is 2010...
My wife and I get so much enjoyment out of her system that it is just crazy. Sure, the big rig does better on almost all orchestral music, especially if you want to push it with bigger works, but for anything from Lightnin' Hopkins to Led Zep to Yes to Neil Young, etc., the vintage system is just plain magical fun. And the whole thing cost less than $600.00.
Yes, things have come a long way in many areas of sonic reproduction over the years, but the ability of these vintage components to sing to the soul is undiminished. I think that the fun and rewards of looking into some vintage gear could be illuminating and educational, not to mention perhaps whetting the appetite of some junior (poor/broke) music-lovers and budding audiophiles who simply cannot afford the newest best stuff, but who need the music to sustain them. I have been party to helping some dozens of these youngsters over the past few years to feed their music habits with rockin' gear that takes them to the place I started so many years back when I was that age...
    You go, Marty!!
    Best Regards,
    Scot

MGD comments: Scot is the General Manager at Elite AV Distribution. He, by the way, is the person who procured for me the wonderful Plinius SB301 power amplifier, which is not vintage but sounds awesome nonetheless.

Hi,

Just received your email and I totally agree with you. I think it would be great to know how preamps, amps, cd players, turntables , etc., compare with 21st century offerings. Today, for most manufacturers, all that matters is money. In the 70s and 80s, money was important, but they added art and love to their jobs ... why? Possibly because many of the people running those old companies were (if not all) audiophiles themselves. Today, maybe the founder/owner and one or two others in an audio company really enjoy music, the rest are engineers, designers and marketers, something other than music lovers, so it’s impossible for large companies to create what we are looking for... they don’t know how we feel.

Technology, of course, plays an important role in manufacturing, but how much of that can honestly be heard? Look at what is happening with LPs; more and more people (I’m included) are returning to analog, why? Because we are starting to find that with all the technology we have been losing something else, and we need to recover it soon.

Recently I bought a Thorens 124 MK II and let me tell you, this is an incredible example of what I’m talking about. I don’t know if you have tried one but if you can, do it. Look closely at how it was built, see all the revolutionary ideas added to the design, and then tell me if you can find something today that even comes close to this. Now, everything looks the same, many fancy designs, some of it very good, but still, it’s "cold" stuff. The same has happened with cars. Do you remember when a Mercedes was a Mercedes? That was 20 years ago, today it’s not easy to identify what is on the streets – they all look the same, they’re all made the same.

Maybe I’m a little crazy, but more and more people are trying to find what was in the old technology that can’t be found in the new. We’ve lost something in the newness that has squeezed the heart out of our passions. Perhaps it’s a reflection of us.

Go ahead and start the vintage project, I’m sure that more than a few of us need to read about it.

Regards,
Jorge Sanchez

Dear Marty,

You re right on the money regarding the high-end magazines (no pun intended however).

Revitalization of vintage gear will bring substantial business to repair shops and modifiers. The benefit to them will cycle back to the customers in the form of better kits, and better service, more competition etc. The mags will get their share of increased advertisement.

There is a basic sickness in society that we frequently have to deal with. The real estate markets, big banking and even NAFTA reflect twisted intentions… The real backbone is sound economics, which continues, but takes a hit from the squirreliness.

So I think the Vintage gear revival will help the economy as well as the High-end industry. An Ayre universal player, or an Oppo SE will make a refurbished Fisher sound better than ever. Same for a pair of Bozaks hooked up through a set of Synergistic Speaker Cells!

Best Regards,
Bill Riley

Not everyone agreed, of course …

--  Where are the facts?

Not a single specific case called out of the alleged evil.

And isn't one's measure of integrity relative? After all, how deep do your vendor allegiances run?

How much of your own review agenda is driven by vendor supply of equipment?

How many xxxxxx reviews have we seen? Why? (I could name more.)

How about personal bias? How can a reviewer covering 'the industry' possibly dismiss 'music servers' at of hand?

This email (#10) smacks of desperation (and poor taste).

You have begun to sound like another interesting (infamous web) reviewer, right down to "...trusted associates with good ears tell me...)

Yikes!

I won't be renewing, but that's really beside the point....
Bob Walters

PS: Stereophile is far from perfect, but...

Hello Bob:

I never mentioned Stereophile (in a negative way), I never mentioned anyone in particular - I let your imagination fill in the blanks, and it seems you have done so.
If my not appreciating music servers is a personal bias, at least I state out front what my bias is - nothing hidden.  I'm not like everyone else, and I don't feel a requirement to like something just because someone else does. You like music servers?  Should I dislike or criticize you for that?

Most of the equipment I'm reviewing right now has been purchased by me for the purpose of review.  I'm looking for vendors, it would make things easier.
Another famous web reviewer?  I have no trusted associates in this industry that tell me things (especially regarding equipment), and the only ears I trust are my own.  You are making many accusations, I must have touched a nerve...
No one is going to make you renew.  People make the same threat to Stereophile every month in the letters section and the magazine seems to be doing fine.
If you ever want to civilly discuss your concerns, I would be glad to do so...

Good listening,
Marty

Bob wrote back to thank me for my answer, but assured me that he hadn't changed his mind about not renewing.

November 2009

Dear Marty:

If you want to go to double issues with Bound-for-Sound that is fine with me. Just keep publishing BFS! With your e-mail updates we get the "hot" news ASAP anyway.

Tom Barfknecht
Sugar Land, TX

Marty,

The coverage of vintage Advent's is a great idea, but maybe you could go deeper. From my point of view there is a new trend in audio that looks like it is here to stay, and vinyl is part of the reason. More and more people are interested is audio components from late 70's, all of the 80's and part of 90's; reel to reels are in fashion again. In the last 3 months I bought 3 R2Rs just because they bring back memories of my youth (I’m 50 now) that I thought were lost. There is nothing today that can be compared to those incredible machines; the way the look, how they were built (the hundreds of small parts working together to play music), and the sound is marvelous.

Returning to vinyl and R2Rs, is for me, like being reborn into the world of music. Those years were the golden era of audio, as all the technology needed for superb analog was there; today everything is digital with ICs, and there are very few components with personality (happens the same with cars, all look the same today). Audio is not just music, it is a romance with your TTs, your amplifiers, your decks, etc.

After all this long introduction, it would be great if you could include in BFS a section that covers how units from years ago compare with the ones that we have today…

After 2 glasses of wine, that is what I think…

Regards
Jorge

Marty:

I've been reading your special products issue (great issue!) and noticed your write-up on LessLoss. It was you who turned me on to LessLoss a while back (for which I neglected to thank you), and it only seems fair to tell you that the Signature power cords are worth every penny extra over the original PC. I upgraded all of mine. If you haven't already done so, by all means check them out. They're sensational (and I happily wrote a mini review for their website.)
   
Keep up the good work.

Steve Braude

Marty,

I'd like to know if you have installed an IEC jack and a Lessloss power cord on a vintage electronic piece. It’s going to be tough to live with those old cracked power cords.

Best Regards,
Bill

Marty,

Just read your latest.  I picked up a pair of AR3A's at a garage sale in Evanston some months back.  They are a project waiting for me to get around to them. (On obtaining vintage gear)  I was driving around and did a double-take at a guys front yard because I saw a pair of speakers that looked very much like my Dad's still functional, and still surprisingly good KLH speakers. (Can I ride around your neighborhood too? – Ed)

If you have any tips on refurbishing vintage gear, I would love to hear about them.  I talked to Madisound about re-doing the AR3A's and the first thing they suggested is to get the woofers re-done, as most likely, they have rotted.  Madisound said that the below-business will re-do the woofers for about $40 apiece: Midwest Speaker Corporation 651/645-7385.

The guy at AudioProz in Boston has ideas about new caps. If you ever have about 1/2 hour on your hands -- give him a call.  Vince at AudioProz loves Vintage stuff.  You can find his information and his website at www.audioproz.com

If you do it all yourself, I would love to hear about the experience.  I just re-did some Magneplanar MG-I "improved" speakers - meaning, I reglued the tweeter section and then built completely new cross-overs.  I made a YouTube series about re-doing the tweeter part and wanted to do a YouTube bit about building the new cross-overs.  Unfortunately, "Peter Gunn" over at AudioAsylum, who gave me the advice about the cross-overs, flipped out at the suggestion that I publish his tips for free or that he try making a YouTube video.  Contact Peter if you need more.

I would encourage you, if you do most of the upgrades yourself, to take a video journal of the process.  A Flip high definition video camera is very affordable ($170) these days and the output with sound is pretty darn good.  It is so much easier to learn how to fix something after watching a good YouTube video that even examining a series of photos.

Eric Hoffmann (Chicago)

Marty,

I am thrilled to hear of your intention, and follow through, of reviewing vintage equipment, including making strategic changes to improve sound quality. Vintage equipment has great potential to bring in new readers who don't have the money, but maybe have the time, to explore the range of used equipment presently available. Besides, for many of us, "old" does not mean bad or using components which otherwise should be consigned to the scrap heap. There is a lot of good quality stuff out there which deserves to be heard, even if it is not the absolute last word in sound.

Gonthar Rooda

Hi Marty:

I would love to see articles/reviews on the following items: Dahlquist DQ10, Threshold, original McCormack electronics, Small Advents, Dynaco speakers and ST70 tube amp, Fisher and Scott

Also, I know that there are a couple of people doing restoration work on Thresholds amps. There also used to be a company that restored Dahlquist DQ10s. It would be great to read about restored products, while providing information on to whom to send our used units for repair/restoration.

BTW - Did you happen to contact "Peter Gunn" (the Magnepan modder) ?

Best regards,
Bob

Martin,

I look forward to reading the new double issue - it should be a fun read.

It sounds like our experiences have been running almost parallel recently.  I'd planned to go to RMAF but had to change my mind at the last minute due to some unexpected events at home.  I went last year and would have enjoyed going again.  But I will be attending the Burning Amp festival in San Francisco in a couple of weeks, so I'll get my "audio get together" fix anyway.  This is the 3rd annual event and is focused on the DIY crowd, with appearances expected by such luminaries as John Curl, Nelson Pass, and Alex Raal of RAAL speaker fame.  He makes amazing ribbon tweeters.  You can read about last year's festival here:  http://www.audioxpress.com/magsdirx/ax/addenda/media/didden_baf.pdf

I've also been experimenting with some classic older equipment.  My first "real stereo" was some Threshold equipment (an FET 2 preamp and S/150 power amp) that I bought about 25 years ago.  I've since drifted more into tubes and DIY, but I've recently gotten nostalgic about some of the older Threshold equipment and couldn't resist an old Threshold FET 10/hl preamp that I saw on Craigslist.  The price was reasonable so I gave it shot.  The sound was still quite good after letting it burn in for a couple of days, but I knew that the old electrolytic capacitors, now 20 years old, needed replacement.  I did that along with adding some soft recovery diodes to the power supply and bypassing the output coupling caps with some good quality modern caps.  The preamp responded very well to these changes and is now remarkably good - especially for the price.  Compared to the untweaked preamp, the soundstage is now quite a bit more three dimensional and the bass has gotten a better sense of (for lack of a better term) PRAT.  It's not in the ultra cheap category like your Advent speakers but for $600 plus the mods, I feel that I've ended up with a line stage that compares favorably with modern units costing quite a bit more.  There's definitely good stuff available out there.  For those who aren't handy with a soldering iron, there are places that will do similar restorations for a fair price.  Approximately $200 will be all it takes to get your preamp running like new.  Jon Soderberg, a former Threshold employee, specializes in restoring old Threshold equipment.  His website can be found here: http://www.vintageamprepair.net/
I haven't had him do any work for me, but he's gotten rave reviews on the web.

Happy listening.
Gary

Hello Marty,

I went through a set of 10 year old Yamaha speakers with very good results. I had a better crossover made, better wiring and binding posts, and beefed up the cabinet a little. It doesn't cost much, but it does involve work. I invested about $800.00 total, and I would say a comparable new speaker set of this construction, would run about $2500.00 or more.

I'd like to know if you have installed an IEC jack and a Lessloss power cord on a vintage electronic piece yet.

Regards,
Bill

Hi Marty:

I hope this email finds you and Laura well. I am a long time subscriber and buyer of some of your used gear. Let me get right to the point:

Why do better power cords make music sound better? 

How's that for not beating around the audio bush? I just came back from RMAF (my third visit). I love that show. An audiophile's Toys 'R Us convention!! Anyways - so I decided to finally go to the long standing Nordost demo given by Lars. To make things short, he did a demo on listening to the same piece of music starting with the $2 generic power cord and moving up the Nordost ladder from the $150 cord to the $500 cord, and finally to the Odin which I have no idea how much it cost but probably more then the Hyundai Pony that I once bought for $5500.00. I do not profess to have Golden Ears, but you would have had to be deaf not to hear the improvements along the path, especially the very first change from the generic to the $150.00

OK - so I heard it. As I left the room and went down to the lobby I noticed Frank Van Alstine having a slightly heated discussion with a man and a woman. I stopped walking and in my best clandestine manner listened in on their conversation.  The gentleman was being adamant about what he had just heard in the Nordost room and Frank was telling him that it was all bullshit.  I then walked over and explained to Frank that I too had heard the demo and that the results were undeniable.  "So, what is it that we are hearing, Frank, if nothing else has been altered?"  His response was that either something had been altered that we could not see, or there was some electronic incompatibility between cord and gear that could easily be explained if he had a chance to open the various cords.  But it has nothing to do with the "quality" of either of the cords.  In other words, all cords will sound the same if all have been properly assembled.  Power is power. Period. Or so says Frank Van Alstine 

So - why am I writing to you Marty? You may be one of the few people that I know that has absolutely no vested interest in your opinion on power cords. (Other than I like being right. Ed)  Any retailer, cord manufacturer, audio manufacturer, audio rag publisher/reviewer, engineer, etc., all have opinions that relate to either their profession or business - i.e. money!  (Of which I have none, so I must be honest! Ed) I hear a difference but I don't know why.  Do Van Alstine and those like him have a point? Is it all in fact some kind of sinister swindle or a pseudo auditory trick being played out in my brain? I will ask again:

Why do better power cords make music sound better? 

I await your response when your precious leisure time permits.

Yours very sincerely
Sam Gonshor
Toronto

BTW - I don't mean to pick on Frank, but he is a very self assured kind of guy.  He invited me up to his room and I sat down and listened to his new valve integrated amp playing through Salk speakers.  Speaker cables: Frank's self named "Rope Cord". Actual rope that is hiding a very thin strand of wire.  He asked me how I thought the system sounded; I told him very nice.  But that doesn't mean that it couldn't have sounded better!! 

Hi Marty,

Thank you so much for the advice. I really enjoy your magazine and I love the fact that you have managed to integrate integrity into the review process. Boy that is unusual these days...integrity that is....

My best to you and your family

Charlie Mathews

Regarding the Lowe's copper cable, BFS arrived yesterday and since I had another errand in that direction, I stopped in at local Lowe's. Looking over the reels and remnants, all of the 6awg E51583 was gone. However, I suspect that the actual part number or brand is not critical and that any 6awg type MTW/THWN-2/THHN/AWM copper will do. The key here is the type, which refers to the configuration and insulation, and that it must be copper, not aluminum. BTW, Kimber Postmaster spades (available in unplated copper) will accept 6awg wire without modification.

Finally, some years ago a colleague give me a white paper that was presented to the Audio Engineering Society by a scientist who was doing research for the Navy. He needed to ensure that audio signals transmitted by a sonar unit in a submarine were passed correctly to a computer. In fabricating different cables, he discovered that the most important factor was the use of identical materials throughout. In other words, his results were only consistent and repeatable when both the wire and connector were made of the same metal. Copper wire had to be terminated with copper plugs/spades, silver wire with silver plugs/spades, etc. Whenever metals were mixed or plated, the signal could never be passed the same way twice. Just more food for thought!