Bad news for Vinyl fans...Apollo/Transco burnt to the ground
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treitz3
Posts: 18,342
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/major-vinyl-production-catastrophe-apollotransco-lacquers-burns
One of 2 in the world. We now have to rely on Japan for laquer and this may affect vinyl prices moving forward. No word yet on whether they can rebuild under California's strict environmental laws.
Tom
One of 2 in the world. We now have to rely on Japan for laquer and this may affect vinyl prices moving forward. No word yet on whether they can rebuild under California's strict environmental laws.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
Comments
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~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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That is very bad news.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Horrible loss.
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They’re not too particular out in Banning, especially in that area next to the freeway. It is only one block away from a high school, though....No word yet on whether they can rebuild under California's strict environmental laws.Alea jacta est! -
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Maybe Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct/MoFi will get involved or buy them.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I bet that stuff is highly flammable and wouldn't take much to get out of control quick like.
Damn shame -
Maybe Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct/MoFi will get involved or buy them.Maybe Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct/MoFi will get involved or buy them.
It will take a big outlay of cash to get them back on their feet. I would make a crack about buying their business at a fire-sale price, but this is a real kick in the giblets for audiophiles....The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
It's seems to me it's a viable business venture.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Perhaps, but I would think the equipment to produce the lacquers will be near impossible to replace, and much will depend on what is actually left. Some of that stuff was over 80 years old, based on what I read from their history. I pray for the best, but expect the worst.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Hey, at least no one was injured. You might see a spike in prices and a shortage on things for awhile, but it will settle down sooner or later. It always does.So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?
http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/ -
Wow, sad news.
Glad nobody was hurt!
Hopefully they can rebuild or someone else can step up and fill the void. -
So they’ve been in business in Banning for thirty years or so, which would seem to suggest that it is a viable business long term, especially with the vinyl revival in recent years. However, maybe John is right: what about the equipment? If that was damaged, there might be no replacements currently available.
Also, what age are the owners now? Are they willing to go out and negotiate terms for new loans to rebuild the business? Will their insurance cover the costs or not?Alea jacta est! -
There are still a lot of unknowns. None of those questions have been answered yet, although they have been raised. It would be cool id Mo-Fi got involved to help or join in. AFAIK, this is where they sourced their lacquer (don't hold me to that, I just read it somewhere in the comments of one of the reports online).
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
nooshinjohn wrote: »Perhaps, but I would think the equipment to produce the lacquers will be near impossible to replace, and much will depend on what is actually left. Some of that stuff was over 80 years old, based on what I read from their history. I pray for the best, but expect the worst.
It’s an election year. Lets see who represents vinyl lovers. 😅CD Players: Sony CDP-211; Sony DVP-S9000ES; Sony UDP-X800M2 (x2); Cambridge Audio CXC
DACs: Jolida Glass FX Tube DAC III (x2); Denafrips Ares II (x2)
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Preamps: B&K Ref 50; B&K Ref 5 S2; Classe CP-800 MkII; Audio Research SP16L (soon)
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https://www.kansas.com/news/business/article12446567.html
Salina Ks. plant article on how rare those machines are to find. -
https://mixmag.net/read/dark-entries-apollo-transco-fire-vinyl-production-news
This is going to sting a little bit.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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The skeptical part if me says there's more to this story. Recently laid off employees, QC slipping and maybe California environmental laws may of led up to a fire.... More than one way to "clear" the books so to speak.... Payment from an insurance company/companies icing on the cake.
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That thought crossed my mind too when I first read the LA Times article. Recently laid off employees came by to watch the place burn to the ground? Hmmmm. Must have lived in the neighborhood.
That article did do a good job of clearly explaining what a lacquer is and why they are important for new album pressings. It is very specialized work even if it used to be common decades ago. -
Great article from L.A. Times, and agree that some skepticism might be warranted, but how anyone can read that and conclude that “California environmental laws may of led up to a fire” [sic] just boggles the mind IMO.
The business was left alone, as far as we know, for the last thirty years, but now they have completely failed in self-governed oversight in dramatic fashion. Molten vinyl (lacquer or something?) was landing in front of a nearby food store, and a high school is also just a block away, so understandably, maybe California public safety requirements might demand that some safety measures be put in place before rebuilding, and they may want to know more about the risks of a catastrophic explosion before they deliver permits.Post edited by Kex onAlea jacta est! -
There was no molten vinyl. Apollo was not a pressing plant, they made the lacquers.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Whatever it was, vinyl or not, was landing outside the building, in a public car park:There was no molten vinyl. Apollo was not a pressing plant, they made the lacquers.Ubbu spent the next morning removing black goop from the 7 Star parking lot.
It was also clearly flammable enough to warrant some concerns.Alea jacta est! -
It will be interesting to find out what started the fire. But I doubt we will ever know. All evidence is gone.
Don't forget that "laquer" is nitrocellulose. A slightly higher grade is used to make all smokeless gunpowder. That doesn't mean a spark will make it explode but once it gets burning its not going out. -
Perhaps a consortium of analog companies can pool resources to try and revive this craft/process. Seems to me after reading up on the subject it;s going to be tough for a single entity to rebuild.
What a shame
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
