Maintaining and fixing your vintage stereo system

My audio system here in San Diego has a vintage heart & soul and what makes it unique are the MC275 amps, the NOS tube selection and the C22 preamp. Undoubtedly, these make the system deliver performance with a sound that you can feel, is never exhausting and warm with details. It's a sound that can move you emotionally and pushes you to preserve it for generations.

The preservation, aka maintenance, is not a dusting or polishing activity. It's a severe discipline to keep backup amps, preamps, and a significant selection of vintage tubes all tested and all ready to be set into the system when a component fails and yes, that happens more than you would expect. Yet, we should not be surprised since we are operating with wires, capacitors, resistors, tubes, solder joints, and transformers that have been working since the 1960s. In Japan and Taiwan, I had trusted technicians that I could drive to and visit in person.

However, here in the US, that is not the case; there are very few technicians with vintage amps/preamp knowledge and inventory spread out over a much larger country. However, San Diego happens to have one of the best at this combination of art and science; Mike Zuccaro of Audiocraftsman.

A few years ago, before returning to the US with the equipment, I called Mike to see if he was the right technician for my vintage equipment when I settled in San Diego. The call confirmed Mike was the right choice; hence I would not have to ship my gear across the country when it needed repairs, but more importantly, during the call, I learned a semester of information within just 30 minutes. He is full of knowledge, all fact-based and not opinion based on personal bias, which this industry can exhibit with ease.

Mike is a unique tech shop that has been working this trade since 1975. Mike has endless positive references, all saying they would return and do. And yes, I, like others, returned this week.

Over the last 1.5 years, 2 of the amps suffered failed capacitors and it was time to have Mike take a look, repair and perform the general checking of the system. So I made that call and the journey for the drop-off and pick-up.

Within 24hrs the amps are back at my home repaired, checked and ready to be placed in the system when needed. Thank you, Mike, for the great vintage equipment service and the knowledge that seems to always come with any repair or discussion.

Here's what the failed capacitor looked like...

MC275 Amp with failed capacitor

I might mention Mike has an interesting background. It's not just the vintage stereo equipment he has worked on over the years but was also a pioneer as an AM station DJ here in San Diego. Notice I said DJ, not a talk show on AM 1170 (KCBQ) radio.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/people/sdut-mike-zuccaro-am-radio-kcbq-2013apr12-story.html.

I will post again about Mike Zuccaro's work when I deliver a vintage 1957 'Wonder Bar' tube-based AM radio car player. Mike says he can bring it back to its original performance.

1957 Wonder Bar AM Radio

Thanks for reading and do share if you have found a great vintage audio equipment engineer here in the USA.

#music#vinyl #MC275 #vinyladdict #vinylrecords #instavinyl #vinyloftheday #recordcollector #rpm #record #vinylcollectionpost #nowplaying #vinyllove #turntable #analogmusic

Vinyl Record Collection...Is there a strategy?

It's often fun to see how people get into vinyl records, let alone hunt for those gems that hide deep in a record store. One can have fun and get lost in a store, especially one that allows for beverages and a public turntable to test/experiment with your selections before hitting the check-out counter. Early days, I would too dive in without a plan, but as expected, I would find that I had less time and would need a plan and understanding of what I wanted in my record shelves and on my turntable. Ultimately, I decided to determine my preferences, the sources. I could find them, the reviews/quality write-ups, and match them to my system's capabilities. Introducing a new acronym to the endless number that circles us in life; PSRS: Preferences, Sources, Reviews and System Capabilities.

Preference: This may sound obvious at the start and no one knows your choice better than you. An excellent place to get started is albums and artists you remember or know that move you. After all, the music should elicit an emotional response from the listener; you are not selecting music for an elevator. Let's add a little more to this mix. For example, are you interested in Audiophile-level performance regardless of genre? Are there music genres, instruments, or venues you are learning to appreciate? Are you a collector of rare releases, labels, or producers? This might open up your targets more. For me, it did; I often have a running list of albums/artists I want to collect from specific manufacturers and releases. I am still learning classical music. I enjoy collecting vocals at critical moments in time of the artist's performance; it's a way to experience how their performance started, progressed and peaked, allowing a selection of their performance sweet spot for you. Leonard Cohen is an exciting study from when he was young to later in his career; it's not a study of good, from better to less good. It's the difference in his voice and the maturity of the singing with venue impacts. Leonard Cohen produced his last album knowing he was not long for this planet and you can hear some of that. The same is true of Glenn Campbell. Every artist and their published works, album releases are history lessons.

Image Source: Wix.com

I also collect albums that demonstrate outstanding performances that are life-like from a studio or live-on instruments. It's a reference for my system for tuning and checking performance to live events. Yes, I recommend going to live events as often as possible to hear instruments without amplification. One such interesting yet annoying example is Nemanja Radulović, an outstanding violinist with a soft technique as if he conjures the strings to move without touching them. You can only truly hear this during a live performance because I have not found any vinyl release for him and the digital/CDs can be good but nothing like his live performance. Sometime back, I had emailed his manager and encouraged a vinyl release; perhaps it's time to do that again.

Sources: Buying your vinyl has become more accessible and yet more complicated. Sure, you can find the record stores and those are a blast, but it's a challenge at this current time to keep up with the re-releases, many of which can be limited productions and don't make it outside the factory direct via online sales.

Demand is at an all-time high, good for vinyl but challenging to keep track of. When living in and visiting Taiwan, there was a record store with new and used records. They would order everything that came out, evaluate the audio performance of the release, and audition them for customers. It was an excellent service, a one-stop for everything that was released in a month, a direct review of the quality and a chance to check it myself if needed. It also came with recommendations of what I may be interested in, based on past purchases from the store owner himself. Great place in Taipei; check out 'Joy Audio' if you are in Taipei and reading this or have plans to visit someday.

I have not found a way to replicate this yet in the USA, but you can leverage Discogs to get reviews, post what you are looking for, discover new/old buys and have a complete listing of an album's release by country. A few smaller stores in the US keep an active YouTube channel discussing new releases and reviews, such as "The ‘In’ Groove" in Phoenix. I buy records from this store because of the similar process from Taiwan, albeit an all-digital experience.

Sure, you can do eBay, amazon, direct sites from the manufacturers, but I like the seller with some recommendations. Its means they spent some time studying their inventory, understand the quality and stand behind it. This equates to a significant time and expense saving to you, the buyer/collector. The quality of the record is not known until the stylist is engaged with the record, some homework, therefore here is definitely required.

Reviews: Depending on the expense and value of the record, you can look up and search for reviews. Not all releases are created equal. The review writers worth their salt can tell you the difference in the audio performance, why and provide a quantitative ranking of the musicality and audio quality. Often, I have albums of different releases, pressings, and there is a dramatic difference in performance. Re-releases also do not mean better; they can be improved but can also be re-mastered in a way you are not interested in. For example, the low frequency is often increased vs. what was in an original pressing from decades ago. Nevertheless, plenty of reviewers are available today across forums and feedback from owners like you and I spinning those discs with their comments. These can be valuable and helpful to find the proper album, release and pressing to purchase.

Eva Cassidy, a female vocal/folk singer, had releases from US and German pressing companies. The albums had the same source, same producer, just different pressing companies for the records. The difference in performance was significant, but you won't notice this unless you read a qualified reviewer's comments or run into someone like me who brought both and spoke directly to Blix Street Records in Gig Harbor, WA, regarding the future release of Eva's music. They listened and I believe every record that has come to the market went through the German factory. Thank You, Blix Street Records, for the great releases of Eva Cassidy. I have been using the Eva Cassidy Songbird album as a reference for high-frequency vocal checks. Beautiful voice and higher volumes and frequency still sound warm and clear and not bright or harsh.

System Capabilities: Your audio setup does not determine what you collect, but it does determine how it performs. Collect as you wish, just know, for extreme performance, not all systems can reproduce well across genres like classical to a folk singer or jazz band. I learned this early when I found recommendations for classical recordings and I struggled to hear what the reviewers had promised. Initially, I was disappointed until I continued improving the system to produce across various genres. Then at some point, you start to hear more out of albums that the reviewers do not hear. Albums that sounded ok then now sound amazing; it's crazy fun to experience this.

A good example is Chuck Mangione, The Children of Sanchez album; it's very dynamic and complicated for a system. This album was a challenge for years to pull every piece out of it. It is a passionate piece worthy of any collection but requires the system to make it dance and yes, very rewarding.

As always, you are the master of your choices. The same goes when building your vinyl collection and enjoying the hunt and adventure. What's your strategy? How have you built or are building your vinyl collection? It will be interesting to know about your journey and your feedback in the comments section.

Some more references:

• https://www.theabsolutesound.com/

• https://www.stereophile.com/index.html

• https://hifinews.com/index.html

• https://www.analogplanet.com/home

• https://pitchfork.com/

• Whathifi.com

• https://www.audiogon.com/

#music #vinyl #vinylcollection#vinylcommunity #vinylcollector#records #recordcollection#vinyladdict #vinylrecords#nowspinning #instavinyl#vinyloftheday #recordcollector#rpm #record #vinylcollectionpost#nowplaying #vinyllove #turntable#analogmusic #BlixStreet Records #Chuck Mangione #theingroove

Adopting semiconductor industry technology and procedures for vinyl record manufacturing.

The UHQR Kind of Blue All-Star Panel was a live YouTube event last Saturday. The event for the most part was pre-marketing for the pending re-release of the album 'Kind of Blue' with Miles Davis 33 RPM using the UHQR process by Quality Records. The event had some notable attendees (Michael Fremer, Bernie Grundman, Mike Hobson, Michael Ludwigs and Gary Salstrom) known for their expertise in different areas of audio space and each one provided interesting historical and technical facts about the album including the original recording with a 3-channel tape.

Quality Records used this event to talk about the quality of the UHQR process and I agree they have put some significant work into improved release agents for the vinyl, reducing vibration effects from hydraulic tools on the pressing quality, modification of vintage pressing equipment primarily with sensors like temperature, and adopting the former JVC UHQR process (or similar) for a uniform record thickness from center to edge. If you have one of these hand-pressed UHQR records they are good, darn good!

The point of me writing about this is not the event, it's what the event opens up regarding the adoption of semiconductor processes to the production of vinyl records. This is not a foreign topic, I think Fremer mentioned this a few times including the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival 2019. It’s a topic that has been stuck in my head for years now…."Why not adopt some processes and techniques from the semiconductor industry"?

Image source: wix.com

Of course, I understand the potential capital costs could be a deterrent, but the potential quality and yield improvements would bode well with $100 records; Yes I said $100 records. The UHQR is a $100+ product, not your $5 used vinyl record or $25 re-release from an unknown manufacturer. The value of high-quality vinyl releases is finding its way into our homes and onto our turntables; the quality of the vinyl sonic signature and the packaging well is an improved audio experience that is increasingly collectible. From a business perspective growing this high-end niche market will provide a better margin source for the manufacturer and build a defendable position in a market with plenty of value-tier vinyl products. It could also act as an insulator if the market softens over time.

So, what could be considered adoptable from the Semiconductor industry that by the way invests an estimated $89B in total R&D annually?

To start with, the 'Clean Room' concept. This has been around for decades and does not require a vinyl record manufacture to run straight to a class 1 specification where a class 10000 would be a great start. The records are commonly produced in what you and I would consider a garage and, in many cases, sharing the same room as the paper or packaging products production. I expect these production rooms to always experience a variation in the temperature, humidity, and airborne particles throughout the day. Temperature, humidity and particle counters can come in handy to keep these in check. A HEPA filter-supported clean room with some modest gowning would provide a significant dust-free environment and controlled humidity/temperature. Modest gowning is a hair cap, gloves, booties (foot covers), tacky mats, semiconductor grade notepaper, a lab coat, maybe a face cover if you have facial hair and for sure no makeup. The benefits: reduced static electricity, more stability in the process from ambient temp variations, reduced inclusions and particles into or on the record, improved yield and ultimately superior audio quality. Keep in mind human hair is about 7o μm thick, dry skin particles can range from .5 μm to 10 μm making these about the same size as the record grooves, 40 μm wide and 40 μm deep. More interesting is paper and hair do not burn until ~450F and the vinyl pressing process is at ~330f which means those particles become inclusions in the vinyl that can interfere with the pressing, the channel and perhaps the resonance of the channel/stylist interaction. This is easy to check; just take a blank record (no grooves) and take it through the process steps and you can measure the surface particles it collects with a surface-scanning laser inspection system.

Next how about a release agent that can be applied to the stampers? The release agent is in the vinyl and allows the stampers and the vinyl record to separate from each other. A little material science may be good here to understand the remaining residue on the vinyl record and the stamper but one could also look at some of the high-end lubricants used on molds like Dicronite. It's an agent that not only allows for a clean mold release but can manage temperatures well above the pressing requirements. It also improves the fluid dynamics of materials to fill out molds and this is one of the challenges with record pressing; ensuring that all the grooves are filled and the record is uniform from the inner to outer edges. Dicronite has been around and can be found at https://dicronite.com/plastic-mold-release-coating/

Finally, there is the stamper quality and expected life. The stampers could be laser imaged at T0 and then again at T10,000 to see the delta and resulting percentage variance or degrade. No guessing here on the quality of the stamper and the ability to provide producers guarantees of quality limits for each stamper and for customers to understand the difference from copy no. 1 to no. 10,001.

In my opinion, if the vinyl manufacturing industry adopts more of the semiconductor know-how, we will for sure see new equipment design, test, facilities and procedures. Let's hope the outcome is a better music experience for the consumer and an advance in analog audio space.

Signing off by sharing these two useful links

1) Nashville's United Record Pressing is the largest pressing facility in North America, churning out up to 60,000 records a day.

2) List of actual vinyl record manufacturers across the globe, visit Total Sonic Media site.

#music #vinylrecords #vinyl #turntable #semiconductor #tests #milesdavis #dicronite