Morita brought over his favorite trio of the first 3 ARC preamps, SP1 which is around 50 years old, SP2 at 45, and the SP3 around 40, closer to my age. Amazingly, they are in magnificent condition.
Top to bottom: 1, 2 and 3. All tested in good running condition.
SP 1:
SP 2:
SP 3:
Top of the SP 1 shows the array of different tubes used. Handsome.
The usual 'white papers' of Morita, this one with HP interviewing Bill Johnson, the man behind ARC.
Morita points out that Bill Johnson had done business with the producer of his all time favorite record - Pigs Eye Jass, a guy named Doug Erikson, also from Minnesota.
A few months ago, a college buddy who now resides in Taiwan came home and gave me a visit, tugging along with him a local Taiwan Hifi mag as he was eager to show me the audio action in Taiwan is alive and kicking. Inside are a few 'local' brands which I have never heard before plus some familiar 'imports'.
Here is a tube power amp from the German company Audio Valve called Challenger, using KT-120 tubes. At first glance I thought it looked like a car battery.
Taiwan made Power 'Cleaners'.
Taiwan made audio cables.
BenQ model holding what apparently is a USB stick. Nice smile.Nice tatoo too.
Bricasti DAC. Very serious. It's got to be good because it's got an orchestra inside.
Arriba Power Amp:
Audio Fan Amp:
Even more serious - Rubidium ATOMIC CLOCK!
BMC Pure DAC:
Burmester Showroom:
T&A Elektrokustik: (In my time, T&A was a term to be used with caution)
The Challenger amps with Avalon's old flagship The Osiris:
We interrupt regular programming to insert not a Memorabilia of Morita but actually a restaurant that is named after him. Whether he owns it or not, he is not telling me, but since he hasn't invited me here, as I accidentally stumbled into its door only this morning while en route to a lunch appointment, I believe the menu isn't fully drawn out. Whether we will see Daniel-san cut the ribbon or Morita himself catch flies with chopsticks is not important. What matters is, if Minimax users of Morita will be entitled to a lifetime of free dining pleasure in here.
So those who have taken a bite at the Max should take a bite here as well.
About ten years ago, Morita frequented my house, attracted to my little hoard of vaccum tubes which I started to collect since the 1990s. As his luck would have it, I sold my Jadis JA200 power amp and had no use for my stash of colored-tipped tubes which I bought from Vintage Tube Services. A few days ago, the 'de-owner' of tubes suddenly dropped by to show my his 'de-owned' colored-tipped tube stash. To rub it in, so to speak.