I thought everyone paid $ 12,000.00 for a CD player...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim" <jimw7ry@gmail.com>
To: <amps@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2022 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Amps] Western Electric
Well then you need one of these Paul! :)
91 E — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity
<https://www.westernelectric.com/91e>
Thanks, 73, Jim W7RY
On 3/23/2022 11:34 AM, Paul Christensen wrote:
I often see an inverse relationship between money spent on high-end
audio gear and one's technical knowledge concerning audio engineering
and acoustics.
It's amazing to see matched pairs of 5U4 rectifier tubes selling for
twice the price of an unmatched pair. Or, $1K+ AC line cords marketed
as a design derived from a DNA double-helix when home AC wiring between
the receptacle and service panel contains common Romex and builder-grade
receptacles, some of which are shared with other receptacles on a common
branch circuit. But somehow, none of that matters with the expensive
line cord.
I recently saw several beat-up Gates Sta-Level compressors sell in
excess of USD $3K each. If any of you spent time in broadcast
engineering, you know what these are. We junked them decades ago but
now they're the Holy Grail of audio compressors.
I pay no attention to the tube v. solid-state debates and how colorful
adjectives are used to describe an audio experience. If there's some
attribute that can’t be measured, I consider it non-existent and a
figment of one's imagination.
Of all the audio amp parameters I deem important, it's the damping
factor. Interestingly, few vacuum tube amps offer high damping factor
owing to the ESR of transformer secondaries. Many audio systems can be
substantially improved by choosing an amp with a high damping factor.
Combine it with big copper conductor size Romex for speaker cabling and
be done with it. We don’t need expensive deoxygenation nor
hyper-stranding to improve skin effect.
FWIW, my home amps are 1970s vintage Marantz. They offer good
performance, have a high damping factor, and are still easy to repair.
Paul, W9AC
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