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THIS IS A HOBBYIST'S
WEBSITE FOR HOBBYISTS
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Sound
Fountain is your site for audio and music, analog and digital reproduction,
audiophile recordings and vintage equipment.
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UPDATED : APRIL, 2019
Cherish
your records and if you cannot get an old original, buy a re-release
that was pressed by the original label in the 1970s or 1980s.
Here
is why!
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On
a few pages short examples of music will start playing automatically
after the download is ready, but only if Microsoft Internet Explorer
is your browser.
Mozilla
Firefox and Google Chrome do not have the facility to let you
hear sound in the background.
BOOKS
FOR YOU
Click on the images
Joachim
Bung's Swiss Precision

Alfred
Wu's Collector's Illustrated Vinyl Bible

Horst
Scherg's 777 Record Covers
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HiFi Tunes
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ARTICLES IN DUTCH

ARTICLES IN GERMAN
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Just start Playing Records
with a Simple Audio Set to begin with
Some
people who want to start playing vinyl records get confused
by all sorts of details, technical stuff and contradictory
advice. This stops them from trying and from being adventurous.
They do not know that playing records is in fact very easy.
It
suffices to add a good second hand $100 turntable with a
quality $50 cartridge to the phono stage of the existing
amplifier. If the amplifier does not have a phono input,
the easiest thing to do is buying a second hand integrated
amplifier that has phono inputs at least for an MM cartridge.
Simply connect the Tape Out to the Auxiliary (line) input
sockets of the existing (pre-)amplifier.
An
alternative is acquiring a special Phono Stage (with RIAA
circuits built in) and connect it to the line stage (AUX)
of your amp. You can upgrade your system in this way.
If
you follow the simple and effective
instructions for setting up the turntable/ arm/ cartridge
correctly, you can enjoy the analog sound of many vinyl
discs. And if you like it, from there you can gradually
exchange parts of the system in order to improve the sound
reproduction. Only if you want to. That's it. And then...just
enjoy!

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The
Turntable Mat

LP
Records for SALE

Record
Storage

THE
DECCA LONDON RIBBON HIGH FREQUENCY TRANSDUCER
After
DECCA Special Products acquired Stanley Kelly's development
of the Ribbon Horn Loaded Loudspeaker, they made the Decca
London Ribbon tweeter with a larger horn and a lower cut off
frequency and many designers incorporated this extraordinary
tweeter in their top quality loudspeaker systems.

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LOUDSPEAKER
PLACEMENT
Are you planning to buy new loudspeakers?
Do you need a new amplifier? Or cables?
Maybe you just need repositioning your loudspeakers!
READ MORE
>>>
L i n k Page
About
Copyright:
Linking
& Quoting
Check
WHAT IS COPYRIGHT
Linking
to my site or a specific page is of course appreciated.
Quoting a short paragraph is permitted when at the same time
mentioning the source and possibly adding a link to my specific
page or my web site
If you want to use and publish content of my pages for whatever
purpose, please contact me first.
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Mercury
Living Presence:

Wilma
Cozart Fine
is Mercury.
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Concert
Hall - MMS
Musical Masterpiece Society

THE
REMINGTON SITE STARTS HERE



Your
Desert Island Discs
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RESPONSIBILITY:
Every so often you will find a link to the website of this or that
manufacturer, shop, or designer. These links are there for you to
inform yourself about interesting facts, products, views, etc. There
ends my responsoibility.
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WHY COLLECTING VINYL?
As
a young kid in 6th grade I spend a holiday with an aunt and uncle
who lived in a small fisher's town. I remember the beach walks
with my cousins and the movies we went to see. But there was more
what I remember.
My uncle was a radio technician. He had made himself a beautiful
tube amplifier with a separate power supply. He had constructed
a turntable driven by a cotton thread and the arm was an Ortofon.
The loudspeaker was also home made: a big reflex enclosure with
a unit made by Philips with a dual cone of paper. The cabinet
had a large square mouth.
When he played a 45 RPM Telefunken record with the title "In
der Bar nebenan" (In the bar next door) on which a pianist
was accompanied by a bass player and a drummer, my mouth fell
open because of the realism in the sound. Just then and there
did I realize that the reproduction was completely something else
than the sound of the radio we had at home. It was a pivotal experience.
My first one.
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Much later similar experiences would follow. For
example when I had bought "Checkmate"
played by
Shelly
Manne and his Men, my first Contemporary Lp.
Or when I heard Jan Endenburg's 3KF loudspeaker systems incorporating
the Ionofane high frequency units and also the versions with the
Decca London Ribbon tweeters, combined with the great Janis
subwoofer. And
of course with his turntable-arm-cartridge setup.
Today many people just collect vinyl because the discs are cheap.
I must admit that I have quite a few records in my collection
which I would not have bought if I had to pay the original price.
Many people
collect records because it is cool to do so. They do not care
about the quality of the reproduction. They will never understand
and enjoy the benefit of analogous sound. There is also a category
of collectors who buy so they can sell. And there is yet another
category who collect because of the performers and the performances.
Another reason for buying is the sound quality of vintage
stereo recordings and of perfect pressings from the nineteen
seventies, and even digital recordings pressed on lp from the
nineteen eighties of the last century.
Not everybody
falls strictly in just one category. There is mostly more than
one reason for buying records.
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Calligraphy
by Tsuneo Kobayashi <tsuneokobayashi@hotmail.com>
But if you had
an enlightening confrontation with a good sound system at a friend's
place, if you were struck by the performance of a good system at
a show or in a shop, then that event could be your pivotal experience
which would make you discover that the high frequency region was
more extending and added to the naturalness of the instruments,
only of course if the recording was not damaged by a bad needle.
And you would also find that definition in the lower and mid region
gave more depth than the CD is able to.
In that case my pages are for you. Here you can find information
which can help you to enjoy the richness of any good analog Lp you
have discovered. The front end should be as perfect as possible:
a good turntable, a good cartridge which is well aligned
and adjusted, a turntable weight or clamp,
and a device or a method for cleaning records.
Enjoy!
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The question is not whether the analog LP is such a wonderful medium
and is better than the currently available digital formats. Because
it is.
The real question is: why doesn't the industry make a digital format
that is truly superior to the high resolution analog tape and vinyl
record. - R.A.B.
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Long
Playing Records Last More Than 100 Years?
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Sometimes
you hear a person state an opinion with an aplomb as if he were the
expert on the subject that he is talking about. There are many experts.
But is every expert a true expert?
When
vinyl records are the subject, one has to read fora and magazines
or sometimes there is a newspaper article that comes up with a so
called expert opinion. In a shop where
they sell second hand vinyl and newly pressed 180 gr. records, I overheard
a conversation between a novice and an "expert". Both were
visitors of the shop. The expert stated that vinyl records do not
last forever, thus warning the novice not to invest in LP's.

Interesting
Record Shops in Amsterdam
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He
- the expert - does not realize that we have prove that vinyl records
can last more than 60 years. The LP was ready in 1947 and was officially
introduced in 1948.
It
is true, not many of these discs are around any longer. And the ones
that have survived the ravages of time, are generally no longer in
an acceptable state. They may have been played with heavy cartridges
and worn needles.
Yet
there are items that are still fine to listen to and give exceptional
sound quality for their age.
There
are many records from the 1960s and 1970s that were well taken care
of by their owners and still have a high quality. And
what about the digital editions that were pressed up to 1993 and are
the last "analog" testimonies of the artists of the 1980s
and early 1990s ?
In
case the wizkid meant that only the antique discs would be collectable,
he should not forget that even the non-antique discs give so much
joy. On top of that, records can always be played back.
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Even
with a pin and an improvised paper membrane, which cannot be said
of any digital format.
Specifically
in the last decade the understanding of the exceptional vinyl record
has increased. New cartridges have been designed. Turntables are better
than ever, even the vintage specimen function perfectly well because
knowledgeable people restore them.
Loudspeakers too have improved significantly. Today it is possible
to buy even small loudspeaker systems that are dynamic in behaviour
and extended in frequency response. And more than ever before, they
measure a low distortion figure and reveal the analog signal in full
detail. Also the understanding of how to keep records in good shape
by cleaning them, and storing them correctly, has improved.
Well,
the so called expert had probably come to his opinion because he bought
a Beatles Parlophone disc that had been used for a frisbee. In that
case it did not even last 1 year, let alone 100 years - what IMHO
may be well expected. Remember also that after a market low, the value
may well increase. Take care. - R.A.B.
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COMPLAINTS
IF ANY....
Very
often we hear from hobbyists, audiophiles and music lovers who have
complaints concerning a malfunctioning product, a bad repair, or the
unwillingness of a manufacturer or importer to take responsibility
for their product. Many people assume that if they pay a lot of money
for a high end product, also the guarantee and the service are provided.
That is however not always the case and the customer is not only disappointed
but he is without the proper functioning product he initially bought
or had serviced. We soon will report those cases when a manufacturer,
dealer or importer gave bad service or no service at all.
The following examples will be published soon:
How a Kiseki Purple Heart Sapphire was sent to Jan Allaerts to be
repaired by him, and when he damaged the cartridge he promised to
replace the coils with his own and would include his best tip, but
after 5 years of delays and promises he just sent back the damaged
cartridge in parts. It was Aalt Jouk van den Hul who refurbished the
cartridge and did the final repair and turned it into a fantastic
sounding cartridge.
Another example is how the importer of Shure needles in the Netherlands
tried to sell an imitation tip for the V15VXMR as being the original.
These stories and more will be published on this page as a warning
always to check carefully when buying a product, to be cautious when
choosing the repairman or shop.
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Poem
of Ecstasy
The
strings lie in a golden bedding,
eyes wide open, tensely awaiting
the moving gestures of the virtuoso.
All
is quiet yet. The scanty light
is mirroring in the black lacquer.
Steps are approaching softly, and
a chord will hesitantly emerge.
It
will resonate a brazen warmth,
and will fill the air with thunder.
It will simply die and go away again.
R.A.B.
Gina
Bachauer playing
Rachmaninoff's Prelude
No. 10, Op. 32.
(Erato STU 70768)
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Important:
Cartridge
and Needle Check. When
was the last time you had the diamond tip of your cartridge checked?
More than 2 years ago?
Then
it is time to have the tip checked by an expert. Or you can
do it yourself if you have a microscope. Some people think that
new needle assemblies are no longer available or that a specific
MC cartridge is no longer in production. There are still over 3000
types of diamond styli available. Just find a dealer or an importer,
or contact the manufacturer directly. Remember: a diamond stylus
will last for 1000 hours of playing time. Quality tips (like van
den Hul's special shaped tip) have a life span of 2000 hours of
playing time.
And remember:
you should always ask for the original replacement stylus which
sounds the best. Only if it is no longer available you have to opt
for a cheaper imitation or change the cartridge for a modern type.
If it is
a Moving Coil cartridge you can have a genuine van den Hul tip mounted.
Ask him about the possibilities of retipping your specific cartridge.
Sometimes the distortion you hear is not from the damaged grooves,
but is generated by a worn diamond tip. A perfect stylus lowers
the distortion and will increase the life span of your treasured
records. See also: Turntable
Adjustment
Audio
& Music Bulletin
Copyright 1998-2009 by Rudolf
A. Bruil and co-authors
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