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Bach hi-fi
Tweaks can be used for the most simple systems.
By John Groom
October 2000
Along with the bach came a pair of Goodman’s "full range"
speakers in large boxes with holes at the front and rips in the speaker
cones. The front end was a Garrard SP25 Mk II with no base that sat across
an upturned apple box. The turntable worked intermittently on one channel
and wouldn’t switch itself off. Amplification was via a local made
Fountain AC-1050 drawing an outrageous 25 watts from a collection of 1960s
classical records.
The sound was thin, scratchy, lopsided and unsatisfying.
Sometimes it's tough being a hi-fi addict. When I'm at the bach I miss the exactness of the sound of my home Naim system. I became curious about the bach system. Just what could be achieved by applying high-end principles to such an antique collection of electronics or doing inexpensive upgrades? Well, here was a real challenge to keep me busy on wet weekends in the bach!
Upgraditus
The speakers were the relatively easy part. I took them to bits and vacuumed out the cockroaches and spiders. The paper cones were repaired with layers of tissue paper and glue, then sprayed with ScotchGuard. Tightened down securely into their boxes, the drivers first big surprise was having the old housing flex detached.
In keeping with the project I wanted to use inexpensive "hi-fi" speaker cables. I found just the thing for $3 a metre from a Mt Eden hi-fi store. The cables were soldered directly onto the driver tags (to avoid another set of connections).
Once the boxes were screwed down they were suspended from high on the
walls. This is a unique approach to the problem of vibration that seems
to work well and is much cheaper than a Mana or Townsend solution!
First I inserted two hooks in the back of each speaker and ran a piece
of string between the two hooks. Hooks were then inserted in the facia
at the top of the wall and the speakers suspended by the strings. To stop
the speakers touching the wall, plastic headed drawing pins were inserted
behind the speakers to act as spacers. The improvement in sound was already
impressive – it was more open, clear and better controlled.
Next I turned my attention to the turntable. An intermittent connection on the cartridge was difficult to trace and it was becoming a drag to get up and turn the thing off. After going around several electricians it became apparent that the cost of repairs (if they could be done) was going to at least equate with the replacement cost.
Second hand news
A replacement was found in the form of a second-hand Sansui PD-31 fully automatic turntable with new cartridge – all for $90. The sound was now smooth and detailed with significantly less rumble but wouldn’t go much above a whisper. There was obviously a mis-match between the new turntable output and what the Fountain amplifier could handle.
I then remembered that in the loft at home I had a Musical Fidelity Synthesis integrated amplifier. This amplifier is about 15 years old, was one of MF’s first model and one that they would probably rather forget. It is long and thin and looks like something an aesthetically challenged hi-fi buff would make in his garage. The volume control has more scratches than an abandoned car but under the cover is another story.
The pre-amp is modestly called THE PREAMP and is very straight line.
Amplification is via a cut down 70 watt Dr Thomas mosfet amplifier. After
a suitable warm-up period this little mother can still fly. Hooked into
the system the sound suddenly had authority, depth and texture –
Beethoven was alive again.
I was pleasantly surprised with the above improvement but they were to
some extent predictable by moving to better equipment. I wondered how
far the system would now respond to other hi-fi "tune-ups".
The equipment sits on a rickety bookcase and an immediate improvement
occurred when I stabilised the bookcase with a few bricks.
Earthing to the system is via an elderly iron rod into dry earth. I cleaned
the bach earth contact on the pipe, diverted the overflow water to the
pipe, and scattered salt around it. There was another layer of improvement
in cleanness and depth.
The power supply to the bach is at the end of a long run down to Bethells
Beach. I was surprised to find discernible improvement in power supply
by upgrading and replacing fuses, tightening down all electrical connections,
and replacing plugs with tap-on "piggy-back" style ones. In
the process, the lights don’t dip so much now when the stove is switched
on!
At this point the analogue sound is great and we are working our way
through treasures from the old record club. To give variety to the sound
we customised a 5 year old cheap Sony mini system by removing the detachable
speakers. The head-phone output from the Sony is fed via Dick Smith "hi-fi
quality" interconnects into the Synthesis with good results.
I’m sharing this with you simply because it has been fun. However, I have had to learn to listen in a different way. My sound at home has an awesome precision and life to it, but cost as much as a new car.
The bach sound is warm, embracing, and emotionally satisfying, and cost
much less than a new set of tyres.
This exercise has left me with a lot of questions that are more subtle than the old analogue-digital debate. It does seem that very modest systems can benefit greatly from elements of hi-fi tune-up like cleaning contacts, improvements in earthing, power supply and supports. What surprises me most though is how satisfying this sound can be.
It is a truly perhaps a bach sound? ie, is it more psychological than
real? Maybe I’m simply more relaxed in this setting – don’t
expect as much from the equipment – and want music that is less invasive
and more embracing? To be honest, I don’t care. I'm just enjoying
it.
Last night as I was thinking about this article, I lay back on the old divan soaking in a Beethoven Sonata. There was a familiar scratch of rodent feet across the ceiling. I looked up and noticed a hole in the ceiling a few centimetres across. The rats must have got tired of chewing on the old wiring and have started on the Pinex. To my surprise a rodent head appeared in the hole, looked longingly down, and twitched its whiskers at me before disappearing.
As the rat scurried away, I could have sworn that, for a moment it sounded like tap-dancing. Maybe I'm not the only one who is enjoying the music!
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