Wednesday Lunch Report

[RickT]

First, I'd like to thank all those who posted and shared their guitar stories. The point of the post was not necessarily to post something of historical significance. I've got several guitars, most of which I have no emotional connection and think of them simply as a "tool to get the job done". I've got a couple like the ASAT and my Grosh Retro Classic that have an emotional link to me and a story behind the guitar.

This week we've got a bunch of new Project Managers and Delivery Managers on campus attending a 3-day training session. I am one of the presenters today so I was invited to partake in their lunch plans yesterday and today. Yesterday was the executive box lunch which is a sandwich, ham, chips, pasta salad, and a cookie (peanut butter). I suspect today will be the same. My presentation today is on cost forecasting and revenue forecasting using Oracle Projects. It makes me sleepy just thinking about it.

My topic G&L topic today is less direct. I'm going to post on my latest journey into music reproduction. How to get your G&L sound accurately reproduced in your home stereo. Sometime in the 90s I went searching for a tube power amp for a home stereo unit. I happened across an add for a Dynaco ST70 with the period correct tuner and preamp. This guy also had a Zenith Transoceanic Shortwave Radio in the leather case. We talked and wound up getting all four pieces for a pretty reasonable price. I eventually sold the Zenith and recouped most of my money. I had put the amp and other stuff away for some remodeling and let it sit for quite a while until I ran across it again. I retubed it and cranked it up but all it would do is blow fuses. So, last month I found a guy to repair the Dynaco and also put in a new pre-amp section. The original pre-amp section had some design issues and there are several very popular EF86 and 12AX7 mods out there to improve the sound of the amp. It so happens this guy had a Dynaco with the 12AX7 mod I wanted. I traded my broken amp towards his and ended paying about same price for the repair and mod, only I got to take home the completed piece...no wait. I like that.

He also had a nice vintage solid state Marantz pre amp that he let me take home to try out. So I did. Big mistake, that thing sounded fantastic. So I paid a little extra money for that piece.

Now, I've got to get my turntable working so I can spin some albums. In the meantime, I've added a digital transport for my iPod so I can feed the digital signal to and outboard Digital Audio Converter (DAC), and into the Marantz. I forgot what good quality audio was since I haven't heard it for a while. But I'm very pleased with the accuracy of sonic reproduction in my "new" system. Nothing like tubes in the power section to warm things up.

RickT

[astutzmann]

Hi Rick

great stuff.

2 years ago I put in a home theater and speakers in 4 rooms. The A/V is a denon and the speakers are all from Definitive Technologies, including the 7:2 in the theater itself. 2 subs, 3 front 3ways and 4 side and back 2 ways.

also did a home automation system with Crestron and Crestron has an audio distribution system which actually sounds better with the definitives than the denon. We were shocked, but its a great system.

At the time, the a/v guy said that for $400 he could install a wireless audio input for my guitars. Then I'd be able to play anywhere with the sound in 4 rooms and also in the backyard, lol.

I didnt do it at the time, but i still might, I think it would be awesome to make the house rock.....or screetch, the way I play!

[darwinohm]

Rick, it is fun to salvage vintage tube equipment. My main Stereo is a JVC receiver that I bought in the mid seventies (solid state) and it is still going strong with the original 4 speakers that I have on it. I never got into to surround sound and still like true stereo separation. I still pan when I am recording to separate instruments and tracks. Old habits never change. I do like your setup that you play onto. That was the day when Marantz and Macintosh were the rigs to own. I wonder why they never went into guitar amplification? Today, all they advertise is peak power. In the good old days it was RMS power and it meant something.

I had a surround sound in the house and converted back to a receiver with 4 speakers. I have some older Advent speakers that I really like. Surround sound is great for movies but I still like the Stereo setup for listening to music. Have you tried to buy a stereo receiver recently? When you ask about them, the young salesman really give you the look! They have become scarce. -- Darwin

[RickT]

Rick, it is fun to salvage vintage tube equipment. My main Stereo is a JVC receiver that I bought in the mid seventies (solid state) and it is still going strong with the original 4 speakers that I have on it. I never got into to surround sound and still like true stereo separation. I still pan when I am recording to separate instruments and tracks. Old habits never change. I do like your setup that you play onto. That was the day when Marantz and Macintosh were the rigs to own. I wonder why they never went into guitar amplification? Today, all they advertise is peak power. In the good old days it was RMS power and it meant something.

I had a surround sound in the house and converted back to a receiver with 4 speakers. I have some older Advent speakers that I really like. Surround sound is great for movies but I still like the Stereo setup for listening to music. Have you tried to buy a stereo receiver recently? When you ask about them, the young salesman really give you the look! They have become scarce. -- Darwin

I know a guy..... The guy that services the Dynaco amps runs a high end audio shop that deals in vintage gear repair and also sells current audiophile tube systems. We got into a discussion regarding amplification for instruments vs. amplification for audio reproduction. The gist of that was, stereo gear is designed to be as clean as possible and not add to or subtract from the sound. For guitar amps, distortion is a feature. His statement was an audio system should be able to reproduce the distortion from your guitar amp so that it sounds as pristine as the source.

RickT

[darwinohm]

Rick, that makes sense to me.-- Darwin

[blargfromouterspace]

I would love to have a good home stereo system. I'm jealous!

[Boogie Bill]

The Dynaco amps became the foundation for the early SUNN amps.

MacIntosh was one of the first companies to build the high wattage power amps. Greatful Dead toured with racks and racks and racks of MacIntosh amps back in the day. I saw Chuck Mangione on tour in Seattle at the old Paramount after "Feels So Good" came out--all MacIntosh. Phase Linear was another popular brand that saw a lot of usage in home stereo as well as for stage use.

My old stereo's centerpiece is a Marantz 2230 receiver from 1975. I had a Dual 1229 turntable, and a Wollensak/3M Dolby cassette deck. The speakers were some small bookshelf speakers by a Massachussetts company called EPI--one of the top-rated speakers of the time. I later had a pair of Advents--but the ex-girlfriend got those. All of my vinyl, an extensive collection, has been in a storage unit for the past ten years, and I think most of the record are probably ruined. That might be a job for summer.

That system got a TON of use, not only as entertainment and mood-setting for the multitudes of lady friends and groupies, but as a professional musician's working system. The Wollensack deck in particular was real workhorse and one of the very few decks available at the time that could take the rugged use it got. I also have a reel-to-reel Revox A77 1/4" tape deck. I made some fabulous live recordings of my band with just a pair of SM-57s plugged direct into the machine. Everything is now so processed--the warmth and impact of those LIVE recordings on TAPE is still amazing and visceral. It's what a band SHOULD sound like.

Those old Marantz and Fisher tube pre-and power amps are still the bees knees!

Bill

[willross]

I dig high-end audio. Still have my Nakamichi 1000ZXL Limited; best cassette recorder I've ever seen...


Cheers,

Will

[gitman001]

Man, I was so born in the wrong era! I missed the golden age of guitars, and now i am learning i missed out on the golden age of Hi-Fi. Rick, that is one bad ass looking setup. I am embarrassed to say that most of my listening these days is done through the iMac speakers while i am in the kitchen. And even at that i can't have it too loud or i may interfere with the kids cartoons!

Scott

[louis cyfer]

rick, i sure hope you are not playing mp3's from the ipod on this system. i listen through a studio set up at home,
when i really want to listen on a good stereo, i go over to a friends house and listen on the wilson audio maxx speakers, with 4 monoblock tube amps on both sides. i don't remember the brand, he said the macintosh was way too low end for his taste.

[louis cyfer]

Man, I was so born in the wrong era! I missed the golden age of guitars, and now i am learning i missed out on the golden age of Hi-Fi. Rick, that is one bad ass looking setup. I am embarrassed to say that most of my listening these days is done through the iMac speakers while i am in the kitchen. And even at that i can't have it too loud or i may interfere with the kids cartoons!

Scott

you haven't missed it. they still make great record players, tube power amps, great receivers, speakers etc. 30k for a nice record player, 40-50k for the amps, another 100k for the speakers and 10-15k for the wires to hook them up, and you have a medium high end system.

[gitman001]

Man, I was so born in the wrong era! I missed the golden age of guitars, and now i am learning i missed out on the golden age of Hi-Fi. Rick, that is one bad ass looking setup. I am embarrassed to say that most of my listening these days is done through the iMac speakers while i am in the kitchen. And even at that i can't have it too loud or i may interfere with the kids cartoons!

Scott

you haven't missed it. they still make great record players, tube power amps, great receivers, speakers etc. 30k for a nice record player, 40-50k for the amps, another 100k for the speakers and 10-15k for the wires to hook them up, and you have a medium high end system.

Haha... Let me rephrase my statement - I NEED gold in this age of Hi-Fi! If I had $200,000.00 to spend, i am sure it would go towards guitars, and i would still be listening to tunes on my iMac!

[zapcosongs]

I'd settle for medium high-end ears! - ed

[darwinohm]

Now were talkin' Ed! I had to install Hi Fi's in my ears and they were much more expensive than a good home system and no one else can hear them.-- Darwin

[zapcosongs]

There's some irony here in that this is my brothers business and area of expertise.http://auditoryservices.com/ - ed

[meowmix]

I think we would all love to listen to music through high end stuff.
The problem is cost and the fact you are not going to bring a tube amplifier aboard a plane.

I listen to a lot of music through my PC. The best solution is a DAC imo. If you can solder SMD chips, I suggest the Gamma1.
http://www.amb.org/audio/gamma1/ It is what I have. Sounds much better and I can bring it with me on the plane.