[Vintage-Audio] Vinyl making a comeback?

Thu Jul 19 00:52:35 EDT 2007

You want details, Duane? okay, here's what I've managed to scrape  
together with a modest investment. Hope this isn't too longwinded for  
others on the list.

Setup One:
Kenwood KR-6600 receiver, sixty watts per channel I think
Boston Acoustics A-150 speakers, three way, floor standing
NAD 5120 turntable
Astatic cartridge- model unknown

Setup Two:
Leak Delta 70 amplifier
kenwood KT-7500 tuner
Pioneer HPM-60 speakers, four-way design
Harman/kardon T55C belt drive turntable
Stanton 550 II cartridge

I started with the Kenwood and Pioneers together to make more of a  
classic silverface system, but I made the mistake of auditioning the  
Bostons with the Kenwood- what a combination! They had to be  
together. Still are.

I'd like to consider an open reel deck to save wear and tear on the  
LPs, but I'm not sure what to look for.

I started with a NAD receiver with the Bostons, but I found the  
combination less than involving. The Pioneers were no better. After  
pairing the Bostons with the KR-6600, I was left with the less  
powerful Leak for the Pioneers. The Leak slightly underpowers them,  
but has a very sweet tone, reminscent of tube amplifiers, which  
really relaxes those super-tweeters, so I'm sticking with it for now.

the Kenwood KR-6600 was an act of compassion. I saw it wasting away  
in a pawnshop with a busted cabinet, no lights and a gap-toothed  
front panel, so I had to bring it home with me. It's turned out to be  
quite a jewel. I replaced the dial lamps and sprayed the pots and  
switches and it's been fine ever since. The speaker selector is  
totally broken off but fortunately it's set to "A" (as opposed to  
off!). Both sets of speakers sound great with this receiver. Maybe  
I'll end up with two Kenwood amps.

Of the two turntables, the NAD is the quietest, and the astatic  
cartridge sounds better to my ears than the Stanton, but it could be  
that the needle's just wearing out- it came with the turntable. I  
already had a shure M91E with a brand new needle laying around that I  
will try next. I've had a M91E in three different stereos over the  
years- I really like its sound.

At best, which currently would be the NAD/KR-6600/Boston setup, the  
sound is very natural and inviting; the music sounds "real". Compared  
to the last phase of my life when I bought and listened to a lot of  
records, ending around '92 or so, it's better than what I had then,  
which was not shabby (Advent 300 receiver, HK Citation twelve power  
amp, Klipsch KG2s). It also compares favorably to my first "real"  
setup so many years ago, which was good enough that the only thing I  
ever thought about was needle replacement and cleaning records-  
otherwise I was busy enjoying music. That's high praise for a system.  
I can listen to either of these setups all day without any sort of  
fatigue.  So although I have a few rough spots to consider, I'm  
getting close to what I was trying to achieve.

I'm about to throw a monkeywrench into the situation- a Bell tube  
receiver that I've been cleaning up over time. I'm curious how the  
Pioneer speakers handle a tube amp, since they are doing so well with  
the Leak. But that raises the issue of a preamp.

I've already been burned by the reissue phenomenon. One reissue LP I  
picked up recently sounded just fine, better than I imagined  
actually; the other was downright lousy. It seemed apparent to me  
that somebody just slapped the cd mix onto vinyl. During louder  
passages the high end is sibilant beyond the point of distortion,  
played on both tables. it's totally unlistenable! Amazing that things  
like this make it to the shelves.

On Jul 18, 2007, at 10:52 PM, Duane Fischer, W8DBF wrote:

> Michael,
>
> I am delighted to hear of your return to 'real audio'!  
> Congratulations on the two new systems. I am anxious to hear all  
> the details, so fill me in. Please.
>
> One thing you need to keep in mind when vinyl record shopping.  
> Avoid reissues! Some are reissues of the actual original, but many  
> are not the original and are simply songs by a given artist being  
> "reissued" on a previously never released album.
>
> If you have a vinyl album and a CD of the same title, such as Floyd  
> Cramer "The Collector's Series", it has sixteen songs on it. The CD  
> version has only eight! I have checked this against all the CD and  
> vinyl albums that bear an identical title, regardless of the  
> artist, and in nine out of ten cases they do not match! Either the  
> songs are different, but in every case, the number of songs was  
> less on the CD. So be careful!
>
> If you buy the original release Michael, you will discover that the  
> original audio, depth, warmth and sensational mix is present. Later  
> versions of the same album, supposedly rereleases, are in fact,  
> reissues, and are not the same in quality. Such as the albums  
> before the Dynaflex albums started.
>
> I was recording some Oldies several years ago, Ricky Nelson, to be  
> precise. The song was "Travelin' Man". It did not sound right to  
> me. But I could not decide exactly what was wrong. Finally it came  
> to me. His voice was slightly lower. I pulled up the original 45  
> rpm of the hit single and played it. Bingo! He was older when this  
> collection was recorded and what I heard was not the original  
> "Travelin' Man"!
>
>
> Duane Fischer, W8DBF/WPE8CXO
> dfischer at usol.com
> HHI: Halligan's Hallicrafters International
> http://www.w9wze.net
> HHRP: Historic Halligan Radio Project
> hhrp.w9wze.net
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "michael salmons"  
> <salmonsm at missouri.edu>
> To: "Vintage home and professional audio equipment from 1975 back"  
> <vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vintage-Audio] Vinyl making a comeback?
>
>
>> Hi Duane! I guess I'm just wrapped up in the excitement of  
>> playing  the actual thing. You definitely do justice to vinyl with  
>> your superb recordings. And you're right, I've been dissatisfied  
>> with all the blackboxes in my life lately. The ritual of cleaning  
>> the record and putting the needle down makes me pay closer  
>> attention to the music.  this is one unintentional side effect of  
>> greater "convenience."  i  listen to music on a computer all day  
>> while I'm working and I  sometimes realize I haven't even heard  
>> the last five or six songs.
>>
>>
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>>
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