Author Archives: jwk

Stereo Aficionados

Posted on July 25, 2015 by jwk
Posted in Audio, Commentary, Stereo | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Old rocker complains about new technology

Posted on July 15, 2015 by jwk

According to Rolling Stone, Neil Young is pulling his catalog from all streaming music services over complaints about the sound quality. I don’t see this impacting me personally since I don’t listen to him and indeed can’t even name a … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Commentary, Ideas, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

1950s Motorola Modded Standalone Tube Amplifier Measurements

Posted on July 6, 2015 by jwk

I had an unusual project through the shop recently. It’s a Magnavox tube amp from the late 1950s. The owner brought it in reporting he’d purchased the amplifier, pulled from a damaged console stereo and modified to be a standalone … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, DIY, Electronics, Hi-Fi, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Eric Engineering Model 357 High-Fidelity FM Tuner

Posted on June 23, 2015 by jwk

I recently got to work on something quite unusaul, the Eric Engineering model 357 hi-fidelity tuner. Built by obscure outfit Eric Engineering in Santa Monica, CA in 1961, there’s relatively little known about these units. It’s a fairly simple ratio-detector … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

1974 Sony STR-6200F Receiver Overhaul and Alignment

Posted on June 19, 2015 by jwk

I recently got to work on a pretty big, fairly rare Sony receiver from 1973-74: the STR-6200F. It’s a powerful receiver featuring 60W per channel of power available, with quite a few inputs and outputs, and a strong FM tuner … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Hi-Fi, Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Speaker Spotter – Speakers of Craigslist: June 3rd, 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by jwk

It’s back – the Speakers of Craigslist, a periodic round-up of what’s interesting on my local Craigslist these days. Sorry for the hiatus, putting these together is a bit of work! As always, I am not affiliated with any of … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Commentary, Speakers, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hands On with the new Acer Chromebook 13

Posted on June 2, 2015 by jwk

I was recently in the market for a new laptop to replace my aging ProBook 4415S. It was a middle of the road HP business laptop from 2009, and over the years I’d upgraded the RAM to 4GB and installed … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Computers, Gadgets, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Marantz 2270 Stereophonic Receiver Overhaul and Adjustment

Posted on May 26, 2015 by jwk

I recently got to work on another iconic piece of hi-fi history, the Marantz 2270 stereo receiver. I’ve had this model through my shop before, as well as a couple of other 22xx receivers and they’re well built and generally … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Hi-Fi, Projects, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

ANOTHER fine achievement in radio set design

Posted on May 23, 2015 by jwk

Radio Retailing, Apr. 1929

Posted in Collections, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Need 45V batteries for your old radio?

Posted on May 21, 2015 by jwk

Rayovac has been making batteries for over 100 years, and their batteries were commonly found in use with many types of battery-operated tube radios. Most commonly, radios would operate on 45V batteries with a tap half-way (for 0-22.5-45V). Two in … Continue reading →

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