The Distortion of Sound

The Distortion of Sound is the music industries look at the degradation of our audio signals evolution. A must see for the audio enthusiasts. We are truly in the valley of sound quality. Let's champion high fidelity back to the mainstream! 

Vintage Speaker Greats

When you have a look at the designs of speakers today and their boasts of high efficiency you can't help but ask is this all that modern consumers gauge sound reproduction on? Every era has it's wish lists in speaker marketing. The 60's marketed speakers were pushing larger than life designs. The 70's revelled at low harmonic distortion figures.

The 80's were all about multiple driver enclosures and innovative driver materials and stereo imaging. The 90's...well lets not say anything. Now in the modern millennium it's all about slim sleek cabinetry and how efficient they are. Really in the pursuit of incredible sound reproduction why do we care so much about efficiency? I mean if you review the essential specifications and are thrilled with the performance and design would you not drive them with whatever is needed for their optimal performance? You have to ask if sound waves have not changed in length and characteristics then how can these modern enclosures produce a bass/mids sound wave the same as the cabinets of old? Crossover points and driver build is of much greater importance yet we see time and time again the consumer asking "what's the efficiency?"
Sure the ability to convert the power to sound is important but it is not characteristic of it's musicality or tone. An ideal frequency curve response without peaks or troughs are of greater importance in the musicality of a speaker. This is hand in hand with distortion rates and signal to noise ratios. Lets educate ourselves and not simply go with the trending topic when seeking your holy grail reproducer. Specifications will narrow your field of choice, your ears will bring your conclusion.
Here's a few more vintage audio greats...

Anna Netrebko - Norma Casta Diva Performance

The incomparable Anna Netrebko's performance of Norma Casta Diva written by Composer Vincenzo Bellini. A beautifully composed Arias. The Russian soprano will take your audiophile system for a ride. Great fidelity in her new release on vinyl - Verdi - with the Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino. A must have in your vintage vinyl record collection. Without question, a classic for all time!

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. :).

Sansui 9090db Receiver - Vintage greats

Newly arrived is this beautiful Sansui 9090. DB noise reduction circuitry is one of the many nice features that this late 70's receiver offers. At 135watts per channel it drives low impedance vintge speakers quite well. We tested the unit driving 6ohms and found the response to be quite good. 

This vintage aamplifier is stunning in appearence. Beautiful walnut sleeve and polished aluminum face. This is a Sansui flagship. A beast at 55lbs.

 Check out the specs.....

Specifications

Tuning range: FM, MW

Power output: 135 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response: 10Hz to 30kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.1%

Damping factor: 30

Input sensitivity: 4mV (mic), 2.5mV (MM), 150mV (DIN), 150mV (line)

Signal to noise ratio: 70dB (MM), 80dB (DIN), 80dB (line)

Channel separation: 50dB (MM), 50dB (line)

Output: 150mV (line), 30mV (DIN), 0.775V (Pre out)

Dimensions: 540 x 182 x 397mm

Weight: 23.6kg

Panasonic RS755S - Analog Dream Machines

If you still use the medium here is a versatile well built Reel to Reel for your collection. An early 1960's unit from the company that made their start manufacturing bicycles. Of course their big move in audio came when they launched into a higher fidelity line of Technics products. Most notably their Reel to Reel decks which were at the forefront of the medium for much of the early 80's. 



We gave this unit the full diagnostics and brought it back to original operating condition. At 65lbs I cant imagine the old boys lugging this to band practice but I'm sure thousands did!

JA Mitchell Turntable

Newly arrived is the Technodec British made Turntable from the 30 year company, J.A. Michell.
Bulit in the late 1980's Michell tables earned the respect of reviewers worldwide. The attention to details in the manufacturing of this table really attests to the sound you will be enjoying for years to come. For one the DC motor (silent) is mounted alone and isolated for the plinth as to not transfer any vibration to the tonearm and thus into your signal. The massive acrylic high pampening platter is impeadance matched to the records and the most innovative component has to be the inverted self oiling  (pumping) bearing build. All of which should put your price into the Hi end of the Hi Fi charts yet this falls into the mid-Fi price points. An overall exceptional buy! The sound is incredibly transparent and "real" through the RG250 tonearm. A Rega arm that has brilliant on-line reviews. I have paired it with an early Sumiko Blue Point Cartridge. An excellent match up.

Although there arent a great deal of vintage Michell tables on this side of the pond I recommend this TechnoDec over any mid priced point table built here. Sonically one of the purest analog non-fatiguing signals I've reviewed in a long time. Brilliant!!!! VintageSound at its best!

Carver Audio Equipment in the 80's

See Bob Carver at the top of his career in this nostalgic video. Its actually quite funny to see what they thought represented a great production. Miss Hologram is a classic addition. Regardless its very informative as you couldnt find a more innovative audio developer in the 80's. Hope you enjoy vintage Carver equipment on Vintage Sound!

Part 1 & 2. Vintage Carver Equipment on Vintage Sound.

 

Vintage Moog Music - Lem - Machines

Here is a great 1977 recording from Lem that is quite rare in great condition. I love Funk albums that capture many Moog synth sounds and spin it in a Jazz sounding compilation. This lp doesnt disapoint. Titled "Machines". Alex Cima and Bryce Robbley composed the music. The record was a private release on Wavefront Records (the only release on this label). The machines were various electronic music making devices: synthesizers, vocoders, Syndrums, arpeggiators. Great stuff from this duo filled with talent! Great vintage sound!

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!