Merry Christmas to All

Energy 22 Connoisseur Speakers

One of my fondest vintage sound memories has to be at the age of 16 when I would ride my bicycle up to the high end hifi shop on Yonge St in Richmond Hill. This was the dream shop that I learned much of sound quality and equipment. I remember getting my first taste of Carver units and doing comparison tests with the other amps of that era. The sales rep who's name I forget was my sound guru. I do remember he was extremely tall. We would spend hours listening and testing in the sound room and he was always delighted to teach me the terms and train my ear. To spend that much time with me at that age was very exciting as I loved the pure sound he would demonstrate.

Hearing for the first time Steely Dan's Gaucho album thru the amazing Energy 22 Connoisseurs was just spectacular. In 1982 these retailed for $1,200. The hyper dome tweeter

is amazing and the relatively small cabinets produced a bottom end out of these small polypropylene woofers of 30Hz, seriously low. The timbre and backing keyboards were sweet sounds that I had never experienced prior to that day.

 
It was sooo pure and clean and of course it was vinyl. The imaging of these speakers was magical. A wide dispersion of sound filled the room urging you to place each instrument's location in your mind.

It was the Carver M-400t that pushed this masterpiece LP thru the 22's. Dubbed "the cube" the M-400t differs from the M-400a seen here on my friend Lloyd's blog, in that Bob Carver emulated a true tube amplifiers sound. It was an experience that is really what Vintage sound is all about. Even at the age of 16. Listen to "my rival" to really hear the full dynamics of this album.

Technics SU-7700

Just arrived is this classic 1978 Integrated Amplifier. This one packs 50 watts per channel and has great spacial tone. It has beautiful large VU metering with a real classic setup. Woodgrain sides and vented grill top similiar to many 70's components. A susbsonic EQ and 2 metering level positions are the add-ons of it's time. It's a great find!

Vintage Apple - $300,000

No these guys are not lost Pink Floyd members it's Steve & Steve! Jobs and Wozniak that is...
I came across this article which reports that the Apple 1 (pictured below) is going up at Christie's auction house for 300 grand. Listen, for 4K of Ram that's a bargin!!! 4K! Basically 1 long document and your done...full! Designed and built in Job's parents basement they sold it for an original $666.66.
What a thrift find that would be. Apparently they managed to push out 200 of them. You could add a read/write interface to it for $75.00. To what medium? Cassette! Crazy how far these guys have come.
I know it's not my normal Audio stuff but Vintage is Vintage. I have followed Apple for a long time! Awesome story!

The complete write up is at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1328439/First-Apple-1-sold-Steve-Jobs-sale-150k.html
Enjoy.

Sansui AU-4400

A mid 70's Integrated gem from Sansui. Rated at a conservative 20 watts per channel this solid amp has the beautiful clean image that made Sansui so great back then. Interesting thing about the 4400 in this series is that they didn't offer the popular black faceplate as in the others available at that time. Ah but silver faces rocked! No bells or whistles...just simple elegance.

Here is the link to some history if your interested.
http://www.sansui.us/PG_AU7700_Series.htm

Autumn Leaves

Well my wife and I headed out to the yard to get the blown 5ft pile of leaves organized into their lawn bags. One problem... no rake! It was being used by a friend so I turned to the perfect solution. My not so great D list collection of LP's in the garage. Now I know this is hard to believe but it's true. The first LP I grabbed to facilitate the pick up was no other than the Autumn Leaves LP in the picture with my wife. Really! It was in the garage for a reason, weird music that I can't even describe.

For those of you that haven't thought of this it is an innovative idea worth trying. You simply have an LP in each hand and sandwich the pile of leaves between them and drop them over to the bag. Not only can you grab a ton but the best part is that the bags opening is 14" which allows you to go right in and release them and then chop inside the bag in an alternating motion that creates space and pushes them down further. The two of us filled 15 bags in under 45 minutes.
Now you ask how this relates to vintage sound?
It doesn't but I can assure you that no vinyl was harmed in the making of today's blog. Peace!

Technics Sa-5370 Receiver

Newly arrived is this beautiful condition Technics SA-5370

This unit is 48 watt per channel silver face receiver with polished aluminum controls.
The inputs are AM/FM, tape 1, tape 2, aux, phono. Hi and Lo filters. FM muting/mono switch.
Center tuning and signal strength meters. Stereo lock red LED.
Connections and switching for two pairs of speakers. The speaker outputs are protected wth 4A fuses on back panel. This is again a classic Receiver that has the timeless vintage design with beautiful soft hue back lighting. Tons of clean power makes this a great vintage Receiver to drive your favorite classic speakers. I really enjoyed the response of this Tuner and with solid power and looks it's a top pick. The original ad is below as well. Enjoy!

Sansui TU-317 Tuner

This 317 is the baby of the HiFi line of 70s TU series tuners. Built beautifully in its sleek black body and fitted for racking this really has the classic look. Great features on an entry level tuner includes FM muting and Noise cancellation, It has amazing sensitivity and frequency response. Sansui also regulates the power supply to continually provide equal power to all circuits. It definitely deserves the title HiFi!

Pioneer SA-6800 Integrated Amp

 Just Arrived is this classic Pioneer SA-6800 silver faced beauty.

At 45 watts per channel with impressively low harmonic distortion of .03%

I really like the cool blue fluorescent output meters. Also a typically huge Pioneer volume knob identifies it from across a room. A nice Walnut veneer compliments the look nicely. Extra heavy with a 10 inch long heat sink.

Built in 1979 this unit is the classic look that we all love, with solid construction and performance. 

Philips Full Range Loudspeakers

Hi Again Audio buffs, sorry for the lengthy absence! Sometimes our lives are just well...busy!
Here is a fine set of Holland made Philips 4 ways that I was quite happy to acquire.
An 8 inch passive and woofer bring the low end through and the Philips tweeters (which are quite respected from this era) have a very musical and precise tone to them. Keep in mind that they are 4 ohm impedance so I let loose the Pioneer A-70 on them.
I love the old cloth and in this shape they are hard to find. The curved sleek euro look set these apart.
I haven't come across a pair of these until now and really like the euro design and performance.

There is great attention to detail in the construction of these speakers. To be expected from the great Northern Europe manufacturers. Simply beautiful and rare.

The Royal Ballet LP's - Vinyl Collector's Treasure

I picked up not one but two Vintage box sets of these uber rare collections of Swan lake performances from the 60's. The sets have the most amazing books with them. The print quality is awesome and includes fly sheets with full song list and credits.
This is a magnificent (2 LP) album, that should be in every record collection. In effect, it is the "highlights" of all the most famous Romantic ballets in a leather bound spine with a canvass cover. Exceptional!!!
The sound is exceptional in every way, and particularly outstanding in outer detail and dynamic qualities. The sound is also BIG, and the instruments actually seem as large as they are in real life.
A rare, original pressing of this album sold on eBay last month for $1,000

I guess a phenomenal catch!!!

The Archive

    Here is a true vinyl collectors story. Just think of the endurance of this man's passion. 

Here's the math...

• Ok so he is 69 years old
• Let's guess he started collecting vinyl records at 16
• So 53 years...
• 1 million LP records(not even including his 1.5 million singles) Jazz records, Rock Records, all records
• 364 days (hoping he took Christmas off)

That is 19,292 days by 1 million LP's = 51.835 vinyl records a day!
 Ok some days he got boxes of 100's other days none so it's a good average!

Nearing his last days you can see he simply wants recognition and the vinyl to live forever! Bittersweet ending to a lifelong pursuit. Amazing record collection!

Kenwood KA3500 Integrated Amp

This Mint amp surprised me! It sounds so clean.
Drove the Ohms' with ease.
The tone was really solid from high to lows. Simplistic styling which I love. Produced in 1977 at 40 wpc its solid power.
With the mint KT5500 Tuner in stock this combo is rare 70's beauties!

The original brochure...
Check out the serious love handle option!

Hitachi D-410 Deck

Today's arrival is this 1975 Hitachi Cassette Deck. This deck is Mint.
It's as clean as the day it was sold. Originally retailed for $240.00

No bells or whistles, just solid vintage construction. 2 Head design with Dolby B noise reduction. Tested and she is perfect. No issues. As always I will clean the head unit and switches. Oh and the load door opens up and in. Cool!

Vinyl Collection Rescued

A longtime friend had mentioned to my brother-in law that they were getting rid of some vinyl LP's. He suggested contacting me first as I mainly spin vinyl. I was quite busy and did not get back to them until a few days later. When we did connect on the phone she mentioned that since no one had put in a word for them that they were being dumped as we spoke. NO!!!!! "Don't do it" I yelled! Well after a frantic call to her father who literally was unloading at the local dump she managed to direct him to my home where I eagerly awaited the treasure.

Amazingly the load consisted of over 2000 LP's! I can't even fathom the great loss society would have endured had these jewels been discarded. Already songs have touched friends who have visited! Yes, the emotional power of music. It's of course why I write this blog, showcasing the wonderful equipment that captivates our ears. I have only gone through a few hundred and have gems from Bing Crosby, Mountain, Chet Atkins, Cab Calloway & Ella Fitzgerald...etc. Going through them is as rewarding as listening! Thanks for listening!

Kenwood KT5500 Tuner

I am surprised at how inexpensive you can find this Kenwood Tuner. Produced in 1975. These had an optional wood case although it wasn't included with this one. Just came in and although not overly sensitive, it sound good. Clean analog tuning dial with VU sensitivity metering. The condition is mint+. I have had many tuners and can say this one stacks up very well. Background station jogging was silent.It brought in the local stations nicely. Contact me if your looking for a great valued tuner. Matching amp is here as well.

An Audio Friend

With regular arrivals of components like Braun, JBL, Thorens & Marantz to name just a few Lloyd Naftolin's blog Seventies Stereo is one that I continually follow. He has great passion for quality audio and showcases some real finds.
A visit not to miss if you love vintage equipment!

Junk or Treasure?

Many times I come across systems that need that question answered. There are definite treasures and then there are borderline restoration projects to take on. Other times the components are in great shape but is there a market for them. The checklist on these items become sound quality, rarity, quality of manufacturer, style or simply overall presentation. Much research and time determines value and market for these items. Most I know immediately but there are the odd ones like this Symphonic console that are Junk to some and a great find to others.

This console has a very warm sounding receiver portion. Interesting layout and style. Chrome pedestal base with open face which has a tinted hinged cover. I suspect there was at one time an overall deep cover as the wear marks indicate however that is not with the unit. The turntable is from Great Britain. Garrard type but unsure without dismantling the box. Tape loop inputs with speaker terminals on rear. Guessing a 30 wattage output. I picture this in an Eames chair add...has that 70's look!

Symphonic produced these out of Montreal and were big suppliers of TV's as well.
Junk or Treasure? It's definitely some one's treasure!