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!

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!

Vintage Sound's Audio Favorites

Lloyd's Seventies Stereo

Here are the top three sites I visit to view stunning vintage audio equipment.
Add them to your list of sites to enjoy!


SEVENTIES STEREO

THE VINTAGE KNOB

HIGH FIDELITY CLASSICS

All great collections with lots of knowledge shared.

Janszen ER139 Speaker update

Here is some important additional information. Also there is a comment posted from David Janszen - Son & President of A A. Janszen. We appreciate his comments greatly! 

These Janszen units might possibly be the only 3-way prototype built prior to closing. Interesting and fascinating audio history and yes, true vintage sound!

Originally Posted by Brian 

The ERC139 was developed as a 20 way system when we evaluated them and suggested a Philips mid range be added; there was a mid range hole, the depth of the Grand Canyon on the pair we reviewed. The company did more development to fill in the mid range with the 2-way but announced they were developing the 3-way.

The company only started delivering the 2-way systems when it closed and before it announced the 3-way was in production so I wonder if the blogger has a set of engineering samples or pre-production units.

Regardless, he has a VERY unique system as it was Art's last design and the tweeter was far different than his previous models plus so few made. I hope he continues to love them and maintains them as a guardian of a piece of history.

...from AudioKarma posting

Yamaha CA600 Amplifier

This new arrival is my first Yamaha unit. The build quality is signature 1975 Japan(Nippon Gakki). I love how balanced this integrated amp is. From it's grilled wood cabinet to the ever omnipresent controls, you can see that design was an equally important factor. There is a beautiful warmth to this amp section and at 35watts it's level of performance is quite pleasing. MRSP was $330.00

I know that the Yamaha home theatre equipment of today is well regarded amongst reviewers and there was a real lull in the market for their products through the 80's and 90's but the gear they produced out of Japan in the 70's is true Vintage Sound gear worthy of restoring.

Vintage Vinyl Saturday - Brenda Holloway

Here I showcase this rare original pressing of Brenda Holloway, Every Little Bit Hurts LP. Released by Tamla Records 257, the first of Berry Gordy Jr's record companies. The second being non other than Motown records, named of course after it's home of Detroit, the Motor City. Released in 1964 this highly collectible LP features Brenda's mature vocals beyond her years. It's surprising that this super talent didn't reach mega star status. 

Very cool Tamla label with the record and Globe.
Truly an incredibly well produced album with crisp detail and full vocals. An artist with great improvisational skills and a wonderful ability to weave through a song effortlessly.
If your starting a LP collection this is one not to miss!

BeoGram TX 2 Bang & Olufsen

Just arrived is this simple Jacob Jensen designed TX2 for B&O. It's great when a table like this is still in mint condition. A pleasure to fire up and spin some tunes on, this linear tracker has a supremely quiet cuing mechanism. When cuing into single tracks you are aided by a guide light which projects for a few seconds and then shuts down. 
      

LED speed is displayed on the guide arm in red which is kind of cool. This particular one has the MMC (moving magnetic Coil cartridge) 4 which is a personal favorite on these tables. Spinning NeKo Case's Middle Cyclone in a clear vinyl pressing which I highly recommend. Just an old school, well written album.