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New! We're adding articles, ads and more from classic USA print magazine, High Fidelity.
above: Sony magazine ad from Sept. 1975. Read and see more ...
Electronics Today (UK print magazine)
Radio-Electronics--Special Projects (USA print magazine)
Audio humor
Lirpa -- One-Brand Systems (April Fools humor,
Apr. 1983)
(for years, Audio magazine featured "Lirpa" April
Fools humor in their April issue. Lirpa is April spelled backwards)
Below: Some classic hi-fi cartoons by Charles Rodrigues (September 29, 1926 - June 14, 2004) -- a contributor to Stereo Review (and other magazines)
WHAT's NEW?
"Gammelectronics.com" is now Gammelectronics.xyz -- please update your links accordingly ... thx!
Stereophonic Sound (1957) by Norman H. Crowhurst
Principles of optical storage-–part 2 --Focus and tracking mechanisms
above: Technics
SP-10MK3 Turntable (see: Audio mag. review, Feb. 1985)
above: Ad for Audio-Technica AT25 stereo phono
cartridge (May 1979)
above:
Decca London International Mk
VI Gold Elliptical Phono Cartridge (Audio magazine review, Aug. 1979)
above: Shure V15 Type IV ad
in Audio magazine, May 1978.
top: Classic Dual turntable review in Audio magazine
(Feb. 1977).
above: Advertisement for a Dual 1249 turntable, Audio magazine
(May 1977).
above: Portion of Dual turntable ad from April 1978.
above: Scanning Beam Microscope photo of Stereohedron stylus; 2000 times magnification. Brackets point out wider contact area. Photo featured in this 1979 Stanton Magnetic ad.
above: Pickering XSV 3000 --- vintage
1977 Audio magazine review !
above: Classic Kenwood ad from 1977. Article coming soon!
above: 1979 advertisement
for ADCOM Crosscoil.
above: Can you guess what this might be? (answer: eliptical vs. Shibata)
Guide to Recording Music on Location
Articles and ADs from: Electronic Technician/Dealer (classic USA print magazine)
Articles and ADs from: Electronics World (USA print magazine)
Below: Classic ad from audio magazines ca. mid 1970...like this image from a BIC turntable ad ...
Below: Micro-Seiki goodness...
...from Micro-Seiki to Micro-Acoustics ...
Below: An image of a classic turntable for which we have re-published the Audio magazine test report...
HARRIS INTERTYPE CORPORATION - GATES ( PROFESSIONAL TURNTABLES AND ACCESSORIES ) -- catalog
Do-it-Yourself (DIY) Electronics -- modification and review pages...
Articles / Guides:
Home Theater and Video
Headphone gear
Loudspeakers
Phono (turntable, cartridge, vinyl, record care)
Vacuum tubes (valves) and related equipment
Solid state (transistor)
Radio and wireless
Music and Recordings
Harman Kardon turntable series (1983-84 catalog)
"PEAR PRESSURE" (an essay about psychoacoustics...)
Vacuum Tube (Valve) Radio and Audio Repair Guide
Book Review: Mastering Audio by Bob Katz
Balanced Audio Cable Hum: Cause and Cure
Rehabilitating Cathode Followers
Renovating the H.H. Scott 222C vacuum tube integrated amplifier
A Bolt from the Blue: Lightning strikes vs. Home electronics
Japanese IC Preamp with Electronic Level and Selector
High-End 120W MOSFET IC Driven Amp
Switchable Gain Booster Amplifier
The GAMP: Adaptable Power for Tube Amps
A Chip-Driven SE Monoblock Amplifier
Jadis JS1 Symmetrical D/A processor & J1 Drive CD transport
Audio Alchemy ACD-Pro, Audio Electronic CD-1, and Rotel RCD-990 CD players
The Parts Connection Assemblage DAC-2 D/A converter
Counterpoint DA-10 digital processor
Parasound D/AC-1100 and D/AC-2000 Ultra Digital Processors
Audio Note Kassai Silver Power Amplifier
DSD and SACD -- Evolutionary or Revolutionary?
ezDAC -- A high-performance DIY digital-to-analog processor
QUICK DIY AUDIO PROJECTS
Audio (American hi-fi magazine (1947-2000))
Stereo Review (American hi-fi audio magazine, published 1958-1999)
Hot Tip!!! DIY audio (RCA/phono) interconnects
What to use:
WIRE: I use JSC Wire--Multi-Conductor
Overall Foil Shield 75°C, 300 V, PE Insulation (the version shown here is more than two conductors)...
...which I get at the
local electronics-parts store. It's good enough for most industrial and residential
applications and far from being cheap-grade. I also use Canare microphone
or coaxial cable; I don't think this more-expensive, audio-app-specific wire
is better than JSC.
PHONO (RCA) CONNECTORS: Neutrik, Switchcraft, Canare, etc.
OTHER: Heatshink tubing; high-quality (silver) solder
How to wire: Blue is signal - tip on plug; Screen (shield) is return (ground) - outer on plug. So, how about white? Wire it to the outer at the signal (source) end only, making the cable "directional".
References: audioasylum thread
Shown below: inexpensive but effective Switchcraft 3502 RCA plug...
More-expensive Mogami (cable) and Canare (plug) options ...
Passive Preamp: Transformer Implemented
Single-Ended to Differential-Mode Vacuum Tube Projects Made Easy
High-Voltage Differential Amplifier for Measurement
Rebuild a Classic Heath’s W-5M
Sonic Comparison of Power Amplifier Output vs. Input
InterSil D2Audio Class D Audio Modules
The Silent Information Revolution -- Online education challenges traditional paradigms
Gamma: A 10-Watt Integrated Amplifier
Tweaking the Passive Inverse RIAA Network
Calibration of the Hickok 539C tube tester
Cascoding National’s LM12 for 140W
Optimum Stages for Minimal Distortion
JVC HA-D990 headphones--review and analysis
Reliable Audio Engineering via Grounding and System Interlacing
How Loud Is Real? Why loudness controls never worked
Radio Shack Sound Level Meter Characteristics
An IM Signal Generator Upgrade
An Analog A/B/I Switcher + Headphone Amp
Capacitor Bypassing in Audio Power Supply Circuits: Proceed Carefully!
Review of Echo Busters Decorative Acoustical Treatments
Speech Intelligibility: What reverb is -- and how to calculate it
Review of the Pioneer X-Z9 Compact Stereo System
21st-Century Cinema Design--Viewing and listening requirements for a THX-quality theater design.
MECHANICS HALL -- Meeting house for Music
DIY DAP—A Do-It-Yourself Digital Audio Player: Build an embedded hardware/software system for 16-bit digital audio.
The Willowhill Pre-amp -- A high slew-rate JFET pre-amplifier
Rebuild an Old Turntable -- A simple circuit and some tinkering allow clean analog sound.
All About Speaker Cones -- Let's examine loudspeaker materials, fabrication, and quality
The Basics of Headphone Testing and Measurements
Ultra Low-Noise Phono Preamp [theory, concept, design and DIY project]
Chassis construction techniques for audio projects
Maintaining Your Balance -- A DIY project to handle balanced/unbalanced devices
An Inductively-Equalized Solid-State Phono Preamp
A Minimalist Audio Amplifier Design
The G40EP: A Flea-Powered Headphone Amp (and how to improve this classic design)
The Noise (Analysis) Machine -- a method to perform accurate noise measurements
Distortion Meter – An Audio Interconnect Tester?
Salvaging vintage audio (electronics) treasures -- from dumpsters, eBay, etc.
Sharp MD-D10 Portable MiniDisc Player [review]
Benchmark DAC1 USB [review]
Teac V8000S Cassette Deck [review]
Audio Engineering Guide: Playback of Analog (vinyl) Records
Sound Ecology: environmental and health factors affecting your hi-fi equipment, your listening, and the planet
Low-Level Analog Effects Switching project (for electric guitars)
Inouye Synergistic Power Line Conditioner
CD player round-up (early 1989): A subjective review -- players—from Magnavox, Adcom, Yamaha, and Onkyo—are in four different price ranges.
Back to the Future: High-rez digital ideas circa 1998
Understanding Tube Electronics (adapted from New York Audio Labs 1984 booklet, by Harvey Rosenberg): The State of Audio Technology; Tubes Versus Transistors -- Is There an Audible Difference?; A Vacuum Tube Audio Primer
The Cathode Follower and Its Weaker Siblings (Test results confirm that cathode followers are even more capable of driving capacitive loads than equivalent common-cathode amplifiers.)
Decca Stereo and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1960s and 1970s sound engineering)
Jon Dahlquist on Loudspeaker Design: Of Speaker Design, Theory and the Recorded Truth
In Search of a Reference Phono Cartridge (circa late 1980’s)
The Cartridge Chronicles: Part II [two fixed-coil pickups—of the moving-magnet variety—and a single moving-coil]
A Unique Loudspeaker Crossover Design with Waveform Fidelity
The Place where Tone Begins: 1996 Interview with Mesa Engineering’s Randall Smith
The Audio Bookshelf (missing some titles on your Kindle or bookshelf? read more ...)
CD (optical disc) longevity -- How durable and reliable are they? (read more...)
QUESTION: Why resurrect old equipment reviews?
ONE SIMPLE ANSWER: To keep the industry in check.
Old-is-new trends are common in all eras, gadget genres, and formats.
Gear "collectors" may be motivated by nostalgia or boredom or re-sale value (eBay stores)... but let's set these excuses aside, and simply ask this fundamental question:
How much technical progress has really been made in audio science and engineering -- that is, does modern equipment really sound better?
Is there such a thing as "timeless high-fidelity?" Perhaps, yes, if one is talking about: vinyl on classic Thorens turntables, played on decades-old electrostatic and horn loudspeakers, and (of course) through vintage vacuum-tube gear. This old stuff, when functioning properly and reliably (and maybe restored), can directly compete with many contemporary models.
Much old gear can be found on eBay and Craig’s List for considerably less money than band new (or even used-but-modern equipment, as in the overpriced used/2nd hand/trade-in section of hi-fi shops).
Knowing when to invest in old gear takes practice and skill (sometimes literally: as in using a soldering iron!). But the economic and self-accomplishment rewards are well worth it! You many never buy new gear again!
Headphones:
Electrodynamic / Orthodynamic: (aka planar magnetic, like Audeze brand)
This type of headphone is essentially in the same family as the moving-coil type, except that the coil has, in effect, been unwound and fixed to a thin, light, plastics diaphragm.
The annular magnetic gap has been replaced by opposing bar magnets, which cause the magnetic field to be squashed more or less parallel to the diaphragm. The " coil " is in fact now a thin conductor zig-zagging or spiraling its way across the surface of the diaphragm, oriented at right angles to the magnetic field so that sending a constant direct current through the conductor results in a more or less equal unidirectional force, which displaces the diaphragm from its rest position. An alternating music signal therefore causes the diaphragm to vibrate in sympathy with it, creating a sound-wave analogue of the music. (read more...)
Links and references for audio / video and related electronics:
Here are some other sites that contain products or information that may be of interest:
United States Construction Resources and Support— Specializing in indoor and outdoor home lighting, light fixtures, ceiling fans, lamps, and electrical lighting accessories.
"The Construction Resources Folks" -- Home Repair, Improvement and Hardware: Products and Tips for Do-it-Yourself Projects
Industrial Electronics — Electrical Resources for Manufacturing and Government Applications: including Cable & Wire Managers and Cord Covers.
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Updated: Friday, 2020-06-19 7:46 PST - A Scientific-Singularity network |
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