At 11:08 AM 11/2/98 -0700, James Bunch wrote:
>At 08:06 PM 11/1/98 -0500, David wrote:
>
>
>>Middle age is making me less fussy about what happens
>>above 15 KHz, thank heavens!
>
>How do you define middle age?  I haven't been able to hear much above 10 kHz
>since reaching the mid forties.  Up until then, it was painful to go into a
>shop that had a collection of TV's runnning - I could hear the horizontal
>sweep, which I think is at about 15 kHz.
>
>I agree with the "thank heavens," though, as I used to find the sound of
>violins painful on most systems, and now they usually sound tolerable.
>
>Speaking of audio, how many out there still have turntables capable of
>playing 78's?  My Dual stopped working the other day, and when I went to get
>it fixed, I was quoted $200 just to get it cleaned and lubricated.  Ouch!
>
>We use it for transferring old folk dance recordings to cassette, but I
>wonder if there were any worthwhile early music recordings on 78.  Did
>Landowska record on 78?
>
>Cheers,
>
>Jim
>
Jim,
 
Two hundred bucks to clean a Dual is ludicrous. If nothing needs replacing,
it should be possible for 30-40 bucks. Someone is trying to rip you off.
There are several different lubricants used in them, and they dry up with
time. You need several weights of oil, grease, and graphite to do a proper
overhaul on one, but it's no big deal at all. It should run 30-40 bucks.
Call around to a few hi-fi service places and get some quotes. Older
technicians who were around in the 60s and 70s would think nothing of such a
job. What is the DUAL doing?
 
I agree with you, by the way, about closely miked violin sound becoming more
tolerable as one ages. A funny psychoacoustic phenomenon, though, is that a
speaker system having a fat, warm mid-bass region makes edgy fiddles sound
more tolerable. It's like a sour taste being more pleasant when balanced
with a sweet one.
 
Let me know if you find a reasonable service place. If not, I can arrange
for someone in Canada to do it for you. Even with shipping, it'll cost you a
third of the figure you mention, especially with the strong exchange rate of
the U.S.D. in Cdn currency these days.
 
Oh yes - I just turned 48, and haven't tested my hearing with the signal
generator lately, but I doubt I get much beyond 15 KHz.
 
Best,
 
David