Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Thorens TM 1600
The new Thorens TM 1600 comes in a plinth very similar to that of new TD 1600 series record players in black high gloss or walnut high gloss. It’s designed as playback device for half track quarter inch tape.
Base for the new machine is the newly developed very compact tape drive from Ballfinger. Within its 50 mm height it gives a freedom of design that has not been seen before. Nevertheless it contains direct drive motors with tension controls for the reels. To keep the whole drive as compact as possible the tape path geometry was totally new designed. So the sensors are not located below the reels as normally but between them above the heads.
The tape machine is driven by three motors. The reel motors are electronically commuted disc motors that use rotor angle detection by hall sensor feedback. The capstan motor is an ironless bell-shaped rotor motor from a German manufacturer that runs a round belt.
Although very compact these motors supply an enormous torque with very small torque variation and are very silent running. Head and capstan motor could be placed far from each other to generate a very high signal to noise ratio. Additionally power supply is outsourced which reduces noise level even more and so extensive measures for magnetic shielding of the heads could be avoided.
Thorens TM 1600 handles reels up to 10.5” with 19 and 38 cm/s. CCIR equalization for most European recordings and NAB for Americas and Asia can be selected.
The tape machine comes with real time counter with hours/minutes/seconds/hundredth seconds and as common with professional studio machines there is an edit function with pre-listening for single hand operation.
Generally Thorens TM 1600 has been designed for horizontal operation. But it’s prepared for wall mounting, too.
Availability and Price of Thorens TM 1600
Thorens TM 1600 will be available from summer 2020. Plinth and dust cover are the same as on the new record players TD1600/1601.
The tape machine will be presented on German High End 2019 show in Munich. Later 100 pieces will be manufactured as special edition individually numbered. Price will be € 11.999,00 (RRP).
Manufacturing will take place in Duesseldorf, Germany in cooperation with Ballfinger and RecordingTheMasters, vendor of analogue tape located in Avranches, France.
With launch of TM 1600 in summer 2020 by Thorens a new long overdue chapter of analogue tape recording is written. For decades tapes were the only available medium for music production and recording that gave long playing times without need to change from side A to B. Later digital technology drove out the expensive and very complex tape machines from recording studios and private homes. But todays fantastic rebirth of vinyl and tape proves the world isn’t that simple and music cannot be reduced only to sounds – no matter how high the tonal quality is.
Boulder 1161 Stereo Power Amplifier
Specifications:
Continuous Power, Each Channel:
150w into 8 ohms THD 20-20kHz 0.0008%
150w into 4 ohms THD 20-20kHz 0.0012%
150w into 2 ohms THD 20-20kHz 0.0018%
Peak Power, Each Channel:
150w into 8 ohms
300w into 4 ohms
600w into 2 ohms
Equivalent Input Noise (EIN), 20kHz Bandwidth: 1.5uV
Magnitude Response, 20 to 20kHz: +0.00, -0.04 dB
Magnitude Response -3dB at: 0.015Hz, 200kHz
Voltage Gain: 26dB
Input Impedance: Balanced: 200k ohms, Unbalanced: 100k ohms
Common Mode Rejection (Balanced Only): 60Hz 90dB
Inputs: 3 pin balanced XLR
Output Connectors: 6mm/0.25 inch wingscrews
Power Requirements: 100, 110-120, & 220-240 VAC 50-60Hz, 100W Nominal, 1000W at Max output
Totaldac Amp-1
€18900
Preliminary specifications:
Stereo power amplifier
RCA inputs
Large Mundorf binding posts
No global feedback
Fully discrete design
Triode input and solid state output
Class AB with medium level of class A for moderate heat
2500VA and 26kg "live-power" proprietary power supply transformer
2*150W under 8ohm
2*270W under 4ohm
2*500W under 2ohm
Stable under 1ohm
28dB gain
1.5V sensitivity
47Kohm input impedance
Frequency bandwidth at -3dB: 0.06Hz to 120KHz
250mm height including feet
483mm width
453mm depth including connectors
Weight approx 50kg
Friday, April 12, 2019
Monday, April 8, 2019
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Thursday, April 4, 2019
True Life Audio Supreme series preamplifier 1
Output Transformers: Premium quality, using OCC enameled copper wire and nanocrystalline C-core lamination (from Hitachi metals), which increases the linearity of sound
Power transformer: Premium quality, using OCC enameled copper wire and using M6 lamination, archiving losses lower than 0.05% on full power
Chock Transformers: Premium quality, using OCC enameled copper wire and amorphous C-core lamination. This specifically increases the speed of the power supply
Dual Mono Design: With dual machines in one chassis, smoother frequency response, 3d Dimensionality and safer operation of the preamplifier it is achieved
Remote Volume Control: With 24 step resistor potentiometer states, ensures great balance soundstage
Top of the line world class components
Special high frequency board
OCC copper solid core conductor for audio and PSU circuits
Dual mono design
2 power supplies (one for each channel)
2 transformers and 4 chokes with M6 lamination
2 output transformers with OCC copper and nanocrystalline C-Core lamination
No feedback
Class A
Frequency response: 12Hz ～ 90kHz
Vacuum Tubes 6SN7 x2, EZ81 x2
Gain MM: 6 dB
Input/impedance: RCA 1pair / 100KΩ, XLR 1pair / 100kΩ
Output/impedance: RCA 1 pair/330 Ohm, XLR 1 pair/300 Ohm
Power consumption: 60W
Dimensions: 440mm(W) 430mm(D) 200mm(H)
Weight: 30kg
