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Is the Romance of High Fidelity Audio Today Dead?
- Thread starter watchnerd
- Start date
mhardy6647
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But, but, but -- I think (?!?) they still make radios. Real radios...
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/
not that hifi cr@p!
OP
watchnerd
Grand Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #63
But, but, but -- I think (?!?) they still make radios. Real radios...
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/
not that hifi cr@p!
View attachment 106995
Prefect for the sister site Ham Radio Science Review.
That might be even more nerdy than this place.
mhardy6647
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Never much of a Kenwood fan, truth be told.
Stuff was fine - and some of their statement pieces were pretty serious, but other than the aforementioned KT-9900, the Kenwood hardware that drifted through here was pretty second-rate.
DSC_1660 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
(I did source a replacement for that missing knob before I gave this one away)
KA7100frontal by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
P1000515 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
Stuff was fine - and some of their statement pieces were pretty serious, but other than the aforementioned KT-9900, the Kenwood hardware that drifted through here was pretty second-rate.
DSC_1660 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr(I did source a replacement for that missing knob before I gave this one away)
KA7100frontal by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
P1000515 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
- Joined
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Some have mentioned the tactile nature of old school equipment, e.g. volume knobs etc.
This has me thinking of how our newer Honda Civic drives me crazy sometimes with it's more "modern" design, many more fuctions integrated in to the touchscreen - including volume control for the radio (touchscreen slider), climate control fan level (have to go through menu to get to it). Just the teeniest bit of "friction" to getting what you need quickly can be so aggravating on a daily basis. The number of times I reach out to grab a volume knob or fan level knob and it's the wrong one or not there! So much easier and practical on our older cars. Sometimes tactile controls ARE the better, more efficient controls.
Reminds me of reading book technologies. There are ways in which an ipad or kindle are the better, more practical technology for reading a book, but also definitely ways in which the good old standard book form has advantages over the electronic version.
This has me thinking of how our newer Honda Civic drives me crazy sometimes with it's more "modern" design, many more fuctions integrated in to the touchscreen - including volume control for the radio (touchscreen slider), climate control fan level (have to go through menu to get to it). Just the teeniest bit of "friction" to getting what you need quickly can be so aggravating on a daily basis. The number of times I reach out to grab a volume knob or fan level knob and it's the wrong one or not there! So much easier and practical on our older cars. Sometimes tactile controls ARE the better, more efficient controls.
Reminds me of reading book technologies. There are ways in which an ipad or kindle are the better, more practical technology for reading a book, but also definitely ways in which the good old standard book form has advantages over the electronic version.
Katji
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Romance is probably a mental concoction, probably subjective.
Engineering and craftsmanship, though...
[Seen today.]
"TECHNICAL REPORTS
Connoisseur Craftsman Variable 3-speed Transcription Turntable.
Price: ,421 15s. 11d.
A. R. Sugden and Co. (Engineers) Ltd., Market Street, Brighouse, Yorks.
Makers' Specification:
Speeds: 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm with fine adjustment.
Rumble: —50 dB measured at RIAA characteristic when referred to 7 cm/sec at 1,000 c/s. Hum level: less than 80 dB. Wow: 0.15 %. Flutter: 0.1 %.
Standard input voltage: 210/250 volts AC 50 c/s, or as specified to order for 210/250 volts AC 60 c/s, or 110 volts AC 50 or 60 c/s. Power Consumption: 10 watts max.
Weight: 121 lbs. Finish: styled in matt black with satin silver trim. Turned aluminium knobs. Motor Board (minimum size): 13+ in. x 13+ in. with 3* in. clearance below.
To anyone who possesses a transcription motor made by A. R. Sugden and Co., the word "engineers" in brackets after the makers' name must appear superfluous. A few days ago came across a Connoisseur motor that must have been well over ten years old for it had only 78 and 331 rpm speeds and as the Craftsman III had just been submitted for review it was interesting to make a comparison. No one doubts that engineering skill which went into the early Sugden motors, for time has proved that. After testing this new motor I know that the passing of a decade, although necessarily changing detail, has not altered the quality of workmanship one bit. This engineering skill is rarely to be found in mass production' and Arnold Sugden has never succumbed to this. The temptation must, however, have been great at times, for although there is a wide choice of amplifiers and loudspeakers, good makes of transcription motors can still be counted on the fingers of one hand.
The Craftsman III employs a synchronous hysteresis motor of generous dimensions and using high-grade laminations. An adjustable top bearing and a pin-point self-adjusting lower bearing support the rotor, and the spindle continues upwards to provide drive to the idler wheel. This spindle is tapered and speed control is obtained by arranging that the whole motor moves up and down, either to three set positions by operation of the speed-change lever, or by means of the Vernier speed control. So far as I know, this is quite an original approach to the problem of providing a fine speed adjustment. The principle of the tapered spindle is the same as that used on the Goldring-Lenco motors, but in those the idler wheel is vertical and moves along the driving cone and underside of the turntable. When the idler wheel is horizontal, then an entirely different technique is called for and Mr. Sugden has shown very ably that this can be achieved with great precision. The motor itself, on its movable platform, is hung on three resilient supports to prevent vibration reaching the baseplate. This baseplate is diecast from heavy zinc alloy and ribbed to provide additional strength. The turntable is lathe turned from non-ferrous metal so that no interaction can take place when using a magnetic pickup. Both bearings for the turntable spindle are made from nylon the top one being adjustable to allow for long-term wear, and the bottom another pin-point self-locating type. Two very flexible rubber mounts support the idler wheel which drives not on the outer rim of the turntable but on a separate flange six inches in diameter. The click suppressed on-off switch also performs the function of disengaging the idler wheel to prevent possibility of damage. On the underside of the turntable, stroboscopic marks are printed and these are reflected upwards by means of a mirror and viewed at the front centre. Illumination is provided by a small neon lamp, which also serves to indicate that the motor is switched on. Although the bearings require oiling only at long intervals, (twice a year the makers suggest), the Craftsman III is so designed that this can be carried out from the top, a plastic tube carrying the oil down to the bottom motor bearings.
Using the template provided, the motor was mounted in accordance with the instructions on a board *-in. thick and tested both by listening and with the aid of instruments. The adjustable bearings are set correctly at the factory and therefore required no attention, although, if necessary, this is quite a simple operation, a small spanner being provided for the purpose.
However, as received, the motor ran sweetly straightaway, and I was most impressed by the absence of mechanical noise—not complete absence, of course, for there must always be a little, and in this case so little that I was unable to hear it when listening at a distance of 6 in. Using a constant tone record flutter, wow and rumble proved to be so low that I am convinced no user would ever have any cause to complain. In fact I could detect none of these with my ears and had to resort to the oscilloscope before detecting rumble and so good is the motor isolation that this was barely measurable—in fact it might have been on the record! Further tests included a run of several hours to check the motor's longterm stability (excellent) and the effect of drag caused by increased playing weight of the pickup. The latter was very slight and easily taken up by the fine speed adjustment. In all, a most excellent performance.
I noted that, when the motor is mounted the top of the turntable is some 2 in. above the motor board. The makers suggest that if this is outside the limits of the pickup height adjustment, the pickup should be raised by mounting it on a plywood disc. This may be a little inconvenient for cabinets with limited space inside the lid, especially when using pickups such as the EMI EPU 100 which require approximately 2 in. of height above the turntable. Remember too, that 3-1 in. is required below the motor board. Measure first then, so as to make sure!
PHILIP TANDY."
Engineering and craftsmanship, though...
[Seen today.]
"TECHNICAL REPORTS
Connoisseur Craftsman Variable 3-speed Transcription Turntable.
Price: ,421 15s. 11d.
A. R. Sugden and Co. (Engineers) Ltd., Market Street, Brighouse, Yorks.
Makers' Specification:
Speeds: 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm with fine adjustment.
Rumble: —50 dB measured at RIAA characteristic when referred to 7 cm/sec at 1,000 c/s. Hum level: less than 80 dB. Wow: 0.15 %. Flutter: 0.1 %.
Standard input voltage: 210/250 volts AC 50 c/s, or as specified to order for 210/250 volts AC 60 c/s, or 110 volts AC 50 or 60 c/s. Power Consumption: 10 watts max.
Weight: 121 lbs. Finish: styled in matt black with satin silver trim. Turned aluminium knobs. Motor Board (minimum size): 13+ in. x 13+ in. with 3* in. clearance below.
To anyone who possesses a transcription motor made by A. R. Sugden and Co., the word "engineers" in brackets after the makers' name must appear superfluous. A few days ago came across a Connoisseur motor that must have been well over ten years old for it had only 78 and 331 rpm speeds and as the Craftsman III had just been submitted for review it was interesting to make a comparison. No one doubts that engineering skill which went into the early Sugden motors, for time has proved that. After testing this new motor I know that the passing of a decade, although necessarily changing detail, has not altered the quality of workmanship one bit. This engineering skill is rarely to be found in mass production' and Arnold Sugden has never succumbed to this. The temptation must, however, have been great at times, for although there is a wide choice of amplifiers and loudspeakers, good makes of transcription motors can still be counted on the fingers of one hand.
The Craftsman III employs a synchronous hysteresis motor of generous dimensions and using high-grade laminations. An adjustable top bearing and a pin-point self-adjusting lower bearing support the rotor, and the spindle continues upwards to provide drive to the idler wheel. This spindle is tapered and speed control is obtained by arranging that the whole motor moves up and down, either to three set positions by operation of the speed-change lever, or by means of the Vernier speed control. So far as I know, this is quite an original approach to the problem of providing a fine speed adjustment. The principle of the tapered spindle is the same as that used on the Goldring-Lenco motors, but in those the idler wheel is vertical and moves along the driving cone and underside of the turntable. When the idler wheel is horizontal, then an entirely different technique is called for and Mr. Sugden has shown very ably that this can be achieved with great precision. The motor itself, on its movable platform, is hung on three resilient supports to prevent vibration reaching the baseplate. This baseplate is diecast from heavy zinc alloy and ribbed to provide additional strength. The turntable is lathe turned from non-ferrous metal so that no interaction can take place when using a magnetic pickup. Both bearings for the turntable spindle are made from nylon the top one being adjustable to allow for long-term wear, and the bottom another pin-point self-locating type. Two very flexible rubber mounts support the idler wheel which drives not on the outer rim of the turntable but on a separate flange six inches in diameter. The click suppressed on-off switch also performs the function of disengaging the idler wheel to prevent possibility of damage. On the underside of the turntable, stroboscopic marks are printed and these are reflected upwards by means of a mirror and viewed at the front centre. Illumination is provided by a small neon lamp, which also serves to indicate that the motor is switched on. Although the bearings require oiling only at long intervals, (twice a year the makers suggest), the Craftsman III is so designed that this can be carried out from the top, a plastic tube carrying the oil down to the bottom motor bearings.
Using the template provided, the motor was mounted in accordance with the instructions on a board *-in. thick and tested both by listening and with the aid of instruments. The adjustable bearings are set correctly at the factory and therefore required no attention, although, if necessary, this is quite a simple operation, a small spanner being provided for the purpose.
However, as received, the motor ran sweetly straightaway, and I was most impressed by the absence of mechanical noise—not complete absence, of course, for there must always be a little, and in this case so little that I was unable to hear it when listening at a distance of 6 in. Using a constant tone record flutter, wow and rumble proved to be so low that I am convinced no user would ever have any cause to complain. In fact I could detect none of these with my ears and had to resort to the oscilloscope before detecting rumble and so good is the motor isolation that this was barely measurable—in fact it might have been on the record! Further tests included a run of several hours to check the motor's longterm stability (excellent) and the effect of drag caused by increased playing weight of the pickup. The latter was very slight and easily taken up by the fine speed adjustment. In all, a most excellent performance.
I noted that, when the motor is mounted the top of the turntable is some 2 in. above the motor board. The makers suggest that if this is outside the limits of the pickup height adjustment, the pickup should be raised by mounting it on a plywood disc. This may be a little inconvenient for cabinets with limited space inside the lid, especially when using pickups such as the EMI EPU 100 which require approximately 2 in. of height above the turntable. Remember too, that 3-1 in. is required below the motor board. Measure first then, so as to make sure!
PHILIP TANDY."
I still have a Connoisseur BD1 turntable, which was my first 'proper' turntable after a few DIY efforts using bits salvaged from radiograms. I bought mine as a kit, probably in 1969, for the princely sum of £15 which as a student was three weeks beer (and a bit of food) money.
S.
S.
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- Dec 15, 2019
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I enjoyed seeing the Kenwood radio products. Thanks for posting that.But, but, but -- I think (?!?) they still make radios. Real radios...
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/
not that hifi cr@p!
View attachment 106995
Katji
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- Sep 26, 2017
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This one is going to be restored. It looks to be in good condition, but the idler wheel is missing - apparently lost in transit.
Topic: Connoisseur Craftsman III turntable - can it be saved?
