It’s not a stereo…….it’s a true time machine.
Hello to this forum, and A Happy upcoming Holiday season to ALL. After more than three decades of sitting quietly in the back of my closet, I took out my dads old stereo equipment. I had attempted to use it back in the very early 80’s, however the entertainment cabinet I was using was too easily accessed by my young daughter and so I removed it and just never got around to setting it up again. Until right after this Thanksgiving. I wanted to play my childhood’s holiday music, on its original media in my house this year instead of on the modernized CD format I had replaced the originals with long ago. I was hoping I could install a few of my memories into my grand childrens heads for the holidays.
So out came a Garard Type A turntable, a Sony TC377 reel to reel tape deck, a pair of ElectroVoice ultra compact low resonance speakers, and one of my fathers favorite possessions…..his HHScott 355 multiplex preamp and its sister 208 amplifier. I remember my 4 brothers and sisters and myself taking turns whipping this unit like a rented mule. Singing into a microphone recording to Stairway To Heaven and all manner of recordings I could use to hold them hostage with against theyre families. My older brother would send us tapes from Germany, where he was stationed during the Viet Nam war. I have them all…….and like 500 other tapes along with 1000 records. My entire musical and audio childhood.
Well, I had removed the needle cartridge from the turntable before I put it away, so I’m going to have to hunt THAT down…..the tape deck is dead as it will need new belts and some cleaning. I remember this stereo spooling up as t slowly came to life…..and it hissed at me right away like it still remembered me. However, it sounded hurt…..like time had finally come for it, and maybe it was just saying goodbye. So I started swapping things to see if I could figure out what part of it was crying…..after about 10 minutes of sitting there just idling, all the noise seemed to quiet but trying to push anything through it it just didn’t want to sound good. I had some Bose 301 series 4 speakers I threw on it and low and behold……it WAS still alive, and as it turns out was raring to go! And go it went. I still had to put the CD player through it, but between tracks, or when the radio was on, when someone wasn’t speaking, or music playing, was totally silent…..Im astounded! Aside from decades of dust it’s pretty mint! Turns out the EV speakers have these dials on the rear, and these are what’s causing all the broken sound. I can find spots where they clean up but all the forward facing speaker parts are still in perfect condition.
I put a Cars CD in and immediately the AM/ FM dial started to turn from gold color to a sickening green……but when I threw down an Enoch Light and the Light Brigade disc and started with Heat Wave, oh it remembered exactly who it is, and who it’s new Daddy will be.
It was then that I was hearing it do what it has done SO SO SO many times, so effortlessly, and I smelled that unmistakable smell I closed my eyes and was back in my childhood living room. I could see it so clearly with my eyes closed. I can’t do any better to describe it. I about cried. I left here and went back there. On the sound of my youth calling me back.
My father would tell us that stereo and a bald guy could heat a gymnasium……and he was right. You don’t put this equipment anywhere near a thermostat. It WILL short circuit it. But it will heat the room it’s in. I know maybe this doesn’t belong in this thread or forum…..but you ALL have these time machines. I’ve only rediscovered what you all already know. If it was ever good once, it’s forever good. Its the movie “Field Of Dreams” You can go back.
Please everyone have a great 2023/4 Holiday Season and play some of your music that takes you all back. I’ll smile for you all. All the best on all of you……
Geoff
Hello to this forum, and A Happy upcoming Holiday season to ALL. After more than three decades of sitting quietly in the back of my closet, I took out my dads old stereo equipment. I had attempted to use it back in the very early 80’s, however the entertainment cabinet I was using was too easily accessed by my young daughter and so I removed it and just never got around to setting it up again. Until right after this Thanksgiving. I wanted to play my childhood’s holiday music, on its original media in my house this year instead of on the modernized CD format I had replaced the originals with long ago. I was hoping I could install a few of my memories into my grand childrens heads for the holidays.
So out came a Garard Type A turntable, a Sony TC377 reel to reel tape deck, a pair of ElectroVoice ultra compact low resonance speakers, and one of my fathers favorite possessions…..his HHScott 355 multiplex preamp and its sister 208 amplifier. I remember my 4 brothers and sisters and myself taking turns whipping this unit like a rented mule. Singing into a microphone recording to Stairway To Heaven and all manner of recordings I could use to hold them hostage with against theyre families. My older brother would send us tapes from Germany, where he was stationed during the Viet Nam war. I have them all…….and like 500 other tapes along with 1000 records. My entire musical and audio childhood.
Well, I had removed the needle cartridge from the turntable before I put it away, so I’m going to have to hunt THAT down…..the tape deck is dead as it will need new belts and some cleaning. I remember this stereo spooling up as t slowly came to life…..and it hissed at me right away like it still remembered me. However, it sounded hurt…..like time had finally come for it, and maybe it was just saying goodbye. So I started swapping things to see if I could figure out what part of it was crying…..after about 10 minutes of sitting there just idling, all the noise seemed to quiet but trying to push anything through it it just didn’t want to sound good. I had some Bose 301 series 4 speakers I threw on it and low and behold……it WAS still alive, and as it turns out was raring to go! And go it went. I still had to put the CD player through it, but between tracks, or when the radio was on, when someone wasn’t speaking, or music playing, was totally silent…..Im astounded! Aside from decades of dust it’s pretty mint! Turns out the EV speakers have these dials on the rear, and these are what’s causing all the broken sound. I can find spots where they clean up but all the forward facing speaker parts are still in perfect condition.
I put a Cars CD in and immediately the AM/ FM dial started to turn from gold color to a sickening green……but when I threw down an Enoch Light and the Light Brigade disc and started with Heat Wave, oh it remembered exactly who it is, and who it’s new Daddy will be.
It was then that I was hearing it do what it has done SO SO SO many times, so effortlessly, and I smelled that unmistakable smell I closed my eyes and was back in my childhood living room. I could see it so clearly with my eyes closed. I can’t do any better to describe it. I about cried. I left here and went back there. On the sound of my youth calling me back.
My father would tell us that stereo and a bald guy could heat a gymnasium……and he was right. You don’t put this equipment anywhere near a thermostat. It WILL short circuit it. But it will heat the room it’s in. I know maybe this doesn’t belong in this thread or forum…..but you ALL have these time machines. I’ve only rediscovered what you all already know. If it was ever good once, it’s forever good. Its the movie “Field Of Dreams” You can go back.
Please everyone have a great 2023/4 Holiday Season and play some of your music that takes you all back. I’ll smile for you all. All the best on all of you……
Geoff
