Introduction 

Greetings and Salutations,

Most people interested and enthusiastic about music reproduction at home will be owners of an Audio playback system of some sort. Even a simple “one box” system (is there such a thing?) is a complex device filled with all sorts of electronic wizardry and usually some mechanical functionality as well. The recording and playback of music involves the physical phenomenon of sound waves in the air at the start and end of the process. Electro-mechanical  equipment is used to capture these musical events, process them (usually), store them, duplicate, distribute and ultimately reproduce these musical events back in into the air of your listening space (including the air in your ear canal dear headphone/earbud enthusiasts!) for your enjoyment and contemplation. 

What is misunderstood these days, and it easy to see why, with the proliferation of devices, platforms, topologies, ideas and marketing hyperbole, is that these electronic devices are really very similar to each other, in that they all convert mechanical to electrical energy and vice versa. A cone speaker can be (and is) a microphone, A ribbon driver (speaker) is just a large ribbon transducer (microphone). Tap a vacuum tube and see if you don’t hear the corresponding sound emanating from the connected speakers. Only just recently our esteemed Pierre delighted in tapping a turntable deck to demonstrate the reproduced (rather loud) thump issuing forth from the speaker system.

Also hidden and usually unseen are the tiny stylii, tape heads, suspensions, pivots, motors, belts, bearings, switch contacts and the list does go on that are subject to friction, heat, moisture, corrosion, old age and the bane of all home audio enthusiasts, dust!

So this blog thread is therefore dedicated to the set up, optimization, maintenance and care of your Audio equipment. Naturally the lions share will be centered on the venerable and much loved turntable but not exclusively so. We will delve into all sorts of interesting areas, we might even get technical, certainly bound to be controversial, but always with passion, a dash of insight and a fair lathering of scepticism.

Now stand by for the first instalment !!!

Tips and Tweeks