Archive for the ‘Vintage Audio’ Category
If you have been known to be giddy or drool around Hi-Fi stereo equipment then you have probably heard the name Philip R. Clements. You may have heard of Phil because of Clements Loudspeakers but those of us that go back before 1984 can tell you about a lesser known company, Phase Research Corporation.
Phase research only produced 2 models of speakers that I know of before the business burned down, literally. If you ever had the opportunity to listen to the Model R or the big brother Model RT then you experienced a changing of the guard. We no longer needed the 12″ bass driver for thunderous sound.
The Phase Research speakers were a transmission line design that used a custom 8 inch driver with an oversize magnet. They featured a design that had high free-air resonances and extended travel that turned the entire cabinet into a virtual 24″ bass driver.
Critics and audio salesmen were putting these speakers up against well known brands and models priced twice as much. The best I can remember in 1980 was $600 for a pair off model R speakers. As a teenager without a job in 1980 I could only dream…
Since I couldn’t afford the Phase Research speakers i used the spec sheet to build my own cabinets and crossover. Luckily the marketers for Phase Research Corporation were so excited about the design that they detailed it in the brochure and included a cutaway photo of the inner workings and cabinet design. Although I didn’t have anything comparable to the 8″ driver in the PR speakers I still ended up with speakers that wowed my friends and family.
For 15 years now I have been in search of a pair of my very own vintage Phase Research speakers but they are far and few between. Recently I found the larger model RT speakers for sale on eBay so I clicked buy now and exchanged my hard earned money for a pair. Sight unseen. For a day I was walking on air. I had to travel 4 hours to pick up the speakers and sadly the seller had hidden the fact that he did not have the original 8″ drivers. I was left with an empty wallet and empty transmission line cabinets.
I am still on my quest to find some Phase Research Model R or RT speakers, with the original drivers but until then I will just have to live with the memory of what was almost a dream come true.
If you are interested in the latest developments with Phil Clements you can keep up with his H-PAS speaker technology at Solus Audio and Atlantic Technology.
How sweet it is, vinyl is making a comeback. It’s music to my ears, literally. I just bought Will Hoge’s latest album “The Wreckage” on vinyl and it included a free MP3 download of the entire album. The best part is that it’s available a month before the CD. I can start building my vinyl collection again and get the digital album. Best of both worlds, with the free download I don’t need to “rip” vinyl which takes too long compared to ripping a CD. Good times, I guess I need to find a new stylus for my Beogram turntable.
Bang and Olufsen Beogram 1602 (Denmark)This is a great turntable for those that want good vibration damping without custom work.
Everything about this turntable works; it’s simplicity at its finest. The single, multi feature button takes some getting used to but in the end it’s simple too. If your budget won’t afford you that Thorens you always wanted then be sure to look at Bang and Olufsen Beogram turntables. EBay usually has a few auctions going. Try to get one with a good cartridge and needle or you may push yourself out of the price range you were looking for.
DBX 119
This is an awesome device. I used this as a compressor and expander back in my metal tape days. It got the most use extending the range on my vinyl LPs though. I’m still in the market to replace the one I sold in the 80s.
DBX II Model 128 Dynamic Range Enhancer and Noise Reduction System
I like this device but it has more features than I need. I prefer the simplicity of the 117, 118, and 119 models. The added buttons and noise reduction don’t really do anything for me. Like the other models I referenced the 128 can do the same expansion I like on my vinyl records as well as the compression to tape and then expansion from tape. You big tape heads might prefer the extras on the 128 but I like the small boxes. The best news is, you can usually pick up a model 128 for less than a DBX 119.
Pioneer SX-780 Stereo Review
A great stereo receiver that never gets old. What a workhorse. When I was a teenager I sold an old 1969 Grand Prix to the junkyard just to get up the cash to buy this stereo. I wasn’t sorry. It was underrated for power at only 45 watts per channel. I used it to drive some big 15 inch AAL (American Acoustic Labs) speakers that were soon replaced by Infinity RSA speakers and eventually some Infinity RSB stereo speakers.
After about 5 years of use I was able to replace the old Pioneer with some sweet Phase Linear Series II stereo equipment. 25 years after I first owned the Pioneer SX-780 I purchased one on eBay. I now use it as my home-office stereo along with a pair of Infinity RSA speakers I also picked up on eBay. You just can’t beat the sound per dollar of the vintage Pioneer SX-780 stereo reciever (intentionally spelled wrong so we don’t discriminate).
