Audio Catalogs & Morita's Memorabilia

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Audio Catalogs & Morita's Memorabilia

Postby jadis » Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:08 am

Browsing through a folder I compiled in the pre-internet days when I would write high end companies just to receive their catalogs, I felt a bit nostalgic and at times surprised at some info that escaped me during those times. Like, the Dennesen Soundtractor was very much available from a company still famous for their reasonably priced cartridges - SUMIKO:

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And notable among their product line are: Grace Tonearm and complete accessories, Namiki Direction Finder (polarity checker -I was told that in the Philippines, there is no polarity - maybe this can be tackled in another thread, from those who would like to shed light ), The Fluxbuster ( cartridge D-magnetizer), Reflex Clamps, System Mat, Rigid Mounting Kit which includes the miniature wrench to hold down nuts, and a host of super analog products.

VPI-19MKII:

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Maybe this catalog convinced me to indent my table from the late Mang Dima, and I ordered the piano finish with tall dustcover. The spec sheet inside the catalog is very impressively laid out, with diagrams of parts and materials used that is very understandable to the layman.

VPI Magic Brick:

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I brought home 3 of them from the States and barely missed the 'overweight baggage extra charge'. :lol: This is one product which I will not be suprised if the freight cost more than the brick. I still use them. Some skeptics will call this hawshiaw but in those times, very popular, and I believe there is an effect over the sound spectrum.

Infinity IRS V:

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No, I never had this. How I wish I did. :D HPs reference loudspeakers for a long time, this thing was my dream speakers till it went into self-obsolescence. Good thing, because I still haven't been able to build a new house for it. :lol: But every now and then, I am able to listen to the Series III because the owner lives 5 minutes away from me.

ARC D-79C:

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I also never had this. But the same owner with the IRS III has. So problem solved. :) One of the classic tube amps of all time.

Thiel CS 5:

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Another one of my dream speakers then which I never got to own. I liked Thiels a lot I brought in one myself, a pair of CS 3.5s prior to Avesco's dealership of the brand, and enjoyed them for a good many years. If Spica was the imaging champ for mini monitors, this one would be the imaging champ in the 'lightweight' division. :)

Magnepan Loudspeakers:

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Good thing I got to own these. This is the only pair of speakers to make me smile the first few seconds it played music. From the day I got the catalog, it took me more than 10 years to buy one, and next year it will be 10 years of owning them. The best value for money speakers I have ever owned.

ASC Tube Traps:

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When the Traps first appeared in the pages of Stereophile and IAR, I thought of writing them. Art Noxon, the owner, was so accomodating he mapped out how many traps to be put in my old room in a diagram. The catalog even came with actual cut-outs of the fabrics for the buyers to choose.

Monster Cable Alpha 2 MC Cartidge:

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Actually an invoice of my first indent order MC from the dealer of Monster Cable here in Manila. In those days, it was buying 'deaf-ly' from reviews (meaning, no audition at all ), and self-installation and fiddling around, and if one does not get the desired sound, it's bye bye time and hello to Mr Upgrade. :)
And here is the catalog:

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........to be continued.
Last edited by jadis on Sun Jul 23, 2006 7:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby jadis » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:36 am

...continued...

Alphason:

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Always a contender in the analog field in those days. The Alphason S-Shapedtonearm was highly rated in the high-end mags.

Wilson Audio Specialties:

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I believe David Wilson started out with his claim-to-fame product - THE WAMM, then almost at the same time, produced audiophile quality LPs bearing his name, then produced the WATT series of loudspeakers which he said was made due to his need to have a good on-site recording monitor speaker system. He came to Manila quite a number of times, and met up with local audio hobbyists. If I'm not mistaken, the price tag then of the WAMM surpassed that of the IRS Vs.

Jeff Rowland Design Group:

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Highly respected electronics designer Jeff Rowland has his own following, and is one of the leading names in solid-state amplification.

Apogee Acoustics:

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Incredibly hard-to-drive speakers, it was normally married to the Krell amps then. I heard their flagship in the HK show in the early 90s and it can rock and sock in a very huge room. Awesome imaging. Jason Bloom always use the Direct Disc album of LA 4, "Just Friends" in his demos, and it always sends goosebumps to the listeners. :)

QUAD:

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Need we say more? A cult favorite for 'vocal' lovers. And a living legend.


THE MOD SQUAD:

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Super tweakers Steve McCormack and his wife Joyce Flemming. Now that's what we call a 'high-end couple' ( there should be no divorce amongst audio buffs if your wife is a tweaker :lol: ). They were first to market TIPTOES, and in fact, as mentioned in their catalog, was then the manufacturer of the Triplanar Tonearm, which at that time, costs a whopping $2000. They also made modifications for the Linn Ittok and Linn Basik tonearms, the Premier MMT, Mission 774, SMEIII, etc. They also do mods for the Rogers LS 3/5a for $300, and also for the Quad ESL63, and the first to modify a stock Philips/Magnavox CD player which they called The Prism that eventually got a Class 1 rating from the IAR Journal. And of course today, Steve's company continues its excellent design tradition in the presence of the McCormack power amps called the DNA, if I'm not mistaken. And last but not least, Steve's incredible credentials even include being one of the 2 recording engineers for the awesome M&K D2D album, 'For Duke'.

Below, their write-up on the Tri-planar arm:

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IAR Class 1a rating of the Triplanar arm:

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TWEAK:

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Enclosed in a syringe, this liquid proves that the user is an addict - an audio addict. :lol: Inject it on connectors and the like, this thing takes long to dry up and is said to enhance the connections of the audio chain.

Shinon:

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MC cartridge maker in the era of the Kiseki, Accuphase, Audioquest and van den Hul, this is a Canadian company that has its cartridges made and handcrafted in Japan. It's top model uses a sapphire cantilever which is outsourced from Namiki of Japan, which sells it also to many cartridge manufacturers who wish to use it in their products.

Koetsu:

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This brochure came from a Vancouver dealer of the Koetsu cartridges. Their models then, were the Onyx and Rosewood Signatures, the Onyx Sapphire, the Rosewood, and the Black. The brochure states: "Koetsu - dynamic, detailed, and organic in its rendering of music".
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Postby jadis » Sat Jul 22, 2006 7:23 am

Acoustic Sounds:

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One of the first mail order companys for great LPs, mostly the audiophile variety, Chad Kassem has now evolved into producing LP re issues in high quality 180g vinyl. He'll send you a colored catalog in your mail upon request. This is how his catalog looked like in the late 80s, simply typed in bond paper. Today, AS is perhaps the largest mail order record and cd store in the net.

RAM Tubeworks:

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One of the pioneers in selling 'tested and graded' tubes. Roger Modjeski also made his own set of tube amps and pre-amps. Most tubes were sourced from Russia and Eastern Europe, but I was lucky enough to get a pair of RAM tested Mullard 12AX7s.

Vintage Tube Services:

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Andy Bowman's tube testing and selection process is very meticulous and thorough, judging by the looks of his tube testing equipment in his catalog.
High prices. But I'd say it was very much worth it. His tubes took me to a new level in being a 'tube-aholic'.
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Postby Spectral » Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:53 pm

hey Jadis!! nice brochure collection you have there. I also started a collection myself, I started it probably a little later than you, because some of the brochures I have dates back to the eighties!! And those that you have there bring back a lot of memories!! kapanahunan natin iyan ah!! you know what they call us? Brochure hounds!!! hahaha!!!!


:lol:
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Postby jadis » Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:03 pm

Spectral wrote:hey Jadis!! nice brochure collection you have there. I also started a collection myself, I started it probably a little later than you, because some of the brochures I have dates back to the eighties!! And those that you have there bring back a lot of memories!! kapanahunan natin iyan ah!! you know what they call us? Brochure hounds!!! hahaha!!!!
:lol:


Hey Spectral,

Ages-no-hear... :lol:

Thanks. Good to know there is a fellow brochure-collector out there.
OO nga, kapanahunan natin, and it was really fun to have the postman hand you the huge envelope, yun pala brochure lang pala! :lol: Good thing there were no brochure piranhas then, free pa naman, ubos yan sa mga manufacturers. :lol:
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Postby jadis » Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:51 pm

More catalogs....

ORACLE Turntable

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A reputable name in turntable design. Sleek, elegant, possessing a 'high-tech' look even in its time, and for sure, a very high WAF factor.

Jadis Electronics

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" A long time ago......." - as the name says.....Maybe referring to its use of tubes of 'long time ago'.....other than that, this brand isn't too old. There is a certain flavor in this design, and it reacts swiftly to tube rolling. Long plate Mullards create even more magic in these nicely made beauties.
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Postby jadis » Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:02 pm

Sheffield Lab

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Postby jadis » Wed Nov 14, 2007 5:31 pm

While flipping through some old catalogs I stumbled into this ad from Jonas Miller (the M in M&K Realtime records) when he was an audio dealer then.

The more 'interesting' claim is that one of his works, the D2D LP 'For Duke', will 'improve your system by at least 652% for $15'. :) Talk about sales hype in those day. :D

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Postby michael corleone » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:21 pm

Philip,OT-kamusta ka daw sabi ng kuya ko :)
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Postby jadis » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:29 pm

michael corleone wrote:Philip,OT-kamusta ka daw sabi ng kuya ko :)


Don Gerry,

Pakisabi ok naman tayo dito, yung mga rare CDs na nakuha ko sa kanya nung dekada ochenta nandito pa. Yun kuya mo noon ang true godfather ng mga "rare CDs". :)
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Postby michael corleone » Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:44 pm

jadis wrote:
michael corleone wrote:Philip,OT-kamusta ka daw sabi ng kuya ko :)


Don Gerry,

Pakisabi ok naman tayo dito, yung mga rare CDs na nakuha ko sa kanya nung dekada ochenta nandito pa. Yun kuya mo noon ang true godfather ng mga "rare CDs". :)


Philip,as far as i can recall you're the youngest then so with JayR of LIS in that early audiophile group including Dafos,Lito Gelano,etc.Remember the DMP's? Pinahirapan nyo ko mag smuggle :wink:

What was the name of your group then and who was that guy named Truman :?:
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Postby jadis » Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:09 pm

michael corleone wrote:
jadis wrote:
michael corleone wrote:Philip,OT-kamusta ka daw sabi ng kuya ko :)


Don Gerry,

Pakisabi ok naman tayo dito, yung mga rare CDs na nakuha ko sa kanya nung dekada ochenta nandito pa. Yun kuya mo noon ang true godfather ng mga "rare CDs". :)


Philip,as far as i can recall you're the youngest then so with JayR of LIS in that early audiophile group including Dafos,Lito Gelano,etc.Remember the DMP's? Pinahirapan nyo ko mag smuggle :wink:
What was the name of your group then and who was that guy named Truman :?:


I was single and I was young compared to the 'elder statesmen' whom I would hitch a ride in visiting your brother, kasi ang kitid ng kalye nya hindi na maka-bwelta ang koche ko dati. :lol: Yes, in those days, the DMP CDs were the 'prime-ribs' of digital. :) Sikat noon sila Flim and the BBs, Manfredo Fest, Thom Rotella and John Tropea. At tsaka I remember your bro was raving about the Tripplite line conditioner so much, napabili rin ako. :) Lately ko lang nalaman na ikaw pala ang sinasabi nyang may 'courier' daw sya ng CD from Manila to Singapore. :lol: Di bale, FIRST CLASS naman ang ticket ng mga Corleone's, di ba? :lol:

Those guys then were one of the first PAS members, Peter W., Kim P., Willie C. - parang mga chinatown triad. :lol: Kaya lagi sabit na lang ako sa kanila to your bro's place. There was no Truman, I think it's another ____man. :)
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Postby michael corleone » Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:20 pm

Yes, maybe you're right baka hindi nga Truman,pero alam ko makulit sya,pati sa office sa San Marcelino tawag ng tawag kung may bagong dating na mga cd's :D
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Postby jadis » Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:23 pm

michael corleone wrote:Yes, maybe you're right baka hindi nga Truman,pero alam ko makulit sya,pati sa office sa San Marcelino tawag ng tawag kung may bagong dating na mga cd's :D


:lol: :lol:
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Postby jadis » Thu Nov 15, 2007 4:32 pm

A Long Time Ago.... (and the amps and speakers are now so far far away) :lol:

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This was the view from the door of my listening room circa 1996, when digicams were not yet 'in' and I never took photos then of my room or audio gears. This shot taken not exactly from a catalog but from a local audio magazine that had featured my room then. Nostalgia sets in every now and then when I get to see these sights...The baby mammoths of a speaker then were the B&W 800 Matrix, which at that time then of my procurement I had thought I reached the loudspeker 'nirvana'; and the 4 piece monoblocks were the Jadis JA 200 which still seems to 'haunt' me in the pages of the audio marketplace of Hypertriode. :D As they say, life goes on...We miss old things once in a while, but life goes on. :)
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Postby m_shoe_maker » Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:01 pm

Para kumpleto, picturan mo rin yung photograph ni Jadis the person sa magazine article na yan. :twisted: Big Timer :!: 8)
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Postby jadis » Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:04 pm

m_shoe_maker wrote:Para kumpleto, picturan mo rin yung photograph ni Jadis the person sa magazine article na yan. :twisted: Big Timer :!: 8)


teka...teka.... pag-isipan muna natin...sabagay mas bata pa tayo noon...mag-group pic nalang tayo ni KOK tapos post natin dito... :lol:
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Postby Jon Agner » Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:16 pm

m_shoe_maker wrote:Para kumpleto, picturan mo rin yung photograph ni Jadis the person sa magazine article na yan. :twisted: Big Timer :!: 8)


I should have bought that magazine when I saw that... tapos pa otograp ko sa inyo :lol: :lol: :lol: :)
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Postby jadis » Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:40 pm

Jon Agner wrote:
m_shoe_maker wrote:Para kumpleto, picturan mo rin yung photograph ni Jadis the person sa magazine article na yan. :twisted: Big Timer :!: 8)


I should have bought that magazine when I saw that... tapos pa otograp ko sa inyo :lol: :lol: :lol: :)


Kay MSM muna, then KOK. In another issue of that mag, there was a group picture of KOK, the late Mang Dima, and myself standing outside The Listening Room in MegaMall. The event then was the launching of the Wilson X-1 speaker with of course, David Wilson, giving a short talk.
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Postby m_shoe_maker » Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:46 pm

Wala ako dun. :( During those days, hanggang MCS lang ako tumatambay. :D Wala akong Gold Cards para magkaroon ng "K" para tumambay sa "The Listening Room". :evil:

Pang Jadis and KOK lang yun. 8)
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