Audiophile vinyl

It's a great thing to see young audiophiles grab hold of vintage analog gear. I've heard from many who vow to make vinyl their staple for accurate sound reproduction. This interest shows in the vinyl reviews boasting another 12 percentage increase in sales this past year and a considerable decline in CD sales. SACD's (super audio compact discs) however saw a marginal increase. All of this screams one thing. Sound quality matters again to consumers. With all the shortcuts and circuit wizardry that are employed into todays build's it's not surprising that the difference is SO vast between yesterdays somewhat uninhibited signal paths and the amplification designs of today.

We can't leave out analog tape and it's wonderful sound and properties. With some new studios producing tape again from 2" masters it will likely see some resurgence in the next few years as well. There are some purists who pledge great allegiance to their tape and the quality of their decks.
The progression of the audiophile travels usually from bitstream to needle. It just takes some longer than others to get there. :).

The Fisher TX55 Amplifier

Here is a nice arrival. This Fisher amplifier packs, you guessed it, 55wpc and has a high mpx filter system on board. My initial demo with this Solid State unit sounded nice although I think it needed some run time to really open up. A very traditional yet sleek design.
 Fisher had the market in the US from the late 50's through the 60's in domestic built HiFi. Their high end, well known and still revered today as a classic tube receiver - the Fisher 500c series is as good as you can find from the New York based manufacturer.  
This series is difficult to find however can be a great value based on it's power and general performance. Stan Getz - Reflections (1962) is an incredible LP to spin into new gear!

Sony 3120a Amplifier

Just Arrived is this rare and collectable Sony amplifier. This is the "a" model which offers a response of 180Khz compared to the 3120 which has a 100Khz response. It also boasted improved THD specs.

The cosmetic difference? There is no "safety" LED on the front next the power light on the "a" model. I have, as regular readers know, the Sony TA2000 preamplifier which is considered as pure as they came in 1967 and still today holds its own against many Solid State units. This 3120a was one that was paired with the TA2000. At 50wpc and a THD of less than 0.03% it literally jumps my vinyl out of the speakers. I recommend this setup for anyone collecting rare solid state. It is a pleasure to listen to it's pure Sony Vintage Sound.