HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Scott Dorsey <kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov>
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: RE: Antique Audio Equipment
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 11:46:23 EST
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


   What do you mean when you say that the state of the art is that a
hobbyist can't build equipment better than he can buy?  I certainly
cannot believe this.

   The first excellent example is the case of passive preamps (and
buffered passive preamps).  For a small investment you can build a
unit as good as anything on the market, and the effort is small.  Corey
Greenburg's article in Stereophile is easy proof if that.  If you want
a good phono preamp, take a look at Jung's Audio Op-Amp Cookbook; I have
built a couple of designs straight out of there that were astonishingly
good, and received nothing but amazed compliments.

It's harder to build amps than it used to be, just because the designs
have become so much more complex in the transistor arena.  Tube amps are
as easy to build as ever, and sound just as good, but finding parts is
becoming a problem, I admit.  You can easily build a tube amp that will
sound as good as anything out there, but it might be a lot cheaper just
to buy one of the shelf.

Admittedly, that's the case with CD players too; building your own is
a close to impossible task.  Still, though, you can build your own analogue
section and your own D/A facility into an off-the-shelf player.  It's a lot
more work than making a tonearm, but it's no more work than making a really
good tonearm.  Look at Jung's modifications for the Phillips players just
for a start.  For a fairly small investment you can bring a cheap player
pretty close to the state of the art.

Speakers?  Sure, you can build state of the art speakers.  The parts are
available, it's just that the designs are much more complex.  Speaker design
is as complex as it ever was, maybe even more so.  But that's not to say
that you can't steal someone else's design and build your own clone.

The state of the art is a lot more complex than it used to be.  However,
the modules that the homebrewer has to work with are a lot more complete
(and more complex themselves) than they used to be.  Plus, some of the older
designs can sound amazingly good; in some sense the real state of the art
hasn't changed much.
--scott

  (Magnapan speakers, reworked 1961 vintage Citation II amp, homebrew 
   preamp, reworked Magnavox CD player, homebrew turntable with Keith
   Monks arm,  homebrew cables, Teac DA-P20 DAT, Revox A77 tape, Teac
   122 cassette deck (not worth reworking), Tapecaster cart machine
   with homebrew electronics, RCA tape deck with homebrew electronics,
   homebrew noise reduction unit (Dolby clone), homebrew head preamps
   for motion picture projectors, homebrew parametric eq., etc ad nauseum)
From: mike@banana.fedex.com (Mike Bearden)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: CAL Delta CD Transport and its AT&T fibre options
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 14:28:24 GMT
Organization: Federal Express Corp.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

brian@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Brian Boutel) writes:

>Can anyone comment on the difference between these two, and advise me
>on which to choose? Comments on the transport itself would be
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>appreciated, too.
>Thanks,
>--brian

  i auditioned this transport last week as a replacement for my rotel 955
  to go with my bitwise musik system zero dac.  it was a small subtle
  improvement that i noticed the most when i went back to the rotel
  after auditioning the cal.  mostly it was just cleaner and there seemed
  to be no tradeoffs.  

  digital cables had more of an impact on the sound quality than the
  difference between these 2 transports.

  i have had poor experiences with cal cd players in the past.  what
  the scoop on reliability with this unit?

  what other transports have you auditioned?  i would be interested in
  any comparative analysis on transports, since i am going to get one
  by christmas.  :-)

  thanks,

  mike
From: asun@athena.mit.edu (Sunredi Admadjaja)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Recommendations for a starter system
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 21:09:06 GMT
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Hi, 

I am looking for a starter system and am thinking about NAD components and Tannoy
speakers.  
Specifically:
NAD 2100X 2x60W Power Amp
NAD 1600 Preamp/tuner
NAD 5000 CD Player
Tannoy 603 speakers
The local shop quoted me a price of $1170 for the NAD components and I am
getting the Tannoy for $250 from a mail-order shop.  I also plan to add a
Velodyne F-1000 subwoofer later on.
Any comments on the above selection?  Does anyone have any experience with NAD
power amps? How do they compare with other budget amps (adcom 535, parasound
HP 800, B&K ST 120, etc)?  I am looking for clarity and musicality, since my low
end will be handled by the Velodyne sub.

Please send replies to me personally at asun@athena.mit.edu since I don't check 
the net that often.

Thank you!

Sunredi Admadjaja
From: wpmadden@eos.ncsu.edu (Bill Madden)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: linear arm phono
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 22:50:58 GMT
Organization: North Carolina State University
	for info-high-audio@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
	for rec-audio-high-end@speedy.mcnc.org
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Posted-Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 22:50:58 GMT
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

I just picked up a used Technics linear arm turntable to play with. It is
model DL-5. The output is mediocre, but I have run into a couple of 
quarks. Different positions or motions of the arm produce a vague tone,
~ 5k-6kHz, a different tone for arm down, arm up, arm moving right, left, etc.
No isolation of the turntable helps, and grounding reduces just a touch.
Does anyone have any ideas on what this is?

Also, the arm will stop @ a certain pt. on its inward movement, and if the
LP is long enough, will not finish the side before returning right. 
Holding the button continuously will force it further left and then you can
go back right, and it will then move all the way to the left. Fun,fun.

I wonder if anyone has played with one of these creatures, and where I could
get any sort of manuals on it.


Wm


-- 
Bill Madden
wpmadden@eos.ncsu.edu
No icon tact
From: chowkwan@alumni.cco.caltech.edu (Raymond Maihin Chowkwanyun)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Do spikes couple or decouple?
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 09:56:46 PST
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

 Al Conte writes:

>NOTE : USE SPIKES TO DECOUPLE SPEAKER FROM FLOOR ! = A MUST

I have a wooden floor on raised joists.  Would spikes decouple
or couple speakers to the floor?  Wouldn't spikes just turn
the floor into a giant diaphram?  ie. they would serve to
couple the speaker to the floor rather than decouple them.
Of course, if you have concrete floors, then it might be
a desirable thing to nail the speaker to the floor, as it were.

If not spikes then maybe some kind of sorbathane type device
placed between speaker and floor would convert the vibrational
energy into heat and provide true DEcoupling.

-- ray
From: chowkwan@alumni.cco.caltech.edu (Raymond Maihin Chowkwanyun)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: ESL distortion
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 13:44:21 PST
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


Mr. Pierce writes:
>A variety of measurements (including
>a number I have performed over the years) demonstrate very clearly that
>large diaphragm electrostatic drivers not only to not move uniformly, they
>are particularly terrible in that they suffer as much, if not more, from
>non-uniform motion as other technologies.

Could you give us the distortion figures at some representative
figures?  The Linaeum rep I talked to claimed that ESL's suffer
from increasing distortion towards the higher end of the frequency
range.  It would be nice to have this confirmed or debunked.
He, of course, claimed that the Linaeum driver had constant distortion
over its operating range, including the very high frequencies.

BTW, it's heart-warming to hear someone say something nice about
the B+W 801 instead of characterising is as lumpy sounding.
Of course, it is boomy out of the box, what with those silly castors
and all.  But spike it, put it on a stand, and weigh it down with
lead and you too can tame that boom to get great tight bass.

-- ray
From: bernie@comp.lancs.ac.uk (Mr B Hunt)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: CD/MD
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 11:02:37 GMT
Organization: Department of Engineering at Lancaster University, UK.
          id <sg.08215-0@ben.uknet.ac.uk>; Fri, 20 Nov 1992 11:02:56 +0000
          id <7873-0@eros.uknet.ac.uk>; Fri, 20 Nov 1992 11:02:34 +0000
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Can anybody tell me if CD and MD use the same format of data storage and
retrieval?
If they do (it must at least be similar), is there any reason why a recordable
CD player could not be designed, based on the MD method of recording, which
could then sell for a respectable price?
If someone sold one of these, even one without any playback capability, I 
suspect that it would be more popular than either MD or DCC. I know which I
would prefer.

Bernard Hunt
bernie@lancs.ac.uk
From: ken@isgtec.com (Ken Newman)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Roomtunes was Re: speaker clamps
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 17:54:31 -0500
Organization: ISG Technologies Inc., Mississauga Ontario
	id <m0mq9uL-0000MTC@isgtec.isgtec.com>; Fri, 13 Nov 92 22:54 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


In article <1dtof2INN31t@uwm.edu> b-grant@nwu.edu (Barry Grant) writes:
> Has anyone heard the Roomtunes speaker clamps or tried them on their
> speakers? I use their corner tunes, echotunes, roomtunes, and clamprack,

In true usenet fashion, I'd like to reply to your question with another
question. :)  I'm very interested in the Roomtunes and similar products
that deaden a room and reduce reverberation, having moved recently and
now having a problem with substantial ringing and reverberation in the
new listening room. The room is a rather odd shape, having a high ceiling
(12') and being quite narrow (19'x11'). Recalling past articles that
said that the space around and behind the speakers should be quite dead
and absorbent, but that the listening position can be moderately live,
what are good low-cost things to put on the walls and/or in the corners?
I'm hoping I don't need acoustic foam 12' high. :) A sharp handclap
produces ringing for a good quarter to half a second.

Also on a related note, is there anything not acoustically worthless
that, when used as a speaker grillecloth, is cat-proof? The thought of
a cat perforating my Thiel's woofers makes my blood run cold.

--

ken@isgtec.com   [ ...!uunet.ca!isgtec!ken ]  Ken Newman
From: bellutta@ohsu.EDU (Paolo Bellutta)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Martin Logan Sequel II
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1992 00:07:30 GMT
Organization: Oregon Health Sciences University
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

I'm having trouble in positioning my Martin Logan Sequel II.
The room is kind of small (5.3 x 4.3 meters), so the bass range is
not that great, but I can't do much about it (besides moving!).
But I'm also having trouble with the mid-high range.  I started
keeping the panels straight (that is not bend forwards, nor backwards)
and tilted about 30 degrees from the listener.  Then I started 
tilting the panel backwards, but I was clearly losing the high end.
Then I tried tilting the panels forwards (that is towards the floor)
but now the mid range is too "forward".  In this configuration
I have most of the stage behind the speakers, and the midrange
that is directly on my face.  It's a bit hard for me to explain the 
type of sound, but it appears to be too much aggressive, although 
the high range is definitely more clear and present.

Are there any netters that have succesfully positioned their ML?

--
La miglior arma inventata dall'uomo e' stata la parola
 _   /|  | Paolo Bellutta ---------- bellutta@ohsu.edu
 \'o.O'  | B.I.C.C - Oregon Health Sciences University
 =(_o_)= | 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. - Portland, OR
    U    | tel: (503) 494 4804 --- fax: (503) 494 4551
From: chcho@vnet.ibm.com ( Chul-hee Cho )
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Acurus DIA100 from Mondial Designs
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 10:38:16 KST
Organization: IBM Korea
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not those of IBM
News-Software: Usenet 3.0
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Has anybody experienced the integrated amplifier Acurus DIA100 from
Mondial Designs ?  The speaker I have in mind is British Spendor
SP2/2 .  Any comment will be appreciated..

Chul-hee Cho
IBM Korea                                      Voice : 82-2-781-6315
chcho@sulvm1.vnet.ibm.com                        Fax : 82-2-785-5948
From: p0p4018@zeus.tamu.edu (PREMTHAMKORN, PRAKIT)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: FOR SALE: Proac Super Tower
Date: 16 Nov 1992 14:13:15 -0600
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Proac Super Tower: Two 7" woofers, a titanium tweeter.  w/ base plates and 
	spikes.  Teak veneer finish.  Perfect condition.

Asking: $1190 + half shipping cost (about $25) 

Note:  Very good-looking speakers with superb imaging capability.  Can be sand-
loaded for optimal bass response.
From: b-grant@nwu.edu (Barry Grant)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Roomtunes was Re: speaker clamps
Followup-To: rec.audio.high-end
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 19:28:34 GMT
Organization: Northwestern University
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <1e89hqINNjso@uwm.edu>, ken@isgtec.com (Ken Newman) wrote:
> 
> In article <1dtof2INN31t@uwm.edu> b-grant@nwu.edu (Barry Grant) writes:
> > Has anyone heard the Roomtunes speaker clamps or tried them on their
> > speakers? I use their corner tunes, echotunes, roomtunes, and clamprack,
> 
> In true usenet fashion, I'd like to reply to your question with another
> question. 

I guess it's only fitting that I answer your question to my question.
Roomtunes (RT) stuff doesn't deaden a room, but does take care of the
problem you describe. The RT philosophy, as I can reconstruct it, is based
on dispersing, not deadening, sounds. They advise moving speakers near the
center of the room and working with as live a room as possible and then
adding their products to improve soundstaging and get rid of slap echo and
bass boominess. Your room sounds ideal for their products. My current
listening room is much more alive than my previous one. It has wood floors,
no carpeting, little furiniture--and though it took more work to get into
shape (well, I'm still working on it, thus my post), the result is better
sound than I had before--better soundstage, clearer sound, more information
off the recordings. 
			You are describing a live-end/dead-end philosophy of room treatment.
This is only one approach to room treatment. In my experience, the more
dead a room is, the less information (mostly high frequencies) you hear.
But, I recall reading a post a few months ago describing a room with
treatments on all the walls and ceilings that said it gave a tremendous
soundstage, so who knows. 
		I'd say though that you can't go wrong with a set of corner tunes. They
cost about $80 for four and fit in the upper corners of a room. They
significantly clear up the sound and improve imaging.


Barry Grant
Northwestern Univesity
Evanston, Illinois
b-grant@nwu.edu
From: csb@mashee.genrad.com (Charles S. Buzby)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Martin Logan Sequel II
Date: 19 Nov 1992 01:08:58 -0500
Organization: GenRad, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

(stuff deleted)

>How is the room treated? It sounds like you're getting some strong
>reflections. Do you have diffusive or absorptive materials at all
>of the primary reflection points, including floor and ceiling?
>
>Do you hear any sharp echoes if you walk around the room clapping
>your hands (i.e. echo slap)? Can you guess at the decay time of
>the echoes?
>
>Chip
>

There is a very interesting article on acoustical treatment in the October
1992 issue of Sound and Vibration magazine.  The article is titled "Fractals
and Number Theory are Changing the Shape of Acoustics".

Scott
From: henrylin@phoenix.princeton.edu (Henry Hung-i Lin)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Opinion on HK Citation II/III
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 04:02:28 GMT
Organization: Princeton University
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Originator: news@nimaster
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


what is the general consensus about the old HK tube gear? i'm looking into
a Citation II/III amp/pre setup. how would it compare to newer solid-state
models like Arcam, Creek, and Tandberg integrateds or an older Quad405?
thanks for all help...

					henri
From: p0p4018@zeus.tamu.edu (PREMTHAMKORN, PRAKIT)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Problems with JVC CD Player
Date: 18 Nov 1992 11:46:49 -0600
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <1eatg1INN467@uwm.edu>, michaelz@hongkong.WPI.EDU (Michael Curr Zarozinski) wri> 
>I have a JVC CD Player that is having a couple of strange problems.  The problems is that recently it has been sort of crackling now and then.  This is 
>really evident when I put in a CD of George Winston.  During some of the quiet
>passages a crackling sound is produced.  This happens in both channels.  I
>opened it up to see if I could determine if anything seemed to be wrong but it
>seemed to be working okay.  A couple of times it took a while for the CD player
>to find the first track on the CD.  Does anyone out there have any clues.  
> 
> 
I had similar problem with my Rotel 855.  I happened to some particular discs.
I opened the player up and found that it didn't clamp these discs in a proper
position (the disc is warping while spinning).  I found the springs that hold
the clamp onto the disc were too stiff and unbalanced.  The disc was clamped
before it fell into proper position.  To check this, hold up the clamp slightly
so less pressure is placed on the disc.  If the warping is gone, that's it.
Slightly stretching the springs will solve the problem.  

Hope this helps
Prakit
From: tlt@meaddata.com (Troy Tanner)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Metal Cone Drivers
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 15:51:39 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
	(queueing-rmail) id 124211.643; Fri, 13 Nov 1992 12:42:11 EST
Distribution: mdc
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Does anyone know who manufacturers metal cone drivers (mid/woofer) ?
-- 
Troy Tanner                                      (513) 865-1726  
Mead Data Central                                FA&E                
P.O. Box 933                                     tlt@meaddata.com
Dayton, Ohio  45401                              ...!uunet!meaddata!tlt
VOICE: 513 865 1726                              FAX:513 865 1655
From: wood@uk.tele.nokia.fi (Peter Wood)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Need tonearm
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 10:36:40 GMT
Organization: Nokia Telecommunications, Transmission Product Development,
	Cambridge, UK
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for <rec-audio-high-end@fuug.fi>); Tue, 17 Nov 1992 14:40:21 +0200
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

>>>>> On 16 Nov 1992 04:24:10 GMT, thk@tyres.asd.sgi.com (Tom Kong) said:

Tom> My brother-in-law has a Linn LP12, with the Valhalla power-supply, an
Tom> older Linn Basik Plus tonearm (from his previous turntable), and a Linn
Tom> K9 cartridge, he would like to upgrade his tonearm, and would appreciate
Tom> any suggestion.  His price range is under $500.

Tom> He lives in Hongkong, and hasn't managed to find any shop that carries
Tom> anything else other than SME, so he asks if I can find him a good new or
Tom> used arm from the US.

I'm a UK LP12 owner.  The accepted wisdom in the UK (that means we'll
immediately hear from 666 people who disagree with me) is that SME arms,
while generally wonderful, are not a particularly happy match with the LP12. 

People do use Rega RB300 arms on them, apparently with good results.  One of
those should cost you less than $500 new, if you can find one, and will be an
improvement on the Basik Plus.

Secondhand in the UK you can find Linn Ittok arms for 250-300 pounds, which I
guess translates to roughly your $500 limit.  The cheaper Akito arm (which is
itself a useful upgrade on the Basik) retails for 160 pounds new, so
secondhand should be dead cheap.

As I say, this is UK practice.  How much any of this translates into useful
info in the SF area I don't know...

Installation in LP12s is quite important.  Does he have a Linn dealer out in
Hong-Kong who could be persuaded for a few $$$ to fit it for him?

Cheers
Pete



--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Peter Wood,   Nokia Telecommunications,  Transmission Product Development -
-                    Cambridge, UK.  Tel:  +44 223 423 123                  -
- External Email: wood@uk.tele.nokia.fi         Internal Email: NTL02::WOOD -
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jas@proteon.com (John A. Shriver)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: SPDIF jitter follow-ons
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 10:42:09 EST
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Cc: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Yeah, I almost left something in about using gigantic FIFO's in the
DAC box.

The problem with this is simple.  Sort of like non-Euclidian geometry,
no two ocsillators run at the same speed.  The CD player will be
encoding with one frequency down the SPDIF link, and the DAC will be
draining the FIFO at some different frequency.  The FIFO will either
overflow or underflow.  

The tolerances on CD clocks, even by the specifications, aren't that
tight.  Moreover, some CD players violate these specifications
flagrantly.  One cheap Japanese CD player recently reviewd in HFN&RR
used a ceramic resonator instead of a quartz oscillator, and was so
far off-frequency that the audio output was over quarter-tone flat! 

If you used very precise clocks, and a gigantic FIFO, and were willing
to tolerate a long startup delay until the FIFO was half-full, you
might be able to make this work.  However, it would cost more than the
two-cable clock-feedback scheme, which eliminates the clock problem.

However, a 32 bit FIFO would over- or under-run in seconds to minutes.
From: case@infonode.ingr.com (Bill Case)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Martin Logan Sequel II
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 18:58:22 GMT
Organization: Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Keywords: How to set them up
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <1eatfmINN461@uwm.edu> Al.Conte@EBay.Sun.COM writes:
>
>Here's what works for me.
>
>Center to center spacing =========== 7 ft.
>
>Distance from rear wall to panel == 24 in.

A Martin Logan dealer gave me this formula.  I believe it's for
any of their speakers,   though I have the Quest model.

 distance from rear wall to front center of speaker

	  height of room x .619
	
 distance from side wall to front center of speaker

   	  width x .278

Mine are in an odd-shaped room,  so I can't attest to this wonder
formula (plus, my yardstick doesn't have 1000th's :-)) 

Bill Case
case@eingr.com


--