Re: [ARSCLIST] (dream) restoration phono preamp opinions wanted

[Robert Hodge <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>]

Hi John,

Just FYI, Mcintosh built an external power supply called an D-8A
that will run the c-4 or c-8 beautifully.It has a hum balance pot that
is effective in minimising hum. Note minimising !!

Hope this is usefull. Or buy the parts and build one yourself. Nothing
special.

Bob Hodge 

Robert Hodge,
Senior Engineer
Belfer Audio Archive
Syracuse University
222 Waverly Ave .
Syracuse N.Y. 13244-2010

315-443- 7971
FAX-315-443-4866

>>> smolians@xxxxxxxxx 4/4/2007 1:20 PM >>>
I've been working some from mono LPs to master to CD.  In my
experience, 
accurate recording/playback eq is imprecise at best, and, quite
frequently, 
imaginary.  Further eq is always needed.

I've encountered a specific situation where I've had three issues of a

Period LP, all mastered before 1959, each with its own eq.  One was
early, 
probably Columbia, c. 1951, for which I used the LP setting. Another, 
mastered by RCA with the type in 1954 in small block letters and
numbers, 
used NAB,  a third, using the same RCA matrix number but handwritten,
fell 
in the cracks somewhere. I used RIAA and adjusted a whole lot with an 
equalizer.

Tube equipment has hum- it's genetic!  It should be removed during the

restoration process.  If you prefer your finished audio with tube
sound, ok. 
But don't plead accuracy.  You are deliberately including non-musical
noise.

In short- you know the answer.  Listening.

Steve Smolian


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Ross" <johnross@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] (dream) restoration phono preamp opinions
wanted


> At  4/3/2007 10:24 PM, EricJ wrote:
>>When it comes to phono preamps that are capable of
>>historical EQs, I was wondering...
>>
>>1.  How many people use anything but RIAA, NAB, and FLAT
>>     EQs for digital transfers when doing preservation work?
>
> For 78s and pre-RIAA LPs, I generally use a tube-era preamp that has

> front-panel adjustments for Turnover and Rolloff. A McIntosh C-8 is 
> particularly flexible, but it requires an early Mac power amplifier
as a 
> power supply. I also like my Scott 121-C, with the Dynaural Noise 
> Reduction function. I wouldn't use the noise reduction for
preservation, 
> but it's nice for casual listening. Of course, any tube equipment of
that 
> vintage almost certainly needs to be re-capped before you would want
to 
> use it for serious work.
>
>
>>2.  Is the ability to reproduce a wide range of EQs on the phono
preamp 
>>important, or do you apply the final EQ in the DAW using digital
filters?
>
> I think either approach is acceptable, as long as the EQ is correct.
>
>>3.  Do you use an analog processor in conjunction with your DAW to
apply 
>>EQ later to a FLAT digital transfer (ie. an analog processor loop)?
>
> No.
>
>>4.  How often do you run into the situation where your phono preamp 
>>doesn't have the EQ you want?  It gets close, but not quite what you
want.
>
> That is not an issue with either the Scott or the McIntosh preamps.
>
>>8.  If the phono preamp has accurate EQ(s), is quiet, and has low 
>>distortion, does anyone prefer tube versus solid-state electronics? 
Does 
>>this matter?
>
> Obviously, I'm partial to tubes, but for RIAA  EQ, I also use
solid-state 
> (including a McIntosh C-24, a Stanton 310 and some other broadcast
preamps 
> with balanced outputs
>
>
>>9.  Do you use a custom-built phono preamp or a commercial phono
preamp?
>
> They're all commercial devices.
>
>
>>And if there's a phono preamp that supports historical EQs that you
>>really absolutely love, let me know, because maybe I should be
buying
>>instead of building.
>
> As I said earlier, I like both the Mac C-8 and the Scott 121-C. 
> Unfortunately, both are subject to the demands of the loony
collectors' 
> market, so the prices are out of line with their value as playback
tools. 
> You can find relatively inexpensive C-8s, but they're useless without
an 
> expensive MC-30 or 20W-2 amplifier to supply power to the tubes.
>
> John Ross
>
>
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