Yamaha CA-1010 (again).

This is the third time that a fine example of this triumph of modernist industrial design has passed through Seventies Stereo World Headquarters, and again it leaves me dissatisfied. It's a cool amplifier in every sense.

Hafler DH-110 & DH-220

I found these in rough cosmetic condition, and wasn't able to test before buying. When I got home, the preamp sounded wonderful (and so it should... it's now been checked carefully), and the amp was weak and distorted in both channels. Even if I'd looked at the fuses, which I didn't, because it played at all, I wouldn't have noticed that they were incorrect values, by a lot. After Joe installed the correct (7 amp) fuses, music poured out.

Update.

  I've been well, busy with work, and spending more time listening to music than looking for new equipment. Not that some equipment hasn't found me! I have a Hafler 110/220 pre/power combination to tell you about, and a big, beautiful Kenwood receiver (a KR- 7600, 80 watts/channel) coming home from the shop this week. I'm expecting a Marantz 2330B receiver in the next few weeks, and am actively searching for my next speaker obsession.
  The picture shows just four of the many records I've found recently that have made me really happy, all with beautiful sound and superb playing, all highly recommended.

New Braun L830 photos.

  'Legendary' is way overused in the audiophile world, perhaps shouldn't be used at all. Does it mean, for example that I should pass the oral history, along with my personal experience of the Heil tweeter to my daughters? If so, then the transducers, especially domes, that Braun made in the seventies shouldn't be missed. They have a headphone like clarity that's extraordinary. This 3 way, 10 inch teak veneer system is a great example. I just refoamed the woofers, and they sound great.
  Braun speakers of the period used captive speakers leads (16 feet), and I've chosen to leave them. They're small diameter, but decent quality,suitable for the kind of vintage receivers (with their many old small connectors) that these speakers are likely to be paired with. In the past with other Brauns, I've cut into the cabinets and installed modern connectors, but am not convinced that the subtle improvement was worth defacing a classic Dieter Rams cabinet design for.

I photoshopped out the wires in this picture to make sure you're paying attention.

Highly Recommended.

I sold this album in 1990, and have regretted it many times since. I found a copy last month in awful condition, which was a tease. Yesterday, I got lucky. I found a great copy at a fair price at Sonic Boom. Django Reinhardt is a huge figure in jazz, and there have been a lot of slavish tributes and half baked Hot Club style recordings over the years, but this is the best way I can think of to experience the magic that Stephane Grappelli & Django made without the archival realities of the original Quintette du Hot Club de France recordings. Grappelli sound fantastic here, Pedersen was arguably the best jazz bass player in Europe at the time, and Coryell and Catherine swing furiously. The whole band swings furiously!

JBL L166 pictures.

The JBL L166s are up & running.

The woofers are refoamed, and one tweeter was repaired (I'll tell you about that later), and now they sound amazing! Pictures and lots more about them to tell soon.

JBL L166 update.

The 122A woofers (with 7.5 pound magnets!) need refoaming. Standard 12" foams don't fit at all, so I have to wait (something I'm bad at) 'til Friday or early next week to hear them. I'll do the cabinets while I'm waiting, and hope to have them ready to hear and show you soon. The full brochure is available here. My grills are black.

As you can imagine, I'm a little excited.

Altec Lansing Model 5 & 7 Series II

Stacked and driven by the Marantz 1200!

Ariston RD11s with Mayware Formula IV tonearm and Stanton 681EEE Cartridge.

I got this 'table a few weeks ago. It sounded good right away, but the cueing function wasn't usable. The hydraulic cylinder travels up and down in a sleeve, secured at the correct height by a plastic set screw, in a plastic thread that's completely stripped. I made a small rubber spacer of the required height, and epoxied it (removeably) between the arm mounting plate and the underside of the cylinder. It works perfectly. I've never had a Stanton cartridge before, and was always skeptical of the little brush at the front of the body. I couldn't imagine that performance wouldn't be compromised. I'm convinced that Stanton have designed their cartridges well. The 681EEE tracks well and sounds great. I think the brush (and its additional point of contact with the record surface) probably is extra helpful with the Mayware Formula IVs unipivot design.

Altec Seven pictures.

I just recapped the crossovers, and they sound fantastic!

Specs here.

I have a camera again. Pictures to follow.

Quick Update

  This is my first post in May, and I apologize. Stuff has been happening, I just haven't been able to tell you about it, or even show you pictures.
  The Altec Sevens have been refinished, and recapped, and I'm (still) evaluating, the (so far positive) changes.
  I refoamed a pair of The Advent Loudspeakers this week, and after not hearing a pair for probably 3 years, was bowled over (again) by their inherent musicality.