Macca's Lash Up 2: Lash Harder

[Macca]

It's on the telly system Barry not my main system. And it's not in line of sight when you're looking at the screen. All the equipment is sat way off to the left hand side.

It serves the purpose of looking super-cool.

[Alex_UK]

Never had a graphic equaliser in a main system, but did have a Panasonic mini system with one at some point. And of course in 1986 I had one in my Renault 5, complete with speakers from a Sharp midi system on the rear parcel shelf!

Yeah, that’s cool Martin!

[Pigmy Pony]

It's the summer of 1985. 'Back To The Future' is playing in the cinemas. 'Live Aid' only just happened. I went round to a mate's house to take a look at his new stereo.

He had been to Richer Sounds and bought a Rotel turntable, Rotel tape deck, QED amp and some tiny little Mordaunt Short speakers. Fantastic but no big deal really.

But a week later I went back and he had added a Sony tuner and a Sony equaliser with spectrum analyser. Ah those little bars going up and down in time to the music. So cool. Now I was jealous. But he'd had some rich relative die and leave him some money and I although I had relatives dying all the time none of them were rich and none ever left me jack.

So I had no money at all for a proper hi-fi let alone a flashing lights machine.

And that was a situation that was to continue for a couple of decades. In the meantime I did follow his example and go to Richer Sounds and avail myself of their bin-end bargains, but I didn't even have enough cash to add the tape deck, that took another year. And it was only sixty quid, but at the time I was a poxy student living off the land so it was a wonder I found the money at all.

Anyway I soon learned the rules - that is you don't need an equaliser or the flashing lights and they were in fact bad things that ruin the purity of the analogue signal.

Time passes though and eventually I get to the point where, within reason, I can have anything I want. Main system is sorted but I also have the A/V system to play about with so my thoughts again turned to getting the coveted flashy light machine. This is 2020, surely people are practically giving them away on eBay?

But no. Prices are stupid. £200 for a knackered up Pioneer unit? Dream on. Decent high-spec Kenwood tested and working? That's a monkey to you son.

No chance I was paying those sort of prices so I left it. But it was nagging at me especially with retirement coming up. If I don't get one now I'm never going to get one. So I had another look the other day and I don't know whether it's the pandemic, or Brexit or the phase of the moon but prices were down across the board. So I picked on a tasty looking 1989 Technics SH8058 unit, tested and working.

It was a battle to get it set up as the A/V system is in an alcove against the wall and it's so hard to get at to do connections and so forth. It took me an hour and I sustained a badly bruised knuckle, but here it is gentlemen, set up and working, the resolution of a 36 year dream, a flashing lights machine:

Great introduction Martin, welcome to AoS. Tell us a bit about your music tastes.

[Macca]

Never had a graphic equaliser in a main system, but did have a Panasonic mini system with one at some point. And of course in 1986 I had one in my Renault 5, complete with speakers from a Sharp midi system on the rear parcel shelf!

Yeah, that’s cool Martin!

I knew you'd get it Alex.

[Alex_UK]

Great introduction Martin, welcome to AoS. Tell us a bit about your music tastes.

[Pigmy Pony]

I have for a while wondered whether a perceived hardening or 'ringing' at a certain part of the frequency range might not be the fault of the speakers (Which use full-range drivers), but rather my tinnitus combining with a certain frequency to produce this 'artefact'.

And that maybe being able to reduce the level of a certain frequency might help (I only suffer this at higher listening levels). So it will be interesting to hear how you get on with your new acquisition SQ wise, which does look super cool btw

[Macca]

I can borrow you an eq unit if you want to experiment, I've got a few of them.

[Ali Tait]

I have for a while wondered whether a perceived hardening or 'ringing' at a certain part of the frequency range might not be the fault of the speakers (Which use full-range drivers), but rather my tinnitus combining with a certain frequency to produce this 'artefact'.

And that maybe being able to reduce the level of a certain frequency might help (I only suffer this at higher listening levels). So it will be interesting to hear how you get on with your new acquisition SQ wise, which does look super cool btw

Yes this is common with wide banders, there is often a peak around 5k or so.

[Pigmy Pony]

Yes this is common with wide banders, there is often a peak around 5k or so.

Strangely, measurements (as reported in one review for my Zu Omen Def speakers) suggests a recession at about 4K. My thoughts are that perhaps a peak further up the range may be acting with my tinnitus to create a "harmonic". Although this kind of thing is beyond my ken.

In any case, a play about with an equaliser might be interesting.

[Pigmy Pony]

I can borrow you an eq unit if you want to experiment, I've got a few of them.

Cheers Martin, I might take you up on that, I need to get your RCM back to you anyway