The Death of a Tube

Don't ask me why, BUT I loved this...

"ANNOUNCEMENT:

A very sad message from Kees has reached us.

One of his Acturus 227 tubes has passed away. It died quietly and unexpectedly from a broken filament, at the age of 79 years.

ARCTURUS Tube 227
Born 1927
Died February 2006 "

R.I.P. Arcturus Blue 227...

Thanks to Kees;-)

Studer C-37 or Telefunken M-15?

A battle of giants...

Musings - Fake nude-look fashion...

Thanks to my friend Chiara for hinting this...

I love women who smiles about this... crappy, yet amusing stuff;-)

Ears and hearing: Milind Kunchur and his research

Psychophysics, auditory neurophysiology, and high-fidelity audio

Many misconceptions and mysteries surround the perception and reproduction of musical sounds. Specifications such as frequency response and certain common distortions provide an inadequate indication of the sound quality, whereas accuracy in the time domain is known to significantly influence audio transparency. While the -->upper frequency cutoff of human hearing is around 18 kHz (or even lower in older individuals) a much higher bandwidth and temporal resolution can influence the perception of sound. Non-linearities and temporal complexities in the auditory system negate the simple f ~ 1/t reciprocal relationship between frequency and time. In our group's research -- which lies at the intersection of psychophysics, human hearing, and high-end audio -- we measure the limits of human hearing and relate them to the neurophysiology of the auditory system. These experiments also help to define the criteria for perfect fidelity in a sound-reproduction system. Our recent behavioral studies on human subjects proved that humans can discern timing alterations on a 5 microsecond time scale, indicating that that digital sampling rates used in common consumer audio (such as CD) are insufficient for fully preserving transparency.

http://www.cas.sc.edu/dean/news/2009/HiFi-Critic-Kunchur.pdf

and

http://images.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.physics.sc.edu/~kunchur/webmnk2009.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.physics.sc.edu/kunchur/&usg=__c_3ltclM22jqPZBmdWi2q3ppzSc=&h=522&w=450&sz=80&hl=it&start=2&tbnid=Hc-IRnBGmlp-lM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmilind%2Bkunchur%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Dit%26sa%3DG

Thanking my friend Manolis and my brother Georges... mmmmhh, interesting stuff!

WJAAS - Hasegawa-san's Blog from Japan: the care and love for the detail!

http://audiooyazi.exblog.jp/

Hasegawa-san's Blog is a shiny example of the care an artisan put on EVERYTHING he does... from restoring an humble receiver to the most precious gear ever.

Has been an honour being hosted at his place, last September...

Thanks - as always - to Seo-san for hinting this, and, again, for introducing me to Hasegawa-san himself...

STC/COLES 4038 - Dr. Keith O. Johnson's choice - the secret of Reference Recordings?

http://www.coutant.org/stc/4038/4038.pdf

Neumann's Dummy head stereo microphone... alien or human?

NEUMANN KU100 Stereo - The dummy head has its place, even in the age of surround sound. It is highly recommended by some audio engineers for the rear channels. The KU 100 dummy head is a binaural stereo microphone. It resembles the human head and has two microphone capsules built into the ears. When listening through high-quality headphones it gives the illusion of being right at the scene of the acoustic events. When using the KU 100 dummy head, the binaural stereo experience moves the listener into the scene of the original performance, in contrast to other space-related recording techniques, where the acoustic event is moved to the listener. The dummy head is also used in many industrial applications as a measuring device, for example in acoustic research. The KU 100 can be operated with typical 48 V phantom powering, or from an external power supply unit, or from the built-in battery. At the bottom of the unit is a switch for the different power supply modes, as well as connectors for balanced and unbalanced output signals. Inside the head are additional switches for 10 dB attenuation and the high-pass filter. The idea The KU 100 dummy head is a replica of the human head with a microphone built into each ear. When the recorded audio signal is reproduced through high-quality headphones the listener perceives a sound image almost identical to the one he would have heard at the recording location of the dummy head (head-related stereophony). When played back through loudspeakers, the sound matches to a high degree that of conventional stereo microphones, placed in the same position. However, a superior quality is added, that of a distinct spatial depth perception. The KU 100 dummy head is just as easy to use during creative radio drama productions, and music recordings where the room acoustics should be recorded at the same time. The dummy head is also contributed essentially as an important tool to preserve natural sounds of all kinds. In addition, the dummy head is frequently used to examine and document the influence of noise in industrial applications at various working places under realistic conditions.

The KU 100 uses transformerless circuitry with the advantage of high output capability, fast transient response, and extremely low self noise. The usual output transformers are replaced by electronic circuits. As with traditional transformers, this technique ensures good common mode rejection, and prevents RF interference, that may influence the balanced audio signals. The dummy head provides balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (BNC) outputs. It can be powered in three different modes: from an external P 48 phantom power supply, with batteries as part of the internal battery supply, or from an external AC mains supply (included with the system). Filter and attenuation A 10 dB switch inside the head attenuates the sensitivity. A second switch selects the cutoff frequency of the high-pass filter to be either linear, 40 Hz, or 150 Hz. Delivery range The KU 100 comes in a robust aluminum carrying case, together with an external power supply unit, a 5-pin XLR cable, and an adapter cable that splits the 5-pin XLR output into two 3-pin XLR connectors.

Costing about EUR 5.000, incl. an aluminium suitcase;-) - it's a sought-after, dream microphone of mine.

... next life?

NEUMANN GFM 132 boundary-layer microphone: a winner

NEUMANN GFM-132 - The problem solver for special recording situations.

The uniform frequency response for all angles of incidence, with an increase in the upper frequency range, ensures clarity and presence even when recording distant sound sources. However, optimal results are also obtainable when the mic is located in the bass drum! The GFM 132 is a boundary layer microphone. Through computer simulation Neumann optimized the design to be free of any comb filter effects due to reflections, typical of other such microphones. The smooth frequency response for all angles of incidence exhibits a rise in the upper frequency range. This assures that all sound sources, even distant ones, will be recorded with clarity and presence. Therefore, typical applications are for live recordings, such as in the orchestra pit of opera houses, theaters, and on stage. The back of the microphone has non-slip pads for its use in a horizontal or inclined position, and holes for wall suspension. It is supplied with a wooden case and a wind screen. Background Boundary-layer microphones are generally characterized by the following features: - They have an identical flat frequency response in the diffuse-field and free-field. - They have a hemispherical polar pattern, independent of the frequency. - They have a 6 dB higher output level through pressure doubling at the boundary surface.

Until recently, neither the potential of identical diffuse- and free-field response, nor the ideal hemispherical polar patterns throughout the entire frequency range have been achieved by any known boundary-layer microphone. Circular, square, or rectangular plates were used to mount the acoustic transducer and to provide the "live" sound reflecting surface for pressure doubling at high frequencies. However, such shapes have disadvantages: The sound pressure level at the position of the transducer depends on the frequency and the incidence angle. The incoming primary sound field is superimposed upon the secondary sound field resulting from diffraction at the edges of the plate. As a result, boundary-layer microphones using circular, square or rectangular shaped plates generate linear distortion, such as comb filter effects, of frequency and polar response.

The Neumann solution The GFM 132 boundary-layer microphone has a unique, computer generated shape that totally avoids these disadvantages. The path lengths from each edge point to the center of the transducer are distributed evenly for all wavelengths within the frequency range. This design eliminates any possible linear distortion of frequencies caused at the location of the electro-acoustic transducer by the interaction of the incoming primary sound field with the secondary sound field from diffraction at the edges of the plate. The operating range of the plate reaches from the lowest frequency causing a pressure doubling in front of the plate to the upper limit of the audible range. The microphone features a smooth frequency response for all angles of incidence, with a slight rise in amplitude in the upper frequency range. This assures that all sound sources, even dis-tant ones, will be recorded with clarity and presence. Acoustic features -

The microphone provides high output voltage through pressure doubling at the boundary surface. - Identical diffuse- and free-field frequency response. Its advantage is that the apparent tonal balance of a moving sound source is independent of the distance and direction. - The special geometric shape prevents angle-dependent coloration in the vertical and horizontal planes. - There are no comb filter effects in typical applications, for example on a speaker's desk, as they would occur through reflections, using conventional microphones. - The hemispherical polar pattern is independent of the frequency, producing a spatial sound with presence and excellent transparency. - As is common for a pressure transducer, the microphone is insensitive to structure borne noise and air movements. - The microphone reproduces with great accuracy very low frequencies if the boundary layer is adequately large. - In surroundings with good acoustics the GFM 132 creates incredibly realistic AB-stereo recordings, taking advantage of delay and intensity differences in the audio signal. Electrical features The GFM 132 uses transformerless circuitry and operates on 48 V phantom power. The usual output transformer is replaced by an electronic circuit.

As with traditional transformers, this design ensures good common mode rejection and prevents RF interference that may influence the balanced audio signal. The microphone features high output capability and extremely low self noise. It provides exceptionally clean sound reproduction free of coloration. Attenuation The microphone has a 10 dB attenuation switch to prevent the input of the following unit from being overloaded. The switch is located next to the cable connector at the side of the GFM 132 boundary layer microphone

WJAAS - a superb Blog from Japan

http://kaorin27.blog67.fc2.com/blog-category-8.html

Super, super, super... full of classy pictures and great gears, mostly pro, classic cinema or studio German-made stuffs...

Thanks to my friend Gab for bringing this to my (and everyone) attention.

Well worth a careful, loving browsing to the several topics and posts.

WJAAS - a new field-coil speaker from sensei Oosawa-san, Tokyo-jin, Nihon

Thanking the always friendly and warm Seo-san... here is a picture of.... no, NOT a washing-machines row, BUT the new, mighty sized 50 cm diameter field-coil speakers designed and hand-built by Oosawa-san.

Reported to sound awesome.

A clever and skilled, tasty artisan.

The Amorphous Androgynous

... sitars, acoustic guitars, tablas, spacey electric guitars... a dream group I wasn't aware of... of course... thanking Mojo magazine, I recently filled the gap...

They're a mix between Quintessence from early '70s, some Matt Valentine and Erika Elder (MV+EE) stuffs with Jerry Garcia-like solos and some (personal ref...) anonymous music I listened to when 14 or 15 years old at a freak gathering where people - all students older than myself - was smoking dope and playing free-form improvised acoustic music... acoustic guitars, bongos, voices...

An experience (music, NOT cannabis...;-))) which - plainly said - changed my life.

TAA are - it's my opinion - a well worth listening for everyone into acoustic music, yet NOT that yuppie wall-paper-like muzak (once?) called New Age...

Sincere, welcome... I loved them

Ears and hearing - flu and music

If you happen to have an upcoming flu... don't listen to yr. stereo!

This should be taught to every audiophile in the very first months of their passion... to avoid hassles, sometimes expensive troubles.

I tried these very days and... oh, oh... would you guess... awful balancing, bass heavy, absent mids, tilted highs... exactly what I blame most!

I read something on the matter, and it seems that when flu is - someway - "closing" (plugging/clogging) our ears, it happens via a sudden moving inner earwax and making some parts - i.e. "stereocilia" (I love this VERY name;-) - less... well, ready.

I apologize for my above primitiveness in (trying to) explaining the phenomena.

Changing frequencies catptation, faking brain with the result of this different awareness of ear to outer world, music included... more or less, like nobody (myself included - I don't recognize my own voice...) know me when I speak at the phone these days... lower voice tone, etc...

This, to my VERY purpouses doesn't explain nothing... I'm only aware of the results... so, please: do not listen to your music system when well into any flu... you could be disappointed...

What the doctor says... and says, again...

THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE, WISHING WELL and GO YOUR WAY MY LOVE

The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes, and the moon and stars were the gifts you gave, To the dark and empty skies my love, Dark and empty skies. The first time ever I kissed your lips I felt the earth move in my hand, Like the trembling heart of a captive bird That was there at my command, my love, That was there at my command. The first time ever I lay with you I felt your heart beat close to mine, And I knew our joy would fill the earth And would last till the end of time, my love, And would last till the end of time. The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes, and the moon and stars were the gifts you gave, To the dark and empty skies my love, Dark and empty skies.

Wishing Well Wilt thou water Hide my burden Until I return, Return this way again. I will plant Red, red flowers Around your wall. When that wind Blows pebbles unto the water. Wishing Well Wilt thou water Hide my burden Until I return, Return this way again.

and

Drawing water from the well, spilling over on the grass, walking homeward, my heart is filled with pain, woe -oh oh oh oh is me, go your way my love, go your way my love. Drawing water from the well, spilling over on the grass, walking homeward, my heart is filled with pain, woe -oh oh oh oh is me go your way my love, go your way my love.

Three perfect songs, the first by Ewan Mc Coll, sung by Bert Jansch and the two latter by Anne Briggs as sung by Anne herself or Bert Jansch...

Here the blending of voice and lyrics and music reach peaks of pure magic...

I had, yesterday evening, a relaxed listening session of some Topic's ol' Anne Briggs' discs, followed by the CBS' second disc "The Time has Come" continuing to end the homely music evening with a couple of side by Bert Jansch: the classic "Jack Orion", "Birthday Blues" and "Moonshine", only to enjoy two versions of the The first time I ever saw your face and the superb Wishing Well...

What can I say... yes, Dave Goulder's "January Man" or "Rambleaway" or "Twa Corbies" - all from "Moonshine" - are masterpieces of good taste and distilled, weighted notes... but when Anne and Bert sings the three VERY songs I quoted... the birds stop singing, the leaves on the trees stand still, the babies stop crying, the policemen stop whistling and cars honking.

It's words and music and poetry... it's love in music... you see the naked souls of lovers, the desire... it's pure romance.

I was considering - while quietly seated on the sofa - it's several days I only listen to discs, not disks at all... I almost exclusively pick up a record from a shelf and listen to it from first to last groove... the pleasure is TRULY complete, I'm enjoying music, the audio system disappears as it should... only the emotion remains.

That's what we're ALL after...

19 years old Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell died!

A young Canadian folk-singer was killed - in Cape Breton Highlands National Park - Nova Scotia, Canada - by coyotes!

Such a naked, plainly said news seems to belong to a '800 pioneers newspaper chronicle...

Sad remains the fact a young, talented young handsome woman had such an horrible, untimely, weird (kind-of) death... or, maybe, NOT... as she loved wildlife and nature and... life is SO strange, don't you?

From the Web:

"Well, technically, this was Taylor Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell was an up-and-coming Canadian folk singer (we’ve all been there, right?) who, at 19, had her life cut tragically short this week when she was ATTACKED AND KILLED BY COYOTES. You read that right. And it wasn’t even on some ridiculous OKC newscast.

Now comes the tough part. For me, I mean. And that has to do with navigating such an obviously tragic loss while trying to convey the level of badass that took Taylor Mitchell from this world. The original CNN.com story lets us know that “She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity,” to which we can relate. Well, one of us anyway. Chad is a small-town guy from Oklahoma, and has spent many a glorious hour frolicking around in nature’s bosom. He too has a deep appreciation for the woods. However..he has somehow managed to not be murdered by wildlife. Joel on the other hand, being from California, has only smelled nature’s sweet spice in the field between his house and the local Burrito Barn. He wouldn’t know a pack of wild, angry coyotes if they gang-tackled him and just…well, you get the idea. The point is, having respect for the woods and its inhabitants doesn’t really translate into them having respect for you. But in her defense, what the fuck were these coyotes thinking?

I have to wonder if it went down wrong, and that there’s some kind of “leader” coyote to blame for getting them all shot. Like, was there a coyote sit-down before this premeditated murder of an innocent human? Were they just after the ham that all Canadians tragically keep in their pockets at all times? Maybe the whole thing just went sour from the start, Resevoir Dogs-style. I can almost picture it…

Coyote Leader – “Now, here’s how it’s gonna go down: Number two, you’ll distract her with your scary howling. Number three, as soon as she looks away, you jump her and go straight for the ham, yeah? Numbers 4-9, you just hang back with me and make sure she doesn’t have a gun, eh. This is Canada, so we should be ok. Remember, it’s all aboot the ham.”

But the poor, out-of-touch coyote leader didn’t know that his troops had been up for days, smoking meth and drinking all the sweet, burning Canadian moonshine they had found a few campsites ago. They were on edge, they didn’t listen, and shit just escalated. Fast. What was supposed to be a simple mugging turned into what could only be called “senseless” or “sensational” or maybe “badass” with the killing of the young singer. So senseless. Not to mention the slaughter of an entire coyote street gang. They got no jury. They got no due process. All they got was shot. Did they deserve it? Well, this time, yes; they did. But that doesn’t mean that the coyote community isn’t also in shock. In that world, will they go down as heroes or villains?

To sum things up, this is one of the saddest, craziest things we’ve ever read. The loss of such a lovely, talented person is never easy. It seems as though she was good and humble and considerate, so our thoughts go out to everyone whose life she touched. But on the other hand, as far as dying-young-as-a-singer goes; this is pretty badass. We think her early demise stands above simple plane crashes, overdoses (accidental or not) and getting shot by a woman whom you thought was the prostitute you were chasing naked through a parking lot, and gives her instant legendary status. Taylor Mitchell: Folk singer, teenager, Canadian, legendarily murdered by coyotes. That’s pretty badass. Respect."

R.I.P. and respect... like Gregory Corso once wrote: "When a child dies, also Death itself gets sad and hides itself in an old cinema the whole day" or something...

Morrison Hotel Gallery - Artists and their pets on a 2010 Calendar

2010 Calendar

Eichmann Silver Bullet RCA plugs: among the VERY best connectors ever!

Eichmann Silver Bullet Plugs - RCA Connector

Breakthrough in RCA plug technology and the closest approach to no plug at all.

* Use of highly conductive machined solid silver (99.99% pure) for superior conductivity.
* Patented design. Unique single point ground for eddy current reduction and enhanced signal integrity.
* Extensive use of glass impregnated moulded polymers. Ideal resonance and electrical characteristics.
* Unique hollow tube design for best possible signal transmission. Facilitates soldering at the conductor's tip for an even more direct connection.
* Standard in black polymer. Optional aluminium housings available in various colours; un-anodised silver, anodised gold and anodised black.
* Currently used by many cable manufacturers.
* Compatible with all RCA sockets.
* Designed and manufactured in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
* Limited number of special silver with 24 carat hard gold plated pins available, only in black aluminium housing (no presentation box and supplied as 2x black and 2x white)


Why the Bullet Plug connector is better than the RCA plug you presently use: the Bullet Plug connector is a totally new approach to RCA / phono connection where every aspect of electron flow has been considered. Each pack contains 4 connectors (2 black / 2 red).

The result is an RCA compatible connector that can improve the performance of any analogue, digital or video cable - often dramatically. The Eichmann BulletPlug represents a radical departure from conventional RCA designs. Rather than overwhelm the user with mass, thickness, and a jewelled contact surface, the Eichmann BulletPlug is a minimalist design in which thickness, mass, materials, and contact surface area have been optimised for better sound, higher resolution video, and enhanced signal integrity. Listening was a major part of its development.

Most audio / video cables are made from highly conductive annealed copper or silver wires - terminated with low-conductive, nickel and gold-plated brass RCA plugs. Annealed copper has a conductivity rating of at least 100% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard). Brass has a conductivity rating of 28% IACS. The silver used is rated at 106% IACS!

Because of this low conductivity, we believe conventional RCA plugs act as a bottleneck to electron flow. These plugs may also cause phase errors and smearing through mass and skin effect. Another problem relates to the return / ground collar which can impair electron flow through:

* Eddy current distortion - as electrons proceed to and from the RCA socket into the collar through multiple contact points the equivalent of electron turbulence occurs. Signal degradation results.
* Capacitive distortion - where gaps exist between the socket and collar.
* Micro-arcing distortion - an electrical short that can occur where gaps exist between the socket and collar.

Additionally, RCA plugs are coaxial designs (metal return / ground surrounding signal pin) that have an impedance effect. This impedance can have a varied and adverse impact on performance.

The ETI BulletPlug solves these problems by providing a faster, cleaner signal of high purity and detail. To achieve this they have designed the BulletPlug as a miniature cable.

Silver Bullet Plug

Eichmann Silver Bullet Plugs.

For the ultimate in RCA/phono connection, Eichmann also offers the BulletPlug in pure silver. Utilising the same patented RCA blueprint, the silver Eichmann BulletPlug provides enhanced conductivity for what is arguably the absolute best level of performance available. The contact pins are machined from hard drawn 4-nines pure silver rods (106% IACS), and then treated with Caig PreservIT - which leaves a microscopic protective coating to prevent oxidation and enhance conductivity. Sound quality is superb, with subtle but significant improvements over the standard tellurium copper plug. The silver Eichmann BulletPlug is ideal for silver interconnects and any high performance cable.


Installation notes: The Bullet Plug plug is designed to fit all size RCA sockets.
Optional Rubber Grommets for Thin Cables - supplied as a set of 4.

Connecting the Bullet Plug to Your Cables

Please note - before you connect the Bullet Plug to cables we advise that you allow the polymer of the plug to adjust to the RCA socket. Simply heat the Bullet Plug flange (red or black section of plug) gently with a hairdryer, insert into socket and allow the polymer to cool.

The Bullet Plug connector is a product that needs to be handled delicately. The return pin of the Bullet Plug is small and not as robust as the return on standard RCA plugs. Of course this also accounts for the improved sound quality. If you have limited soldering experience, we are able to do the job.

The Bullet Plug is designed to accept any interconnect, digital or video cable up to 9mm diameter. This accounts for most cables. (Large cables can also be accommodated if you strip the outer sheath and feed the insulated conductors through the housing.)

Step 1
Unscrew the plastic housing and slide the cable through. The front section of the Bullet Plug comprises two contact pins - the signal (large pin) and return (small pin). Both pins have a solder platform at the rear of the pin that is thinner than the rest of the pin.

The platform heats up rapidly allowing quick and easy soldering. This means your soldering iron needs only minimal time in contact with the pins to melt solder. Excess contact time with the soldering iron may deform the plastic polymer housing.

Here's a tip. Insert the Bullet Plug into a secured, but unconnected RCA socket first. This will free up both hands and allow more precise soldering. Always support the cable throughout the soldering process, so the weight of the cable does not exert undue force on the pins.

Step 2
Tin both the wire and platform. And please only use enough solder to make a good connection - don't drown the platform in solder. For best results use eutectic (flowing type) solder or solder with high silver content together with a flux.

Step 3
Solder the return conductor to the return (small) pin. If the return conductor of your cable comprises multiple strands - twist these together and tin before connecting to the return pin. If the return conductor is in the form of a braid - split the braid, gently twist and tin before connecting to the return pin.

Ensure that the return conductor is formed (eg. You may need to gently bend the conductor) so the conductor sits flush in the soldering platform. The objective is to have the return conductor sit comfortably in the solder platform without pressure or stress on the wire.

The small dimension of the return pin can make soldering large groups of wires difficult, however the small size of the pin also contributes to the dramatic sound improvement of the Bullet Plug over standard RCA plugs. As you complete the connection to the return pin, you may notice that the return pin can rotate with the tension of the conductor. This is normal. Simply rotate the pin to a comfortable angle in relation to the signal pin. When you screw down the outer housing, the return pin is locked in this position.

Step 4
Solder the signal conductor to the centre (large) pin.

Step 5
Reattach housing. When reattaching the housing continue to support the cable to avoid undue force on the pins. For 9mm diameter cables, use a silicon spray on the cable to allow smooth rotation of the outer housing.

Step 6
Secure the grub screw to support the cable. Avoid penetrating the cable - a gentle securing action is all that is required.

Step 7
Enjoy better sound! Take your time, prepare your conductors prior to connection, use good solder - and benefit from the improved signal transmission the Bullet Plug can provide. Please note: The Bullet Plug is a firm fit on RCA sockets to start. The polymer used in the plug is designed to adjust after a few hours on the socket.

Using Cables with Bullet Plug Connectors

If you're using a cable incorporating Bullet Plug connectors you may find the plug is a firm fit on RCA sockets to start. This is normal. For some reason RCA sockets tend to vary in size, so Eichmann designed the Bullet Plug to cater to most (if not all) sizes. The polymer used in the plug is a special PBT and glass fibre blend that allows the plug to adjust (and stay adjusted) after a few hours on the socket.

The objective is for the Bullet Plug to be a firm, secure fit on all sockets. For ease of initial connection to RCA sockets heat the Bullet Plug flange (red or black section of plug) gently with a hairdryer prior to inserting into socket. Please do not force the plug onto a socket!

Compatible with ALL RCA sockets!

No hypes, folks... they truly sounds GREAT: detail, soundstage, correctness... let's do not get trapped by those shiny golden stuffs... a phono/RCA plug isn't an earring: it must sound "right"!

If ugly and superbly sounding... who care;-)

I bought'em.

RealHorn wooden bass horns from Germany

Giant Bass horns from Germany seems to be a sort-of national sport...

Some (impressive) technical data, or, as they say in german;-)Technische Daten:

Höhe 2,97 m
Breite 3,37 m
Mundumfang 10,11 m
Mundfläche 7 m2
entspricht der Membranfläche von 62 Stck. 18 Zoll speakern
ges. Länge 3,89 m
Hornlänge 3,07 m
ges. Gewicht 700 kg
Gewicht Speakerkammer 280 kg
Gewicht pro Hornsegment 70 Kg
Gewicht von 6 Hornsegmente 420 kg
Verschlüsse pro Kannte Spannverschlüsse 15 Excenter
Verschlüsse gesamt Spannverschlüsse 90 Excenter
Material Fichte 54 mm stark
Oberfläche geölt
Speaker 6 Stck. 15 Zoll JBL
Peakleistung 8 Kw
Amp Crown I-Tech 8000 gebrückt
Impedanz 6 Ohm
Verkabelung von den Amps bis zu den Speakern 50 mm2
Steckverbindungen/Schweißstecker 70 A
untere Grenzfrequenz 28 Hz
max. Schalldruck 146 db

Impressive and well worth a careful reading... look at the "audio elfs" while mounting a bass horn in the woods, in Hungary... and at the Cheope-like phase-plug!

HUGE!