Lirpa Reprint Rights
Dear Sir:
Early this year a group of dedicated Minnesota and western Wisconsin audiophiles organized the Audio Society of Minnesota and established a newsletter. As much of the "class" of the Society will be reflected by the newsletter, it is important that it contain class material. Your permission to reprint the Audio review of your revolutionary Lirpa 1 Showermike would, we feel, ensure that this effort gets off to a clean start.
I softsoap you not when I relay the high regard and affection in which you are held by Minnesota's large, knowledgeable population of sophisticated electronics and computer people. We wish you, Dr. Lirpa, and especially Noj Knas, further success in your mutual endeavors to burst the phychoacoustic ' bubbles which still remain.
-Roderick Riese, Audio Soc. of Minn., Minneapolis, Minn.
The Editor replies:
Okay, but the reprint has to be in Romanian, and be certain not to mix up Figs. 5 and 6. -E.P.
" Warsaw Box" Update
Dear Sir:
I have carefully studied the "War saw Box" invented by Prof. I. Lirpa, as discovered by John Woram while he was being smuggled out of Bucharest in the bottom of a canary cage, and I find that Prof. Lirpa must have made a mistake. The circuit shown by Woram is a 1-4 quad system, not a 4-1-4 sys tem for quad.
Below is the correct circuit as Mr. Woram should have realized:
Of course, the Rs can be replaced with Cs and a phase shift will result, giving much improved separation.
Mr. Woram need not worry about having an insufficient quantity of play back speaker systems since one unit can be merely disconnected and quickly connected to another channel.
This is satisfactory because the sym metrical characteristics of the "Warsaw Box" provide built-in intelligence to force the new channel to be identical to the first.
Almon Clegg Manager, Audio Engineering Dept., Technics by Panasonic, Secaucus, N.J.
FCC's AM Proposal
Dear Sir:
I hope that all of us recognize the tremendous importance of Lawrence D. Swift's letter regarding the AM clear-channel proposal of the FCC (Forum, p. 6, May, 1979).
This proposal is another attempt to restrict freedom of speech and sup press the American citizen's "right-to-know." Canadian news broadcasts and English-language news broadcasts from the major European countries are highly critical of our foreign policy as practiced in the Middle East and Africa. These foreign short-wave broad casts are now difficult to receive be cause of a continuous staccato-like interference which is currently and officially being blamed on the Russians.
However, friends of mine with direction-finding equipment report that this interference originates in three different spots within this country:
- Bremerton, Washington; Grand Island, Nebraska, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
I believe the FCC proposal is an attempt to jam reception on the broad cast band from Canada and Mexico, and as such should be emphatically rejected.
-Curtiss R. Schafer, Newtown, Conn.
The Editor replies:
Well, Mr. Schafer's statements about such interference are bound to raise some hackles, but it would be interesting to find out whether other folks have had any experience with such short-wave interference, particularly originating from the areas he names.
- E.P.
Coincident Conversion
Dear Sir:
After your microphone issue (November, 1978, pp. 40-50, "A Guide to Coincident Mikes") came out last year I simply had to try the O.R.T.F. system for myself. After a quick dip into my nearly empty piggy bank, I dashed down to the local hardware store and purchased a cross, two close nipples, two elbows, a 3/4-in. nipple, a 11-in. nipple, and a 2-in. nipple ... all in 1h-in. galvanized pipe fittings. With all this equipment, I ran back home, put the whole thing into a vise, wrestled it around for about 15 minutes, and came up with a three-channel O.R.T.F. microphone stand for less than $5.00. Since Nakamichi micro phones have 1/2-in. pipe threads on their holders, the three holders screwed onto the ends of the upright nipples, with the mike bodies crossing over each other to fit the 110° and 6.7-in. separation between the right and left channels.
Then I took the whole "shootin' match," Nakamichi 550 cassette deck, two CM-1000 mikes, and one CM-300 mike for the center channel, and then went on vacation recording pipe organs in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.
You cannot believe the results! Absolutely stunning! Perfect and glorious organ sound with all the ambience captured. And I'm sure you can appreciate that it was a lot easier to carry around one mike stand, rather than three.
I just had to let you know the results and to say "Thank You" for putting such useful information into my hands. Once again, Audio magazine has demonstrated its worth. Now, all you have to do is to use your "good offices" to persuade Nakamichi to institute a Metafine-capability refit pro gram for their 550 cassette deck.
-Lewis J. Smith Fairfield, Cal.
Historical Interest
Dear Sir:
In response to David Greep's letter in the "Dear Editor" column (April, 1979) about the explanation of the "green room," I found it very interesting. As a professional actor and per former of some 15 years experience, I can only say that among professional actors it's called the "green room" or the "ready room." One enters it when prepared to go "on-stage." An actor's presence there is an indication that all is okay and he is ready.
The stage manager often operates from the green room so he knows who is ready and who is not. At the very least, he checks it at critical junctures.
If Mr. Creep is correct, he has added an interesting historical anecdote for many an actor's repertoire of tales. It is, at least, an interesting example of how we change the meanings of words to suit our own needs.
-Johnny Schott, Cincinnati, O.
Cutter Head Query
Dear Sir:
A recent inquiry in your magazine as to early embossing stylii characteristics provided me with many replies from a lot of people. I have another similar request to make. I have been trying to find out how disc recording heads are rebuilt and information as to establishing proper low-frequency crossover, level indication, and drive power.
I have had surprisingly good results making monophonic recordings with a 1961-vintage Rek-O-Kut 12-in. lathe and some old heads in my possession--to a limit, that is. The heads I have been using are an Audax R-56, RCA MI-4887 and MI-11853, and Astatic M 41-10. Specification sheets would be appreciated for the Audax and Astatic heads, and rebuilding information would be greatly appreciated for the others. Should I obtain information, I will be glad to share it with other read ers who are interested.
-Michael Stosich, 414 Assembly Dr., Bolingbrook, Ill. 60439
(Audio magazine, Jul. 1979)
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