Audioless Winnipeg Group!

One of the more interesting preamplifiers I've had in my main system. I had it for years and kept it around, even hauling it to another province. I've only had a handful of active preamplifiers and I've always liked the Belles DMM that I had. I only stopped using it when in my current step up there was not enough steps in the volume potentiometer. It goes from soft to too loud in a single step. Had to use the "mute" function which was a 20dB attenuation to make it work. It was a nice basic preamplifier with all the basic features one needed. It has a phono input, tone controls, bypass switch, 2x tape input and 2x auxiliary input (thought one is "tuner"). It also came with a moving coil phono input in their DMC model. This one is unique because it is labeled as a DMC but, does not have the internal switch for a moving coil. It is a DMM that has a DMC faceplate. Why? Absolutely no idea. But, it was a very nice sounding unit. Class A, if that means somethin...

Ever since I've started into the audio hobby, I've always wanted a Technics SL-1600mkii. I've had two of them before and every single time I sell one, I always want to get another one. Why? They are such nice tables. I know there are better tables out there, such as those with electronic damping arms (JVC, Denon, Sony) or even pure manual transcription base tables (like the SP-10/15/20/25 and their lovely EPA-250 arms and such). But, I've always liked Technics as a brand. They've always made solid turntable, especially their direct drives.  The SL-1600mkii seems to be an amalgamation of different school of thought. While weighty at 10kgs, it employs a suspended platter and arm (albeit, unlike a Thorens), fully automatic with a well damped platter. There are other suspended direct drive turntables (Pioneer) but, the overall reliability of them isn't as high as the Technics.  Built quality is always good on them, though they have a weakness with the nylon-type gea...

If people have forgotten, Canadians make great speakers. Here are one of the original designs that came out during the early to mid 1970s that started to use the NRC anechoic chamber. PSB like many others Canadian brands (the most famous would be Energy with either Energy 22 line) had access to this wonderful camber to create/design their speakers. These PSB Avante speakers are one of the originals that came out of the NRC during that time. From what I've been told, there is actually a pair in the museum. There are quite a bit of information about the NRC and the man behind the scene DR. Floyd Toole who help many Canadian brands make their mark on the audio scene. Potentially, it is possible Paul himself may have help built these speakers as Paul's father was a cabinet maker, and these cabs are well made with nice bevel fronts and very nice real wood veneer (walnut?).  What makes these speakers unique are the black silicone blobs on the woofer. Why? I guess paper cones had diff...

 It's been a crazy year! Things have certainly changed over the past year. Sadly, I am no longer in Winnipeg as I had to move to British Columbia. Though, I am not overly active, I still hope I can write up on some gear that I hauled to BC with me or stuff I find. Though, my new living arrangements has shrunk since moving. Currently, I am in the process of refurbing a pair of original PSB Avante. These are the first generations that had silicone goop aka caulking as both an adhesive/gasket and to add mass to the woofers. They are also done up in wood veneer unlike the later generations. My refurb consist of new grill cloth, new poly cap in the crossover and new speaker binding post. I will also be refurbing a pair of another speakers after the PSB. Though, it will be a slow process as I have other things that I must do. 

From a vintage turntable point of view, I personally think Technics (primarily their direct drive models) are some of the best built vintage turntables available. They have excellent motors (even their slim line p-mount turntables are very good), well made, and extremely easy to service. For the most parts, they do not require much, some oil as per the service manual and simple cleaning and adjustments of the controls. Some negatives of these series of turntables are the hinges, well not really the hinges, they are robust. It is the plastic tabs on the dustcover that insert to the hinges. Those tend to break. There are remedies all over Audiokarma if you're looking for some. Another sore stop is the mat. The Technics mats are generally great mats but, for some off reason I've noticed they become hard (frisbee hard) and start to leech out oil which makes cleaning an awful mess. Thankfully, this Technics SL-D2 was in great condition. But, needed a few items. The mat had s...

One of the last series of speakers that were made by Mirage that were available in Canada (or at least in Winnipeg). I originally bought these for my parents however, they never used them and even left them here in Winnipeg when they moved out of province! I've only listened to these speakers maybe a handful of times and once at Visions Electronics. When they were being demonstrated for a sale I was very impressed on how beautiful they sounded. I was running them with a Crown D-75 power amplifier and Belles preamplifier. They were very immersive sounding, I guess the "omni" part were correct, while they were not as direct sounding or a sharp sounding as other speakers they were excellent for what they were designed for. This was one of the reason why I bought them in the first place, for my parents to use them in a home theater setup. Truth be told, I do have a soft spot for API speakers, even though this was made during the Gentec era. I love Canadian speakers, per...

Akai AP-D2 is a direct drive turntable of the very late 1970s and early 1980s, usually the straight tone arm is general sign to "age" a turntable. I've had many Akai before and definitely had my fair share of AP-D2s and they are solid tables. Easy to use and more importantly quite easy to service. It is a 2-speed direct drive turntable with automatic return with a "servo lock" which locks in the speed, therefore this guy does not have adjustable speeds pots. Overall, it is a solid direct drive turntable. This one was equipped with an Audio Technica AT-3400 (probably originally a rebadged version of the Audio Technica) and a new aftermarket Jico stylus was installed. Sounds great! This is really a no-frills direct drive turntable with basic features but, that's all you need to make music! This guy was in excellent condition. And, now found a new home!      

This turntable was made during the late 1970s and comes with all the basic features you would expect from a mid line Japanese belt drive turntable. It is semi-automatic, so it has an automatic return mechanism, reject, 2 speeds, antiskate and cue feature. Surprisingly, it does have some heft to it. It is well made for what it is. There are some information off vinylengine.com if you wish to see the brochure. It does have good specifications, unlike modern day entry level belt drive turntables. It does have some nice metal hinges that I tend to prefer of the plastic ones that break, so that is quite the bonus. This turntable has been gone through by us. It needed a bit of love but, it's running beautifully. It has a new belt and new RCA plugs. It comes with a rebranded Audio Technica AT-3711 cartridge (Akai PC-90), which is a conical but, sounds great. It's also in good shape. This would make a great entry level turntable for someone looking to get into vinyl.     ...

For those who are affected the Covid-19 virus our thoughts are with you through these difficult times. Stay safe, keep calm and keep washing your hands. On a lighter note, at least if we have to stay indoors we have our music!

I've owned Crown amplifiers and still own a D75 in my main setup. All I have to say is I love Crown amplifiers. I think they are some of the best hidden gems out there. Let's start with some basic specifications. You can easily find a more thorough list online. Crown D60 Specifications: Power output: 35 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo) Frequency response: 5Hz to 100kHz Total harmonic distortion: 0.05% Damping factor: 400 Gain: 26.3 dB Input sensitivity: 0.75V Crown D45 Specifications: Power output: 25 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo), 95W into 8Ω (mono) Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz Total harmonic distortion: 0.05% Damping factor: 400 Gain: 20.6 dB Input sensitivity: 0.8V IOC® (Input/Output Comparator) alerts of any distortion that exceeds 0.05% to provide proof of distortion-free performance. Signal presence indicators verify the presence of amplifier output. Finding information on the D60 is a bit hard as the unit is older but, for the most part ...