Best Of

Re: Aerosmith-Yungblud-Lainey Wilson

I saw Aerosmith in ‘75 - fifty frickin years ago. They were on top of the world and they kicked total azz at that show. Joe Perry was and is one of the coolest cats to ever breathe air. This is a good video

dromunds

2 ·

Re: Polk Forum Giveaway!

Super late to the party. Thought I'd just share my story. My Polk Journey started as a kid in a NYC Public Library, fondly reading audio magazines. One of them struck me as amazing, Matthew Polk standing in a lab coat next to a pair of SDA. I was hooked on music and audio reproduction at the time but had to do with my parent's Fischer system but was dreaming of Polks. Right after college, my first paycheck went to a pair of Polk RT55. This first system grew to a 7.1, with in-wall RT rears, FX surrounds, PWS450 sub, CS400 center. I was content for a very long time. Since then I've added multiple generations of flagship Polk speakers. Started with a pair of LSi25, LSiC, LSiF/X and a pair of DSW microPRO-3000 somewhere in between. I have these in my game room. Then I added the LSiM707 and its whole family of theater speakers and still very much capable and used quite frequently in my 9.7.6 dedicated theater. In Nov 2019, as far as I know, I bought the first pair of L800 Legends after hearing them at an Audio Show in NYC right there and then. They're still the main anchor of my 2ch system. I've added other brands of speakers from Ascend Acoustics, Totem, B&W, KEF, Martin Logan, Klipsch, Elac and Q Acoustics.

mpitogo

4 ·

Re: Reel-to-Reel tape decks - only meant for headphones?

I know what you mean, tape decks can be noisy in really quiet environments. The Crown is an excellent deck but the fan noise inside the open back cabinet is distracting. There can be rubbing of the tape against the reel flanges that cause a regular ticking sound. If there's any tape oxide shedding on the tape guides it can sound like a banshee. The first time I had that happen I thought something was going to detonate. I've had tape counters make very tiny ticking sounds and even the Studer's internal clock had to be unplugged. But, after all these machines are at least 40 years old, most older and if you can hang in there long enough they can be very satisfying to keep around.

SeleniumFalcon

3 ·

Aerosmith-Yungblud-Lainey Wilson

https://youtu.be/GqMDvkLla5s?si=C7coLVbNNU1vIYCH

Toolfan66

4 ·

Re: Reel-to-Reel tape decks - only meant for headphones?

Regarding playback SQ, that's why Ken and many other folks go head out with external tape EQ preamps. Calibration tapes and required equipment (scope, dB meter, frequency generator) add to the cost to extract best performance. Two of my decks required recapping, one needed four transistors. I purchased new manufacture Teac replica calibration tapes from Germany (3.75 & 7.5ips). Along with specific calibration frequencies, it includes 13 frequencies from 31Hz to 16kHz so I can test playback frequency response.

SQ wise, my Teac 4010U and Pioneer RT-71 are OK for just playing something in the background. The Teac X-1000r, A-6300's are very, very good and you get what the fuss is about. The X-1000r has dbx that can be switched on or off and can produce a very quiet recording but must be played back on a dbx deck. It also has EE tape capability. The Otari two track is currently my best sounding deck. It was designed to run all day for commercial use at TV and radio stations.

I'm told modern tape is slightly wider which can be noisy with dirty guides. You have to watch for SSS or sticky shed syndrome on older tapes. There are web sites devoted to that. The older tape I'll use is Maxell UD 35-90 and newer tape is RTM LPR35 and SM911.

My old Teac 4010SU has a paddle fan on capstan motor, very noticeable from a couple feet away at 7.5ips. Later A series Teac's used a redesigned cup style fan on the capstan motor that is much quieter, but still noticeable though muted at 7.5 within a couple feet.

My Teac X-1000r has DC motors and no cooling fans, electronic counter, much quieter at 7.5. Otari MX-5050 BIII-2 has a direct drive DC capstan motor with no cooling fan, electronic counter, very quiet even at 15ips.

I setup my reel table height for plastic reels and use shims for the thinner metal reels so the tape doesn't rub. The Teac TZ-612 10.5" NAB hub adapters had removable shims. 1/4 turn to remove or install, very convenient. I have a pair of fancy trumpet style hub adapters on the Otari and use a .7mm shim behind them for aluminum reels.