click here for the subtitled version.

Rega 2 speakers

The last time I had a pair of these, I let them go too soon. They are excellent little speakers: neutral & lively, with excellent transient response and imaging. They are very well built, with light but rigidly braced cabinets and the slim but deep proportions that I love. The cabinets are covered in the worst fake woodgrain vinyl I've ever seen. it looks like a rough sketch of a piece of wood, not a photo (they may as well be fake leopard skin!). I am going to consider taking the time to veneer them in real wood, because they deserve it.

OMG!

Updated with my photos



This is a stunning receiver in every way.
Update: It has gone to a very appreciative home. I know it will give years of musical pleasure.
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New KLH 17s

I have loved these speakers before, and still do.

Tuesday Update

I got a new woofer to replace the one with the rattling voice coil in the souped up Mission 710s and they sound beautiful!

Weekend Update

The Altec 893A Coronas are sold, along with the Harman/Kardon hk385i receiver. I advertised the receiver, but didn't post about it here, because it was made in the early to mid eighties. Rated at 30 watts per channel, it sounds great with cds and the phono section is excellent, but the selectivity of the tuner section is not up to the standards set in the seventies.

The Cerwin Vega R-24s are leaving tomorrow along with the Harman/Kardon 430 twin powered receiver. On further and final listening, I am very impressed with the Vegas, the company's first "residential" speaker system. The mids and high end sound, to my ear, much more musical than the HED series Cerwin Vegas I've heard.

One of the woofers in my special Mission 710s developed a buzzing voice coil. I expect to have a complete replacement driver tomorrow.

I have an NAD 7240PE receiver. When I got it, it sounded great for the first 15 minutes it played, then became very harsh sounding. It has been in the shop for weeks, and has come home sounding great: clean, neutral NAD sound, with incredible weight and power, and prodigious amplifier headroom. The FM tuner button is missing (for now) but works.

I hope to have another pair of Rega 2 speakers tomorrow. I will enjoy them for longer than I did the last pair!

I also expect to have a gorgeous Sansui 7070 60 watt/channel receiver tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

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A Happy Ending in Utah

After the horrible of experience of having the Realistic Mach Ones damaged on their way to Virginia, I swore off shipping for a while. A guy in Provo, Utah really needed the Infinity RS-4000s and persuaded me to ship again, so I did. The speakers arrived today and the recipient wrote:
I just opened them an hour ago. I was actually stunned at their condition. They’re gorgeous! I think you were modest in how you described them. They look absolutely new. Just exactly what I was hoping for in every way. Thank you for the wonderful congenial spirit you’ve shown in going out on a limb to help me get these. I hope it was not so bad for you after all. It’s been great for me, and all because of you.
I breathe a sigh of relief!

A restyled Pioneer SX-3600

Update: A few minutes after posting an ad on Canuck Audio Mart, it was sold.

I got this receiver in rough shape. The fake vinyl film sides were peeling, the fake wood top was dirty and the volume was very scratchy. I have cleaned it and it sounds great. The sides have been veneered in teak and oiled, the top painted hammertone grey. It looks as good as it sounds. The trend in low to mid powered receivers in the late seventies was towards fake woodgrain, for it's lower cost. This Pioneer deserved better, and it makes me happy the way a few simple changes can enhance the perception of it's quality.





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Cerwin Vega R-24s

Update: These are leaving this weekend.


I now know these are Cerwin Vega's first residential speakers. I'm really liking them.

Weekend Update

The Marantz Model 26 left this morning. The Altec 201s left yesterday.

Those of you who follow this blog know that I haven't loved the Cerwin Vega speakers I've had and heard (like the HED-10s). I found the bass pretty good (and liked the quality of the cast frame woofers, including a set of 15 inchers I refoamed for a blog reader) but the treble, horribly harsh, courtesy of a cheap horn tweeter.



Now I have a vintage set of really early 'Vegas, before they used that red foam surround and the CV logo on the dustcap. This system has a heavy (but not cast frame) 12 inch woofer, and a reddish yellow dome tweeter, in a shallow metal horn. I'm told, by people with more knowledge than me, that this is the same tweeter used in the legendary Sound Dynamics Rock Monitors, and so far that sounds right to me. I refoamed the woofers last night. They have an extra deep basket that allows for a very long excursion capability, and so far (I can't go too loud early Sunday morning) it sound like a very coherent 2 way system with a nice midrange and the bass punch that Cerwin Vegas are loved for.

Pictures to follow shortly. Cerwin Vega fans will want to check these out, I think they are special.



I'm going to sand them and sort out the grills while my camera batteries are recharging. They are going to be beautiful. The more I look at them, the more they make sense to me as californian versions of those Sound Dynamics. remember Cerwin Vega made the sensurround speakers for the disaster movie Earthquake
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Altec 893A Corona photos

Lenco L62 photos

I got this in a trade with from a guy whose technical skill humbles me. He replaced the stock power cord with an excellent audiophile grade one, and upgraded the RCA cable and jacks.

This 'table was made in 1971. It is in amazing physical and sonic condition! The high level of swiss craftsmanship is apparent. The spring suspension works beautifully and I'm enjoying it very much as I write this.

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