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Post by sandawa on Sept 14, 2005 9:13:08 GMT 7
had my usual Tuesday (and Friday) warehouse visits yesterday and found nothing special among new arrivals. i proceeded to Toto, a friendly trader, where i found an Esotec (Marantz) PM-5 on one corner, apparently a new acquisition. www11.plala.or.jp/se_ke5583/MARANTZ/amp/pm-5.htmli asked how much, he replied P2.8K and haggled for P2.5K, he said okay. i tested it and paid P2.8K, realizing it's worth more than that, say, P4K would be the reasonable quote. i'm not much of a Marantz guy but the Esotec series claims a corner on hifi history considering it was the last link between US and Japan Marantz. if i can still remember, Saul Marantz sold his firm to Superscope, a US company which has investments in Japan. when one of Superscope's Japanese firms, Standard Electric (yes, it's the grandfather brand of our Standard electric fan) got into trouble, it converted Standard's facilities into a Marantz hifi complex. Japanese investors eventually controlled Marantz, and Superscope sold its shares to Philips of Netherlands. Philips eventually sold its Marantz shares to the Japanese. anyway, the Esotec series was reportedly designed by US engineers and manufactured in Japan after Saul Marantz retired. with gold-tone all over, Esotec's front panel is characterized by too many knobs and toggles (which i dislike). i tested it for about 8 hours last night and this morning and it does get very hot when the class A switch is on (80wpc class A/B and 20wpc class A). played four hours of Miles Davis and four hours of Wagner, Sibelius, Mormon Tabernacle Choir and San Miguel Chorale. the verdict? it is a junior version of the powerful Alpha 907. seems to be under rated for its power and could handle extremely loud passages with ease. i thought this is a bargain since it's used selling price in the US ranges from $300 to $400 about the same quotes for Dynaco ST-70's. here are some photos:
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Post by sandawa on Sept 23, 2005 16:56:07 GMT 7
frustrated with no surplus hifi to buy this week, i found a shop here, Lancer Electronics at San Pedro St. near Tomas Claudio St., which still has over a hundred replacement styli, mostly Japanese (Nagaoka) but including US brands (Walco replacements.) take note that the needles i found at Gaisano Mall, where a Shure N-44-7 replacement was sold at P89.95, suddenly disappeared from the shelves. could be the Gaisanos were tipped off that they were selling at extremely low price. anyway, the new treasure chest i found is better: a lot of Shure, Audio Technica and some US brands. my Pickering XV15-1200E, which was orphaned close to 20 years ago finally found a replacement made by Walco. my AT-12 Shibata also got a new stylus made by Nagaoka. Walco replacements were also available for Shure M-91E, which fit my M-75 cartridge. here are some photos: here are the new styli i got - two Shure N-91 at P250 each ($28 online price); Pickering XV15-1200E at P250 ($116 online price); and Audio Technica AT-12 Shibata at P385 ($120 online price). the cartridges where they would be fitted: M75 for the Shure N-91s (it also fits M55 and M44, at least this is elliptical); AT-12S fitted i think with AT-12 stylus; and the Pickering XV15 where the frame of the stylus assembly shed off about 15 years ago due to age. The Pickering cartridge with the new stylus. The AT-12 Shibata assembly.
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Lordfoo
Audionut
Listen to be heard.
Posts: 225
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Post by Lordfoo on Sept 24, 2005 6:49:34 GMT 7
Sir,
Sir wala bang mga nice VFETs diyan sa Dabao? i know VFETS can be a difficult unit to resurrect once you damage impossible to replace parts but I am convinced they sound extremely well.
I haven't gotten around to having my Pioneer PL630 resurrected since I've found it difficult to visit Raon. My drive to have a go at it has been kindled by the nice pics of turntable gear you posted.
Foo
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Post by sandawa on Sept 24, 2005 8:24:17 GMT 7
there's a defective Sony TA-4650 in a trader's shop here that you can probably buy at a giveaway price (less than P2K). that would provide you backup parts for your VFET.
i'm quite happy with my latest treasure find. i have tested all four styli i got and they were all A-okay, especially the Pickering and Audio Technica replacements. i intend to buy at least a dozen styli this weekend for Shure, AT and Pickering to make sure my TTs would be working in the next 20 years with no problem.
these are practically the same replacement unts advertised online and sold at hundreds of dollars each. these will save me a lot of money and be happy with my vinyl collection until i turn old and grey.
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Post by sandawa on Sept 24, 2005 19:31:58 GMT 7
just bought a dozen Shure and other brands' replacements, including one for V15 Type IV. i'm thinking of offering the Chinese shop owner P20K for the entire lot of over 100 styli with about two dozen Shure models including those for V15 types 3 and 2, M95, and M91. there also a few Pickering, Stanton and Empire styluses.
i'll probably post tomorrow specific models and prices, ranging from P250 (Taiwan - Magnetic brand) to P300 (US and Japan - Walco and Nagaoka, respectively), so Shure cartridge owners who are members of Pinoy Audio could place orders. its relatively easy for me to send these items there since it's light and could be delivered within 24 hours. i'll post details at the trade section of the forum - tomorrow after i'm done with my work (yes, Sunday is regular working day for me!)
just a clarification - i'm not going to make money out of this. just to provide you with easy access to inexpensive styli, which are quoted from $20 to $100 per unit from online sources.
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narayan
Audionut
I am a peaceful soul
Posts: 234
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Post by narayan on Sept 24, 2005 20:17:33 GMT 7
hi nani, that's a very nice gesture on your part bro . am sure a lot of analog users will benefit from your selfless offer . ang sarap ng pakiramdam pag nakakadiscover tayo ng ganyang bargain ano ;D same feeling ng makabili ng mura but very good condition na lps ;D
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Post by Superman on Sept 27, 2005 6:37:01 GMT 7
sir sandawa, sana pala sumama ako sa iyo after tayo nagkita ni sir egp...dami niyan ha...nabalitaan ko rin yang tindahan na yan but didn't have complete info kaya di na ako nagpunta...OK yan! ... pag merong pwede sa akin, let me know, thanks!
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Post by sandawa on Sept 27, 2005 8:19:38 GMT 7
i actually found it late Friday afternoon, a day after we had snacks Thursday when i visited Manny Yu (but did not go to Lancer Electronics). i remember you said you were leaving Saturday, so i just posted the info here. i thought if your flight was Saturday night and you've read the post, you would have the time to visit that shop.
i wanted to get in touch with you but my problem, is your number was not stored on my Ericsson's memory (it was on my old Nokia brick hiding somewhere and i was too lazy to retrieve it).
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Post by sandawa on Oct 11, 2005 18:28:14 GMT 7
lucky to have several acquisitions these past two days here in Davao:
a.) Sandawa - Yamaha NS-10M studio monitor speakers; Luxman L-80 integrated amplifier; and Pioneer CS-F77 floorstander speakers b.) Diego - Pioneer A-717 integrated amplifier and PSB 500 speakers
as usual, acquisition costs were low, equivalent to a day, or several days of work, per unit. a bit busy these days but will post pics and specs on a website i'm currently developing.
POSTSCRIPT:
now i know why record producers say if a mix sounds okay on a Yamaha NS-10M, it would surely sound superb on ordinary speakers. this legendary studio monitors were simply the worst among the popular speakers i've heard. the high is overly bright, the mid is nasal, and the bass is weak. studio engineers have ways to make it sound neutral - using the tissue paper solution on the tweeters and changing caps. i'm not doing any modification yet.
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Post by sandawa on Oct 15, 2005 14:30:33 GMT 7
my website project that would showcase outside and inside photos - as well as specs and performance - of all vintage hifi equipment now in my possession and those available in traders' shops for sale here in Davao would take a couple of months more to complete. so, here are the photos of the gears i bought last week. i won't mention prices anymore to be fair to the traders. anyway, here they are: Luxman L-80 (1975 - 35wpc; power consumption - 150 watts) the Luxman L-80 was produced in 1975, not 1978 as indicated in western Luxman websites. this unit has a small knob with words "50 Years Anniversary Edition" you could only read using a magnifier. take note that Luxman was established in 1925. this amp definitely passed Tim de Paravicini since he joined Luxman in 1972 and left in 1976 to do consultancy job for Musical Fidelity (his first output for that company was the MF A1). my Luxman collection comprises only those made in '70s (it was possible even those made in 1978 passed de Paravicini since product development to launching usually takes one to two years). thus, i shun away even from good-looking Luxman hybrids and especially those with Alpine/Luxman brand in front. however, i would not run away from an L-570 which was produced in mid-80s originally sold in the US at roughly $7,000 and still selling at US eBay at over $2,000 used. Yamaha NS-10M (professional studio monitor 1980s; 25 to 50 watts input) since my early days as hifi enthusiast, i'd wanted to get a pair of these speakers considering it became so popular among recording studios worldwide. these used to be the secret weapon of recording producers in the US that consistently produced hits. they said if you could tolerate a 3-minute song-mix using NS-10M for playback, that song would surely chart. any song, they say, that played well on these speakers would sound excellent even on home mid-fi component systems. from roughly $200 per pair in 1980, its price has gone up to about $1,000 per pair now. it is also the subject of many scientific researches made on how a studio monitor should sound like. how about these: www.bobhodas.com/tissue.htmlwww.soundonsound.com/sos/Jun02/articles/monitors.aspPioneer CS-F77 (late '70s floorstander - 29X14X12 inches) couldn't leave a pair of this on the warehouse after the staff told me how much it costs. was too happy when i heard it at home since it has the US east cost bright sound similar to JBLs. i have an Asian taste for speakers although the best in my possession remains UK's Epos 14 and EV's Interface A made in Michigan. for most high-power pop/rock listening though, i still go for my floorstanders - an ESS Performance 9, Denon 104, Sansui SP-K3000 and now, this thumping Pioneer.
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Post by Superman on Oct 26, 2005 11:36:31 GMT 7
hi nani! bro, any new sightings this week?? thanks!
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Post by sandawa on Oct 26, 2005 14:07:12 GMT 7
nag-ikot ako last Monday: zero. ngayong Friday daw.
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Post by sandawa on Oct 31, 2005 15:39:50 GMT 7
hardly new hifi arrivals here in Davao these past few weeks, so, i handed a friendly scavenger P50 bucks to look for CDPs from a mountain of old junks in one of the warehouses here. the good thing is i've convinced the warehouse manager that he can't sell those junks at current rate of P500 each, so he gave me additional discount. thus, from Friday to Sunday, i got 4 CDPs but only 3 are in working condition. these are: Sony CDP-11s, Sony CDP-990, Kenwood DP-3080, and Pioneer PD-313. i found out the Pioneer player has a missing optical lens - thus, a hopeless case. the two Sony's are working but with minor problems: the 11s, a 1983 first generation player, has a bum tray-driver motor and could be used in the meantime as a top loading machine (the pressure clamp on top of the disc moves up and down, so no problem inserting a CD). the 990's lens assembly riser does not work but if you manually push the assembly up, the player reads CDs fast. the saving grace among my latest acquisitions is the Kenwood 3080, which was a mid-90s model and once given very high rating rating by both Hifi Choice and Hifi World. it was retailed in UK at 180 pounds (could be retailed by Makati's hifi shops specializing on imported gear from England as much as P20K). here are the actual photos: the Sony CDP-11s on top of an x333es to show its size compared with current CDPs. it plays okay, vis-a-vis my expectations from a first generation CDP (considering the installed Sony-made CX-series DAC was eventually replaced in suceeding ES models by Philips' TDA chip. i intended to buy this late '80s CDP-990 top of regular Sony line a long time ago due to good reviews in the Internet but was discouraged by its weight, less than 5 kgs. although bigger, its innards are less than half of those in the ES models, the smaller 11s is actually heavier. this Kenwood 3080 is what i call a bargain, despite being an entry level model in UK hifi market. it's made in Korea for the European market. it's even lighter than sony 990 but the design is updated and almost comparable with new production units in appearance and performance. it plays all CDRs i have including those poorly recorded and responds quick to the regular Kenwood remote control.
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Post by sandawa on Nov 18, 2005 17:08:50 GMT 7
acquisitions last week comprise 3 upscale cassette decks: 1. TEAC V9000; 2. Pioneer CT-920; and 3. Pioneer T-818. TEAC V9000 was TOTL in late '80s while Pioneer CT920 is second in line back in early '80s. the Pioneer T818 (black) is an early '90s model and two notches below the top of the line model. got these vintage gear at 50% discount of the regular warehouse price, so almost a giveaway. the T818 is working very well but not as good as Sony's TOTLs and my upscale Naks. the two others need cleaning inside as well as rubber belt changes. from the top: TEAC V9000, Pioneer CT-920 and Pioneer T-818
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Post by sandawa on Dec 8, 2005 19:46:43 GMT 7
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Post by sandawa on Dec 16, 2005 13:58:27 GMT 7
my latest acquisition is not exactly a hifi equipment, but it does play CDs nicely - using SRS/3D technology. it's a Japan-standard iMac but still needs Mac OS conversion from Japanese to English. i was the first, i think, to use an iMac here in Davao in 1998 (when retail price for a system was close to P80K and my then employer bought one for me). i thought i can't pass one of this now at such giveaway price. i might buy another one, maybe orange or red, this weekend since i saw about 50 units being sold at such low price. excellent audio-video center at P2.5K aside from Internet and desktop publishing functions it was famous for.
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Post by Superman on Dec 17, 2005 5:59:57 GMT 7
sir, madami pa bang I-Mac?? see you tuesday!
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Post by sandawa on Dec 17, 2005 7:49:58 GMT 7
dami pa. pipili ako ng isa pang unit ngayon dadalhin ko sa Maynila, laruan pag nandyan ako para hindi na magdala ng laptop. baka maka-tsamba ng iMac G4.
BTW, Marco Polo called me up an hour after i inquired yesterday afternoon. they're willing to give you two nights at 50% discount plus one night free (3-night stay). kaya lang peak-season ngayon, i won't recommend at their current $100 rate - masyadong taga! but if you have a companion - the room is Double - that's reasonable.
if you need a room badly, just inform me so i can call them.
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Post by Superman on Dec 17, 2005 10:53:29 GMT 7
sir, thanks ha! tawagan agad kita pagdating ko...baka may mahanap ka na maganda-ganda pang I-Mac diyan, maski anong kulay, para kay supergirl and sa sister ko...walang keyboard and other accesories yan di ba?? thanks!
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Post by sandawa on Dec 18, 2005 9:14:50 GMT 7
sir, i checked ArJoel's iMacs yesterday, P2K each, and found advanced versions, tested about 6 but all have problems - flickering screens, OS that fails, no power, etc. there are about 2 dozen more units similar to mine, the original G3 version released in 1998 (lower speed but PII or even PIII equivalent in actual performance). it's running Mac OS 8.5 but upgradable to OS-X, the system used by new G5 iMacs. you can choose from the rest, which i haven't tested when you jave the time. JLLP, where i got mine at P2.5K, has run out of iMac units but a lot of PCs - PIII starting at P6K for complete packages (w/o printers). yes, the iMacs sold have no mouse or keyboard but they run on ordinary USB accessories. got a CDR-king PC mouse at P240 and a mini/slim Matrix PC keyboard at P800 that run on Macs. i'd have no problem with my unit since our online firm in Manila used to be iMac's RP dealer. i think i can get software spares free. shown in photo below is the iMac (with Design Acoustics PS-10s hooked to a Sonic T-amp) playing Pinoy rock classics, such as those as Maria Cafra's and Juan dela Cruz's.
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