gagelle

I bought a restored Thorens 160 and put on a SME tonearm. I made the mistake of getting a MC high output cartridge. I would have done much better with a good MM. So I had to spend more money on a phono preamp--a Sutherland PH3D. Once I had the preamp set up correctly, wow, the whole sound stage opened up. In retrospect, for the money I spent, I could have bought a really nice, new setup with a MM cartridge. Live and learn. No matter what I buy in the future, I can always use the Sutherland. Ron Sutherland actually wrote to me and guided me through the preamp setup. I was so dense. I didn't know that you must plug a phono preamp into a regular input, like an AUX jack, not the phono jacks. It wasn't in the instructions and I wasn't thinking that I would be phono preamping twice.

Those Shure cartridges were something. I remember when the Sure V15 Type ll came out. Man, am I old.

That's a good one. Yea, 6 grams, you won't hear any pops but will tear apart the record. I'm sure I destroyed some of my albums with my parent's Magnavox. Its function was more as furniture than anything else. Although the tube amp wasn't bad. I used to play "Tommy" on it and the cymbals sounded amazing--very clean and distinct. On solid state, they sound more like they're running together.

My parents had one of those and I used it constantly when I was a kid. It had a mono tube amplifier with a built in turntable. (In fact, I saw one recently at a flea market.) It sounded great but I never considered the condition of the stylus. It didn't get too loud without breaking up, but I was really pushing it.

It sounds terrific.

Thanks everyone. I was thinking the along the same lines. I was reading the other day that certain parts can actually explode. Man, this is a risky and expensive hobby. I have the names of several tube experts and also have read that the Fisher is easier to work on than some of the Sansuis. I don't know if I can spend the money yet. If I lived closer to a big city like LA, I think it would be easier to find a competent technician.The shipping can really amount to a chunk of money.

Does anyone know about this tube receiver? I've read some very positive reviews. Owner claims it works perfectly-- no hum or any other problems. But it still has original tubes. I didn't know tubes last that long or perhaps it wasn't being used? Any comments would be appreciated.

Nakamichi CR-1a cassette deck for $15. So far it's working. I'm going to spray out any dust and do a Deoxit. Hendrix red sealed 180 gram "Band of Gypsies." $18. (I don't know if it's a good price but I saw it on Amazon for $60.) Ornette Coleman "Free Jazz" sealed vinyl $8.99. And Finally a 9 record set of Wagner's " Das Rheingold" for $5.95. Opened but looks new. Vienna Philharmonic on London records. I've been ripped off so many times on vinyl. The employees at this record store are incredibly obnoxious. Good thing they don't know how to price records. (What's a record?) I asked if they carry blank cassettes. Someone shouted "No" from across the room. I love these places.

Some of the later cassette decks that took metal tapes actually made a good copy of a record. I also had a few HK decks that had excellent dolby systems. They were just refining the technology when CDs took over. I saw a beautiful Sansui deck at a thrift store that had gain settings for metal tapes. I'm still kicking myself for not picking it up. If this new demand for vinyl and analogue keeps up, we may see the reappearance of auto cassette decks. And who knows, maybe 8 track?

Thanks. I go through so many disappointments before I find something good. It's seems very difficult for the vinyl enthusiast to find a good recording. Even some of the expensive 200 gram releases are terrible. Some are merely digital copies. Some claim fantastic audio quality and disappoint. A recent 200 gram pressing of "Aqualung" was panned for poor audio quality. In two weeks another pressing will be released that promises a direct analogue transfer from the master tapes. The problem, however, is with the master tapes. Ian Anderson did an interview on the remastered CD in which he explained that the master tapes are of poor quality due to circumstances beyond his control. The recording companies are taking horrible advantage of the demand for vinyl. We have to stick together and refuse to buy their $100 pieces of junk.

I just got a vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper that's the best I've ever heard. It's a German blue label called "Odeon." Don't know how they did it. -Incredible fidelity and completely analogue. Owner of the record store said it's very rare.

This story makes me cringe at the dishonesty, no outright fraud by those repair shops. I would report them to every government and private consumer agency I could find. I used to be a federal agent. It was my job to dig up evidence and organize it in a clear concise form. So I'm very good at letter writing and would nail those ba######.

I'd love to see those back issues. I was a High Fidelity fanatic in the 70s. I wonder if they're available online?

I bought a Music Hall 5.1 for my son and we're both very happy with it. Excellent sound with deep bass from the Goldring cartridge. It tracks almost any record, no matter how warped.

I just hooked up this wonderful phono preamp. I have no words to describe the improvement in sound quality. The reviews said it sounds like a $5,000 preamp. I've never had anything that expensive but this thing really rocks. You feel like the instruments are right in front of you. And it runs on ordinary D cell batteries--16 of them. Some reviewer said his batteries were still good after 3 years, but the instructions indicate a change every year. Costco $11.66 for 12 Duracell. My son said, "How can this thing work on batteries?" He was amazed and I'm in heaven.

I've been listening to records all day with total enjoyment--no fatigue, headaches, irritation or any of the side effects from digital media. Everything sounds balanced and natural; much better sonically than any CD I've experienced. Vinyl is a must for those who haven't gotten into it yet.

That's exactly it. I have some albums that look spotless but sound like crap. And I never thought of the possibility that the record could have been damaged from a dull or cheap stylus. I'm not paying extra for first pressings anymore. The best albums I have were still sealed, although thay're hard to find.

I just received my turntable last week and have discovered some things that I wasn't previously aware of. There is a tremendous difference in sound quality if the record is pressed from a good recording and itself is in good physical condition. For example, I have some original Led Zeppelin pressings from the 70s that sound muddy. They are in good physical condition, but the recording doesn't sound good. I also have some repressings of the same albums from the 80s (They were sealed) that sound wondertful. I've read that there are record stores that have expensive cleaning equipment which will bring an old record to life. (At this point, I don't know if the problem it's poor recording or years of ground in dirt.) I clean all my records before playing but don't have access to expensive record cleaning equipment. But it's much harder than I thought to find a record with good sound quality. (I'm not including the new $100+ records which I refuse to pay for.)

I've read claims of line conditioners improving sound quality but who knows if it's true? I bought one (that I have yet to unpack and hook up) because the power company frequently plays with the voltage during heat waves. I'm not expecting any sound changes but if I hear any difference, I'll let you know.

For those who can't find the Led Zeppelin error: It's occurs at the very beginning of the song-- ("Hats Off to (Roy) Harper), the first 3 seconds. The guitar strumming distorts on one channel. It's most easily distinguished on my SHM-CD. Last night I heard it on a vinyl copy, but it was hard to hear. It could be something that was brought out more in the mixing of the SHM-CD.

I have KLF 30s and Forte 1s. I really like the KLF 30s. They came alive when I hooked them to a Sansui AU-717. I was lucky enough to get them for a very good price because there is a stain on top of one speaker. I'm using the Fortes as the rear speakers in a 5.1 media system, so it's hard for me to compare them. The Fortes did sound fantastic when I tested them last year. It's hard to say which is better. They just have a different sound. The backs of my KLF 30s were sealed with something (looks like silicon) by a previous owner. Whoever did the work did a good job. That's a problem with those speakers. I had to drive over 3 hours and pack my Toyota Corolla with those speakers in my rear seat, cushioned by blankets. My rear window was blocked and I was hoping I wouldn't get a ticket. But they really mate well with my Sansui. They're also very sensitive to room placement. When I turned them in and moved them about 6 inches from the wall, I think I doubled my bass output.

I have a vinyl copy from the 80s and it's hard to hear. It's very pronounced on my SHM CD copy. When i first heard it, I immediatly put it on my other system in the living room to make sure it wasn't my speaker. It could be that the SHM CD was mastered differently. Although I heard it on my record, it was much lower and hard to hear.

Sansui G8000 Detonates in North Cambridge, MA http://tinyurl.com/3rqbos2 [Open in new window]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. So refurbishing the whole amp may not be necessary? I hardly have to raise the volume in my small room with KLF-30s. It sounds terrific. The fellow who sold it to me changed some parts that weren't up to specification. He also cleaned out the corrosive glue that Sansui used on this series of amps (AU-717) and replaced everything that came into contact with it. He also told me that when the electrolytics go bad, you usually will hear a hum. The other argument I've read in favor of complete restoration is that technology has changed since the 70s and high quality components are just better than they were. On another Sansui unit, I think I was ripped off but I'm not sure. It makes a low cracking electrical sound from one speaker when I turn it on. The strange thing is that when I turn on a lamp (with a flouresent bulb) that's plugged into the same surge protector, I hear the same sound from the speaker--Very weird. It was also partially restored and tested, by a different technician. It's a 9010 receiver, which is the European version of the 881--same specs just different appearance. I'm going to try it in another room to see if I get the same sound. My apartment was built in the 70s and some of the outlets should probably be replaced. California also lowers the voltage during periods of heavy use in the summer. I bought a power conditioner that should arrive soon. It's a Furman Elite 15i. It was used 3 times at a church function. I paid about $250.

I did some extensive reading in this subject last night and found that there are still disagreements between experienced technicians on this subject. After my brief study, I decided that a complete overhaul, including all caps, is necessary on a unit over 30 years old.The argument that made the most sense to me is that one can't just test individual parts and conclude that everything is working well even if those parts are operating within specifications.One has to look at the unit as a whole. Every part affects every other, and eventually affects the whole. As an example: The electrolytics store energy. As they start to fail, it makes the unit pull more current, which produces more heat that can degrade other parts. Everything is linked. The tech who partially restored my Sansui AU-717, when I asked him if he replaced the Electrolytics, said that it's not necessary, they tested within specs. (Same argument.) He said he has seen them last for 50 years or more. I don't buy it. They're not made to last that long. They may work, but they degrade over time. I'm also convinced that restoring vintage equipment is an art. That's why, IMHO, there are 2 month waiting periods for certain technicians. More than just installing parts, vision and intuition are needed for a high quality restoration. "O Nature, and O soul of man! how far beyond all utterance are your linked analogies!" --Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville