Automatic turntables/record changers

For the most part these have always represented a compromise in quality, taking a backseat to convenience, (read CD).

Dual, Garrard, BSR, Miracord, and a few others offered fully automatic tables/changers throughout the years.

A number of reasons these were bad for sound and your records, stacking, VTA off, resonance, etc. Even Thing  above is getting fingerprints on them!

One man's junk........

I have been staring at this small paper plate full of busted phono cartridges on my dresser for about a couple of years now. A Goldbug Mr. Brier (the only one of these I actually damaged myself, taking it out of a cartridge case and my fingers slipped), a Monster Cable Genesis Sigma 2000, a Sumiko Blue Point Special, a Benz Micro Glider, and a Denon 103s that the diamond came unglued. With the advent of the new US Audio Mart, I decided to advertise a few of them for sale in need of re-tipping. After all, the ads are free. There are places like the Soundsmith that do this, it is not cheap. With the cost of a new quality low output MC cartridge knocking on the $1-2000+. mark today, this is a viable alternative for many. For myself, having 20+ working quality cartridges still, it is something I probably will not bother to do. A simple matter of making sure the coils are good (not shorted or open) with a meter, and someone can make something out of these. Five emails on the Goldbug in the first two days, the guy in Tennessee who simply said "I would like to buy this" won. The Monster is on its way to Portland Oregon to a guy that has always wanted one, and some interest in the Benz. So far the little paper plate full of busted phono cartridges has generated about $600. A couple more to list. Maybe if I clean them up I can sell my used toothbrushes?

Bastardized Again!

A couple of  months back, I described famous names in HiFi that have been bastardized over the years. The ad above was in my Sunday paper.

    No further explanation is necessary.................

Dayton Wright

I have made mention of  Dayton Wright  a few times in these pages, if nothing else to afford myself the opportunity to razz my friend Joe who has had my SPA in for repair for over two years now! He has found a second unit for parts in Syracuse, hopefully he will be able to resurrect this to operating condition.

 My first experience with these as I mentioned earlier was the leftover pieces at Esoteric Audio when I inherited the store. I picked up another SPS III on ebay last week, from a guy in Buffalo who actually had it sitting on my doorstep the next day! As I said in my feedback for him "he must have strapped rockets to his roller skates!". Turns out he was a member of the Western NY Audio club based in Buffalo years ago.I went to a couple of their swap meets. 

 I had one of these years ago, and Dayton Wright was/is amazingly good sounding gear. Upon hooking this up I had a familiar "oh,yeah." from years past. A Canadian company, they were purchased by Leigh Instruments in the  '80s. Probably best known for their electrostatic speakers, the XG 8 and XG 10. These were unique in that they were helium filled. They never offered a commercially available power amp, just preamps and speakers.They still have a website and it is somewhat spartan. I also have a 535 moving coil stepup that is probably the only active non-transformer based pre-pre that I like. In fact I  REALLY like it. They also made an SPL preamp not pictured here that basically was an SPS with a built in 535 (the SPS accommodates MM cartridges only) and a second tape input in a larger chassis. Watson loudspeakers were a division of Dayton Wright, and offered more conventional cone speakers.

As you can see by the pictures these are no frills designs. No tone controls (they did offer a graphic EQ), no wood cabinets, and rather drab cosmetics. But the phono sections-and oh, what phono sections! LP was considered the state of the art source choice back then, so that is where most of the engineering $$$ went. With the exception of the evolution of available parts quality I would put these designs up against anything made today. A word of caution- these have unlimited bandwidth. Meaning if you have a problem with feedback, low frequency noise or warped records it will magnify this and potentially send your woofers into convulsions!

  The SPS Mk III preamp

The SPA preamp

The DW 535 Infranoise MC cartridge head amp

The XG 8 Helium filled electrostatic loudspeaker

The power supply/energizer for the XG 8 

US Audio Mart rules!

This site just passed the test- sold this Luxman table to a guy in California. As many times as I listed it on Dregslist, had my balls broke, here was a guy willing to pay to ship it clear across the country! Amazing the difference in mentalities! Finally found an alternative to Audiogon, went without a hitch, good feedback from both parties. A lot of these sites have popped up over the years, this one will make it.

Lirpa Labs

Just in time for April Fools day, I thought I would bring back Lirpa Labs for your enjoyment. The now defunct Audio Magazine in their annual buyer's guides thirty years ago would always have them listed as a manufacturer with an entry or two, something like a deadweight tonearm, the I-DIOT  dynamic range reduction system, well, you get the picture. Pictured above is their Steampunk turntable, 1776 Freedom loudspeaker, Lirpa tuner, and headphone opener. The spirit lives on and has endured for many years!

R.I.P. David Manley 1939-2012

Shortly before the demise of James Bongiorno in January, David Manley passed in France in December of last year. His company was VTL (Vacuum Tube Logic) and was famous for the quality tube amplifiers that he designed. He also had a pro- audio company, Manley Laboratories that made some of the finest tubed pro gear available to recording studios, and as of a few years ago has re-entered the home audiophile market with some unique and striking designs..


Microphones, compressor limiters, mic preamps and hifi amplifiers and integrateds other products continue to this day to be successful under the direction of his fifth (!) ex- wife, EveAnna Manley.


 His son Luke currently runs VTL, and they are still very much alive in the audio world. David also had his own audiophile record label,  ViTaL  Records. He also will be sadly missed by the audio community.