Music devices and time?

[Taboma]

I was born in 1956 so whatever was around then. My dad never had radios in his cars but listened to classical at home which I hated (still do for most but some is okay).

As a teenager I bought a portable stereo/tape deck which was a predecessor to the boom boxes. We had two AM stations that played top 40 but there was a college nearby that had a radio station on FM. I started listening to that and got exposed to a whole new world of music. Everything from Traffic to Zappa to ELP to John Prine to Live At Filmore East / Allman Brothers, etc.

I then started buying albums and would play them on my dad's stereo when he wasn't home (he hated rock and wouldn't have let me touch his stereo even if he did like it). Right before I went away to college I bought a Pioneer receiver, turntable and speakers. I don't remember wattage but it was probably about 20 per channel.

Later on when I was stationed in Germany I bought a Sansui 7070 and SP-X8000 speakers, Technics turntable and tape deck and some other stuff.

As far as car stereos, started out with "Crapco" (Kraco) units with Jensen 6x9's on the rear package shelf. Eventually went with a Pioneer SuperTuner.

This is what I have now. Marantz 2275 along with the Technics turntable and tape deck that I got back in the '70s. Kept all my vinyl too. I have a set of vintage Infinity speakers but am looking for set of SP-X8000's. I have a little Bluetooth device that allows me to connect my phone to the systems so I can play my Pandora.


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Did you make your German purchase at the Frankfurt Audio Club ?
I recall soldiers coming by train to Frankfurt from all over Germany. After saving their dollars, they'd come to make their whole system purchase in order to have it shipped home for free.

The volume of equipment and dollars that one store hauled in was staggering.

I was working there nights and weekends in late '72 - early '73 as a check out technician. We'd have to unbox and set up the each system component on the tech counter, including the turntable set to factory specs. Test, then re-box everything to prepare them for shipping to back to the states.
The amount of money saved on these systems was amazing, since it was all duty and tax free.
The factory reps threw big parties, all hoping to buy our recommendations.

 

[stephenkatsea]

8 tracks were a curse and a blessing. When we moved to Italy the bottom layer of 2 of our large steamer trunks were lined with 8 tracks. With my receiver/amp, a player and decent speakers we enjoyed them for 4 years. And 8 tracks were readily available in Europe. Although, abundant failed 8 track tape remnants were often visible along many roads.

 

[Dog]

I hope I have time some day to sit and read every comment on this post. I really enjoy what I have read. It looks like it has been better than doom and gloom and took some people to a better place.

 

[FreeBird236]

I was selling Hi-Fi from 73 to 89 and our owner brought a Sony CD player to our outlet that I was able to take home and show my friends. When the word got out, I had a half dozen people show up the see and hear it, only problem was the music wasn't any good, some obscure Japanese stuff. The thing was about 10" tall and weight about 25#'s. about 7-8 months later we got the Sony CDP 101 and the rest is history.

 

[rivermobster]

I remember one day going into some HIGH end store in Pasadena...

I was a kid. They knew the second I walked in, I wasn't going to be be buying anything, but the sales guy was nice enough to talk to me anyway.

As we were talking, it sounded like someone was in a room around the corner playing the violin. I was like, what's that??

We walked into a demo room where what sounded 100 percent live was playing through some speakers.

I knew right then I couldn't afford a single fucking thing in that store.



I think I ended up at Federated and bought some Onkio (sp?) stuff.

 

[Mike K]

Mine was an AM transistor radio that had “Airline” written on it. (Montgomery Wards)
I used to listen late at night to see how far away a station was that I could barely hear through the static.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Buddy of mine remodeled a pair of Altec Lansing - Voice of the Theater, A7 500's to home size. They were still fairly large. But Wow. What a sound.

 

[TPC]

How popular were 8 tracks? It was mostly before my time being born in 1976. Seemed to be installed in autos rather than pet of a home stereo.

It was for less driver distraction & especially ease of use. 4 tracks were first then GM started offering 8 track option to their car sound systems, then cassettes made the scene.

Radios and AC and car heaters were options back then. There were car record players as well, they never really caught on. Gimbal adjusted right they worked ok.
AM radio was scratchy full of static and fuzzy, low fidelity sounding so when the 4 and 8 tracks made the scene with their amazing sound before FM,, it was adopted fast.

Drive-in movies eventually went to you tune your car radio to a certain station to get the sound track. AM then AM/FM. That was colossal. Major rock bands like the Beatles and Who were releasing motion pictures so it all Jived at the right time.

Sister worked for Ampex so we got big discounts on their products. Ampex and Norelco the "rolling heads" shaver company both made at the time really good compact Pro TV cameras for television stations. Ampex developed VHS and Betamax systems but sold that out to Sony because Ampex saw no future in home recording.

Brilliant move. Sony then licensed the VHS format to Panasonic's parent company. Then Sony took over the TV station camera and equipment biz as well.

 

[TPC]

I was selling Hi-Fi from 73 to 89 and our owner brought a Sony CD player to our outlet that I was able to take home and show my friends. When the word got out, I had a half dozen people show up the see and hear it, only problem was the music wasn't any good, some obscure Japanese stuff. The thing was about 10" tall and weight about 25#'s. about 7-8 months later we got the Sony CDP 101 and the rest is history.

I walked into Bel Air Camera and Hi Fi asking if they had the VHS or Betamax home recording systems in stock yet.
They told me: "You'll go to Jail for recording TV stations off the air." The Kodak Super 8 film with Sound was NOW the way to go went their tale

The Kodak and a similar system by Technicolor film, not video tape systems were barely on the market for about 6 months then died a painful death.
Broadway Dept stores were the first to offer Sony Betamax and VHS systems in the electronics depts. Sears followed about a year later.

Henry's Camera and Hi Fi and Bel Air Camera and Hi Fi were the high end stores in Los Angeles at the time. They sponsored early FM radio stations.
Wallach's Music City and the House of Sight and Sound were the mid-range price TV and radio stores. Wallach's also sold records and eventually became Tower Records.

 

[FreeBird236]

I walked into Bel Air Camera and Hi Fi asking if they had the VHS or Betamax home recording systems in stock yet.
They told me: "You'll go to Jail for recording TV stations off the air." The Kodak Super 8 film with Sound was NOW the way to go went their tale

The Kodak and a similar system by Technicolor film, not video tape systems were barely on the market for about 6 months then died a painful death.
Broadway Dept stores were the first to offer Sony Betamax and VHS systems in the electronics depts. Sears followed about a year later.

Henry's Camera and Hi Fi and Bel Air Camera and Hi Fi were the high end stores in Los Angeles at the time. They sponsored early FM radio stations.
Wallach's Music City and the House of Sight and Sound were the mid-range price TV and radio stores. Wallach's also sold records and eventually became Tower Records.

I pretty much remember all those names. I was working for a company named Coastron who had all the stereo concessions in Fedco and also owned Atlantic Music in Costa Mesa. Also a part of Martron who manufactured SoundCraftmen Equalizers.

 

[TPC]

My wife is a lot younger than me. She loves music and is an amazing musician herself.
I sometimes play music from my era, that is before she was born and has never heard and she usually likes it a lot. Usually.

Love Da Capo the entire album, wife can play the guitar like Brian McClean, Searchers hits, never Elvis because she was once married to a 5th, no he was 10th rate Elvis impersonator, Country tunes like "Feed Jake", Patsy Cline, Sinatra,,, lots and lots of old tunes.

I played some Peggy Lee Hits and 7 year old Maynard came bursting out of his bedroom "Make it stop, ahhhhh get rid of it, Make it stop!"

 

[C-2]

Streaming has come along ways in the past few years and I see there's quite a few of us who stream, so I thought I would share some info. Streaming music is just too good to pass on!

When you stream (which is a fancy word for "listening to music") from your phone or the Internet, the music is converted ("decoded") from digital signals to analog signals using a chip called a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter). DAC chips installed on phones and computers are not a priority item. They're just kinda there to serve the minimal function of letting you listen to music.

Upgrading to an external, higher quality DAC significantly increases the listening quality of the music you hear.

Most "streamed" music is streamed in MP3 format. In the early Internet days, compressing music files (songs) due to their large size was a necessity. MP3 was the answer because the file sizes are much smaller. But computer memory/storage and Internet speeds have significantly increased and compressed MP3's may no longer be required.

Thus, enter the world of "lossless" music files. They are called "lossless" because what you hear is CD quality sound, or in some instances, an even higher quality of sound via "HiRes" or even "Master Quality Authenticated" (MQA), which is arguably the equivalent of the actual master recording studio tapes used to press vinyl, or CD's.

Spotify streams in MP3 format, but Tidal, Qoboz, Apple Music, and Amazon stream in CD quality/lossless format. Spotify has not yet released a higher quality streaming service.

If you have a good listening ear, you can definitely hear the difference between an MP3 song and a CD quality song. I can hear the difference despite my ever-ringing tinnitus old man ears.

As I said earlier, ANY DAC will make the music you hear sound better, whether that's listening from your phone, YouTube, or Spotify. It's really no different than having a stock car stereo system vs. a decently built custom stereo, but the cost to enjoy such an upgrade is much more feasible.

If you want to stream in CD Quality/lossless format, you need to a) make sure the service you have offers it, b) have a DAC that supports CD quality decoding.

And yes, vinyl sounds better - but not always! There's plenty of music I listen to where it sounds better on Tidal using ANY of the DAC's I've posted.

Enjoy!

--

A great little DAC is the iFi Zen DAC, which sells for about $200. It works with YouTube, Spotify, Qobuz, iTunes, Amazon, Tidal etc) It performs the coveted fold/unfold on MQA files on Tidal. Plug and play from your computer or laptop to your headphones, or home stereo. This is a desktop device and is not portable.

ZEN DAC by iFi audio - Super-affordable DAC/amp from iFi audio

DAC to the future. A gorgeous DAC/headphone amplifier to chill out to. At home or in the office. Simply connect via USB to your Mac or PC and enjoy the superior sound.

ifi-audio.com

Another great DAC that is portable is the HELM Bolt. This unit rocks and lets you stream in MP3, or HiResolution, CD quality sound. I love this piece but it does not perform the second "unfold" for true MQA decoding. thus the reason I upgraded to the iFi Zen unit, which offers true MQA.

Even a $25 SoundBlaster Play! 3 or Play!4 will significantly improve the quality of streamed music - and they are portable for any device. Quality ranges from MP3 to HiRes lossless (at the lower end I believe).

 

[C-2]

I had to edit my post, I’m a buyer at $20-ish
Not finding too much in the $2 range LOL

Lol, I still enjoy being a cheap ass. Rock and related genre's are more expensive.

If I see a record on Discogs in the $20 range, I look for a new re-press or re-issue, preferably in the heavier 180 gram vinyl.

The 12" singles I shop for are pretty cheap (last weeks order:

The rock records are more (todays order):

 

[pronstar]

Streaming has come along ways in the past few years and I see there's quite a few of us who stream, so I thought I would share some info. Streaming music is just too good to pass on!

When you stream (which is a fancy word for "listening to music") from your phone or the Internet, the music is converted ("decoded") from digital signals to analog signals using a chip called a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter). DAC chips installed on phones and computers are not a priority item. They're just kinda there to serve the minimal function of letting you listen to music.

Upgrading to an external, higher quality DAC significantly increases the listening quality of the music you hear.

Most "streamed" music is streamed in MP3 format. In the early Internet days, compressing music files (songs) due to their large size was a necessity. MP3 was the answer because the file sizes are much smaller. But computer memory/storage and Internet speeds have significantly increased and compressed MP3's may no longer be required.

Thus, enter the world of "lossless" music files. They are called "lossless" because what you hear is CD quality sound, or in some instances, an even higher quality of sound via "HiRes" or even "Master Quality Authenticated" (MQA), which is arguably the equivalent of the actual master recording studio tapes used to press vinyl, or CD's.

Spotify streams in MP3 format, but Tidal, Qoboz, Apple Music, and Amazon stream in CD quality/lossless format. Spotify has not yet released a higher quality streaming service.

If you have a good listening ear, you can definitely hear the difference between an MP3 song and a CD quality song. I can hear the difference despite my ever-ringing tinnitus old man ears.

As I said earlier, ANY DAC will make the music you hear sound better, whether that's listening from your phone, YouTube, or Spotify. It's really no different than having a stock car stereo system vs. a decently built custom stereo, but the cost to enjoy such an upgrade is much more feasible.

If you want to stream in CD Quality/lossless format, you need to a) make sure the service you have offers it, b) have a DAC that supports CD quality decoding.

And yes, vinyl sounds better - but not always! There's plenty of music I listen to where it sounds better on Tidal using ANY of the DAC's I've posted.

Enjoy!

--

A great little DAC is the iFi Zen DAC, which sells for about $200. It works with YouTube, Spotify, Qobuz, iTunes, Amazon, Tidal etc) It performs the coveted fold/unfold on MQA files on Tidal. Plug and play from your computer or laptop to your headphones, or home stereo. This is a desktop device and is not portable.

ZEN DAC by iFi audio - Super-affordable DAC/amp from iFi audio

DAC to the future. A gorgeous DAC/headphone amplifier to chill out to. At home or in the office. Simply connect via USB to your Mac or PC and enjoy the superior sound.

ifi-audio.com

View attachment 1194955


Another great DAC that is portable is the HELM Bolt. This unit rocks and lets you stream in MP3, or HiResolution, CD quality sound. I love this piece but it does not perform the second "unfold" for true MQA decoding. thus the reason I upgraded to the iFi Zen unit, which offers true MQA.

View attachment 1194976


Even a $25 SoundBlaster Play! 3 or Play!4 will significantly improve the quality of streamed music - and they are portable for any device. Quality ranges from MP3 to HiRes lossless (at the lower end I believe).

View attachment 1194970

Great post

One thing folks should also be aware of:
The highest-quality / lossless streams aren’t typically selected by default.
You’ll typically have to go into the settings to ensure you’re getting the highest quality stream

 

[rivermobster]

I walked into Bel Air Camera and Hi Fi asking if they had the VHS or Betamax home recording systems in stock yet.
They told me: "You'll go to Jail for recording TV stations off the air." The Kodak Super 8 film with Sound was NOW the way to go went their tale

The Kodak and a similar system by Technicolor film, not video tape systems were barely on the market for about 6 months then died a painful death.
Broadway Dept stores were the first to offer Sony Betamax and VHS systems in the electronics depts. Sears followed about a year later.

Henry's Camera and Hi Fi and Bel Air Camera and Hi Fi were the high end stores in Los Angeles at the time. They sponsored early FM radio stations.
Wallach's Music City and the House of Sight and Sound were the mid-range price TV and radio stores. Wallach's also sold records and eventually became Tower Records.

Ha!

Tower Records was the first place I would head to when I got paid on Fridays...

That place made some Serious money on my dumb azz.

 

[coolchange]

I remember one day going into some HIGH end store in Pasadena...

I was a kid. They knew the second I walked in, I wasn't going to be be buying anything, but the sales guy was nice enough to talk to me anyway.

As we were talking, it sounded like someone was in a room around the corner playing the violin. I was like, what's that??

We walked into a demo room where what sounded 100 percent live was playing through some speakers.

I knew right then I couldn't afford a single fucking thing in that store.



I think I ended up at Federated and bought some Onkio (sp?) stuff.

I still have my ONKYO stuff. It was and still is good equipment.
I bought it a one of those tent sales. I remember walking in, as a grungy looking long hair in cut offs. The line up of sales predators didn’t want to make a move on me but man they were eyefucking my chic.
Finally a dude stepped up to help.
We discussed rise time and distortion etc and I walked out about $1300 lighter for a receiver and turntable. Already had the Cerein Vega monitors modified with 15t tweeters and crossover. Man that system rocked.
First real luxury item I ever purchased.

 

[rivermobster]

I'm just gonna leave this here...

 

[Mike K]

Buddy of mine remodeled a pair of Altec Lansing - Voice of the Theater, A7 500's to home size. They were still fairly large. But Wow. What a sound.

I remember the Voice of the Theater … ha ! Played in bands back then … with Leslie speakers !

 

[C-2]

Great post

One thing folks should also be aware of:
The highest-quality / lossless streams aren’t typically selected by default.
You’ll typically have to go into the settings to ensure you’re getting the highest quality stream

Good point, thanks.

Another thing I thought I should add - a DAC will make any music you listen to sound better, and that includes a computer and YouTube or Spotify.

The CD quality is just another option, but you don't need it to take advantage of a DAC.

 

[C-2]

Ha!

Tower Records was the first place I would head to when I got paid on Fridays...

That place made some Serious money on my dumb azz.

There's a great rockumentary on Netflix or Amazon about Tower Records. Elton John was a fanatical vinyl collector and they would open an hour early so he could shop there undisturbed.

 

[C-2]

I still have my ONKYO stuff. It was and still is good equipment.
I bought it a one of those tent sales. I remember walking in, as a grungy looking long hair in cut offs. The line up of sales predators didn’t want to make a move on me but man they were eyefucking my chic.
Finally a dude stepped up to help.
We discussed rise time and distortion etc and I walked out about $1300 lighter for a receiver and turntable. Already had the Cerein Vega monitors modified with 15t tweeters and crossover. Man that system rocked.
First real luxury item I ever purchased.

Fire it up! The Onkyo equipment I posted is 35-years old. Except for the Onkyo Super-Audio CD player, which is a newer unit, 2009 lol. The Numark EQ is +-40-years old.

 

[stephenkatsea]

I remember the Voice of the Theater … ha ! Played in bands back then … with Leslie speakers !

Same for me. Our keyboard player had a Hammond B3 with Leslie speakers. I was surprised to learn Hammond B3s are now made by Suzuki. Who knew?

 

[pronstar]

Fire it up! The Onkyo equipment I posted is 35-years old. Except for the Onkyo Super-Audio CD player, which is a newer unit, 2009 lol. The Numark EQ is +-40-years old.

Oh man, the “better than cd” rabbit hole of SACD and DVD-A runs deep.

Both offered superior audio formats that just never took off.

Something most folks don’t realize from a bygone era - the VHS HI-Fi standard was extremely close to CD quality for 2-channel audio

 

[C-2]

Oh man, the “better than cd” rabbit hole of SACD and DVD-A runs deep.

Both offered superior audio formats that just never took off.

Something most folks don’t realize from a bygone era - the VHS HI-Fi standard was extremely close to CD quality for 2-channel audio

I don't own a single Super-Audio CD lol.

The player (CS5VL) is the closest thing I have to "audiophile" level. I picked it up for $129, so I shelved my DX-1400, which cost me $18. I threw out the original CD player that came with the Onkyo system - it was a low end, first gen model and I couldn't keep the tray from breaking.

Thanks for the info on the VHS HiFi nugget.

Any luck on that tonearm or FUBAR? I'm sure you know this, but you could always try to shim out/set a cartridge by ear/sound.

 

[pronstar]

Going back to vintage…Class A (vacuum tube amps are Class A) power is usually considered the holy grail for musicality. But it’s massively inefficient, so its limited to low power outputs.

We developed Class G that uses Class A when power demands are low.
When demand exceeds the Class A output stage, we have a separate Class AB power supply that kicks-in.

My current amp is Class A for the first 50 watts before it brings the secondary power supply…I gotta say, it sounds unreal, especially when paired with vinyl.

Any luck on that tonearm or FUBAR? I'm sure you know this, but you could always try to shim out/set a cartridge by ear/sound.

Yeah I had it repaired by someone who was proficient in both audio repair, and carbon fiber. But the phono cart then decided to take a dump. I currently can’t justify spending huge money on a cart that’s on the same level as the turntable.

After doing a bunch of research on stodgy audiophile/vinyl forums, I found a boutique that specializes in phono carts. One of their top recos is a Denon 103 MC cart that they work their magic on,I’m waiting for it to get built.

VAS Shenmu 103 | VAS Audio

The VAS Shenmu 103 uses one of the most elegant and musical woods. Combined with a short ruby cantilever and hyperelliptical stylus, this cartridge music to another level.

vasnyinc.com

 

[hman442]

This was my experience with 8 Tracks. My neighborhood friend had this player and The Eagles 8-track tape, and no other tapes LOL

View attachment 1194657

We got my buddy one of those exact players for his birthday. It was called a Dynamite. His was yellow, and we actually did lose it in an genuine boating accident!