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Powering C-8s is not a problem for me -- I own four (count them, 4!) Mac 20W-2 power amplifiers that do the job just fine. And they too have a hum adjustment pot. Just offhand, I'm guessing that finding a D-8A power supply today (or a D-8, which would also work) would be far more difficult than finding a C-8 preamp. I found a couple online, in the $300 price range. John Ross At 4/4/2007 11:27 AM, you wrote: >Hi John, > >Just FYI, Mcintosh built an external power supply called an D-8A >that will run the c-4 or c-8 beautifully.It has a hum balance pot that >is effective in minimising hum. Note minimising !! > >Hope this is usefull. Or buy the parts and build one yourself. Nothing >special. > >Bob Hodge > > >>> [log in to unmask] 4/4/2007 1:20 PM >>> >I've been working some from mono LPs to master to CD. In my experience, >accurate recording/playback eq is imprecise at best, and, quite frequently, >imaginary. Further eq is always needed. > >I've encountered a specific situation where I've had three issues of >a Period LP, all mastered before 1959, each with its own eq. One >was early, probably Columbia, c. 1951, for which I used the LP >setting. Another, mastered by RCA with the type in 1954 in small >block letters and numbers, used NAB, a third, using the same RCA >matrix number but handwritten, fell in the cracks somewhere. I used >RIAA and adjusted a whole lot with an equalizer. > >Tube equipment has hum- it's genetic! It should be removed during >the restoration process. If you prefer your finished audio with >tube sound, ok. >But don't plead accuracy. You are deliberately including non-musical noise. > >In short- you know the answer. Listening. > >Steve Smolian > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "John Ross" <[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 12:31 PM >Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] (dream) restoration phono preamp opinions >wanted > > > > At 4/3/2007 10:24 PM, EricJ wrote: > >>When it comes to phono preamps that are capable of > >>historical EQs, I was wondering... > >> > >>1. How many people use anything but RIAA, NAB, and FLAT > >> EQs for digital transfers when doing preservation work? > > > > For 78s and pre-RIAA LPs, I generally use a tube-era preamp that has > > > front-panel adjustments for Turnover and Rolloff. A McIntosh C-8 is > > particularly flexible, but it requires an early Mac power amplifier as a > > power supply. I also like my Scott 121-C, with the Dynaural Noise > > Reduction function. I wouldn't use the noise reduction for preservation, > > but it's nice for casual listening. Of course, any tube equipment of that > > vintage almost certainly needs to be re-capped before you would want to > > use it for serious work. > > > > > >>2. Is the ability to reproduce a wide range of EQs on the phono preamp > >>important, or do you apply the final EQ in the DAW using digital filters? > > > > I think either approach is acceptable, as long as the EQ is correct. > > > >>3. Do you use an analog processor in conjunction with your DAW to apply > >>EQ later to a FLAT digital transfer (ie. an analog processor loop)? > > > > No. > > > >>4. How often do you run into the situation where your phono preamp > >>doesn't have the EQ you want? It gets close, but not quite what you want. > > > > That is not an issue with either the Scott or the McIntosh preamps. > > > >>8. If the phono preamp has accurate EQ(s), is quiet, and has low > >>distortion, does anyone prefer tube versus solid-state electronics? Does > >>this matter? > > > > Obviously, I'm partial to tubes, but for RIAA EQ, I also use solid-state > > (including a McIntosh C-24, a Stanton 310 and some other broadcast preamps > > with balanced outputs > > > > > >>9. Do you use a custom-built phono preamp or a commercial phono preamp? > > > > They're all commercial devices. > > > > > >>And if there's a phono preamp that supports historical EQs that you > >>really absolutely love, let me know, because maybe I should be buying > >>instead of building. > > > > As I said earlier, I like both the Mac C-8 and the Scott 121-C. > > Unfortunately, both are subject to the demands of the loony collectors' > > market, so the prices are out of line with their value as playback tools. > > You can find relatively inexpensive C-8s, but they're useless without an > > expensive MC-30 or 20W-2 amplifier to supply power to the tubes. > > > > John Ross