kungfuzu
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Post by kungfuzu on Oct 25, 2024 9:51:33 GMT -8
She sometimes shakes her head, particularly as my memory is full of trivia. I just remember things. I tried to stop this (train my brain to delete info) when I was 28 as I said that my brain must be filling up with useless info and I needed to save the space for useful info. I was clearly not successful. 
To give you an idea of how my brain works, we were talking about x-rays recently and people were trying to remember who discovered them and how. I keep saying "Roentgen" but they kept talking. Someone said, "oh he had a chocolate bar in his pocket" and I said, "No that was the guy who discovered micro waves could cook," and then went back to discussing x-rays. I mused "why do I know this stuff?" and got the same reply that Mdm. Flu gives me, i.e. I am a fount of trivia.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Oct 25, 2024 10:28:44 GMT -8
There once was a guy with a pocket
In which he would hold all his chocolate
In the lab, on one day
Stood too close to a ray
Made millions on patents, don't knock it
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Post by kungfuzu on Oct 25, 2024 18:04:07 GMT -8
One of my music teachers once told me, "it isn't the most talented who make it, it is the most ambitious." I think that might have also had something to do with it. I wasn't willing to prostitute my art. I was, and still can be very stubborn.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Oct 29, 2024 9:43:51 GMT -8
I got the speaker foam in yesterday. This morning I took out the speaker (the 10" driver) and cleaned the old foam and glue off of it. Suffice it to say, this was messy and took quite a bit of effort.
Next is gluing on the foam and I'm going to wait until I have an extra set of hands to assist me. It's the tricky part.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Oct 29, 2024 15:03:37 GMT -8
The refurbishment of the foam for the 10" driver on my KLH Research 10 Series Model CB-10 was a success.
It's really quite a mess getting off the old foam and glue. And it took repeated scraping to get the glue off and down to the bare metal. Lots and lots of scraping. Lots and lots of dabbing on of isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol softened the glue to some extent. But it hardly dissolved it. I suppose you can't blame the glue for being good glue.
When first testing them, I was playing something on my Windows XP computer via WinAmp. Some mp3 file. It didn't sound so good. Ooops. What did I do wrong? Or were the speakers just worn out? But then I played a couple MAME games (Jr. Pac-Man). The sound during the game was terrific, including the little cut-scenes between levels.
So next I tried the built-in FM of the cheap Chinese junk amplifier. And it was automatically set to the local jazz station when switched to that mode. And the speakers immediately sounded much better. But they were a little tinny. The cheap Chinese junk amplifier I have them hooked to has tone controls for bass and treble. I turned the bass up and the treble down. And suddenly these speakers sounded probably as good as I ever remembered them.
I will have my eyes out on eBay for a 10" driver for the other speaker. It would be nice to get that working as well. But, truth be told, I really don't need it. This one speaker functions perfectly for where it is and there really isn't room for a second one. Still, these were decent speakers for the time and it would be fun to get the other up and running just for the general principal of it.
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Post by kungfuzu on Oct 30, 2024 8:06:33 GMT -8
Good to hear. It is also good to hear that once you got the thing hooked up to the right electronics, that the speaker sounded as good as ever. Although you are not yet considering repairing the second speaker, I await future news of exactly that. |
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Post by Brad Nelson on Oct 30, 2024 8:14:27 GMT -8
Yes, the output from WinAmp (a popular old Windows music player) sounded pretty raw. But everything else was fine.
I'm going to keep my eye out either for the 10" driver or another Model CB-10 speaker. I've found no information yet as to whether some substitute 10" driver could be used. There is near zero online info about these speakers.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 1, 2024 9:54:31 GMT -8
I finally got around to installing that new XLM-III stylus that I had bought several weeks ago for my ADC Integra cartridge. I'm pretty sure that the cartridge and needle were already set up for me when I purchased this, so I've had no experience at it. And there is zero information I can find online for changing the needle.
Luckily this style of cartridge and tone arm make removing the cartridge from the tone arm very easy. I then examined very carefully the new needle assembly in terms of how it attached to the cartridge. I could see that there were no little hooks, clips, or catches. The only connection made it apparent that it simply had to horizontally slide on and off.
After initial resistance, the old stylus assembly came off and the new one slid on without any resistance. I put a record on and, yes, it's functioning. But is it sounding better? Did I really need it?
Well, obviously I haven't thrown the old one away. I did notice a couple records lately that sounded a little fuzzy. These were obtained through a thrift shop so I might not have noticed that at the time. Or had the needle degraded since I started playing vinyl again? I'll let you know if I hear any difference on a couple of these records I had set aside because they seem to be just too worn to be enjoyable to play.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 1, 2024 12:31:29 GMT -8
I do hear an improvement on one of the old records that was sounding rather raw with the old needle. On the flip side, the pops and clicks are much more pronounced. I assume this new needle is just better at picking up everything, including the high frequencies.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 1, 2024 12:54:25 GMT -8
The second album that I had set aside as "too rough" definitely improved with the new stylus. But it's still a little rough, but then it is an old record. Luckily, the pops-and-clicks aren't an issue on this one, so I think that other record (also improved with the new stylus) was just very bad in this regard. Also, I did find some specs for the ADC Integra XLM III. It recommends a tracking force from 0.9 to 1.5 grams. I had it (if the indicator was correct and hadn't been accidentally moved) at 2 grams before. So I lightened it to 1.5 grams just for general principles. As it was, the anti-skate was already set at 1.5 grams, so I probably need to just go through the process and set everything for sure. These two old records by no means sound ideal. But I do think they sound better than before and it's not just the placebo effect. Certainly the presence of non-subtle pops and clicks on that one album does show that the results are at least different with the new needle. |
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 1, 2024 14:56:27 GMT -8
There are so many variables to listening to vinyl records. You can try to chase down hardware issues when it could just be a low-quality mastering or pressing of a record. For instance, I was listening to Funk & Wagnalls "The Joy of Great Music: Vivaldi / The Four Seasons."  It's a nice enough sounding record that is in good condition. But I noticed a considerable rumble in the background. I don't know if I hadn't noticed this before or if the old needle just wasn't picking it up (or the new needle is defective in some way). But I don't get this rumble from other records so I just assume this one was mastered poorly. I've got a direct-drive turntable so theoretically rumble could be a problem. But on the run-out track of the Vivaldi recording, the background rumble ceased immediately after the audio portion had ended. So I'm pretty sure it's in the recording. Very strange. --- And I did go back and re-balance the tonearm and set the tracking force to 1.5 grams (1 to 1.5 is the suggested range) and matched the anti-skate by setting it to 1.5 as well. |
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 1, 2024 18:09:03 GMT -8
Running after answers to such questions could take you down a very long rabbit hole. |
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 1, 2024 18:41:49 GMT -8
Yep. Lots of rabbit holes. But I do think I'm getting a cleaner bass response with this new stylus. I previously had the bass adjustment on the JVC receiver turned fairly way down because otherwise it was all just sort of a muffled boom (relatively speaking). (Fault of the speakers? Fault of the receiver? Fault of the turntable? Fault of the cartridge? Rabbit hole.) Now I turned it up again (it needed it) and the bass seems cleaner and a little more selective.
Anyway, I never doubted that needles wear out. It's just that I had no idea what condition mine was in because, as I've read, photographing it in a meaningful way is difficult. So this is one area where rule-of-thumb I suppose must rule until there is a cheap and easy way to examine your stylus.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 3, 2024 7:45:15 GMT -8
Yes, definitely cleaner bass and better sound overall after the new stylus...particularly from older records. And that's what made me finally replace the needle. I was quite sure a couple of the older thrifted records I had acquired in the last couple of months hadn't sounded that bad after having played them again after a few weeks (or months) since the last playing.
Here's where the "science" of it all can get a bit fuzzy. In the meantime I ran across a video of a guy using Simple Green to clean his vinyl using pretty much the same techniques I had (although my guess is that the ultra suede cloth that I use is superior to any microfiber cloth). So I substituted the Simple Green for the Palmolive.
One of the albums that I was disappointed in when I first got the thrifted version of it was Sinatra's Strangers in the Night. That's one of my favorite Sinatra albums. If was quite dirty. But even after a good cleaning (months ago, when I first received it), it still sounded fairly rough. So I set it aside, thinking to one day perhaps just wall-mount the album cover for display. (And I have started to do that with some acrylic brackets that I acquired recently.)
Well, I washed it again using a little Simple Green (from a regular squirt bottle) on a wettened piece of ultra suede and it now looks and sounds quite good. As good as new? Probably not, although I don't have a new album to compare it to. But some combination of cleaning with Simple Green and/or the new stylus has brought it back to life.
And I had read more than once (could be audiophile voodoo...could be true) that a second or deeper cleaning of vinyl can very much help it in terms of sound.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 3, 2024 9:48:38 GMT -8
Honest to goodness, I'm not trying to be mean. But is this a man or a woman? If you see the thumbnail photo attached to his channel name, it looks like a guy.
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 3, 2024 11:53:42 GMT -8
Zero question. It is a man. Even before I heard him speak I noticed the hand turning the knob. It is a very male hand. That's all before looking at his face and weird black wig. His elbows are also a give away. Female elbows are generally more pointy than men's.
The guy is a audio-perv.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 3, 2024 13:38:03 GMT -8
Audi0-perv...oh hahahahhah. Good one. I many never look at my Nikko amplifier the same again.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 4, 2024 9:08:43 GMT -8
Nothing like starting your day with a pretty little Hawaiian song. Brought to you by Hawaiian Airlines. That's singing naked, for sure. No hiding anything. And I think she does rather well. Not a big audience, for sure. Sort of pathetic in a way. I don't mean I disparage the performers. I mean that I think they deserve a bigger, more appreciative audience in a better venue. But you get by how you can sometimes. Maybe years later she became top of the pop. I don't know. Upon further checking, Maka'ala Perry does has a song on Apple Music, the single, "Māmala hua."
Here's another video of her with some info about the song: Nice shirt, Uncle Bob. Okay, the following is a rough recording. But just a little more of the pretty Hawaiian girl before move on to the next topic or thing. I just found out that she is the current queen: Miss International Hawaii. Ahhh, remember those days of sitting around a badly-lit airport cafe, carrying baggage, eating crappy airport food, and listening to Miss Perry before she became the Queen. |
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Post by kungfuzu on Nov 5, 2024 9:12:46 GMT -8
That sounds like something one might encounter at a high school show. Not bad, but not something one would want to listen to on a regular basis. Certainly not something one would pay for.
There is no guarantee of success in the music business. That is why one should think very carefully before deciding to pursue such a career. That said, if one loves music and sings for oneself, which is what real artists do, then one can take or leave many audiences.
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Post by Brad Nelson on Nov 18, 2024 8:49:35 GMT -8
I found this to be an interesting video, with the caveat that the purpose of the video may be less of a review and more an attempt to make money by selling you stuff via their affiliate links where they get a small cut. I've seen other videos where I would say they are just shamelessly hawking some product under the guise of a review. It happens all the time on YouTube.
However, with due skepticism intact, it's interesting that he found no difference in quality between a $200 amplifier and a $1000 one. His explanation (which I found to be a good one) is that this stuff has been long since figured out. Basic components are of high quality, thus there's not going to be all that much difference (once you reach a certain threshold of basic quality) in the very high-priced stuff. And this does sound about right.
What I also thought was interesting (and certainly not the first time I've heard this) is how different some of the speakers sounded (usually better) when raised up a little, or moved off a desk or away from a wall.
So that inspired me to move my large speakers up off the floor. About 5" is all I can manage for now. I had previously moved them away from the wall a bit a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure (yet) if the sound quality is better. But I did note that I needed to turn the bass up a little. The bass is now in (or near) a flat position where before I had it turned nearly all the way down (which is where is was prior to moving them from the wall...I hand increment the bass up just a little after having done so). I think moving them from the wall (as I had done earlier) and raising them didn't weaken the bass, per se. I think I was just getting a "booming" effect from where the speakers were located, and it wasn't a particularly clean bass.
As noted, with the new stylus I installed recently, the bass was immediately cleaner than before. And playing an album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet last night (Jazz Impressions of Eurasia) was very nice. Better than before moving the speakers up? I'd say probably, at least a little. More than that I'm not sure yet.
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