[Amps] Western Electric

[dave at wv9e]

I thought everyone paid $ 12,000.00 for a CD player...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim" <jimw7ry at gmail.com>
To: <amps at 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
>>
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>> 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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