KLUDGE@AGCB8.LARC.NASA.GOV (06/01/90)
Last night I replaced the cathode resistors on the power stage of the
Citation II with 2% 2W resistors. While I was at it, I took Tom's
suggestion and replaced the cathode resistors on the input stage with
330-ohm 2% ones. And while I had the thing open, I replaced the .039 MFD
caps on the output (no, I don't know what that RC circuit is for, so
I am not going to remove it at least until I figure out why it was put
there in the first place). The only remaining original capacitors in the
signal path are the 4 MFD electrolytics (which Tom has advised me to remove,
but I can't get good polyesters of large values with reasonable voltage
ratings without having to mail order them).
Did I notice a difference in the sound? No, not really. It does sound
like it got a lot quieter, but I pretty much put this down to having replaced
the 6550's in one channel.
On a more philosophical note, Bert Whyte in the latest Audio brings up
a good point about creative vs. recreative audio. He comments that a
person listening to rock music would have as a good goal the recreation of
the environment in the control booth of the studio as the music is mixed
down. This is a good goal, because when this sort of stuff is mixed, the
audio equipment becomes as much a part of the instruments as do the guitars
and drums. The characteristic sound is made by the engineers and the
musicians together at the board, and to recreate what they would hear would
be to best duplicate what they wish the music to sound like. This isn;t
a bad way of looking at it.
--scott
Disclaimer: I don't like creative reproduction, but I am slowly beginning to
come to terms with it as a concept, even if not as an entity.