Our November 2016 issue is a diverse collection of great articles with something for everyone and lots of hands-on projects! On the cover, readers will recognize the familiar vision of a turntable cartridge mixed with good old analog circuits and components, providing the background for some of this month’s content.audioXpress November 2016 features an excellent report from Neville Roberts (United Kingdom), about the experience of recording a jazz repertoire with a full orchestra at one of the best studios in the World - Air Studios in London - literally direct to cut. In “The Vinyl Frontier,” the author explains how he had the privilege of attending a session of the latest offering of Clare Teal with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra for the UK record label Chasing The Dragon. Owned by Mike Valentine, this record label specializes in direct-to-disk vinyl records of classical and jazz music and continues to explore the cutting of a vinyl master.
On the topic of electronic components, Scott Dorsey explores the virtues of KEMET’s PEG124 Series of Electrolytic Capacitors. In this detailed review, inspired by a recent discussion about the short lifespan of electrolytic capacitors in consumer products, Dorsey decided to find out what KEMET’s PEG124 Series was all about, explores the story of the Swedish company, and shares his impressions after receiving a batch of 25 capacitors to test, five each of five different values.
Ron Tipton continues to explore the field of “Room Correction” in a practical and realistic way. In the past few months, he looked at several computer programs to correct the way we hear sound in a room, with different options based on increased performance at an increased cost. This month, he explores a program that he found to offer the best overall performance: Dirac Live, from Sweden, available in two versions: Stereo and (up to) eight channels, for both Windows and Mac.
And if you are looking for great hands-on projects, audioXpress November 2016 also includes a detailed report from Bruce Brown - an expert with vintage audio equipment - about the restoration of a pair of Fairchild 275 tube amps. As he explains, the article describes the restoration but the general principles can be applied to any tube amplifier. Of course, anyone with access to one or two of these wonderful Fairchild 275 amplifiers would like to see them functioning at their best - after all, these are some of the finest tube amplifiers ever commercially built.
Also for the DIY - and fun - perspective, this issue of audioXpress includes a simple project from Raj Gorkhali (from Nepal). He explains how to build a simple AM/SW1 radio receiver with a 455 kHz ceramic filter, using readily available parts. In fact, for this project, the author salvaged parts from an old medium wave (MW)/SW1–SW2 transistor, he used 2-pin 455 kHz ceramic
filters, which can be found on any old TV or VCR IR remote control and recovered a variable capacitor from an old radio set. The combination enables DIYers to build an AM/SW1 radio receiver for very little money, even if you have to buy the parts.
In Audio Electronics, our tube expert Gerhard Haas from Germany moves out of his usual explorations of tube amplifiers to explain how we can build “Measuring Filters for Interference and Noise Voltage Measurements.” As he explains, when amplifiers need to be measured and assessed in terms of hum and noise, suitable measuring equipment is often unavailable. Many measuring systems don’t have suitable measuring filters. Level meters with such filters are necessary to perform accurate measurements and are usually too expensive for hobby electronic technicians. The filter he explains in this article can be built at a reasonable cost and can be turned into a useful audio frequency measuring device in combination with an oscilloscope.
On the topic of accurately measuring audio devices, Richard Honeycutt discusses “Balanced Hollow-State Circuits and Hum” in his monthly Hollow-State Electronics column. And in his Sound Control column, Honeycutt discusses “Speaker Placement in Rooms” and specific guidelines for good sound in large and small rooms.
This edition also features an interview with Dennis Foley of Acoustic Fields, discussing his fascinating experience with acoustics and how his company is “Making Acoustics a Priority.” In this interview, Foley reveals a little more about his discovery of new materials for acoustic treatment and the foundations for Acoustic Fields’s tools, such as the Quadratic Diffuser Absorber (QDA), which combines two units within one.
Finally, for our readers who enjoyed reading Thomas Perazella’s article about the 2016 Midwest Audiofest, promoted every year by Parts Express, this month we share his “Backstage Access” to the company, with an insider’s look at this major industry force.All this and more, now available. Access and download this edition now: www.gotomyxpress.com
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