Once upon a time...

A great friend of mine asked me a simple question, "When was the last time you listened to an vinyl record?" I laughed because it had been a while and to me "Records" were beat up scratchy replications of old Barbara Streisand and Tom Jones albums sitting on the shelf of thrift shops collecting dust. Turns out his his Grandfather was a huge music fan and a collector of vinyl records. The man was a genius! If he bought something new to add to the collection he bought two! One to listen to, one to keep wrapped and store away. He even did that with his Dual turntable and Pioneer receiver/ amplifier. One for show and one to go. So the conversation turned to how most of the mass produced  audio gear of today sounds no where near the quality of vintage audio gear from the past. I was skeptical at first, after all my mid 90's Sony receiver amplifier seemed to be able to bring me many hours of musical bliss. Plus, I just made an investment into a Modern Yamaha HTR 5740 6.1 surround system boasting a massive 100 watts per channel that was rattling the walls and pissing off the neighbors. How could a piddly ass amp from the early 1970's brandishing a massive 25 watts of power ever sound better?


I would soon be reminded that more is not always better...

I have always enjoyed  supporting my local thrift stores. Whenever I've moved it's like the ace in the whole. If I have to get rid of stuff they take it no questions asked. If I need something basic they just might have it and fairly cheap. Not to mention besides the library it's the greatest source of books I've ever found. Well, one day I had a few extra minutes so I stopped. Made the normal pass around the store and made my way to the electronics section. It sits nestled all the way in the back of the store and is usually mis match of VCR's DVD's and modern day amplifiers. That day their was an interesting glow that only brushed aluminum could emanate. Under a pile of the black mass produced crap lay helpless "Silver-faced Receiver/Amplifier". Instantly I was intrigued and even took a double take to make sure I was the only one actually looking at this amazing unit. It was simply gorgeous! It actually had all the dials and knobs and as I turned them they felt silky smooth. Then I noticed the Receiver/Amplifier was encased in a wooden box. A wooden box? Sort of seems like a fire hazard if you ask me. Later on I would read that most of the audio gear from back in the day was encased in wood. It gives the gear a very classy look and allows it to be featured as an additional piece of furniture. So cleared the crap and picked the unit up only to be pleasantly surprised as to how heavy this things was. It was like picking up a lead filled cinder block! By the shear weight of it I knew I struck gold! Without hesitating I lugged it all the way to the counter and with a huge smile, gladly paid the ransom and off we went.

Now mind you this was before I had a competent smart phone. So an instantaneous search was out of the question. I would have to wait to get home in order to do any research let alone test this little monster. So once I hauled it up 3 flights of stairs and a quick wipe down, I hooked it up to a pair of basic speakers. To my disappointment only one channel seemed to be working. It sounded good but, All that work only to realize the damn the things phucked up. I was pissed at myself for wasting time, money and energy on some piece of crap someone else threw out. I figured energy in energy out, this makes up for some of the broken crap I've passed off on others. I had run out of time and needed to continue on with my day. So I took a few deep breaths and let the project go for now.

Later that same day when my head was a bit more clear I grabbed my Phillips head screwdriver and thought, well I probably can't screw it up any more so why not open it up and see what's what. (Unplugged of course) Once I opened her up I was mesmerized by all those circuit boards full of resistors, capacitors and fuses. Wait a second FUSES??? So I took a look at the fuses and sure enough one was blown! I frantically rummaged through the junk drawer desperately trying to locate a 5amp 250volt fuse. Ah ha! Found one! I replaced the fuse and the amp came to life! The sound was magical! So much power and depth with the volume just under #3 and this thing goes to 10! (Okay maybe louder than 11 but you'll have to hear it to believe it) Not to mention a stereo seperation that defines a true analog experience. Simply amazing! I decided to hook it up to my system I had up in my meditation loft. It was a high ceiling loft with 4 speakers I was using for daily meditation. I had been using an RCA surround amplifier up there but this unit fit just perfect in that space.

Little did I know what analog gold I was so fortunate to have found.

To be continued...