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In Reply to: RE: Or... posted by Crazy Dave on March 04, 2016 at 11:30:06
If not true class B, it was certainly biased quite "cold". In general, most first generation solid state amps from the late 60s were pretty dreadful. :)
Follow Ups:
A few years ago, with some trepidation, I reread a book I'd loved as a child. It was still a pretty good read. I thought my setup of AR turntable with Shure V15 II through a Marantz Model 18 receiver to AR 3a speakers sounded great in the mid-60s, and I still have that stuff in a closet. I haven't had the space or the guts to compare it with my current setup.
You really should take it for a spin sometime. :)
the MC-2100 I (still) have sounds just dreadful to me, as I have oft recounted.
Harsh 'n' gritty 'n' shrill 'n' grainy.
all the best,
mrh
was a total letdown. The system consisting of a MR78, C28, 2105 and MPI4 maximum performance indicator was flush mounted into a wall system driving Bozak speakers. The light show was incredible with the blue glow emanating from every component along with the mesmerizing pattern generated by the MPI4.Sound quality? Dismal. Flat. Dull. Zero dimensionality. Devoid of transparency.
I guess those folks were more into bling than music.
At that point in time (1974 - junior in high school), my reference was tri-amped Tympani IIIs driven by Audio Research SP-3a, D-76s on mid/top and Crown DC300a on woofers using EC-4 crossover. There was simply no comparison as to which one sounded most like live, unamplified music.
Guess which brand you'll find in my system forty odd years later. :)
Edits: 03/04/16
Sheesh RW
To be able to afford that in Junior high you either had rich parents,sold drugs,or dealt hot televisions and car stereos.
A friend you get for nothing,an enemy has to be bought
Just exposure. No more than I *own* any symphony orchestras which provide my ultimate reference of live, unamplified sound. My reference for what an audio system can do remains one of the many I heard at Sea Cliff over the years. No, I don't plan to spend $100k on Nordost Odin cabling nor $150k on a Clearaudio Statement turntable anytime soon!That Magnepan/ARC system using a Linn-Sondek LP12/SME 3009 was found at the shop where I later purchased an H-K Citation and Crown D150 to drive my double Advents. As the resident audio geek in high school, that system was used for the 1974 Miss RHS pageant. Fat Julian's Audio is also where I purchased a demo Ariston RD-11S (cousin to Linn) with SME around '76. BTW, I still have that turntable today. Since I was moved by the Maggie's, I bought a pair of MG-IIs about the same time as the turntable.
I worked summers (different jobs than your examples!) to support my passion for audio. No, the folks weren't wealthy.
I was 20 now working at that shop when I purchased the Acoustats on salesman accommodation for about $1100 vs $2000 list at the time.
Edits: 03/06/16 03/06/16
I figured as much..I was teasing you for the way it was worded when you said my reference..My stereo in junior high in 1972 was a Scott receiver and speakers that my parents bought me at Kmart with a BSR turntable and I thought I was the envy of the neighborhood..I was floored because I knew it had to be good because it had all these switches and controls on it from my GE all in one record player. That Scott was like 10 WPC and it was made in Maynard Mass but to this day I tried to find another one but can't.I just wanted it for nostalgic purposes,being my first stereo.
BTW,you have good taste in electronics that mirrors my own..
A friend you get for nothing,an enemy has to be bought
I know I've said it before, but my early audiophile life was indeed charmed having met many influential folks who mentored and exposed me to a completely different world than you found in Stereo Review and High Fidelity.
I recall the time Dr. Cooledge (JWC from The Absolute Sound) invited the guys from the shop over to his house. We were to hear his Dayton-Wrights and meet Jim Strickland with a new company called Acoustat to audition his speakers.
This nineteen year old didn't have to be asked twice. :)
Would the speakers have been Acoustat X speakers with the built in tube amp? OTL amps directly driving electrostatic speakers always seemed like a very good idea to me. I sold Acoustat in the 80's, but it was too late to hear the X. I have always wondered ...
Dave
The servo amps were located in the back of the cabinet. Following that audition, Julian picked up the product line on the spot.
A funny story involved one of our early customers who was color blind. He fried a panel by confusing the placement of three different leads (still possible to do with my Sound Labs!) Shortly after that, Acoustat made a design change so that one might reverse polarity, but not plug the bias lead into a signal jack. :)
Sometime in '78, Acoustat added a fourth panel and called it the Monitor 4. I purchased the upgrade kit which involved the new cabinet and additional panel. It also raised the panels above the amplifier level and allowed for adjusting the tilt back angle.
I replaced those in '82 when the 2+2 arrived. That also meant moving to the MK121 interface and a Threshold Stasis was purchased to drive them. Here's my bachelor pad circa '85 just having moved into my first house. Yes, I did end up with window treatments other than the sheet and the large tapestry behind the couch was mounted on the back wall.
That took me right back to my days of selling audio! I take it that the 2+2's/Threshold Stasis was a step up from the Model 4. Is that correct? We had 2=2's in the showroom driven by a Nakamichi PA-7 Stasis with a Velodyne UDL-18 handling the lows. It sounded quite good, but I suspect it would have sounded better with a Threshold.
Dave
I found it to be a step up both cosmetically and sonically - especially in terms of imaging. For once, the tall line source provided a lifelike size. Despite the tube OTL concept, the servo amps didn't offer the resolution of the Stasis.
I used subs for a while with mine, but found that they were unnecessary when you put enough power behind them. 500 watt VTL monoblocks did the trick. :)
I kept them for 21 years with a couple of mods: replaced internal wiring (Monster had oxidized pretty badly), bypassed signal fuse and resocked using fine spandex. Now I have what will be my last speaker. The U-1PX is a better performer in every respect if not a bit finicky.
We probably should have tried the big Perreaux amp on them. In the setup as described, I would play the Telarc of Alexander Nevsky and it was spectacular, particularly the Battle on Ice. I have heard the Sound Labs, and they are a step-up from the Acoustats.
Dave
One of those here, too :-P
Oh, and one very respectable Mac piece, lest I be branded a pure-play Mac hater ;-)
all the best,
mrh
...lest I be branded a pure-play Mac hater ;-)
Similarly, I related the story of a very pleasant visit to the factory during a business trip some years back.
The best I've heard a Mac was a pair of 2301 amps in this exceptional system:
There were only four "depth charge" subs with the Scaenas at the time, but that sufficed. At night, I turned the cyclops' eyes off. :)
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