Saul Marantz and The Roots of Great Design

14 years ago

A few years ago I bought a pile of old electronic parts from an anonymous junk dealer.  Random stuff- 5…

The Limits of Control

14 years ago

How much control over their audio do music-listeners want and need? At the very least, we can agree that they…

Mixtape: Fall 2010

14 years ago

I buy records.  I don’t seek out particular titles or pay more than a buck or two per LP; I…

The Incredible Past Lives of Our Favorite Tools

14 years ago

A client recently asked me to service an antique piece of audio equipment: an Altec 438A.   This device belongs to…

TECH: RCA BE-100

14 years ago

The BE-100 is a plug-in equalizer module that was made for use with the RCA BC-100 mixing console.  I have…

ICONS: rca and evaporating knowledge

14 years ago

The story of RCA is a great American industrial story.  From its origins in WW1 to decades to breakups and…

RECORDINGS: the appeal of demos

14 years ago

If you are a musician or serious rock music fan, you will know what the term ‘demo’ refers to in…

Recycled Champs

14 years ago

one of the most famous electric instrument amplifiers of all time is the tweed-covered Champ amplifier made by Fender in…

Issac Hayes Buys Some Used Components

14 years ago

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is The Rockford Files.  James Garner plays a laid-back ex-con private eye.  He's…

Hey it’s one of those old horn speakers

14 years ago

Along the lines of the ‘Carbon Mic’ (see earlier post) are these early horn speakers.   They are visual icons that…