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!

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.

Akai 4000DB Reel to Reel

This Arrived some time ago and I hadn't had the chance to run it through its paces.
 I have some excellent Columbia recordings of Leonard Bernstein originals. If your testing these old reel to reels I find piano and Symphony ensembles are an excellent, discriminating source for any fluctuation or unwanted noise.

This 4000DB is an attractively designed compact tape deck offering multiple connections and controls and quality features among which are Akai's one micron gap heads for high density recording and the well known the incorporation of Dolby Noise Reduction System.
As you can see the Akai's one-micron gap head is responsible for an amazingly important difference in tape recording. It's the difference between ordinary performance and high density quality recording and playback. Ordinary head gaps are from 2 to 4 microns, but the gap of this outstanding head is only one micron. This high density recording system provides excellent frequency response and clear, high pitched sound is generated as a frequency tone and recorded smoothly without distortion.

With the Dolby Noise Reduction System, hissing noise heretofore thought impossible to eliminate, is reduced to a completely inaudible level. Basically, this circuit boosts the low level signals prior to recording and lowers them by precisely that same amount at playback time. During this revolutionary process, the extraneous noise is eliminated, thus also eliminating tape hiss.

Internally illuminated and quite cool are the  VU Meters

In keeping with Akai's top quality parts utilization policy, the 4000DB also features robust construction and sturdy mechanism. Further, a highly efficient induction type motor assures stable tape travel and ideal starting torque. The characteristics of this motor coupled with a boldly designed flywheel reduces wow and flutter significantly.

Head Transfer

Specs on this little baby

Track system: 4 track 2-channel stereo / monaural system
Reel capacity: up to 7" reel
Tape speed: 7-1/2 and 3-3/4ips (±2%)
Wow & flutter: less than 0.15% at 7-1/2ips, Less than 0.2% at 3-3/4ips
Frequency Response: 30Hz to 23,000Hz (±3dB)
7-1/2ips, 30Hz to 16,000Hz (±3dB) at 3-3/4ips
Distortion: less than 1.0%
Signal to noise ratio: better than 55dB (with Dolby process 60dB at 5kHz)

Jeff Conrad Project LP

Here is a great addition to your collection. Mirage is Jeff Conrad's solo project after leaving the LA band Big City Rock. This out of print and very rare is an audiophile eclectic pressing that presents Moog Synth fusion and Jazz for a great listening experience. Top shelf rare recording that's a pleasure to listen to. If you can find a clean copy add it!

Electrostatics facelift

 I am giving the grills some dimension. The originals are simplistic and I think they will have a nice look when I'm finished with them. The cabinets are also getting refaced with walnut. Stay tuned...