[TenTec] WTB: Older Jupiter

[Bob McGraw - K4TAX]

The only thing that will sound exactly like a Drake 2-B is a Drake 2-B. 
Same for the Collins S Line but, is that before the audio stage has been 
modified or after the audio stage has been modified?  In other words, NOPE. 
I updated my 75S-3C receiver audio output stage per info from Rob Sherwood. 
That made a remarkable improvement in the audio quality.

Even in the recording studio, my former profession and using and $100K's of 
equipment, I can hear the difference between the best digital audio and the 
best analog audio signal.  We did simultaneous recordings using professional 
24 track digital machines and professional 24 track analog machines. 
Syncing those two machines together electronically we were able to 
effectively A/B the signals and hear the difference.   They sounded 
different.  Digital audio is just that........digital.  There have been vast 
improvements in digital audio processing technology today.  Yet I still 
encounter comments from my associates of the past studio era that 
acknowledge today how good analog recordings sound that were done in the 
70's and early 80's as compared to today's digital recordings.  Each method 
has their benefits and each method has their compromises.  Digital audio 
will never sound like analog audio.......get accustomed to it and accept it 
for what it is. Someone asked me recently about the difference.  I 
responded; "in the 70's and 80's we had talent, today we have technology".

Many ham receivers do not have good quality analog audio stages.  This is 
reflected largely in the specifications of the audio in terms of power 
output and distortion at a specific power output level and impedance.  Many 
current radios show specs with numbers of <10%THD+n while most if not all 
Tentec radios spec the rated output at <3%THD+n.  The difference is the 
higher one produces listening fatigue after several hours and the lower one 
does not.

One must remember that Tentec's founder was Al Kahn and by note is the 
founder of Electro-Voice, the company to which he incorporated in 1930.   Al 
also holds the original patent for noise canceling microphones.  Jack 
Burchfield joined E-V in 1958 and remains head of Tentec today.  The company 
has a long lineage of audio history.

Between the Omni VII, the Eagle and the Argonaut VI, all of which reside on 
my desk, I find that the Argonaut VI has the best quality receive audio 
using the internal speaker.  The Eagle has the best DSP BW system with the 
least digital artifacts and with the internal speaker sounds quite good. 
The Omni VII has the best overall sound, most comfortable and a bit warmer 
to my ears.  All of this leads me to conclude the fact, with the three 
radios, the oldest approaching 7 years, the newest radio being less than a 
year old, actually the newest has the best sounding audio.

73
Bob, K4TAX

P.S. - If you wish to read more I suggest you acquire the book; TEN-TEC The 
First 40 Years, 1968 - 2008




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cecil" <chacuff at cableone.net>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2013 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] WTB: Older Jupiter


>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jan 17, 2013, at 12:33 PM, Darrell Bellerive 
> <drbellerive.va7to at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> ..........cut...........
>>
>> Or perhaps quantum leaps backwards? Anyone find their Omni VII or Eagle 
>> to sound EXACTLY like a Drake 2-B, or Collins S-Line, or Ten-Tec Triton?
>>
>> 73, Darrell VA7TO
>>
>> .........cut............
>
> You will be hard pressed to pull that off with anybody's DSP rig.....just 
> as you won't find an MP3 player made that will sound like a direct to disk 
> vinyl recording on a nice direct drive turntable with a decent moving 
> magnet cartridge played through a restored tube amp.   That said neither 
> the Drake nor the S line will do well on today's bands during a contest or 
> in a huge split frequency DX pileup.
>
> Want top notch weak signal receivers with the DSP tools necessary to help 
> fight the tight bands with usable audio...pick up a rig with modern 32 bit 
> DSP technology and use it sparingly.  ( I think the Jupiters is 16 bit so 
> it will have limited dynamic range) Dialing in too much DSP processing 
> will result in the artifacts you mention on anybody's implementation.
>
> Cecil
> K5DL
>
>>>
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