This is a beautiful sounding receiver, as nice as the 2220B, but 50% more powerful, which makes everything sound a bit more natural dynamically.e-mail me
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Marantz 2230B pictures
This is a beautiful sounding receiver, as nice as the 2220B, but 50% more powerful, which makes everything sound a bit more natural dynamically.e-mail me
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday Update
This album is sensational!I refoamed the AR 3As on saturday night. All the drivers work, but they don't sound anything like these legendary speakers legend suggests they should. The problem, I think, is either the tweeter and midrange adjustment pots or the crossover capacitors. This comprehensive guide to restoring them humbles me. I am sure they are worth the effort and attention, but I may not have the skill and patience required. I am selling them as is to someone who does.
I was more successful in refoaming my first pair of The Advent Loudspeaker yesterday. As I mentioned, I've never done a pair of Advent woofers with the masonite ring (so the 10 inch woofer can have a longer travel in a 12 inch basket). It really wasn't much more difficult than the later 10 inch version. They sound every bit as good as I'd hoped. Advents are classics for good reason! This pair have utility (woodgrain vinyl) cabinets with some scratches, and the grill fabric could use replacing (I've not found a good match yet) or perhaps drycleaning. These will be available at a real bargain price. They sound too good to not be enjoyed.
I got a Marantz 2230B today! This is a model I haven't had (or even seen) before) I spent the afternoon cleaning it inside and out and replacing all the lights (except the tuner pointer light and one of the 5 fuse lights, which I will buy and do tomorrow). It looks great and sounds better, like a 2220B with 50% more power. I will post pictures when it's finished.e-mail me
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
New Saturday Arrivals
Three new speaker sets! AR3as, original Advents, ADS L200s.
The ADS speakers are little cast metal things that in my opinion blow Minimus 7s away.
The ARs are classics that I've been anxious to hear for a long time. I will try to get them refoamed tonight and give them a listen. They are big heavy and beautifully made. They will be stunning when the cabinets are refinished.
The Advents need no introduction. This will be the first pair of original (masonite ring) woofers I've refoamed, and I'm looking forward to doing them.
e-mail me
The ADS speakers are little cast metal things that in my opinion blow Minimus 7s away.
The ARs are classics that I've been anxious to hear for a long time. I will try to get them refoamed tonight and give them a listen. They are big heavy and beautifully made. They will be stunning when the cabinets are refinished.
The Advents need no introduction. This will be the first pair of original (masonite ring) woofers I've refoamed, and I'm looking forward to doing them.
e-mail me
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday Update
The JBL L26s and KEF 102s both left last night. I'm sure their new owners will be very happy.
I am waiting (im)patiently to have the Sansui AU-9500 repaired, because I can't wait to hear it. Today I brought home the matching TU-9500 tuner and it's working!
Updated: This tuner sounds really good.
I took apart the AR 77XB turntable, cleaned and relubricated the bearing, cleaned the platter and redid the vinyl woodgrain plinth with real teak. It looks and sounds fantastic.
I also just brought home a british ADC 1600 DD Direct drive turntable with ALT-1 tonearm. The supplied cartridge is a dud, so I will find another and let you know what happens. The tonearm was well regarded in it's day, as was the manufacturer, so I have high expectations.
Update: With an Ortofon OM-10 ( a good match for the ALT-1 arm), this is working for me. I'll tell you more tomorrow.
e-mail me
I am waiting (im)patiently to have the Sansui AU-9500 repaired, because I can't wait to hear it. Today I brought home the matching TU-9500 tuner and it's working!
Updated: This tuner sounds really good.
I took apart the AR 77XB turntable, cleaned and relubricated the bearing, cleaned the platter and redid the vinyl woodgrain plinth with real teak. It looks and sounds fantastic.
I also just brought home a british ADC 1600 DD Direct drive turntable with ALT-1 tonearm. The supplied cartridge is a dud, so I will find another and let you know what happens. The tonearm was well regarded in it's day, as was the manufacturer, so I have high expectations.Update: With an Ortofon OM-10 ( a good match for the ALT-1 arm), this is working for me. I'll tell you more tomorrow.
e-mail me
Friday, September 18, 2009
Just Arrived! Sansui AU-9500
Please go here for photos
The one I just got is filthy and not working, but I will clean it and have my fantastic repair guy bring it back to life!
Here is a description from an ad on Audiogon:
The epitome of perfection in 1970s solid state integrated audio amplifiers. This is one of Sansui's best, with every feature for the discerning audiophile who desires that warm, almost tube-like sound from a solid state amplifier.The AU9500 is conservatively rated 75WPC continuous into 8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, with less than 0.1% THD, with a true bandwidth of 4-40Khz. It is powered by a large power transformer with seperate windings and power supplies for each channel with complimentary, parallel, push-pull output circuitry, using four output power transistors per channel.
I can't wait to hear this!
e-mail me
The one I just got is filthy and not working, but I will clean it and have my fantastic repair guy bring it back to life!
Here is a description from an ad on Audiogon:
The epitome of perfection in 1970s solid state integrated audio amplifiers. This is one of Sansui's best, with every feature for the discerning audiophile who desires that warm, almost tube-like sound from a solid state amplifier.The AU9500 is conservatively rated 75WPC continuous into 8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, with less than 0.1% THD, with a true bandwidth of 4-40Khz. It is powered by a large power transformer with seperate windings and power supplies for each channel with complimentary, parallel, push-pull output circuitry, using four output power transistors per channel.
I can't wait to hear this!
e-mail me
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
KEF 102s
These arrived today too. I sanded them this morning. The drivers are perfect, and now the cabinets look good too. They are big fun to listen to. I'll let you know how they sound soon...all good so far.Updated 2 hours later:
Very nice, very neutral yet sparkling.
From someone who puts it better than I could (but i don't know who):
They were often used in studio settings where accuracy and sound stage are of paramount importance. These music transducers are renowned in audiophile circles for their beautiful smooth midrange, imaging and ruler flat frequency response.
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Tuesdsay Update
Some gear has left and I have a bit more space than I've had in a while. I have just one set of speakers connected right now, the JBL L26s and they even better than I remembered. When I first had a pair, I saw them as a stepping stone to the three way L36s. Since I've owned two pairs of L16s since (which I love!), I now see the L26s as bigger L16s, and helps me appreciate them more.
The speakers are being driven by the Sony STR-V4 (now with teak side panels), a beautiful sounding combination.
The Celestion Ditton 22s are gone, and so is the Nikko Alpha 130 power amp. I will be on the prowl for speakers and electronics in the next few days.
I haven't written about or listened to the Toshiba SB-420 integrated amp I told you about. The Alps potentiometer that it uses as a volume control is broken and can't be fixed. I have know located a broken unit with a good volume control, and will have it working soon. I will have a Marantz 2220B again soon as well. The Sansui AU-4900 sounds great except for one harsh channel in the phono section, also to be fixed.
e-mail me
The speakers are being driven by the Sony STR-V4 (now with teak side panels), a beautiful sounding combination.
The Celestion Ditton 22s are gone, and so is the Nikko Alpha 130 power amp. I will be on the prowl for speakers and electronics in the next few days.
I haven't written about or listened to the Toshiba SB-420 integrated amp I told you about. The Alps potentiometer that it uses as a volume control is broken and can't be fixed. I have know located a broken unit with a good volume control, and will have it working soon. I will have a Marantz 2220B again soon as well. The Sansui AU-4900 sounds great except for one harsh channel in the phono section, also to be fixed.
e-mail me
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Showdown
On Saturday afternoon, a friend of Seventies Stereo brought over an 80 watt/channel receiver from the nineties. He was curious to see how it compared to a seventies vintage receiver. We listened to a few tracks on his, with digital and vinyl sources, then switched to the Sansui 8080 and repeated the tracks. I was confident that we would both prefer the sound of the Sansui, but was surprised by just how much more musical it sounded. The music was more dynamic, sweeter, and had much cleaner, clearer and tighter bass. My friend's receiver is beautiful looking, appears well made and has good specs. It just sounds more like a piece of electronics and less like music.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Szabo 833s just refoamed.
I got these fantastic speakers back in a trade. Here's what I said six months ago after a few days listening: The Szabo 833s are fabulous! Amazing bass, stunning midrange (from an excellent dome midrange driver), excellent imaging...all in all one of the finest speakers I've had.
I'm really enjoying them again. Since I last had them here I've started using an external USB DAC, and found a modest turntable that makes me happy, so the Szabos sound even better than before.
I wish I could say that I wasn't surprised that the foams were starting to disintegrate only 7 months after I last heard them, when the foams seemed to be in fine shape, but I was. Such is the nature of these volatile old foam compounds (most of which rot into petroleum based gummy tarlike sludge, that has to be scraped off the cone and basket before refoaming)...one still looked great, but peeled off the cone in one sticky piece, the other looked fine except for the quarter that was gone!
Anyhow, I refoamed them this afternoon, inverting the surrounds as the 8 inch woofers had been originally. They sound gorgeous right now with the Sansui.
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Friday, September 11, 2009
Bill Perry.
I had never heard of this guy until I heard that he passed away at the age of 52 a couple of years ago. I was lucky enough to be given a collection of his work. He was eulogized by Ron Wood and Ritchie Havens (who he played with at Woodstock!), a real musician's musician and is considered one of the best slide players ever.e-mail me
