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Antique Hi-Fi Archive

Forgotten Formats: The Elcaset

Here’s the thing about experimental anything.  Experimental music, experimental writing, experimental technology: if it really, truly is experimental, that means it very well might fail.  This is a necessary condition of experimentation.  More than any other technology company, SONY is known as much for their failures as their successes.  Not failures in a technical/engineering sense, but market failures.  The fact that SONY has survived through so may famous failures is testament both to the intense brilliance of their successful experiments (Trinitron, The Walkman, the Compact Disc) as well as the depth of their commitment to innovation.  Times are not good for SONY right now; the marquee position that they once held has largely been usurped by Apple and Samsung.  But don’t believe that a comeback is impossible.

The Elcaset was a SONY-driven consumer analog tape format introduced in 1977  (TEAC, Technics, and JVC also marketed compatible decks).  Essentially, Elcaset was a large cassette tape (approx. the size of a Beta) that used 1/4″ (rather than 1/8″) tape, plus it ran at 3.5 (rather than 1.75) IPS and used VCR-like extra-shell tape handling.  The hope was to offer the performance of open-reel tape machines with the convenience of the compact cassette.  You can read a quick description of the technology at this link.  For a much more detailed account, I have scanned a three-page article from HIGH FIDELITY, 2.77, by one Larry Zide.  Zide provides detailed analysis of the technology and also offers his personal guess as to its market viability.

DOWNLOAD ZIDE’S ARTICLE: Elcaset_Feb1977

Even if you’ve never heard of Elcaset, I think you can probably guess how it fared in the marketplace: miserably.  Making this chapter in SONY history little more than a tragic harbinger of the coming Betamax fiasco.  But then what happened to all of those thousands of unsold Elcaset machines and pieces of tape stock?  Why do they rarely turn up for sale?  If you’re Finnish, you already know the answer.  Very bizarre.

If you want to learn way, way more about Elcaset, just click here…

Categories
Antique Hi-Fi Archive

Visual Culture: the late 1970’s

Today on PS dot com: a quick survey of some wonderful Hi-Fi visuals circa 1977.  Above: Fuji blank cassette media.  My latest embarrassing collecting habit: dead stock unopened blank cassette tapes. Because why not.  Report to follow.

Altec Model 15 and Model 19 loudspeakers

Empire Phono Cartridge

Hitachi metal-cone speaker drivers. Who knew?

Jennings-brand Hi Fi speaker systems

Experimental binaural headphone system by JVC.  500-cycle crossover point; highs originate in front of the face, lows from above the ears.

Above: KOSS headphones, for both pop/rock and classics

NIKKO Hi-Fi components

Categories
Early Electronic Music

Great Ladies of Electronic Music: Rosalyn Tureck

Bach Expert Rosalyn Tureck at-work at the Moog Modular circa 1977.  Tureck was a student of Leon Theremin and made her Carnegie Hall debut playing the primitive electronic instrument of his name.  (Image: High Fidelity Magazine, 10.77)

Categories
Recording Studio History

Augmenting the Feeble Groans Of Hopeful Teenagers (aka Signal Processing)

RCA Studio circa 1964.  Ed Begley resists adjusting the controls.  

Download an eight-page article, again from ‘Easy Guide To Stereo Hi-Fi,’ on the subject of ‘Where did they hang your ears,’ circa 1964 (no author attributed).

DOWNLOAD: HangYrEars_1964

Written for the layperson, this article offers an account of how audio fidelity (both the recording and user-playback spheres) had apparently achieved such high quality that the question of ‘what IS the best way to make this recording’ had at last supplanted the earlier question of ‘how do we make this sound life-like AT ALL?’  It then discusses the varying approaches to microphone technique as practiced by some of the leading record labels of the day.  The piece is only concerned with classical and concert music; pop (no mention of rock) is mentioned only briefly, and then in the most condescending possible manner.  In describing how various unnamed audio-processing techniques (we can safely assume these to consist of equalization, multi-mic techniques, and compression) can be used to allow the listener to “hear everything,” the author goes on to say:

If this doesn’t just say-it-all (re: rock music/recording history), I don’t know what does.  From (EQ+Compression+Slapback) to (doubletracking+delay+chorusing) to (DAW editing+Autotune), the kids are still want sex appeal, some of them benefit from augmenting, and they’re sure as shit still hopeful (re: wanting-you-to-want-me).

Categories
Connecticut Audio History

Bridgeport, CT Circa 1964

Today: From “Easy Guide To Stereo HiFi,” 1964, ed. Robert Mayfield: a short pictorial on the subject of ‘How a record is made.’  Nothing too exciting here; I am reproducing this primarily because the plant shown in the article is none other than the Bridgeport, CT Columbia Records plant.  As I’ve mentioned before, this building is still standing; it is now ‘loft condos.’  The BPT Columbia plant was, AFAIK, the first facility in the world to manufacture 33rpm LP records;  SCULLY, America’s top  manufacturer of LP cutting lathes, was located a dozen blocks away, along the same train tracks that today still serve  commuters, dotted with idled freight cars resting on derelict short-ends of tracks strewn throughout the East End.

Categories
Antique Hi-Fi Archive Publications

Hottt Pixxx (SFW)

 

Download the twelve-page ‘guide to STEREO’ from the July 1971 issue of the International Magazine For Men:

DOWNLOAD:Penthouse_Stereo_71

Items of apparent concern to readers of this publication (see image above): Nuclear power; package size; dangerous-computers; hegemonic reproduction via linguistic conventions; sports cars; converting to Quad.

In addition, the advertising content of the magazine seems to reveal other hot-button -issues of the day:

Broadly stated, these issues could be cataloged as: ‘Too Soon’; ‘Getting Everything That You Have Coming To You’;’Being Impressive’; waterbeds, wigs, and Satan (sexy version).

I bought a beautiful NAD 7020 receiver and Optonica tape deck the other day from a home that I am pretty sure once belonged to Ron Burgundy. The receiver and tape deck were part of a very nice system, one of the better circa 1980’s hifis I have come across lately.  The house was pretty much like a circa 1975 men’s magazine exploded inside a suburban raised ranch, spraying all the walls with sexy ‘art posters,’ mahogany paneling, and Rich Leather.  Behind the bar (full bar in the enormous den, natch) was this single, solitary issue of Bob Guccis famous mag.  You’ll have to take my word for this, but as my eyes fell upon this ‘book,’ the first thing that I thought was: I bet this is the ‘stereo issue.’  And guess what.

One final note: from the ‘credit-where-credit’s-due’ dep’t: as the cover promises, no less than Charles Berlitz presents a straightforward explanation of how linguistic systems and conventions at work throughout the world serve to reproduce and reinforce male hegemony.  The ideas in this two-page article are pretty much straight out of every semiotics, women’s studies, and queer studies class taught in the past 40 years and stand in complete opposition to the smug, complacent, and generally sexist discourse evident on the other 98 pages of this publication.  Proving nothing other than the fact the 1970s were a crazy fucking decade.

Categories
Antique Hi-Fi Archive

Pioneer: Complete 1977 Catalog

Pretty good one for y’all today.  Click below to download the complete 32-panel 1977 PIONEER STEREO COMPONENTS Catalog No. 13:

DOWNLOAD: Pioneer_1977_Catalog

Units covered, with specs and photographs, include: Pioneer SX-1250, SX-1050, SX-950, SX-850, SX-750, SX-650, SX-550, & SX-450 AM/FM Stereo Receivers; SPEC-1 and SPEC-2 preamp and power amp; Pioneer SA-9900, SA-9500II, SA-8500II, SA-7500II, SA-6500II, AND SA-5500II Stereo Integrated amps; Pioneer TX-9500II, TX-8500II, TX-6500II, AND TX-5500II AM/FM Stereo tuners; Pioneer SR-202W Reverberation Amp, SG-9500 graphic equalizer, RG-1 dynamic processor (expander), and SF-850 crossover; Pioneer PL-570, PL-560, PL-530, PL-510A, PL-117D, PL-115D, AND PL-112D Turntables; Pioneer QX-949-A Quad receiver and PC-Q1 quad phono cartridge; Pioneer CT-F9191, CT-F8282, CT-F7171, CT-F6262, CT-F2121, CT-5151, and CT-414A Cassette decks; Pioneer MA-62 Mixer and CM-1, CM-2S microphones; Pioneer RT-2022, RT-2044, RT-1050, RT-1020L, and RT-1011L reel-to-reel tape machines; Pioneer HPM-200, HPM-100, HPM-60, HPM-40, CS-63DX, CS-99A, CS-700G, CS-500G, CS-66G, PROJECT 100A, and Project 60A speaker systems; and finally Pioneer SE-700, SE-500, MONITOR-10, SE-4, SE-505, SE-405, SE-305, and SE-205 stereo headphones.

Nothing too exciting here, but if you have one of these units and you are curious about its specs and/or its position within the range, here’s yr chance to find out.  There is a ton of the lower end of this kit still out there; the catalog also offers many very high-end pieces that I’ve never come across.  Dig in…

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Uncategorized

The Guitar: 1964

Download a five-page scan from “A World Of Music,” Fall 1964: the subject is ‘the guitar,’ and we are treated to a visit to the Gibson guitar factory.

DOWNLOAD: A_World_Of_Music_Fall1964

AFAIK, this piece on the Gibson plant has not been reprinted anywhere… not sure if there are any actual insights here but what the hell.  Alright so…  haven’t been updating the site too often lately and it’s not for a lack of subject matter.  My lord do I ever have a big pile of new (old) stuff to upload. Just been short on time. Working hard tryin to make some dinero to pay for all the wonderful things in life…  like a new timing belt for my VW.  Love/hate cars.  OK NEways… Anyone out there playin an old Fender Jaguar?

Saw this ad in the aforementioned issue of ” A World of etc.”  I use a 1968 Jaguar (with flatwounds) pretty much everyday… it’s one of my regular electrics in my lil home writing studio.  It sounds great but my god does it ever play badly, even after two ‘PRO’ setups.  Anyone?

 

Categories
Technical

RCA BC-2B Recording Studio Console c. 1952

Reader T.F. sent me this scan from AUDIO ENGINEERING c. 1952: the introduction of the RCA BC-2B Console.

LEFT: The BC-2B incorporated the RCA MA-11241 dual mic pre-amp unit; a two-stage circuit, each channel used a single 12AY7 for, I would suppose, about 25 – 30 db of gain.  The schem for the 11241 is posted below here.  Notice that, similar to the earlier octal-pentode based RCA mic pres, the full B+ current flows through the output transformer; this severely limits your choice of output transformer: the only vintage full-fidelity units that I am aware of are the UTC A-25 and LS-27.  Lundahl makes a modern unit that satisfies this spec, as does Hashimoto (HL-20K-6); very expensive pieces tho!  Any of you fellas know of  other 15k:600 1/2 watt transformers that handle 8ma unbalanced DC and still pass 40 – 20K?

(image source)

Here’s a dude that’s cloning the BC2B preamp; price is $650 for the preamp plus another $450 for the power supply.  Assuming that the build-quality is good, $1100 is a pretty fair price for this thing; I know how much those Lundahls cost ( I use the same O/T in my BRDCSTR as well) plus phantom power is a pain in the ass to build in.

Categories
Uncategorized

Studio’d

Above: the Kawaii EP608 electric stringed-piano.  Anyone?

Been super-busy at the studio lately, leaving me very little time to attend to this ole’ country blog.  Got some really great stuff on the horizon once the mist clears, so stay tuned…

Here’s a little gift for y’all tho: I recently picked up a Casio 630 at an estate sale, and the sounds are actually pretty great in an aggressively-retro way.  Anyhow, I made a drum-hit sample set (a coupla loops are in there too); here it is, feel free to download and use it however you like.

DOWNLOAD: Casio CT630 samples