View Full Version : Interesting article on why hi-fi gear is not 'made like it used to be'....
http://select45rpm.com/pages/hifi/hifi-golden-years.html
Thoughts, folks?
Marco.
I only skimmed through the article as the layout and grammar are poor - but on the whole I would agree with the author, though of course there are several exceptions to his rather sweeping opinions.
An interesting read nonetheless.
Yes that's a fun site. he reckons that big Tannoys are where it is at and not worth bothering with anything else. Fit right in on here. ;)
Don't read if you are a fan of the '80s Sony ES amps! Or Musical Fidelity for that matter.
Arkless Electronics
25-01-2016, 02:04
Ain't even read it but build quality today is the equal or better of that before it... when you spend enough on it. check out the prices of well regarded hi fi from the past when put in to modern terms against inflation!! :eek: Even a leak solid state 15 WPC integrated amp is about £800! And it's shite in today's terms....
They didn't have robot pick and place machines and SMD technology so everything had to be done by hand. The comparative cost of parts is interesting as well ;)
What's your opinion on the use of Integrated Circuits in amplifiers, Jez? Bloke on that site reckons they are the worst thing that ever happened.
narabdela
25-01-2016, 11:19
Some interesting stuff there, but really poor grammar and even worse design make it a tough read.
I got a '404: page not found' error message from the link. The error message page looks like it was designed by a colour-blind dyslexic back in 1995.
awkwardbydesign
25-01-2016, 13:14
What's your opinion on the use of Integrated Circuits in amplifiers, Jez? Bloke on that site reckons they are the worst thing that ever happened.
One good thing about ICs, is that (sometimes) they can be rolled, like valves. My active crossover started with TL071, went to NE5534, then through OPA132, OPA627 and finally AD825. Expensive, as there are 32 of the little buggers! Of course they have different needs (supply voltage, gain structure, etc) but they can be useful. The crossover would have been unfeasable with discrete devices. I would have preferred a valve crossover, but getting 24dB slopes would be ridiculous!
awkwardbydesign
25-01-2016, 13:15
I got a '404: page not found' error message from the link. The error message page looks like it was designed by a colour-blind dyslexic back in 1995.
Me too, I went to the home page and eventually (I think) found the relevant section.
I got a '404: page not found' error message from the link. The error message page looks like it was designed by a colour-blind dyslexic back in 1995.
To be fair, so does the rest of the site.
Wakefield Turntables
25-01-2016, 14:31
I only skimmed through the article as the layout and grammar are poor .
oUCH!!!
I only skimmed through the article as the layout and grammar are poor - but on the whole I would agree with the author, though of course there are several exceptions to his rather sweeping opinions.
An interesting read nonetheless.
80 per cent of British people struggle to pronounce common words, so what chance of punctuation:doh: ken whit a meen in that
I simply found it too difficult to read word by word. Partly due to the poor grammar but largely due to the layout. Punctuation was a minor issue.
I got his message, though if you are going to have a blog, web page or whatever, you owe it to your readership to at least make some effort with grammar, spelling and punctuation. The message is unlikely to be so important that there isn't time to use a spell checker or grammar checker.
oUCH!!!
Your 'Caps Lock' key is on. :ner:
Arkless Electronics
25-01-2016, 18:21
What's your opinion on the use of Integrated Circuits in amplifiers, Jez? Bloke on that site reckons they are the worst thing that ever happened.
I get the error message as well when trying to view that page. What I've seen before on that site though is execrable BS!
The guy on that site may think I.Cs are "are the worst thing that ever happened" but he doesn't seem to know much......
Which I.Cs in particular are we talking about here? If we are talking about stuff that's in the signal path and affords the actual amplification then I presume op-amps and I.C power amps (ridiculously known as "gain clones".... as if they hadn't been around for 40 years before!).
Since the TDA1034 came out, and was soon renamed under the Signetics code NE5534, we have had ever improving op amps capable of superb results. The best of the crop are good to the point that although they can be beaten by discrete designs, it takes a good discrete design to do it. They can save a vast amount of design effort for a start and also of course money and space... One of the biggest issues IMHO, both now and in the past, is the degree of compromise the manufacturers tend to make in order to make the IC as useful as possible over many different industries and price points. Nowadays especially they are obsessed with lowest possible power consumption in order to get max battery life from portable equipment etc. This is not compatible with max sound quality. Some of the better ones don't suffer much from this but could still be far better if the manufacturer's didn't give a toss about power consumption, and also made them capable of running from higher voltages.
The IC power amps these days are remarkably good and have come on leaps and bounds compared to the dire things they once were. The National Semiconductors (now Texas Instruments) "Overture Series" of ICs, used in most gain clones, can give shockingly good results for what they are. How good? It's dangerous to make of the cuff comparisons but I would say considerably better than something like a NAD 3020, A&R A60 etc (you tell my age by the first examples of good budget amps that spring to mind!) or their modern equivalents.
southall-1998
25-01-2016, 18:38
His write up on the Leak 20.
S.
(V) Leak Stereo 20 Valve Power amplifier ↑
No, too early. Only a 10w amp & pretty basic despite the size. From 1958 if various colours until 1962 with the bronze first, gold second & upspec green ones the last, as a seller's copied info states. We did see one in person years ago, but never had the preamp so pointless really as it needs the higher output preamp. One is on ebay & the seller states "it has the usual mods & upgrades". Big alert to us. People rarely do it properly. Idiot alert straight away: too lazy to buy Axial caps so has small coaxial (2 wires at one end) ones, oh dear. Then the Speaker outputs, likely worthwhile, but to us a "No" as they chop out original parts. Buy adaptor plugs or make them, do NOT chop up old amps. Doing the insides is OK, but hacking the outsides will put buyers off. Whoever done this has no idea what the ¬ type symbol meant & put the Red +ve socket there. These are amateur crap "mods" & clearly no idea what they are doing or what parts are for & doing it properly as one aware of design would. So it'll be weak using the same old values. They appear rather oddly to have put 3 bypass caps on the old spec value power supply caps. This is mediocre. Why anyone would want to buy lazy work like this instead of having an original one to do & still be disappointed with as the design is so old. In defence of the Stereo 20, it has good size output transformers & a clean internal layout. But the design is so old & values so out of date, frankly either buy one in original grade or don't bother. You could max a rough looking one out & still not be happy with it. Without going into design territory too deep, well where are the Valve bias adjusters for a start? Fixed bias is no good for "doing it properly", though it's acceptable. The Rogers HG88 mk III has a fairly crude bias slider to balance the output valves, but nowhere does it say how to bias. Look to modern guitar valve amps of quality for how it's done. The Leak valve amps are just too old. Buy them carefully & get a good one. Saw a much better 'restored' one on ebay in Aug 2014. They done a very neat job, nice to see good work as it's not common, sourcing NOS valves but sadly they have no design knowledge & just replaced like for like values. Explains why it's For Sale as it won't have been much better than an original one. Looking at the circuit this time to see the circuit. Not impressed: high value signal resistors to weaken the sound, typical low spec capacitors, EL84 outputs a strange design, but overall not a bad design at all, if upgraded like we have the Rogers HG88 Mk III, But that'd never be possible as the EZ34 valve rectifier couldn't cope with our high spec. Another Vintage Valve disappointment & to bypass the EZ34 with Diodes is not as easy as you think as the EZ34 drops the voltage quite noticeably. AC heaters on the input & splitter will reveal hum if you upgrade beyond it's capabilities. We've tried these things before, see. The nicely restored, if not upgraded one makes a modest £560 which is reflecting Buyers want either Original or properly Upgraded, not just Restored. April 2015 shows a late gold one bought in Harrods that appears to have sold for around £1100, very high grade & all original which is unusual, a rare direct-from-old-cabinet find. To call it 'Mint' is fair if the filter control knob has crumbled a bit & they state a resistor & capacitor are bad as pictured, but where do you match the original ones? As it's not working right possibly, it's very overpriced & not the Museum piece after all. But it's still just 10w & still has the very low spec & aged capacitors. A Museum piece it all it is, if a worthy exhibit, but to use one even fully rebuilt the user will soon become wearly of as 10w isn't enough in valves for anything but a backgrround volume & be sure bass is severely limited. It makes us wonder who buys these in anticipation of using them, but for the amount offered on ebay, the buy it, tire of it fast & resell it to another dreamer must be the deal. It's not much to look at to modern eyes, the preamp will be awful & clunky likt the Quad 22 preamp & on pushing in the buttons, the preamp case will slide away if put on a table to as it was only made for building in a cabinet. Think carefully about useability if one of these catches you eye & the Rogers Cadet III is 10w also & much nicer to use.
Arkless Electronics
25-01-2016, 18:55
Oh dear, oh dear :eek: :eek: :doh: :stalks:
Total bollocks of the highest order!!! Apart from the awful spelling and grammar, as noted before, I'm more concerned that virtually everything he says is factually wrong! As to his opinions.... I ain't even going to go there....
From the above write up on the Stereo 20 I wouldn't trust this person to fit a 13 Amp plug correctly :eek:
The Black Adder
25-01-2016, 19:14
lol... "We've never read a page like this one we've written,"
walpurgis
25-01-2016, 19:30
From the above write up on the Stereo 20 I wouldn't trust this person to fit a 13 Amp plug correctly :eek:
I agree. Why would he suggest the Stereo 20 requires a pre-amp of higher than usual output, when the opposite is true. Even a passive is just fine.
Arkless Electronics
25-01-2016, 19:43
I agree. Why would he suggest the Stereo 20 requires a pre-amp of higher than usual output, when the opposite is true. Even a passive is just fine.
Yep..... maybe the green ones were different :D
southall-1998
25-01-2016, 19:51
I'm slightly found of the Leak Stereo 20.
Might get another one sometime in 2016....I've got a passive pre lurking around!
S.
southall-1998
25-01-2016, 20:54
The chap certainly resents Audio Note UK amps.
S.
Audio Note (UK) Valve Amps
As readers of Hifi mags for several years, you could not help but notice these stupidly priced Valve Amps. The apex of using components made of silver & other 'precious-precocious' matter. But on seeing an Audio Note Oto on ebay, a basic Line Level integrated amp of the most boring casework, we look deeper. It looks like a Kit amp & the facile oversized wording on the glossy front looks a little naff as par an Eagle cheap amp. The fact a previous owner took out the original input sockets to fit those £2 each Gold ones shows it's easy to mock, so we'll refrain. PCB with the main valves & circuit on. plain open bracket transformers give a cheap look. The power supply is feeble as is the whole amp. It must be an ultra-budget one as the seller wants £899. 10w $3850 new in 2008 for the Phono version looks very overpriced to us. But no circuits & the parts used look standard fare. So onto the Audio Note Ongaku, but these are $79,000 new in 2006-08. Uses huge 211 valves for 18w Class A. The transformers are Pure Silver which covers a few $K but where is the rest of the value put? Ah, in your ego for massaging. the circuit found on HFE shows there's not much to it, 5 valve stages per channel, 2 adjust pots, 15 resistors, 2 electrolytics & a low value coupling capacitor to limit deep bass, oops. There is a complex NFB stage. The power supply is configured to give 960v if the 500v capacitors are low spec, it uses 5AR4 rectifier diodes that are usually not used as slow & limiting capacitance. So what? is the opinion, though for $79K it must have something going for it. The case is ugly & plain, gold coated brushed aluminum probably with 2 controls, 2 preamp driver valves & the 2 output valves as a Class A Stereo amp with 3 plain block transformers. It has no style or class at all. Look at the HFE gallery, ugly plain boxes is the Audio Note ideal. So who it going to buy it beyond those who spend for 'kudos' rather than worthiness? The SET Class A triode crowd go more for no NFB designs, this has NFB. It's an integrated with no Phono. Ebay shows no sales of these big amps or others similar & to assume very few ever sold beyond the ones passed round the Hifi Reviewers, they just seem hideously overpriced for what they are.
southall-1998
25-01-2016, 22:04
what an interesting roller coaster of a site!
The chap really gives out devastating opinions at times.
Has anyone read his write up on the Pionner A400 & Graham Slee Phono Stages? If not, then hold on tight before you read!! :D
S.
Audio Advent
25-01-2016, 23:35
(ridiculously known as "gain clones".... as if they hadn't been around for 40 years before!).
Gainclone amps started out as clones of 47 Labs' Gaincard amplifier. Hence the term Gainclone was coined. The whole thing has taken on a life of its own and yes probably gone around full circle to meet up again with previous chip-amp designs.
It's not a ridiculous term once you know it's origins (as with most things supposedly ridiculous, it's normally simply that time has led people to forget humble and logical beginings).
47 Labs Gaincard opened up courtesy of 6 Moons:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/47labs5/hero_open.jpg
Arkless Electronics
25-01-2016, 23:50
Gainclone amps started out as clones of 47 Labs' Gaincard amplifier. Hence the term Gainclone was coined. The whole thing has taken on a life of its own and yes probably gone around full circle to meet up again with previous chip-amp designs.
It's not a ridiculous term once you know it's origins (as with most things supposedly ridiculous, it's normally simply that time has led people to forget humble and logical beginings).
47 Labs Gaincard opened up courtesy of 6 Moons:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/47labs5/hero_open.jpg
Yes I know the origin of the name but there were IC power amps around for decades and then this particular one gets a good review and all IC power amps are called gainclones... :doh:
Oldpinkman
26-01-2016, 07:53
The National Semiconductors (now Texas Instruments) "Overture Series" of ICs, used in most gain clones, can give shockingly good results for what they are. How good? It's dangerous to make of the cuff comparisons but I would say considerably better than something like a NAD 3020, A&R A60 etc (you tell my age by the first examples of good budget amps that spring to mind!) or their modern equivalents.
I should probably start another thread - but I think the NAD 3020 is underloved. I have either a NAD 3020 with missing buttons or a NAD 7020 in good condition I have been ordered to get rid of in the move to France, and I am wondering how much loft space we have. The 7020 will probably sell for £60 or £70. With missing buttons, I am better hanging on to the 3020.
It's a decent tuner. It's a decent competent power amp with sensible starter speakers. But its the preamp, which was taken for granted at the time, that I think is its value. Back then, there was nothing special about a "phono stage" (WTF was one of them??) Every amplifier had one because records were the first source used by everyone. Maybe I am out of touch, but where can I pick up a phono stage as competent as the 3020 for that sort of money
I've just had Arthur whinging about the crap turntable offered with the Jazz at 33, and why weren't they offering a Funk Safire with Ak47? (Or one of his starter turntables)? -Cos he doesn't have an integrated phono stage with a USB connection. Today, getting started with vinyl, dipping a toe in the water, needs an amplifier with a phono stage.
The 3020 takes a lot of beating for £60
The chap certainly resents Audio Note UK amps.
S.
Audio Note (UK) Valve Amps
As readers of Hifi mags for several years, you could not help but notice these stupidly priced Valve Amps. The apex of using components made of silver & other 'precious-precocious' matter. But on seeing an Audio Note Oto on ebay, a basic Line Level integrated amp of the most boring casework, we look deeper. It looks like a Kit amp & the facile oversized wording on the glossy front looks a little naff as par an Eagle cheap amp. The fact a previous owner took out the original input sockets to fit those £2 each Gold ones shows it's easy to mock, so we'll refrain. PCB with the main valves & circuit on. plain open bracket transformers give a cheap look. The power supply is feeble as is the whole amp. It must be an ultra-budget one as the seller wants £899. 10w $3850 new in 2008 for the Phono version looks very overpriced to us. But no circuits & the parts used look standard fare. So onto the Audio Note Ongaku, but these are $79,000 new in 2006-08. Uses huge 211 valves for 18w Class A. The transformers are Pure Silver which covers a few $K but where is the rest of the value put? Ah, in your ego for massaging. the circuit found on HFE shows there's not much to it, 5 valve stages per channel, 2 adjust pots, 15 resistors, 2 electrolytics & a low value coupling capacitor to limit deep bass, oops. There is a complex NFB stage. The power supply is configured to give 960v if the 500v capacitors are low spec, it uses 5AR4 rectifier diodes that are usually not used as slow & limiting capacitance. So what? is the opinion, though for $79K it must have something going for it. The case is ugly & plain, gold coated brushed aluminum probably with 2 controls, 2 preamp driver valves & the 2 output valves as a Class A Stereo amp with 3 plain block transformers. It has no style or class at all. Look at the HFE gallery, ugly plain boxes is the Audio Note ideal. So who it going to buy it beyond those who spend for 'kudos' rather than worthiness? The SET Class A triode crowd go more for no NFB designs, this has NFB. It's an integrated with no Phono. Ebay shows no sales of these big amps or others similar & to assume very few ever sold beyond the ones passed round the Hifi Reviewers, they just seem hideously overpriced for what they are.
Excellent piss take.
awkwardbydesign
26-01-2016, 09:16
Yes I know the origin of the name but there were IC power amps around for decades and then this particular one gets a good review and all IC power amps are called gainclones... :doh:
Rather like hoovers or tannoys, then. :)
awkwardbydesign
26-01-2016, 09:17
Excellent piss take.
Or jealousy?
Or jealousy?
On the writer's part?
Everything deserves a bash from time to time.
awkwardbydesign
26-01-2016, 10:46
On the writer's part?
Everything deserves a bash from time to time.
That is what I meant. But I did enjoy reading it, apart from the headache caused by the layout! I would like to hear a conversation between them, no-audiophile, and Romy the Cat. Maybe they could do a joint blog?
Excellent piss take.
Well, I agree with almost every word about grossly overpriced Audio Note gear! ;)
I shall comment more on this thread later, once I've finished listening to a rather fine recording of Mahler's 10th, on the RPi.
Marco.
Well, I agree with almost every word about grossly overpriced Audio Note gear! ;)
I shall comment more on this thread later, once I've finished listening to a rather fine recording of Mahler's 10th, on the RPi.
Marco.
Mahler's 10th goes on a bit - is it on auto-repeat?;):)
Interested to hear what you think, though.
Well, his take on loudspeakers is,errrr, interesting! He rates Tannoy Golds as the "...best so don't bother with anything else..." partly due to time alignment. Well, that can be arrived at electrically for relative phase at crossover, and since absolute phase is unimportant, what happens a few octaves below and above crossover is neither here nor there as long as a crossover has been competently designed. The point source issue is a good one though even if the author doesn't seem to grasp why.
It's less to do with time alignment and more that the lobing axis remains constant, theoretically resulting in smoother on and off axis performance and less comb filtering. Big Tannoys do not have wide dispersion characteristics, so he has missed that point. That though for high fidelity reproduction is not the be all and end all and it can actually help with making the speaker less fussy on positioning in some rooms.
He also misses the point that the HPD was the last development of that phase coherent design of that family of Tannoy dual concentric, so by his own reckoning on development, the HPD is the "best one" (delete comment as personal tastes dictate).
His amp matching comments are pure nonsense. Eg, transformer coupling being the best way to match loudspeakers....actually, where high output impedance is concerned, it's the worst way. Modern SS amps are more stable than those from the 1960's too.
His take on pre '74 speaker response is also pure tripe as are the reasons why post '74 'speakers changed. Earlier Tannoys did not have a "flat" response by modern standards, and a good, well designed pair of modern speakers would better them considerably, but that's not what their strengths were about and not all modern speakers that sound excellent have a flat response either. (having said that, crossover tweaks do help to improve Tannoys beyond all audible recognition). LS3/5a's were not "flat" in response either, in fact many if not most pre '74 designs were far from "flat". He ascribes some of the weaknesses of smaller drive units to the F-M effect without stating as much because he appears not to understand it himself. Had he mentioned distortion levels being higher in longer throw small drive units (not all but many) then he'd have had a point. I do agree though that large sensitive loudspeakers are where "it's at".
His understanding of loudspeaker design and how they work is though generally misguided and his article lacks basic understanding.
His understanding of Tannoy history is woeful and inaccurate...one would have thought that he'd have taken the trouble to research the facts before posting. His dates are wrong (eg HPDs were actually developed the MG chassis and HF horn with improved power handling, stiffened and higher mass cones to give correct cabinet "Q" in a new range of cabinets, had increased power handling and the date this happened was development from 1972 with launch during 1974 with Lockwoods perhaps getting the bare units pre '74).
I didn't bother to read anything else.
The chap may be well-meaning but it should be regarded more as a folk-lore or opinion site than a treasure trove of anything with a factual basis. Good on him for having a go though and at least he's enthusiastic!
Well, given that he removes the cut from 1kHz to 20kHz from his phono stages, so 20kHz will be 10 times what it should be, I can see why he would prefer loudspeakers with unusual frequency responses.
His dates are wrong (eg HPDs were actually developed the MG chassis and HF horn with improved power handling, stiffened and higher mass cones to give correct cabinet "Q" in a new range of cabinets, had increased power handling and the date this happened was development from 1972 with launch during 1974 with Lockwoods perhaps getting the bare units pre '74).
That's interesting to note, Paul.
I suspect that the above is a fundamental reason why HPDs and Golds have a rather different presentation, in the traditional way that they do, sonically and musically, especially as higher-mass/heavier cones will theoretically take longer to 'react' to music signals, and thus, lack the 'speed' of lighter cones, designed for the valve era, and lower-power handling overall.
It's certainly an effect I can hear, whenever I compare a good pair of HPDs with a good pair of Golds. That's not to say, however, that one is 'superior' to the other, but simply that both have their desirable attributes, when used in the respective applications that they were designed for :)
Marco.
That's interesting to note, Paul. I suspect that the above is a fundamental reason why HPDs and Golds sound quite different, sonically,
Can something sound different other than sonically?
Yes, also subjectively in terms of 'musical presentation', which is a different thing from 'sound', as to the listener, it has slightly different connotations.
However, point noted, and I have now altered the wording of my post sightly to better convey the point I was making :)
Marco.
Arkless Electronics
28-01-2016, 12:16
Well, given that he removes the cut from 1kHz to 20kHz from his phono stages, so 20kHz will be 10 times what it should be, I can see why he would prefer loudspeakers with unusual frequency responses.
What?? :stalks: This guy sounds like hi fi care in the community material....
That's interesting to note, Paul.
I suspect that the above is a fundamental reason why HPDs and Golds have a rather different presentation, in the traditional way that they do, sonically and musically, especially as higher-mass/heavier cones will theoretically take longer to 'react' to music signals, and thus, lack the 'speed' of lighter cones, designed for the valve era, and lower-power handling overall.
It's certainly an effect I can hear, whenever I compare a good pair of HPDs with a good pair of Golds. That's not to say, however, that one is 'superior' to the other, but simply that both have their desirable attributes, when used in the respective applications that they were designed for :)
Marco.
It's not actually something readily heard the way you describe it Marco. HPDs can cross over higher with lower distortion compared with MGs. MGs exhibit higher distortion due to cone break-up, which was one reason for Tannoy stiffening the cones. The Tannoplas surrounds in conjunction with a slight increase in cone mass (due to the stiffening ribs) allowed lower, more powerful bass (this together with slightly higher power handling) and the net effect was an improvement towards full frequency response with lower distortion, especially in the all important crossover region. The impulse time differences at bass/lower mid frequencies below crossover for the bass cone are so fundamentally tiny, as to be inaudible. This is easily demonstrated with the right kit. Your ears will of course notice differences, mainly because the HPDs were designed for use in different cabinets and cabinet response varies far more than any insignificant changes to impulse speed, plus HPDs delivered better bass/lower distortion. Saying that, you can take any MG drive unit, change the cabinet and you'll also get a very different FR and presentation, so no surprises there. People will have their own particular favourite drive units. Some prefer the Silvers or Reds for their perceived "immediacy" but personally, having heard what they do, the Golds and HPDs were definite improvements to my ears and were a logical development and improvement on earlier models.
In some respects, Tannoy went backwards with later developments of the K series of drive units. They changed crossovers many times trying to address phasing issues but were never that successful and FR also was poorer in some respects. The later 1990s development had made the crossover very crude indeed dispensing with (a much needed) horn notch filter and other means of smoothing response in order to compromise on what was considered the best time alignment, running the HF first order and the LF 2nd order. They never sounded right to me. Interesting that now they have returned to AlNiCo magnets and a more sophisticated crossover for their current GR series which are possibly the closer relation to the HPD/MG, albeit significantly more expensive to purchase!
What?? :stalks: This guy sounds like hi fi care in the community material....
The presentation, degree of literacy and content all indicate someone who hasn't actually got a clue.
That said, the love of sound on his/their part is obvious. At the end of the day, if you're into music and enjoying it, that is all that matters.
Signed Justin, being lenient after being too harsh.
What?? :stalks: This guy sounds like hi fi care in the community material....
http://select45rpm.com/pages/hifi/turntable-phono-cable.html
That said, the love of sound on his/their part is obvious. At the end of the day, if you're into music and enjoying it, that is all that matters.
Signed Justin, being lenient after being too harsh.
Well, yes, but I am not so sure if it may matter if you are writing with the voice of authority for the world to copy.
http://select45rpm.com/pages/hifi/turntable-phono-cable.html
had to stop so far through.... ribs were sore :D
Arkless Electronics
28-01-2016, 21:31
http://select45rpm.com/pages/hifi/turntable-phono-cable.html
The bit on turntables was funny enough but when he got to phono stages :eek:
It has to be a wind up.....?? If not he should not be selling hi fi equipment as my cat knows more about the subject.... well possibly!
Frazeur1
05-02-2016, 10:12
Certainly some interesting reading in there, providing one can get through it. I rather liked this little snippet when high-power, high-current amplifiers were discussed: "the Krell's 500w++ forced into tiny stubborn speakers is like 'Walking behind a Fat Bird Overflowing her Spandex' to us. We'd rather not".
Hey, big girls need loving too, as do big men, dammit!
No girl will love you like a fat girl....
If your nice then they all love you;)
anthonyTD
05-02-2016, 13:05
Very much agree,
When used in the right context,ie; and not as a compromise, opamps can perform exceptionaly well, and have been consistently improving with every decade.
I get the error message as well when trying to view that page. What I've seen before on that site though is execrable BS!
The guy on that site may think I.Cs are "are the worst thing that ever happened" but he doesn't seem to know much......
Which I.Cs in particular are we talking about here? If we are talking about stuff that's in the signal path and affords the actual amplification then I presume op-amps and I.C power amps (ridiculously known as "gain clones".... as if they hadn't been around for 40 years before!).
Since the TDA1034 came out, and was soon renamed under the Signetics code NE5534, we have had ever improving op amps capable of superb results. The best of the crop are good to the point that although they can be beaten by discrete designs, it takes a good discrete design to do it. They can save a vast amount of design effort for a start and also of course money and space... One of the biggest issues IMHO, both now and in the past, is the degree of compromise the manufacturers tend to make in order to make the IC as useful as possible over many different industries and price points. Nowadays especially they are obsessed with lowest possible power consumption in order to get max battery life from portable equipment etc. This is not compatible with max sound quality. Some of the better ones don't suffer much from this but could still be far better if the manufacturer's didn't give a toss about power consumption, and also made them capable of running from higher voltages.
The IC power amps these days are remarkably good and have come on leaps and bounds compared to the dire things they once were. The National Semiconductors (now Texas Instruments) "Overture Series" of ICs, used in most gain clones, can give shockingly good results for what they are. How good? It's dangerous to make of the cuff comparisons but I would say considerably better than something like a NAD 3020, A&R A60 etc (you tell my age by the first examples of good budget amps that spring to mind!) or their modern equivalents.
No girl will love you like a fat girl....
A wee joke:
Bloke at a 'disco', on the dance floor, chatting to a 'larger lady' he quite likes, so decides to pay here a compliment: "Hey, babe, you don't sweat much for a fat bird!"
Needless to say, he never got a 'jump' that night... :D
Marco.
A wee joke:
Bloke at a 'disco', on the dance floor, chatting to a 'larger lady' he quite likes, so decides to pay here a compliment: "Hey, babe. you don't sweat much for a fat bird!"
Needless to say, he never got a 'jump' that night... :D
Marco.
I was stalked by a fat burd once .:rolleyes: she was big, with short yellow blonde hair, and originally from Glesgae.... Terrifying experience :D
walpurgis
06-02-2016, 00:19
I was stalked by a fat burd once .:rolleyes: she was big, with short yellow blonde hair, and originally from Glesgae.... Terrifying experience :D
You should have taken her round the back of the pub and given her a pump mate. You never know what you might have missed out on! :eyebrows: :eek:
Never been involved with a 'kingsized' job myself. Little pretty 'n skinny appeals. I used to call them spinners, 'cos you can spin them around on the end of your d......................
Couldnae spin this thing on a saturn rocket ;) I remember to this day her grabbing my hand in the pub and saying, " Your mine" damn near pee'd myself :D I said that'll be chocolate and was offskie :lol:
I'm not sure I should get involved in this discussion, being the shy, innocent and retiring type...... :eyebrows:
Marco.
A wee joke:
Bloke at a 'disco', on the dance floor, chatting to a 'larger lady' he quite likes, so decides to pay here a compliment: "Hey, babe, you don't sweat much for a fat bird!"
Needless to say, he never got a 'jump' that night... :D
Marco.
That's an old 'Sid The Sexist' line
In the native tongue: 'Ya divvent sweat much ferra fat lass'
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac233/Macca_photos_2009/sid.jpg (http://s903.photobucket.com/user/Macca_photos_2009/media/sid.jpg.html)
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