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Nonproductive Nonsense Dear Editor: I hope you don't have anything else in the hopper remotely like "Productive Producer," the interview by [sic] Steven Epstein (June). Pure hype and, just incidentally, one of the dullest, dumbest articles I've ever tried to wade through. Enough already. -J. Lee Anderson La Jolla, Cal. Heart A-Tracking Dear Editor: I just finished reading Edward M. Long's review of the Goldmund ST4 linear tracking turntable (August), and I just had to write and ask: Is it mere coincidence that the first turntable Goldmund sells complete with a linear tracking arm happens to bear the same model designation as the very first turntable to be sold complete with a straight-line tracking arm back in the early '70s, the Rabco (Harman/Kardon) ST4? Or is it possibly a tribute to the original? Ownership of a Rabco ST4 for many years led me to a firm belief in the joys of straight-line tracking. Though the Rabco could probably not hold its own sonically against even mid-priced decks today, it nonetheless treated my precious vinyl collection (becoming more precious with each digitally encoded day) with extreme gentleness. Only a failing a.c. synchronous motor, and the difficulty of finding a modern cartridge which performs well in the Rabco’s very massive (by today's standards) arm, has forced my old ST4 into retirement on a closet shelf. My current table is a tangential tracker; so it is with unadulterated lust, these days, that I pour through reviews of linear machines like the Goldmund. The latest bearer of the legendary ST4 name is priced well beyond my means, but thanks anyway for the cardiovascular stimulation! -Doug Gagliardi; Claremont, Cal. Stylus-Ticked Dear Editor: In the classified section of your magazine, you direct people to visit their local "independent NV specialty retailer" when they need to buy equipment. This is, on the whole, good advice. However, there is one need which nearly all of these retailers are ignoring: Replacement styli for cartridges. I used to buy them from an electronics store, but they no longer stock what I need. I called around the local stereo stores, and they acted as if I had lost my mind when I asked. They tried to get me to buy the entire cartridge. My cartridge costs $189, and its replacement stylus costs $69. There's nothing in the cartridge that wears out, so why should I waste $120 every six months or so? I wrote to the manufacturer, and they sent me a list of dealers who carried replacement styli. The closest one I could find was 30 miles away, in an area where most windows have bars. But they had one in stock, so I bought it. Now where do I go to get another when I need it? I know that CDs are basically taking over, but those of us who have collected music over the years have a lot of LPs which we can't afford to replace with CDs, and in some cases couldn't replace if we wanted to. Although we're less likely to buy the greatest playback system, we still need to keep what we have up and running. In your magazine, I found two advertisements for cartridge stylus specialists. You better believe I'm writing to them right away! This letter is my plea to retailers. Use common sense, and stock what your customers really need! -Allan Flippin; Pleasanton, Cal. Vintage Audio Dear Editor: I have 20 years of back issues of Audio (1965-1984) which I can no longer keep. Could you announce it in the magazine that such is available and that I would be interested in giving these copies to a school or selling them to an individual. -Tom Rose; 117 Red Oak La., Flower Mound, Tex. 75028 A second collection spanning from 1975 to the present is also available. Send inquiries to the following address: John F. MacArthur 31 Dearborn Place, #27 Goleta, Cal. 93117 (Source: Audio magazine, Nov. 1990) = = = = |
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