The 1976 issue 1 of The Audio Amateur launches the year with a focused look at precision signal management, innovative record maintenance, and high-performance tube amplification. Here are the highlights of this issue:
- Audio Mixers: Part I: Begin your journey into professional-grade audio production. Edward J. Gately, Jr. kicks off a definitive series on mixer design and signal management, covering everything from input pads and panning to the complexities of cue/foldback systems.
- A Vacuum System for Cleaning Recordings: Give your vinyl a new lease on life. Robert C. Borden details how to build a DIY record-cleaning machine using a vacuum nozzle and a clever "reading pacer" lead screw to pull deep-seated dirt out of the grooves for pristine, silent playback.
- The Sanders Electrostatic Amplifier: Power your electrostatic speakers with the transparency they deserve. Roger R. Sanders presents a high-voltage, direct-coupled tube amplifier designed to eliminate the "masking effects" of transformers and achieve stunning midrange detail.
- A Seismic Platform: Stop acoustic feedback before it starts. This project details the construction of a mechanical isolation platform using specialized Barry mounts to protect your turntable from room vibrations and footfalls.
- Kit Report: Ace ZD Preamp: Is "zero distortion" possible in a budget kit? This in-depth evaluation examines the Ace Audio Basic Preamp, testing its minimalist "straight-wire-with-gain" philosophy and subjective sonic performance.
- Product Report: Toyo Peak Level Meter: Upgrade your monitoring beyond sluggish analog needles. This report evaluates a high-speed electronic peak meter that provides a more accurate look at the fast transients in your audio signal.
- Are Four Channels Enough?: Explore the limits of spatial reproduction. Dennis Bayzer provides a philosophical and technical critique of quadraphonic sound, questioning if four speakers are truly enough to capture the realism of a live concert hall.
- Audio Aids: This issue features essential DIY hacks, including techniques for cassette tape conservation, servicing the Sansui 3000A receiver, and an ingenious shim to save tape recorder heads from premature wear.
- Classic Circuitry: Audio Research D-76: Study a modern tube legend. This issue includes the complete, detailed schematic for the Audio Research D-76 amplifier, a masterpiece of regulated tube engineering.
Table of Contents
- Audio Mixers: Part I: by Edward J. Gately, Jr. ................................................................ 4
- A Vacuum System for Cleaning Recordings: by Robert C. Borden .............................. 6
- The Sanders Electrostatic Amplifier: by Roger R. Sanders .......................................... 12
- A Seismic Platform: by H. L. Eisenson ............................................................................ 17
- Audio Aids: by readers Gibbons, Hardwick, Hermeyer, Harris, Lister, Gloeckler ............ 20
- Kit Report: Ace ZD Preamp: by James Thoroman .......................................................... 26
- Product Report: Toyo Peak Level Meter: by Douglas H. Preis ...................................... 31
- Are Four Channels Enough?: by Dennis Bayzer ............................................................. 34
- Classic Circuitry: Audio Research D-76 Amplifier .......................................................... 36
- Bookshelf: IC's Galore: by R. H. Miller ............................................................................ 38
- LETTERS ................................................................................................................................. 40
- CORRECTIONS ..................................................................................................................... 40
- CLASSIFIED ............................................................................................................................. 44
- AD INDEX ............................................................................................................................... 43