30 Years of Revelation III

Hello to everybody following,

today I want to find more and further explanations about the fundamental historical change initiated by Japanese audiophiles in the 1970ties. Before such comprehensive evaluation based on extensive human sense perception was brought into culture, a typical pure technical analytical understanding of logic measurement arguments was state of audio fidelity perception. Even the mode of highly professional products with a necessity for definition and standards, for the broadcasting and television industry was mainly defined by ingenious superiority of their designers and their compliance to a purely technical understanding of audible processes. Here Japan didn't constitute any exception like everywhere.

Denon turntable unit from 1970ties for the Japanese broadcast industry

Listening experience and aural competence never have been a natural given qualification of mankind, it is as many other refined human senses are a result of intensive training of abilities. The ear is a sense organ, which relies in a tremendous grade to a wide spread individualized experience search. A conductor of a complex symphonic orchestra for example acquired his listening competence, i.e. the opportunity to difference out several dozens of singular instruments at once, just because of his regular training. This might have trained him as well a ability of distinction for tonal refinement, which will be up to a factor of 10 higher than ordinary people will show, let's say by a bus driver. The typical daily noise floor might have effected here the ear into opposite direction.

Several hundred years of man made insistent experience with acoustic instruments, equally with their evolution in design, manufacture and performance, have created a deeply rooted sense for natural originated tonalities and detailed harmonic structures in almost any culture. "Unplugged (i.e. without electrical amplification)" musical performance practice with solely acoustical arranged instrumentation is a perfect base for such training and improvement of the own listening ability. Serious practice and internalizing of these senses bring us straight into all limitations within musical recordings, these are inherent to any form of acoustical reproduction and are so typical with audio playback technologies. Here a always more or less prominent compression of the general dynamic attitude together with a loss of detailed expression of micro harmonic details are the foremost problems of all forms of audio reproduction. Such losses have been accepted traditionally more or less over decades as to be typical, so a overcoming of such limitations was one major intention of the early evaluation shoot outs in Japan of the 1970ties. Early sound transducing units from the 1930ties cinema installations like the Western Electric Horn Systems together with their dedicated amplifying units with direct heated triode tubes demonstated in these days a highly graded superiority in almost any case of such former explained attitudes. Well experienced and typically Japanese cultivated listeners detected apart from commercial market mechanisms within such old technologies a stage of aural realm and refinement within music reproduction, which never again reached a similar successfully completed level again in history.
The technically seen most simple stage of early amplification, a single ended tube amplifier with one power triode, namely the Western Electric 300B in cooperation with its dedicated designed receiver unit (WE555A compression driver) using a wide band horn transducer telephone, outperformed any newer, technically advanced technology in many terms. The horn development with its wide range frequency dispersion (between 70 and 5000 hz) and its dedicated compression driver unit works physically seen like a typical acoustic instrument in giant form. It shows the typical attitudes known from such wind instruments (and the typical efficiency in dynamic and loudness response), which have physically seen different properties than a wave radiated by a paper cone. Fed by the advanced organized harmonic signal structure of a direct heated triode, such a system can convince with a by far less technical appearance in its tonal structure. Lot more naturally radiated wavefronts and even exceptional micro dynamic performances did make the much higher THD (typically 5% for directly heated triodes) of such systems to a forgettable incidence. From these early days of rediscovery in Japan in 1970 the Western Electric Systems obtained cult status first in Japan and Korea, before their legend started as well in Europe. The WE300B triode got in the coming 20 years to be a synonym for direct heated triodes, may be even to a synonym auf audio tubes in general. But within these days vintage original Western Electric made original tube samples had been still available in useful amounts and were even still in production together with other US brands like Cetron till the end of the 1980ties. Their disappearance gave way for more and more Chinese, Russian and other remakes, all unable to perform at a similar advanced level of properties which is inherent with NOS original tubes.

Typical installation of a WE16A (in untypical colored red) in a traditional Japanese timbering house.

From today it clearly can be seen that in Japan in these days a drastic change of music perception did take place. It took two decades to influence the listening attitude of audio aficionados all over the world and to create interest for more individualized sensations as listening preferences. The definition of quality with electric amplified music reproduction was not any longer evaluated by a printed superiority of technical data sheets. Instead a human emotional significance and sensitiveness as general base of audible evaluation criteria broke ground outgoing from a small group of elitist circles in Japan (Read the interview with Hiroyaso Kondo to understand). There in such a fondness hedonistic culture exceptional vintage horn installations did find a nutrient-rich soil to set out. Allocated to the small scaled size of the country Japan and its typical high density of population and resuming minimalistic apartment sizes in its metropoles, a incomparable audio culture did find exceptional unique preconditions for its solely hedonistic realizations of historical intended audio installations.
So former cinema horn installations got installed into tiniest rooms. A exceptional developed collecting mentality of rarest items forced such preconditions to sometimes unbelievable peaks and drove iridescent flowers.

Who does not remember the widely published under earth build horn developments, which ended with their drivers far outside in the garden? Additionally a highly advanced sense for product qualities exaggerated some of the most interesting, elaborated and unrestrained audio installations existing in the world, even within smallest space conditions for its realization.

WE16A matching perfectly the widths of the room

WE16A in a Japanese apartment

A small selection of images (only three rooms from altogether six are shown here) with respect to one of the most interesting collections of vintage audio arranged as a private museum in an apartment of Dr. Takeshi Mikami (images with respect to gokudo ) in Japan:

Mastery of Meaningful Listening 

or: like hearing took back to emotional integrety of music

Looking at the above shown images shows very clearly that a completely different understanding of audio culture did have taken place in Japan after the 1970ties. The interest of such lively, vivid and intense scene still existing in Japan, created incomparable products made with the highest degree of mastermind culture in order to find the last and tiniest compromising aspect in a audio playback system.

Such research was objectivated to a major intention of finesse and ease, both typical adjectives with natural instrumentation. It was the base for such evaluations to give them a almost religious inspired mission of perfection. Their resulting amplifiers didn't explore "the" common targets of standards, than to find individual definitions of least incomparable qualities and subtile harmonic expression. The amplifier "shootouts" (name est. in the US-american english) reminded me more to the traditional wine or food tasting events in the western world, than to typical technical evaluations with precisely arranged target lines and a resulting hierarchy as quality reference i.e. better selling argument in commercial terms which is the common practice over here.

In Japan as well a wide spread community established a do-it-yourself made audio product culture to before unknown levels of refinement (speakers, amplifiers, crossovers, etc. and fed by a comprehensive accessory business with transformers, enclosures, components and almost any part of high quality). This scene was mainly intended to overcome the typical limitations of commercial mass market products and to find alternative solutions of highly increased quality preferences and not, like in the western world established definition of diy, as a "low cost side business". It was said in the 1980ties that more than 100.000 people were involved into such movement. It was a energetic market, that even internationally acting audio companies like Lux-Corporation (Luxman), tried to establish from specialized branches high quality products. At the same time lots of small accompanying side businesses, like Yoshimura Labs, GOTO, GIP, Onken, Tamura, Tango, etc., established with highly focused product ranges of dedicated parts. Several individual figures acting as forerunners of exceptional sophisticated audio standards defined individuality as unique position and as highest claim in amplifier design (read the interview with Mr Matsumoto of Mactone.Co for better understanding). Names like Morikawa, Sakuma, Anzai, Shindo, Kondo or Kaneta established as to be exceptional significant designers or better said sound creators of mostly handmade instruments. They were respectively connoted to a highly valued master degree like the typical Japanese cultivated graduation "san", instead of been evaluated with the adjective "best".

Read on soon, Volker

AAF Krefeld

Eigentlich hatte ich mir fest vorgenommen dieses Jahr, und dies im Gegensatz zum letzten, die Veranstaltung Analog Audio Forum in Krefeld nicht wieder mit kritischen und doch auch amüsanten Beschreibungen zu kommentieren. Aber nach meinem Besuch gestern komme ich dennoch nicht umhin, einige der dort angestellten Bemühungen zu hinterfragen. Um einiges zu dreist gepriesen und das auch im vollen Bewustsein um die dargebotene Minderqualität des Produktes, scheinen einige Aussteller den "unbedarften Interessierten" hinter die  vielzitierte "Fichte führen zu wollen". Diese unverblümten Methoden von Überrumpelung erscheinen mir als typische Verteilungskämpfe eines schnell alternden und schwindenden Geschäftsfelds, wo scheinbar das Heute schon nicht mehr an ein Morgen glaubt... So versuchen nun es noch einige, koste es was es wolle, – also um jeden Preis, also auch den des Kunden selbst, ihren Kram nur noch loszuschlagen. Im zurückliegenden Jahr beschrieb ich das Prospekt der gesamten Veranstaltung folgendermassen: 

Das Analog Forum ist eine Veranstaltung der Analog Audio Association, einem Verein der schon vor langen Jahren mit dem Ziel gegründet wurde, den Artenerhalt der aussterbenden Spezies "Vinylschallplatte" mit der Nachhaltigkeit und sektiererischen Frische von Spielzeugeisenbahnherstellern und deren typischem weltoffenen und innovationsfreudigem Habitus Profit zu schlagen mit einem Forum entgegen zu wirken.

Dem kann ich erst einmal nichts Neues und damit Wesentliches hinzufügen. Im sich abzeichnenden Niedergang der Musikträgerformate wird vermutlich die Vinylschallplatte als einziges nennenswert überleben können. Dementsprechend breit war dann auch das Angebot an entsprechenden "Drehapparaturen". Technisch betrachtet waren diese ähnlich konzipiert und von formalem Dilentantismus in meist verwechselbare Gestalt gebracht. Ein immer gleicher Materialmix aus Edelholz, Metal und Glas, zunehmend mit immer größer werdenden CNC-gefrästen Ikons veredelt, soll helfen die Wohnzimmerkultur über ein Mindestniveau von Selbstbauapparaten zu erheben. Ich frage mich wann es mehr Anbieter von Laufwerken geben wird, als der Markt noch Käufer für Schallplatten anspricht.

Aber schön der Reihe nach. So erfreute ich mich auf dem Weg nach Krefeld; und dabei wurden tief verschüttete Kindheitserinnerungen an folgender aufwendig inszenierten Installation geweckt; als ich im Hauptbahnhof (!!!) Neuss beim Umsteigen etwa 15 Minuten Aufenthalt hatte:

Alles dreht sich, alles bewegt sich...

Einige Zeit später erreichte ich dann das Gelände des Mecure-Tagungshotels in Krefeld Traar bei allerbestem Oktoberwetter, genau wie schon im Vorjahr hätte man die letzen sonnigen Tage vielleicht besser nutzen können... Bereits auf der Zufahrt zum Eingangsbereich entdeckte ich folgendes Fahrzeug mit auffällig doppeldeutiger Beschriftung: 

"Fast Audio, das kann ja heute wieder heiter werden", dachte ich mir, wenn dieses "claim" sich durchziehen sollte. Aber es sollte schlimmer kommen... Ich habe jetzt keine Lust ausführlich zu beschreiben wie einige Aussteller unverhohlen nachlässig vorführten, teilweise weit jedem audiblen Mittelmass entrückt wurde Standartriegelware als "audiophilen Feinkost" angepreist, – und natürlich selbst diese war kein Sonderangebot.

Aura aus Essen legte die Stange dann auch gleich ganz oben auf, da wurde in der Einführung zur Demonstration der bekannten Plastiktröten CD-Hörner von Avantgarde Akustik darauf verwiesen, dass der zugehörige Vollverstärker im reinen Class-A-Betrieb ein volles Watt erzeugt und damit nun der gesamte Kleinsaal beschallt werden würde. Der aufmerksame Betrachter fragte sich allerdings warum an den Tieftonmodulkisten jeweils eine Leuchtdiode den Betriebzustand anzeigte? Dem auch mit blauen Leuchtdioden zur optischen Aufmerksamkeit verholfenem Abtaster von Soundsmith (USA) wurden geradezu magische Kräfte von Aura attestiert. Das mit Druckaufnehmern bestückte Tonabnehmersystem soll dermassen linear den gesamten Frequenzband wiedergeben, dass eine Entzerrung nach RIAA Standart nun gar nicht mehr notwendig sei. Hallo, was habe ich denn jetzt nicht verstanden? RIAA Emphasis in der Schneidekennlinie? Wie kann man mit Linearität diese, eine äußerst krumme Kurve wieder gerade biegen? Aber egal, fragt ja eh keiner, Hauptsache Eindruck und Welle machen, dafür ist man ja da. Man muss der Vorführung zumindest attestieren, dass sie zu den besten an diesem Tag dort gehörte. Dennoch, die betont sparsam und farblos spielenden Plastiktröten Kugelwellenhörner (waren dafür umso farbiger orange lackiert) überzeugten zwar mit vergleichsweise dynamischen Mitteltonatributen, erreichten aber nicht im Geringsten die harmonisch souveräne Musikalität die anderen großen Hornsystemen der Vergangenheit zu eigen ist. Im Vergleich zu solcherart erwachsen klingenden Hornsystemen, vornehmlich aus der Blütezeit des Tonfilms der 1930er Jahre, wirkte die Installation wie Plastikspielzeug.

Für mich einer der absoluten Höhepunkte der Unverschämtheit* war die Vorführung des Veranstalters selbst. Mit aktuellen Modellen der Tannoy Prestige Reihe wurde am Modell Canterbury GR eine Orgelmusikaufnahme vorgeführt. Nun, ich muss mich nicht als Freund der frühen 15-Ohm-Tannoy Lautsprecher an dieser Stelle outen, Menschen die diesen Blog verfolgen, kennen bereits meine Interpretation des Tannoy-Chassis. Ich persönlich kenne die Canterbury der ersten Prestige Serie nur zu gut, diesem mit damalig modifiziertem HPD Chassis bestückten Model war bereits Ende der 1980er Jahre eine eindeutige dynamische Trägheit und damit verbundener Mitteltonauflösungsverlust im Vergleich zu früheren Versionen beschieden. Aber das was gestern dort im Raum „Klarheit“ (!) vorgeführt wurde, schlug dem Fass den Boden aus. Die heutigen Modelle mit keramischen Magneten und mit Schwingspulen für 600 Watt Heizleistung optimiert, verhalten sich zu den von mir geliebten Chassis mit einer Belastungsgrenze von 30 Watt, wie die heute verbreiteten SUV's zu einem 1970er Lotus Super Seven. Das vorgeführte Orgelkonzert klang unterirdisch, geradezu  grausam – eine Folter für das gebildete Ohr. Triefend schwerfällig und dabei laut, mit matschig vorgetragener Mitteltonauflösung demonstrierte diese Vorführung die typischen Einschränkungen moderner kommerzieller Audiokomponenten mit Nachhaltigkeit. Man muss diese Vorführung schon fast als Affront an die anwesenden Zuhörer werten, schon gar wenn man die AAA als Verantwortliche im eigenen Auftrag versteht.

Man ist heute schnell geneigt zu sagen: "Früher war alles besser". Das glaube ich aber inzwischen nicht mehr so ganz, zumindest was den Zeitraum meiner eigensten Erfahrungsuche im Audio-Bereich angeht. Ich glaube zunehmend, dass die über dreissig jährige Beschäftigung mit diesem Thema mich selbst durch vielfältige Erfahrungen verändert, verschoben und geprägt haben. Das ich dabei schon lange nicht mehr an die selbstheilenden Kräfte eines Marktes glaube, muss ich nicht mehr betonen. Das ich dabei vielleicht auch die Kompatibilität zu einem Massenmarkt zugunsten andere Qualitäten aufgegeben habe, ist ebenfalls richtig. Schon seit langem bin ich des Niederganges kommerziell "verschlimmbesserter Produkte" überdrüssig, führt mein Weg ins Glück nur noch zu ganzheitlich verständlich produzierten Dingen mit nachhaltiger Wirkeffezienz. Produkte die sinnliche Erfahrungen optimieren und dabei auch den Funktionszusammenhang bewahren, solche die individuellen Ansprüchen Raum zugestehen und gleichermassen dem zunehmenden Verlust an Sinnstiftung unser Gegenwart zuwiderstreben. Im konkreten Fall und Anlass reden wir über Audiokomponenten, die es vermögen ein Musikgeschehen noch in seiner Ganzheitlichkeit zu erfassen, wirken zu lassen und die technische Komponente ihrer Konstitution vergessen zu machen. Solche Geräte gab es natürlich einmal mehr nicht zu hören in Krefeld, aber wenn ich ehrlich bin hatte ich das auch nicht erwartet. Aber wenn nicht dort, wo denn dann?



* aus dem Duden: Ärgernis, Dreistigkeit, Frechheit, Gemeinheit, Respektlosigkeit, Schamlosigkeit, Skandal, Ungehörigkeit, Ungezogenheit, Unverfrorenheit, Zumutung; (gehoben) Ungebühr, Ungebührlichkeit; (bildungssprachlich) Impertinenz, Insolenz; (umgangssprachlich) dicker Hund, Hammer; (umgangssprachlich, oft scherzhaft) starker Tobak; (abwertend) Infamie; (umgangssprachlich abwertend) Pampigkeit, Patzigkeit; (salopp abwertend) Chuzpe;

30 Years of Revelation II

Hello to everybody,

interested to follow on about history of Fidelity. In my last article I did try to explain that at the beginning of the 1970ties a decisive step happened, when Japanese audio aficionados made some exceptional experiences with the earliest technologies in audio history. As in the last part bespoken, they came across that with first generation public address systems like for cinematographic use, audible superiority was already achieved in absolute perfection. Comparing such 40 year old vintage professional products with than actual mass market hifi products, the vintage technologies captivated with a by far wider range of expressive characteristics, harmonics and deeper emotional habits. These japanese evaluations did extract best possible engineering standards of those days in the 1930ties and perfectly instrumented productions responsible to gain exceptional audible results. More precisely said, these products were superior because of extremely low and simply realized power amplification and highly efficient supporting horn speaker systems perfectly designed. These systems did hardly vary the than common idea of audible fidelity. With exceptional homogeneously integrated structures of finest detail and far more realistic dynamic representation, such systems dominated the performance of contemporary equipment.

WE16a in a japanese installation

So legend started with Western Electric cinema applications of the 1930ties to be synonyms of such technologies, they have set the pace and got unsurpassed precept till today. The Western Electric wide band horn designs, like WE15a and WE16a together with the first compression drivers WE555a in history, were able to cover a frequency spectrum between 70 and 6000 hz, almost the bandwitdh of the human voice with one simple organized system. Thus driven from a WE 91a/b single ended 300B amplifier amplified by one single direct heated power tube, got to be the most remarkable amplifier of audio history by this fact and its resulting aural benefits. Less simpler it never ever got again. Today we do know that such early days marked already the zenith in quality terms within history of audio, a history with a inherent permanent decline in quality vs. growing mass as progression motor. Isn't it curious that at the same time when japanese mass market companies like Pioneer, Yamaha, Sansui and lots others flooded the world with "everything built in, plus extras for half the price"-products,  Japanese Audio aficionados praised hand made US american cinema products to be the "crown of Creation"!

Private Japanese Installation of original vintage Western Electric horns with tube amplification,
(the small horn centered reminds me to the classic Altec 811, just for the sizes) 

From these first evaluation days of vintage WE300b triodes these got the most wanted tubes of all times, together with several other direct heated triodes like 2A3, 45, AD1, R120, ED, PX25, 845, 211, etc.. These early findings created a new elaborated audio business around all necessary parts and hard to obtain products like amps, transformers, tubes, speakers, enclosures and horn developments in all different design issues. A typical asian replica boom started to bring several copies of unobtainable originals to the market within the early 1980ties. A new business model did evoke by refining such original designs with more modern technologies in Japan. Tango and Tamura as world class suppliers of all sorts of tube amplifier incorporated transformers might be a good example here to explain the unique exercises of the Japanese audio culture within these years.

Ad of GIP Company, a manufacturer of almost original and newly made Western Electric components in Japan

Small variety of japanese "Utopia" made enclosures for vintage speakers, they manufacture almost 100 different designs of enclosure types for the audio aficionado with vintage drivers.

In these days european or american ambitious hifi nuts did spend their money at hundreds of class a watts powering small sized compound coned low efficiency speakers with amplifier sized crossovers for advanced levelling of any impedance irregularities. They still did follow the dream of a technical perfected audio performance in theory, where any sort of imperfection was fought with antidotes. An ideal of perfection which was followed with master degrees in technical measurement parks and its testing praxis and a still unbroken solely belief in man made progression of advancement. On the other hand the cutting cost factors from Transistor design and later on integrated designs of highest wattage per dollar always have to be taken in mind with every question about quality till today.  Today we know a bit better that any commercial enterprise will fail once in its typical inherent dislocations. Just look today at the international banking system, Volkswagen escapades, Fifa, etc. ...

The Japanese culture building is traded with a thousand year old tradition were copying is the essential value in perfection for the achievement of mastership as progress. Subtile evaluation of differences will lead to final results and is mandatory to the expected success. Japanese culture is to my knowledge by far the most sensitive, subtile and the most evaluated world wide because thought from the end point. Just look at the tradition of food, beside the italian culture discipline here, the japanese food shows by far the most advancement in its refinement standards. Who is making the best Whisky in the world? Not the Swiss... Another fact here helps to understand what I do want to explain. I believe the japanese culture is as well one of the most hedonistic cultures in our world. They do not accept any limitation when quality of pleasure is in question. Several examples might illustrate this thesis. Look at the famous Kobe cow, who else beside the Italians would care a young in outer nature living cow for three years with everyday treatment of classical music, best organic grown food and beer massages, just in order to get the most perfect structured beef possible. Who else in the world would do such enormous effort to make "Dashi", a soup base made from seaweed and bonito flakes, just the flakes are masterpieces on its own. The Zen culture and its inherent "Wabi Sabi" formular is a well explaining tradition for those who want to learn more about this careful culture. Today the web is a good resource to get more informations about. I have the feeling sometimes we in our western influenced consumer culture could profit a lot, if we would accept only a tiny bit of such principles for our daily decisions.

I am quoting myself from the last entry: "In Japan the sense for qualities and historical role models is traditionally extremely sophisticated, independent of its business, so it does in audio." With other words I want to say, if the Japanese with one of the most successful audio cultures in commercial terms do verify and rate 80 year old tubes, dedicated amps and horn systems to be excessivly better than anything current made, than it was a quite easy formular for Jean Hiraga in the beginning 1980ties to be overtaken as main strategic issue for his restart in Europe.

Read on soon, Volker

30 Years of Revelation I

Next year it will be the 30's anniversary of "direct heated triode amplification rediscovery". Thanks to
Jean Hiraga, who did publish formerly unknown ideas about exceptional audio technologies in Paris 1986 the first time outside Japan. Beside loudspeakers, record players, tonearms and class a amplifiers his contribution had a main interest into vintage triode amplifiers. So Europe did learn  about the unique sound qualities of the DHT triode 300b after its fall into oblivion long times ago. His input was based on personal made first hand experiences living in Japan in the 1970ties. Over there he was integral part of a huge an vivid audio-scene, mainly confirmed from a unlimited research about superior audible qualities.

Hiraga at shootout at Tokyo Audio Fair 1972

In Japan the sense for qualities and historical role models is traditionally extremely sophisticated, independent of its business, so it does in audio. A long time before the originators did realize their own heritage, the Japanese have had collected what has been exemplary to their understanding.
They organized already in the 1970ties shootouts with vintage and diy made tube amplifiers and coupled them to a wide array of dedicated speakers. This process ended up in almost religious relationships to vintage products from Western Electric, Altec, RCA, Klangfilm, Tannoy, Triad, UTC and lot more others. Hiraga back in Europe organized to share his experiences at several platforms, in real life performances and with certain media of the french audio scene.
In a first step he concentrated on a handy formula: direct heated triode amplification with 300b triodes, manageable preamplifiers with phonostages and small scale efficient speakers. La Maison de L'Audiophile distributed excellent kit amplifiers built on topology of the famous WE 91A to bring the old superiority to new customers in the heart of Europe. These "300b- Legend" mono blocks have been equipped with superior Partridge output transformers, which made them to extraordinary examples of such design topology.  In the following years Hiraga published books about the history of tube amplification and vintage speaker design. So he prepared the ground for a completely different understanding of audio performance. He managed to align our interest to unknown facts and sensations of low power tube amplification and high efficient loudspeaker transducers. While the hifi mass market followed on its commercial mainstream to audible inefficiency based on cheapest wattage.

1986 first release

With La Maison de L'Audiophile he and a group of french audio nuts like J.C. Verdier, William Walther and others tried to establish such a completely different understanding of audible sensation, highly based on a so far unknown physical listening experience of a exceptional rich textured reality of harmonies.
Mainly realized with almost unobtainable products like the WE15A horns, they tried to institute modern equivalents for such obsolete products, like the new build Sato horns. These are a historic intended interpretations designed in Japan based on WE designs, but realized with available drivers and materials like from Altec or Yamaha to match similar specifics. The Sato wide frequency horn got extended with a sand filled doghouse sized low frequency reflex enclosure (Onken W). The french did publish original schematics for completion and drawings within their own magazine and produced other components like record players made with the same sense of avoiding any compromise. Their intention was like in Japan to bring audio playback to a before unknown level of quality. Remember, even the first drawings of the Platine Verdier got published here, as the player itself got a standard within all  their demonstrations in Espace Kiron... However, for those born with ears and working experience search, such giant installations have been a incomparable revelation of audio inauguration.

Sato horn installation with Onken four cell MF horn, Onken HF and Onken W LF enclosures in 1992.

Even in mother country of the legendary 300B tube it did took almost another decade before Joe Roberts followed its own historical roots when he published his article about the WE91A amplifiers in his Sound Practice Magazine, not before 1992. He combined the famous amplifier with Western Electrics smallest sized full range speaker made, the 8 inch paper cone design WE 755A in a open baffle enclosure. A completely different approach than in Paris but still a emotional expressive contented realization of aural superiority. But even such relatively cheap and room friendly realizations of listening sensation, took a while to built school in the US only a handful of aficionados did follow up. In Europe a broad movement started with small size full range speakers, mainly rescued from radio console units. Ending up in baffles or finally in resonant supporting enclosures build like traditional string instruments. Matching partners for vintage tube amplifiers such concepts have been for lots of people the first personal step to find into another audible reality beyond the common known strategies.

WE91A from a Japanese collector

Back into the early nineties it took a further while but even in wider terms tube amplified audio did act as a landslip for the saturated audio business. Tubes got widely fashionable and in particular  "cool looking" large bottled early DHT triodes like the WE 300B manifested some opposite distinction to the completely otherwise equalized market of indifferent interchangeable mass audio products. Other segmentation shifted to home cinema applications with dolby surround intentions. multi room realizations connected to dozens of speakers ...
In such a atmosphere tubes have made one major promise, they lead the interest back from a general functional overload and -kill as selling argument, back to a pure basic argument: the listenable sound quality.

Panacea of a commercial audio dream, the common audio amplifier a decade ago.

This was the floor on which DHT and SE established a completely opposite understanding of sound formation and articulation, a understanding of naturalness and realism, already some sort of a antithesis of the common audio thesis. Less was suddenly more, six watts of power output competed winning in a sudden with 250 watts and a similar amount of knobs at a black box.

Almost everybody I do know tried in the first half of the 1990ties a single ended triode amplifier. After been deeply involved into ordinary push-pull designs, the "single ended tube amplifier" was the thing to have. Companies like Audio-Note (GB), Audio Innovations, Cary Audio or Raphael Audio tried to fill this fast growing requests in Europe in the early nineties with diy kits and completed amps. Japanese designs from Shindo, Kondo or Uchida did set easily the pace, since other long term in Japan established brands like Morikawa, Sound Explorer, Sanei, TamaSound or Okaya never entered the western world. The transformers from Tango, Tamura or Hashimoto reached cult status and are beyond doubt.

A original WE 300B with yellow printed base.

But now after 30 years is the question: Were are all these amps gone? I do personally not know more than a handful of audio nuts which do still use a 300b amplifier in their actual set ups.
Lots of people use so called "digital amps" to create fully active three or four way amplifier arrays within DSP units to overcome the typical inherent problems of complex horn systems. Here the digital promises of improvements within several aspects of the technical sound structure (i.e. phasing, time alignments, room compensation, etc.) seem to overtake the elaborated human sensitive trained expertise of listening ability.
Others have come back to classic push-pull tube amps or do use more or less power horse transistor amplification to drive their needs. What is the reason? Does the single ended triode amplifier not feature enough control?

Today a period of 30 years summarizes a exceptional knowledge base and degree of experience through the distribution in the "world wide web".  Never before it was so easy to realize a complex setup, including wide band horn systems with precisely matching tube amplification. All components are available throughout the web (almost any WE horn development is available as exact copy, (13A, 14A, 15A, 16A, 22A, the Sato formula, several modern Japanese  designs like Goto, etc.). If you know what you are looking for, just order it.
You might be able to combine it with perfectly reproduced new Western Electric amplifiers made from vintage original parts, newly wound transformers to original iron cores and specifications, looking like new stock from Western or Northern Electric, but made in Japan or China. You just order it, 4000 EUR the pair in Japan, for half the amount you can get made the same from China.
If you need a matching low frequency enclosure like the WE 7331 dipole or a Onken type, just download the schematics from the web and find a carpenter for realization if you don't mind. Today everything has got so easy comparing the beginning in the 1970ties, you just need some money for your project...

WE 91A clone from China

Some Japanese DHT SE amps from the last two decades are showing up from time to time at Ebay and are hardly competing with cheap Chinese chrome traps. All these wonderfully hand made amplifers which never entered the western world are available very cheap, since the owners are becoming extinct and don't have descendants...A real bargain for those who know about. Sometime the transformers alone will cost even more second hand than the completely made amplifiers.

One of the speaker concepts designed by Maison de L'Audiophile thirty years ago, here realized
by Norbert Gütte from LignoLab in  technical perfection.

I have the hope that a smaller growing community of aficionados is still interested enough to keep the exchange about technologies, design features, components, ideas and ideals alive. I am still in hope that even some of the younger generation "without hardware" will unplug their earphones in order to share a more natural authentic experience of music articulation.
After this start I will continue about the history of fidelity with some articles about exceptional speaker designs which keep a similar orientated community alive. After my reports about the LineMagnetic Horns a year ago, I will try to present some competing products from other makers. And of course I will try to show alternative concepts, what I already did with my own Tannoy front loaded dipole enclosure. The Sato horn will be present, as the "Voice of the Theater A7" are in such a pool, other designs will follow...

Read on soon, Volker

New Headshells and Other News

Hello to everybody,

after a longer period of absence I am back here without the final two parts about the Leak TL 12.1 restoration parts planned. As already introduced, it was some sort of a experiment to do the restoration as remote project with somebody realizing the steps near Malmö in Sweden. Unfortunately I had now to cut this project since my partner Marcus is extremely unreliable and unsafe about the forthcoming of the project for such regulary entries. He was unable to show any forthcoming within the last months... So I have learned my lessons again, my reservations to be completely dependent from somebody came out to be even worse... I will not do such a experiment again!

Last step of transferred progression in Malmö with the Leaks, the soldering of the housings for the caps...

I will show complete replacement cap housings soon myself to finish this issue, since some people are interested to get such replacements sets for their Leaks TL12.1.


But now the audio season has already restarted. Any longer waiting can not be accepted, so I will  restart this blog with several good news and entries coming soon. One topic will be the introduction of a new headshell project. I want to find good replacements for the long time classic and favorite Ortofon headshells in A- and G-type form since almost all customers of my kit or arms are asking for them. I am planning to bring out a own type made from highly advanced materials with several aural benefits in a very similar style. Even the good things can be made better and vintage stock has got almost unobtainable. The original G-type shells are skyrocketing in price terms at Ebay through the last years, 200 to 300 EUR for even broken, incomplete or unmatching ones has got quite normal.
The run on idler wheel turntables has not only grown a worldwide hunt on such classic record players and tonearms, it creates as well a high demand for matching vintage accessories in style.
People which have read my reports about different materials of such all side closed headshell designs know, that I have already rejected wood for such a dedicated use with advanced audio preferences. A new designed G-type headshell needs to be made from materials with better matching attitudes than wood. I did make several tests with plastic injected molding procedures and composite casting materials. Materials which will match low edition production issues are not very useful in audio terms, these don't match the well known established qualities. The very lightweight compositions and are not solid enough to give heavy cartridges a necessary strong support in a heavy 12-inch armwand, nothing came out to be a real alternative to the thick wanded bakelite vintage types from Ortofon. But even Ortofon does not longer make such shells from injectable materials. Beside their classic metal types their production has shifted to pressed composition processes, using flakes of wood with coumpound materials.

Prototypes for molding models of the gypsum form made from synthetic materials and marble in a 1: 1,3 scale  together with all necessary parts for the finally produced  headshells.

I will try to find a highly improved replacement, matching all traditional design terms. They should look very similar, vintage and old school, but in technical and audible terms highly improve the classic types by far. First test show that porcelain is a exquisite material which might match all expectations. But further test are here still necessary.
I will introduce the classic G-type as complement to my SME 3012 MK1 heritage tonearms in a first step. Customers of such tonearms are looking for matching headshells in terms of historical, visual and technical perfection. Porcelain has always been used as technical advanced material like as electrical or heat isolator, it is water resistent and it is resistive against high pressure loads. So it can act as a favorite material to match all preferences for a ideal headshell with low compliance cartridges like the SPU or the Denon DL 103. Some Japanese companies have already introduced ceramic made headshells  in the 1970ties.

Ceramics are exceptional well matching materials in such terms, but there are other problems to come by in a small scale serial production. Actually I am working to find final solutions of the molded size, which will shrink in two steps after finally formed. The firing of the porcelaine and its glass coating will both have a massive influence to its shrinking size (values between 17 and 26 % are varying on used materials) and represent a increase of its density in verso. The temperatures  between 1200° and 1300° C degrees have a massive influence to the final baked density and so will the audible sound properties of the finalized shell shift with such different production values. There will be still some work to be coordinated till the best G-shell will be available.

Customized materials and staining for the customers in comparison to my own enclosures

During summer the production values for the TrueFi Tannoy dipole speaker have been evaluated. I did contact several carpenters, wood workers, boat designers and loudspeaker specialist in order find a solid reliable and reproducable production process for my speakers. Inquiries from interested customers make a adequate solution here necessary. For this reason several specialist have examined my own prototypes to find figures for a reproduceable serial production of small amounts. The result was of course as expected: too complicated, too much work, too much different materials and with "the biggest enemy of the carpenter – the curved wood*" a lot too complicated to be made in Germany to be paid its labour and material costs in a adequate way. * quote: Norbert Gütte
The good answer first, it got solved, the production is in process, the bad answer it is not cheap. If you see it as lifetime investment (and which commercial introduced audio product will be?) what they easily can be in terms of comparable value, they are still a bargain. These speakers might solve your loudspeaker question finally, which other type can do so. I only know a handful...

Raw new fronts made from solid mahogany layers
of solid wood

The first pairs will be finished soon and I will document some progressions and major changes comparing my own prototypes here. But they will be a lot better made in every respect. The first sets will get send out into the world soon, the first pair will be shipped to Australia.

Read on soon, Volker

Vintage Treasuries – The Restoration of Leak Valve Amplifiers, TL12 "Point One", Part III

Hello to everybody,

following on my restoration series about Leak TL12.1 amplifiers. After the general check out of the hardware, i.e. the test of continuity of all windings of each transformer coils and their check to shorts, it can be assumed that the expensive and irreplaceable hardware might work well. If it will operate flawless needs to be evaluated with precisely other tests running the units under current. We will see that later and take in mind that everything is ok.

A precise photo of the wiring details will help later to find the right connections.

Nice ensemble of expensive iron cores, the Leak TL12.1 mains transformer, the output transformer and the choke. Now they are ready for a careful cleaning.

Next step will be the solid cleaning of the chassis. For that reason it will be the best practice to disassemble the transformers and the PSU capacitor case from the chassis. But first I would suggest to make precise photos of the interior wire connections for a later reassembling guide. If all transformers and capacitor connections are documented, they can be desoldered from their wires. Next step is the unscrewing of parts from top. If all "black" components have been removed, normally a leave a "footprint" in form of dirt or wax edges will be visible. With a little effecting time, even with modest smooth household cleaner these edges can be wiped off easily. With a "Q-tip" all smaller edges (like slot screws, etc.) can be cleaned as well. If necessary the chromed screws on top of the transformers can be polished with steel wool to perfect shine. If rust makes more advanced labour necessary, these might be chromed again, in order to present the finished restoration of the amps as a detailed care mission. Such details are important optical signs of care.
I personally prefer a clean original look better than any complete new painting of the cases. The silk screen printing at the terminal side will make a new paint expensive and difficult to reproduce and finally I do prefer a clean authentic look. A 70 year old amplifier should shine with grandeur instead of a virtual competition with "chromed tube burgers from China", which are cheaper than a matched pair of NOS KT66s. The typical restoration of "like new" condition is actually very fashionable with the Hongkong based collector crowd. They restore all TL12.1s completely to new standard with reproduced main boards, new painting and silk screen printing, new covering boards and a new tar dipped paint for the transformers. Their results are looking expressive new, but lack clearly the superior charm of authenticity.

Typical dirt edges where the transformers were mounted need a good cleaning,
dish cleaner solvent and a little time might be good base to keep authenticity.

Mild cleaned chassis left comparing a untouched amp to the right

As already reported in part I, all broken bakelite parts like sockets, plugs, fuse holders, etc. can be found on Ebay in GB, when the main interest is original authenticity. Bulgin plugs and sockets are widely available in white and in black bakelite, as their matching modern successors from the same brand are supplied "new" from modern materials.

The main board might need necessarily to be desoldered completely as well. From the back side the soldering terminals are connected by wires. Isolated from the chassis it can be checked through for continuity measuring connection after connection. This process makes later disfunction problems obsolete, coming from the normally hidden wires. In general all electrolytic capacitors should be replaced definitivly, but after 60+ years of service even the oil paper coupling capacitors (5x 0.25uF/500V) should be replaced as well. Here the Russian caps are are a excellent and cheap value, much preferred above "boutique ware" for audio nuts. For the cathode bypassing (30uF at the input valve and 2x 25uF at the power valves) are several different types available today, a wide range from Black Gate Capacitors, over several audio optimized electrolytic capacitors with low ESR through classic bipolar tone frequency caps for crossovers, are a solution for replacement here. As well the cathode resistors of the power tubes should be replaced in general. They have heaten up a lot (burning marks at the board) might have got out of value a lot, so good 600 ohms wire types of 10 watts are a save solution.

Parts which should be removed after decades of service; red marked pio coupling caps (CC) , blue marked electrolytic cathode bypass caps (BC) and the cathode resistors of the power tubes (CR).

New stuffed board with new coupling and bypass caps (here 0.22uF/600V with porcelain tubes, the best non resonant material for coupling caps) and carbon composition restors.

Another big problem are the power supply capacitors hidden in the black box next to the output transformer. These are originally made by Plessey TCC, four units of 4uF/600V matched together in one can. It is widely common knowledge today that these will not fail, this is generally true. Paper in oil capacitors are sealed and so they don't dry out their coupling component like electrolytic capacitors do. But in real almost every set of Leak TL12.1s I have seen, one showed a leaking case. It might be the oil itself, the temperature or other chemical processes together which might solve the tin sealing the case for leaks. Beside such problems the used isolating mineral oil in 1950 was definitive far away from todays health preferences and did contain amounts of PCB. So this leaking oil is not should be avoided anyway, beside hefty hum problems the amp will show up with when leaking. The designed values here of 4uF for the loading cap, 8 uF for the filter cap and another 4uF for the smoothing cap are the lowest possible values for such a push-pull design and will only work if the used power valves are perfectly matched for symmetry. Any misbalance of tubes will show up with clear audible hum. If the cans leak, it will result directly as well in loss of filtering ability as audible hum. In almost all restoration descriptions in the web people use electrolytic caps with higher values, since they will fit physically inside the can and will "give a better filtering"-effect!? Some people don't realize that the most rectifier tubes cannot charge higher values than 16 to 24uF and it will quit service with short term live cycles. On the other hand are the huge metal-paper capacitors in the PSU rail is the key for the exceptional smooth sound attitudes these amps are known for. So the "black box" is a must in terms of originality and unmatched audible excellence.

I have observed the market for original and NOS paper capacitors since the beginning of Ebay in 1995, original replacements from TCC or similar manufacturers are almost impossible to find if they need to match physically the size of the original box. They are alway wider, higher or don't match electrically the preference.
The only company today able to produce perfect replacements in the western hemisphere might be Jensen in Copenhagen, but with considerable low amounts of units it might be impossible to start a realistic production. So here is now a option to keep both preferences up, originality and audible excellence.
I am happy to present here a general solution for all enthusiasts of these incomparable amplifiers for that problem.

Solid copper cases folded and welded from 1mm thick copper sheets. 

Exactly matching paper capacitors in terms of physical size and electrical preference

The unit will be potted with Carnauba-Wax against mechanical shock. They will get a primer coat and a finsh enamel coat in black to match the original cases.

I have made solid copper cases which match the sizes of the original Leak cases, which are filled with caper-in-oil-caps of the original values, 4-8-4uF/600V and will be potted with Carnauba-Wax for mechanical isolation. These will be available on request to match any Leak TL12.1 amp to resemble their original authentic appearance. The extreme smooth pio sound will be available again for the next 60 years of service...

Read on soon, Volker

Vintage Treasuries – The Restoration of Leak Valve Amplifiers, TL12 "Point One", Part II

Hello to everybody,

interested following our remote restoration project of the Leak TL12.1's in Tjörnarp near Malmö. As one of the first steps after general optical inspection of the amplifiers it is necessary to work out all defective hardware. The most important parts are the transformers, so here a first concentration of interest should take place. A good start for safeness is to check the dc resistance of any single coil wound with a meter for continuity and dc resistance higher than 0 Z. Here the schematic (published already in part I ) is a great help to identify the numbered contact terminals. Beginning with the primary side of the mains transformer, each section of the input voltage selector between 0, 200, 230 and 250 Volts should be checked for continuity (here indicated in order as no. 1,2,3,4). As well a still working fuse is a good indicator for intactness of the amp, even when its last running service was some decades ago and typically during storage some parts may have deteriorated? So don't connect it to ac power before all checks might have taken place, when you don't know about the history of your amp.

Continuity check with analog meter set to ohms, here shown testing at the first half of the two heater coils between 5 and 12 as grounding center contact (12 and 6 build the other half )

Next check will follow to contacts no. 9, 10 and 11 for the high tension coils with 10 to be the grounding center contact. Final check of the mains transformer (part number TL12/T3, this here is the closed type where /T2 is the older open frame type). Final check of the mains transformer is the heater winding for the rectifier tube between no. 7 and 8.
Next check will follow on to the choke (contact terminals are not indicated with figures) and it is just a single coil. If it shows continuity the check will be forwarded on to the most difficile coils, the output transformer (indicated as here TL12/T2/2). Here two different transformers can be found, the TL12/T2/1 shows a higher output impedance value as option.
Beginning with the primary side of the transformer, it shows mirrored symmetry between terminals no. 9,13,and 10 as first half and 11, 14 and 12 as second half. Continuity should be seen between each contact to the next. This means beginning with 9 to 13, than from 13 to10. The same with the mirrored other side. As well the secondary side will show up with four different coils to be checked: terminals no. 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6; as well 7 and 8.  If all contacts are checked at both amplifiers without any detected failure a first deep breath can be made, the continuity check was successful and everything irreplaceable seem to be intact. But this does not say that all isolated coils will work well with high voltages and realistic currents in the circuit?!

Here a 500k potentiometer was customized built in to keep the high sensitivity of Leaks input design variable. The high sensitivity was necessary in the early 1950's with low output components like tuners, tape recorders etc.. But today it is not any longer useful, since it makes a lot of unwanted side effects Today it might me more reasonable to go for a 100 to 250k stepped attenuator for the best sound.

One amplifier has got additionally equipped with some old style input socket and a attenuator for the input signal. Both parts are not original and might be rejected for this reason and for perfect matching of both amps. A much better way is to design such a attenuator for the input grid in a separate housing with octal plug in order to match physically the input socket (octal) of the amp (originally used to match the preamplifier until RC/PA/U. Here the common octal plugs (as used with Leaks connecting cables) or octal cases as used for relays are good components to build up for such a attenuated input circuit in combination with a rca socket. A excellent value here will be a stepped attenuators made from switched resistor pairs in order to keep only one exactly defined value in the signal loop instead of lossy carbon potentiometers. Another benefit will be that you can do different input modules for different reasons,  like one with symmetrical input transformer to match signals from studio equipment. So both variants will be plug&play!

Standard input module with RCA socket and 100k stepped attenuator with bulgin bakelite knob in separate octal bakelite housing, originally dedicated for relays.

For perfect care of the chassis it might be necessary to dismantle the hardware of both amplifiers further. If you want to go the whole way you should do perfect photographs from all sides in particular from all cable connections of the transformers (with flashlight) to identify later all connection again before you desolder these.
If you really have dismantled the chassis from all transformers, it can be cleaned perfectly. I am not a proponent of a complete dismantling with all parts like tube sockets, component board and cable tree,  or even further with new enamel and silk screen printing, because it might happen that working parts might brake and it will get difficult to find replacements matching the chassis. Octal sockets for example have to be the same type used by Leak itself, otherwise the sizes of holes will not match, very difficult to be found todays. Component boards need to be made completely by hand if necessary, but it is manageable. Aging parts need definitely to be replaced, so all electrolytic caps and lots of resistors need replacement, because their values have got out of range. As well here originality will be first choice and in almost all cases a better solution than modern "improved parts".

After dismantling the transformers and the capacitor housing the chassis need a good clean to get exempted from dirt, dust and grease of 60 years of service.

As already mentioned Leak did use for the smoothing and filtering rail of the power supply huge paper capacitors which were made to order by TCC in the 1950ties. Four capacitors of 4 uF/600V got sealed in one box with grease and oil as isolating liquids. The first one is the loading capacitor following the rectifier tube and heading a smoothing choke, followed by two of them in parallel to form a 8 uF filter unit with another 4 uF capacitor at the end of the rail. These paper capacitors normally will not fault, but after 60 years of service, storage and move, after heat, coldness and physical punishments almost all of them show oil at their base. This is a indicator of "leaks" which commonly will be accompanied with hefty audible hum. These leaking capacitors can be measured for capacity, but more important will be their esr (equivalent series resistance) factor. The esr can be measured only with disconnected capacitors with a special instrument, the most will not have such an option. The pure presence of grease might be reason enough to exchange the blocks, because the leak of oil will dry them out. And it will be pure pcb poisoned oil used within these days, so take care with such leaks, for yourself and for the environment!
At the well known heritage site for Leak amplifiers is shown how to replace the outworn capacitors with modern non lasting electrolytic types. By the one hand it is as already said extremely unpleasant to open up the original cans and clean them from all the pcb poisened grease and capacitor components. On the other hand the exchange of the exceptional sounding oil paper caps to modern electrolytic types degrade the sound characteristics to a mediocre level. I can not recommend using such components and would strictly rate to use paper capacitors again, if you want the full advantage these amps can show up with. But you will not find the matching sizes/values in needable amounts to drop into the cans. You might order them customized made with Jensen Capacitors in Copenhagen. They will be able to make them for you, but don't ask for costs. So what to do?

Capacitor block dismantled, showing clearly lots of leaking oil and grease as indicator of
a defective irreplaceble component. 

I hope I can show up within the next article of this thread about a authentic solution for all lovers of these amplifiers. A new set of perfectly matching cans made from sheet copper with paper capacitors built in perfect values of 4uF/8uF/4mF/600V might be ready to be shown than. Even better, I might be able to deliver these on request to people which only can accept a optical perfect original looking replacement with perfect sound characteristcs for their beloved amplifiers in order keep the desperate climbing values of these amps in mind.

Read on soon, Volker