I work on a variety of vintage audio gear, and I've developed different approaches for different types of gear. For HiFi reproduction, for example, I'll often go further with modern parts replacement than I might in a guitar amp.
I've been getting more requests over the last year to work on vintage studio/recording gear, and I'm trying to figure out what my approach should be. Some of this stuff was built with parts that were high-quality at the time, parts that are still technically "good."
For example, I'm looking at a 1965 Collins 26U-1 Limiter that came in blowing fuses. I've done the basic repairs, and it's working fine. It has Sprague 160P paper/Mylar caps in it in the signal path that aren't leaking, and they run conservatively for their voltage rating. If it were mine, my impulse would be to replace them with polypropylene film for better transparency.
To what degree do people using this gear want the sound of vintage parts (as, say, you wouldn't necessarily remove some blue caps from a vintage Fender amp), or do they tend to be happier with the sound of a vintage circuit with modern parts that I'd call more neutral and transparent?
In a way, I hate to ask this question because it brings up all the various disagreements about parts replacement philosophies. What I'm more interested in is hearing from people who've worked with the end users of this kind of equipment and who know what makes them happy -- or unhappy. For example, if it would upset the owner, I don't want to replace functional Spragues even if I think they probably mask detail and color the signal.
I've been getting more requests over the last year to work on vintage studio/recording gear, and I'm trying to figure out what my approach should be. Some of this stuff was built with parts that were high-quality at the time, parts that are still technically "good."
For example, I'm looking at a 1965 Collins 26U-1 Limiter that came in blowing fuses. I've done the basic repairs, and it's working fine. It has Sprague 160P paper/Mylar caps in it in the signal path that aren't leaking, and they run conservatively for their voltage rating. If it were mine, my impulse would be to replace them with polypropylene film for better transparency.
To what degree do people using this gear want the sound of vintage parts (as, say, you wouldn't necessarily remove some blue caps from a vintage Fender amp), or do they tend to be happier with the sound of a vintage circuit with modern parts that I'd call more neutral and transparent?
In a way, I hate to ask this question because it brings up all the various disagreements about parts replacement philosophies. What I'm more interested in is hearing from people who've worked with the end users of this kind of equipment and who know what makes them happy -- or unhappy. For example, if it would upset the owner, I don't want to replace functional Spragues even if I think they probably mask detail and color the signal.
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