Because Dave is too humble...

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to even tell me this review is out there!!

it just landed in my inbox... Enjoy the Music... a glowing review of his autoformer volume controls...


Olsher's quote:
"The sonic benefits of the Slagle AVC accrue from the elimination of an unnecessary electronic gain stage and replacement of resistive attenuation from the signal path. Bottom line: a superb volume control and the best $350 investment in audio! "

yeah... that is how I feel about them....

Me

Those Dutch Kids, Again.....

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WOW... yeah... I said it.. wow... Joe and I knew when we met Caspar, Remko, and Wilco at CES that they had the passion... so when they invited us up and said they would have a party, we had to make that happen... fly into Schipol... train to Utrecht and then Geldermalsen... and only an hour from Schipol is Audio-Life... and their shop is wonderful! ... I just found this six moons road tour page...



it is in an old factory... five stories... there is some retail being done, but it is always in the background... just hanging out listening to music is in the foreground.. the rooms are chill... the lighting is just right... and for the party, well, it was phenomenal... family style barbecue... a pretty out there jazz band... and DJ'ing from an Ongaku and a laptop...


it appears that someone has covered the audiophile portion of the party... so click HERE if you want the youtube party video from a local rag... when we landed they were doing the serious audiophile thing with Musical Affairs and PEL... you can see from the video... that stuff is pretty good for cello and low volume vocals... nice and rich... clearly constructed by people who care.. better than nearly everything at Munich High End... but it just cannot handle complex... so, for the office, perhaps perfect... it just cannot be your only system... Bruckner eats it for breakfast...


but what that perspective misses is all of the kids underfoot.. they know all the best hiding spots... they showed me the super loft... oh, and there was Bob Marley on the projector.. and lots of friends until the first rays of the sun... super, duper thanks, guys... you will see and hear more about them over the years... we just hooked them up with Suzuki, so now they are a destination... if you want to hear GIP outside Japan, you need to go to the Netherlands.. trust me, you will have fun...







random video of barbecue:






random video of sneaky kids:






more travels tomorrow!

Me

Back from Munich...

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and I will try to get a post up each day... so much stuff... so many cool people....


total props go to Silbatone for not trying to sell anything... just trying to share their knowledge and collection... strings and piano were like staring at works by the Dutch masters.... emotionally overwhelming... sincere thanks...

Me

Another Giveaway.... 2 UTC ouncers for free.

Put your name in the comment field to enter.  Read below for the story and specs.

I was down in DC a few weeks back for a family celebration and I was able to sneak in some time with my audio family.  I saw Barry on the way down and then had a great time with family at my nieces graduation.  When the festivities ended about midnight I rang Ijaz and as usual he was ready for the third shift.  Mike was interested in coming by to chat about crazy ideas and when he showed up he came with booty in hand that he had pulled from equipment over the years.

It was an assortment of UTC "ouncers" he wanted to see put into use and I felt obligated to accept them.  In the lot there were 4 of them marked 25A27 and my internet searches didn't turn up anything so to the bench I went.

I suspected they were lineout transformers but the interesting thing is when put in reverse they seem to function comparably to the mic inputs as SUT's.  The nice thing about them is the step up ratio is much lower than the traditional "vintage" mic input units re-purposed for SUT usage which means you do not automatically load your cartridge down.  They appear to be 1:9 devices with a CT that will allow for a 1:18 ratio.

 The above measurements are using a 15 and 40 ohm source impedance (denon 103 and 103R) and the termination is 47K.  Ratios are roughly 1:10 and 1:20 with some losses and the 20Khz top end is met.  On the low end bandwidth will be low enough to pass the footsteps of your neighbors.

For comparison, I'll offer up some earlier plots from some peerless 4722's and 4665's.  Of course these are not apples to apples comparisons but if you can deduce that this particular apple is your flavor....

Put your name below and claim them.

They may be brilliant, they may be a headache, they may even hum yet the rule remains the same.  If you win it, you need to try them and report back.

Addendum...  As with all of the giveaways here, things are random and you need to enter your name.  We don't do first come first served and let lady luck determine who gets them.   They came to me for free and they will all go out to people for free.  I just need to measure and document them so it may take some time.

Precious Metals

 

My newest investment strategy is moving away form cash under my mattress to silver on my shelf.  Given the worth of the US dollar, I hope it is the correct move.  Pictured above is about 8 pounds of high purity silver magnet wire in assorted sizes.  These sizes will allow me to do a small number of autoformers and some nice low ratio SUT's for a handful of customers that have been pestering me for years for silver.

 First up are 6 pair of the chapman/bent modules to go to Korea with some Step-Ups to follow.  Next a few samples go out to some OEM's and family members to try.  If all goes well I may try to do what the Hunt bros. couldn't accomplish in the 80's.

As a final note,  in the next day or so we should crack the 100,000 pageview threshold and JJ and I want to thank you all for putting up with out antics and coming back for more!  I'm sure the content is about to increase a bit in the next weeks with Munich on the horizon.

so let me hear about your DHT headphone amp!

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I love this blog and was flattered Jeffrey asked me to write something. Few days ago I finished this 56 dc 171a headphone amp (more than 50% dht – 80 rectifier) – nothing fancy, scrap chassis, low cost.


Both my son and I thought it was OK at first - a bit flat. Today Jeffrey suggested to remove the 9ohm load resistors I had on the 5K:8 OPT's for the 32ohm headphones. I let my son have the first listen and in two notes he pronounces "It's Better!". It really came alive – open and fluid. Ten minutes later, thinking of Jeffrey, I treated my son to his first experience with Jimi...



- Joe

I am working on my Juju..

I am working on my Juju.... or perhaps more properly titled "Robert Johnson's Deal with the Devil"...

It all started innocently enough.. a simple link to this new set


but it began to come on like the locusts... twenty emails in three days... all about Robert Johnson... maybe I should say it came on like the floods... yep... definitely.. it came on like the floods...


Everything in this picture from the first row of trees up should be land. Seriously. We drove the bridge today. The water goes for miles and miles and miles into Arkansas.

I *know* why. I am not sure anyone else has noticed this, but this is clearly a direct result of Robert Johnson and his deal with the devil. Do not accuse me of being gullible. I know what I am talking about. I used to ride my bicycle up and down Highway 61 on a daily basis.. and not just anywhere... right smack dab in between the two intersections that are believed to be the crossroads where the man sold his soul to the devil. Do you know what year the Mississippi River set the record? 1937. Do you know what year Robert Johnson recorded the vast majority of his records? yep. 1937. He only recorded for less than a year - he was dead by summer '38. Do you think it is a coincidence that we are going to inch right up to that record, maybe breaking it, maybe not, in the very week of his 100th birthday? Not me... that is the devil at work... the ongoing deal of his pact...



Today is the 100th birthday of Robert Johnson.. I am scared... ... you know I am working on my Juju... and my Juju comes tonight... Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at the Hi Tone... if that ain't Juju, nothing is... I will be with the devil and I will be spared...

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at YouTube

and another thing... I will not be around in May of 2037!

Peace,
Me







p.s.... a few more pictures and thoughts... we were extremely lucky... we live in the 100 year flood plain... after the storms last weekend, my shop flooded.. just an inch or two... and my yard was saturated and had that same inch or two... but the house was spared.. it was flash flooding.. however, had it been only a few days later it would have coincided with the Mississippi peaking and it would have certainly been a foot or two into my house and many, many, many more homes... my house is just out of view of this shot to the top right... there should be NO water in this picture.. this is a high school and a hospital complex...


to give you an idea of high high it was locally, this is JP on a bridge in the neighborhood park.. yes, bridge.. so the water was supposed to be below this... clearly it was not...


and lastly.. this shot taken yesterday... God's apology for passing on Robert Johnson's record deal...

Offshore scams or mistaken email??

This showed up in my inbox today and I thought it funny that the scammers had Simpson humor.

WooHoo... a full sawbuck!  How can I collect?


Funny thing is, I suspect the above $20 deposit is legit and some other Dave Slagle in St. Augustine FL has far better friends at the bank than I do.

I just wish his Honda Dealer would stop sending me notices that it is time for service on his accord.