Reel-to-Reel II

Roland Schellin's miniature tape recorder collection includes some stunning examples of 1950s and 1960s technology, including the world's first entirely solid state recorder - the Teltape.

http://www.sabinebendlin.de/tonbandwelt/big/92.htm ( In German but lots of great pics )

What happened to DAT?

DAT (Digital Audio Tape) was developed by Sony and Philips (the creators of the CD format) in the mid-1980s. It was designed to offer pristine digital recording on tiny 4mm tapes. This clever little format seemed like the perfect replacement for the ubiquitous cassette tape, yet it never fulfilled that promise.

So why did the format fail? Well, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was terrified by the prospect of consumers owning technology that could produce "perfect" digital copies of music. They lobbied hard for legislation to restrict digital recording and the Audio Home Recording Act was passed in 1992. The AHRA required serial copy protection in every consumer player to prevent users from making more than a single generation digital copy, and it required royalties on DAT machines and blank tape. The legislation was enough to slow adoption of DAT and it was eventually overtaken by the vast popularity of affordable recordable CD drives. DAT went on to enjoy brief success in the professional audio market and later became a de-facto standard for computer data backup.

Sony stopped selling DAT machines in December 2005, officially making DAT obsolete. They reported that sales had dropped to a mere 100 units per month.

See also, audiotools DAT page for more background
http://audiotools.com/dat.html

The Quad Pages

http://members.aol.com/pmobbs/Site2/quadpa..._5___new_valves

The Quad ESL:

http://users.chariot.net.au/~debpeter/quad.html

The Voice Of Music

What a great name for an audio company.

V-M Corporation was a leading electronics manufacturer and supplier. V-M record changer and tape recorder deck components were purchased by numerous manufacturers for their own lines of equipment marketed under hundreds of brand names.

http://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/

What a great link Alvaro.

I didn´t even know those contraptions existed, and I thought I knew it all.

Well, not exactly all, but close.

Jorge

Tanx mate.

Bang & Olufsen Vintage radio site

http://www.thogersen.dk/

Marantz

http://www.quarter-a.netfirms.com/ The PM Series.

http://www.marantz.com/new/index.cfm?fusea...&cont=eu&bus=hf Marantz Europe.

The Silver Pioneer Reference Site

http://www.silverpioneer.netfirms.com/

History of some Tube Companies

http://www.vintagetubeservices.com/page8.html

Loads of Altec info.

http://web.archive.org/web/20041111094232/....com/altec.html

Turntable Pix

Awesome photos.

Just click on the photos.

http://www.niji.or.jp/home/k-nisi/anarogue.html

http://k-nisi.hp.infoseek.co.jp/anarogue2.htm

http://k-nisi.hp.infoseek.co.jp/anarogue3.html

" VintageSilvertones.com is a currated collection of electric guitars chosen for their unique tone, design, and significance in electric guitar history from approximately 1950-1980. This collection approaches electric guitars from the underdog perspective. So we carry guitars built for the masses, luthiers & manufacturers who pushed the boundaries as to what was possible in terms of not only instrument quality but tone. Design also plays an important consideration in this collection. Alternative materials, innovative tuning systems, and high quality-low cost manufacturing processes are only some of the unique qualities found on instruments at VintageSilvertones.com."

http://www.vintagesilvertones.com/ Awesome pix.

The Echo Verb

Back in the old days, adding ambiance to music was a serious challenge. Some creative studio owners built concrete rooms and recorded the output from speakers. Less wealthy musicians relied on electro-mechanical spring reverb units and tape delays. Sadly, the quirky old techniques were obliterated almost overnight by the arrival of low-cost digital effects units.

In an effort to revive and improve upon devices of the past, Unity Audio has unleashed the Echo Verb. This unit features six playback heads, along with record and erase heads.

The company says, "The aim was to eliminate all the problems associated with early tape echo machines, improving the performance, whilst retaining the unique analogue tape echo sound which has never been achieved through digital devices, be it hardware or software based plug-ins. Modern improvements for example include extremely low noise circuitry and the ability to select any combination of 6 available heads.

Many leading professionals still like the idea of using tape echo, or indeed are still use old existing units, many of which are on their last legs, because nothing has been able to recreate that unique sound and the hands on approach, until now!"

The Echo Verb - 6 Head Tape Echo & Reverb

Sansui

"I assume that Sansui started as a transformer company. This is borne out by the fact that they made some of the best iron ever available. And that they were known as the Sansui Electric Company in the early days. They made fine equipment that employed their skill in heavy metal, such as reel to reel decks with motors that continue to function flawlessly to this day. The motors and transports just keep on chugging long after competitors decks have gone to the great scap heap in the sky.

They went on to make valve equipment in the 60s and some of the very best transistor equipment ever made anywhere. They forced the semiconductor industry to develop transistors that would do what they needed them to do. That is why many of the semiconductors used in their power amps are no longer available. Nobody else demanded as much.

Then the bean counters got to them and they used off the shelf ICs in their power amp sections, and the cabinets went to plastic junk, from the previous beautiful aluminum extrusions. After this, it was only a matter of time.

Nowadays, you see the Sansui name on all manner of consumer electronics, but it is only labelling. The fine engineering and manufacturing processes of yesteryear are gone.

It's a crying shame. But it happened to many other fine names, as well. Marantz, Sherwood, Fisher, etc. C'est la vie..."

Quote from Sansui History.

http://www.classicsansui.net/

http://www.tube-amps.net/

http://www.sansui.us/toc.htm

http://www.geocities.com/quadaudio/page21quadbob9001.html

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%...n&hl=en&ie=UTF8

The Online Guide to Whistling Records

Here you'll find over 100 MP3s from whistlers around the world, many of which date back some eighty years! Highlights include sections on Fred Lowery (The Blind Whistler) and Brother Bones, who recorded one of the most instantly recognizable songs of the 20th century, "Sweet Georgia Brown," adopted by the Harlem Globetrotters as their official theme song.

http://www.whistlingrecords.com/