Frequently asked questions about general hi-fi stuff including various types of equipment, technical concepts and advice for getting the best results.
In most cases yes, no problem. We have stocks of incandescent and LED lamps, in the most common sizes, so you can choose what suits you. For the ultimate vintage goodness, incandescent lamps are the way to go. For a more modern look, LED illumination is great.
Yes, you can, as long as you understand a couple of fundamental technical details. Basics As long as the specific voltage and current requirements of a piece of equipment are met, you can use that equipment anywhere you like. The trick is to meet those requirements, and for that, you’ll need to know: If you
No, you should never do this. Japan has a different FM band frequency allocation, spanning 76 – 90 MHz. The Australasian, European and North American FM broadcast band spans 88 – 108 MHz. That means that with a Japanese FM tuner, you’ll see a tiny 2 MHz overlap. You’ll be lucky if you can pick
Yes, if you want equipment to last, all of it needs some form of periodic maintenance; the more complex, the more it needs. Nothing is exempt, and maintenance, including cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, or parts replacement, is simply a designed-in element of ownership. Complex electromechanical equipment, containing hundreds of parts and often operating decades beyond its
Both electronic and mechanical components experience wear over time. Electronic Components Many will know that capacitors degrade over time, specifically wet aluminium electrolytic types. Wear rates vary according to type, quality of construction, thermal loading and number of cycles, age and hours of use. I’ve seen capacitors fail after 5 years and older parts that
There is some risk associated with buying anything, whether old or new. I would argue that it can be even riskier buying modern, firmware-driven, plastic, made-in-China equipment that will likely fail within 5 years and at that point be completely unrepairable. As long as you mitigate your risk, buying older hi-fi gear should not be
Oh, that’s simple: belt drive turntables are cheap to make. Even small manufacturers can tool up to make basic new belt drive turntables. You could just about make your own at home, and that’s how many small manufacturers start out. Direct drive turntable manufacture is quite different, though. It requires considerably more engineering and capital
