aboulang@BBN.COM (Albert Boulanger) (05/29/90)
A friend of mine is producing a high end audio newsletter. Please, if
you have comments, write to him directly. This is Part 2 of Issue 1:
The First Newsletter-Continued Kennedy Audio Laboratories
TEL:(508)441-1010
In this extended newsletter I'll go a little further into detail
on some of the topics covered in the earlier newsletter. Without much
further ado here we go....
I guess most people already know that most tubes need to burn in for a
period of time before their characteristics are fully stabilized...
In pre-amplifiers this means that the re-tubed unit may not sound very
good for the first 30-100 hours of operation. In power amplifiers this
means that the output stage bias and A.C balance (if so equipped) should
be checked and re-adjusted if necessary after about 15 hours of operation
and checked on a regular basis thereafter. I surmise that part of this may
have to do with the getter removing the last vestiges of gas from the tube
and the cathode burning off any impurities/contamination in its coating.
Unlike many I do not recommend leaving ANY tube gear on continuously
24 hours a day because the transformers and other components in commercially
made and particularly vintage gear are NOT designed for continuous
duty, and at the very least you run the risk of overheating .... In one
case a gentleman called me asking what to do after his old Scott 299D blew
up, unfortunately for him the power transformer shorted out, due to excess
-ive heat build up deteriorating the insulation. The whole unit was cooked
inside from long exposure to heat even though he did leave enough space to
allow for cooling. I have heard many other stories of this ilk over the
years, and a further sobering thought concerns safety. Power amplifiers
have relatively large power supplies and faults here could potentially
result in a fire if the failure did not cause the line fuse to blow immed
-iately. So for your safety please don't leave the stuff on unattended and
disconnect it from the AC line when you vacation. ( This tip comes straight
from my own experience, as my childhood lab was struck by lightening and
the few items connected to the AC line were ruined.)
I have recently learned to my chagrin that cables really do make a big
difference to the sound quality of my system (all tube), although I heard
audible differences between cables for several years prior to now, I just
didn't feel that the high cost of cables, both speaker and interconnect,
were justified. On the advice of friends who I have since set straight I
tried every cheap trick in the book... Some things seemed to help, I even
tried using 300 ohm antenna wire as an interconnect between my amp. and
pre-amp., believe it or not this was an improvement over the Gold-ens I
was using. Speaker wire was some old and crudy Monster cable. The system
was an endless source of frustration to me and I finally traced a lot of
it back to the cables. I still make my own interconnects and have found
that Monster Powerline 3 makes a very good, if unwieldy interconnect- My
thanks to Rich Vogel for the tip and the cable to try this out.(Your pre-
amp must have a low output z in order not to degrade the signal via noise
pick up as this wire is not shielded.)
In addition I'm now using a really decent speaker cable made by Signature,
known as Signature Apature 500 and I can really tell the difference. I
think there are many cables out there for $3.00 a ft or so that are quite
excellent. I don't think the differences are subtle enough to be missed,
and not all cables are equally good in all applications, so if at all
possible try a loaner pair before you buy.
If you're at all like me you may have to live within tight budget
constraints, but you shouldn't let this prevent you from enjoying very
good sound quality. There are many pieces of vintage audio gear available
for a song that can be modified for really great improvements in their
performance.
UNDER $200.00 COMPONENTS
Old Scott, Fisher and Dynaco integrated tube amps are cheap
to purchase and lend themselves to modification and enhancement.
The same can be said of the less expensive tuners made by these companies.
In fact the Dynaco FM-3 has to represent just about the best audible
performance for the money- It outperforms many much more expensive tuners.
Scott made several models that can be had for a song, including the 350
series (avoid the 350D), the LT-110 which was a kit and came in 3 versions
over the course of several years and can be great to terrible depending on
who built it-PLEASE remove the bottom cover on these and check for good
workmanship. Almost any good tube tuner will sound better than any of
today's solid state tuners and for less money.
UNDER $400.00 COMPONENTS
For a little more money separates become quite feasible, in fact you
should be able to purchase a clean Dyna Stereo-70 for approx. $150.00 and
a PAS-3 for much less, but the stock PAS-3 pre-amp is no bargain sonically
as it lacks detail, good control of the bass, and worst of all has a
terrible phase and frequency response anomaly right in the mid-range. I
have an inexpensive mod to address these issues. (See flyer on PAS)
Other rarer but worthwhile models are the Eico HF-30 mono pwr amps which
can be converted to triode mode operation for a big improvement; the Eico
HF-60 which uses EL-34/6CA7 output tubes and is considered a gem by many
collectors; the Dyna ST-35 stereo pwr amp considered ideal by many for
driving the Quad ESL loudspeaker. The best tuner in this category has to
be the Fisher FM-200B featuring excellent R.F performance, good AFC,
and effective muting. Needless to say even stock the sound quality is very
good indeed and really spectacular with some trivial modifications. This
is one of my favorite tuners at any price.....
Another surprisingly good tuner at this price is the rare and almost
unknown Eico Classic Series 2200 Stereo Tuner, don't be put off by its
almost klunky appearance, it's a winner. Scott made several good sounding,
difficult to repair, and fairly unreliable stereo tuners. The best of the
lot was the 310E and this is definitely worth having if you can find it
for under $300.00, it features adjustable muting threshold, stereo/mono
switching in a strikingly handsome package.
OVER $400.00 COMPONENTS
In the rarer and more expensive categories you can find the Marantz
8B stereo pwr amp. which has triode output option priced anywhere from
$400.00 to $1000.00; the McIntosh MC-30, MC-60 both featuring cathode
coupled output stages and unusually complex driver circuits for their
time along with good sound at a price ranging from $500.00 pair for the
30's to $800.00 a pair for really mint 60's; the Fisher SA-1000, the
Fisher K-1000 (same as SA-1000 except that it was a kit) which was the
first commercial amp to utilize 8417 output tubes and produced the then
astronomical output power of 75 watts per channel at a price of around
$1000.00 for a mint unit;; the Harmon-Kardon Citation II which operates
in limited class A using KT88/6550's run at their absolute limit so that
they eat inferior output tubes for breakfast, and my favorite vintage amp
because of its stunning performance when treated to component upgrades.
This amp was recently available for as low as $200.00 in non functional
condition, but has started to appreciate rapidly and I expect mint units
to sell for about $1000.00 by year's end.All of these operate their outputs
in ultra-linear mode, an important consideration for low distorsion. Also
in this category is the Scott LK-150 which I feel is the most over-rated amp
in existance, it is probably the most expensive and sounds little
different than the Dyna Stereo-70 at about 7-8 times the price. Also Scott
never received a license to use the ultra-linear circuit and consequently
none of their amplifiers have it.... Tuners worth your consideration at
this level would be the Marantz 10B at about $1000.00-$1400.00, widely
considered to be the ultimate tuner ever made; the McIntosh MR-71 at about
$600.00 which I have owned for 7 years, have extensively modified and will
not part with until the day I die; and the McIntosh MR-65B which
electrically is close to the MR-71 and sells for less than $300.00 in
many cases and is very popular with a number of my friends.
In this price category you probably should be looking for a new pre-amp.
because the vintage designs are so euphonic that every source tends to
sound the same. Stay away from any Scott pre-amps of this vintage as they
are REALLY TERRIBLE! If you must have a vintage unit only the Marantz 7C
is worth considering and expect to pay a lot for it.
OVER $2000.00 COMPONENTS
In the ultimate price is no object category you'll find the Marantz 9
power amplifier, all versions of which feature gorgeous appearance and
build quality as well as good sound. This unit mates magically with the
Quad ESL-63 electro-static loudspeaker, but in my limited experience not
so well with most dynamic types. The unit features parallel push-pull EL-
34/6CA7 output tubes with switch selectable triode or ultra-linear
operation. The small signal/driver circuitry utilizes 6DJ8's which must be
selected with care for optimum sonics. In New England these amps typically
sell for over $6500.00 a pair and I've heard of people asking $10,000.00
for a really mint pair. ( I don't know whether anyone but the Japanese
would pay these prices-I have a friend who paid only $400.00 a few years
ago for a pair of these.)
I don't know of any other components in this price range except possibly
some complete Western Electric speaker systems.
VINTAGE TURNTABLES
The only turntables I know of that are worth messing around with
are the Lenco and the AR. I know virtually nothing about the Lenco
and haven't seen one in over 10 years. The AR on the other hand is very
common and came in several versions starting with the XA. Stay away from
the 2 motor versions. This table is the basis of almost all High-End
turntables made today. Even with the stock arms these tables will blow the
doors off of most inexpensive Japanese tables sonically. The XB is similar
to the XA except that it has a cueing mechanism, but both of these tables
have rather high arm mass so low compliance moving magnet cartridges are
the best here. I would recommend that the interconnect cables be replaced
as the originals are terrible. AR still provides replacement parts for
these tables, and Underground Sound of Memphis, Tenn. has Merrill
sub-chassis for upgrading and installing modern arms on these tables.
A modified AR probably provides the most cost effective route to a high
performance turntable.
MISC.
I hope this letter has provided you with some useful information on
vintage audio gear. I refurbish and modify most everything listed in this
letter and a lot of this gear can provide stunning performance with
the right mods. Vintage gear represents a good value for the money and
some of it may even have good investment value.