A Terrific Tweak

[Casino]

I own the venerable Fulton ST-25 steam-powered turntable equipped with a Viagra Nonflex-7 tonearm and the renowned Joe Bazooka bubble-jet cartridge. The signal is fed through water-cooled Oppenheimer cesium-core flexatronic interconnects to a coal-fired Ozark 30-ton per channel integrated amplifier.

My Strontium-90 Atomic Fusion speaker system really cooks with this setup. Just as some people have tube amplification combined with solid state tuners and CD players, I find that vintage coal-fired equipment can mate well with nuclear-powered components (I'm sure that those of you in-the-know would agree). Heck, to boot, my plutonium-regulated Geiger-Roentgen SACD player has a half-life of 28,000 years. Can't beat that!

So here's a tweak for those of you with similar equipment: If you switch the power source of the Ozark amp from anthracite to bituminous coal, you do get a warmer, softer sound. I've done this A/B comparison myself, though it's not exactly instantaneous.

Hope you find this information useful.

Casino

BTW, I've got the Ozark amp blasting out the Rolling Stones Remasters right now. Sounds great - and I notice that each time Charlie Watts whacks the snare drum, the puff of smoke from the Ozark is a bit bigger and fuller than it was with the old Abkco releases.

Is it me, or is it getting warm in here?

[Joseph]

Casino,
Congrats on the new gear. Time to update your user profile.;)

Oh. do you know when the Fulton steam-powered CD player is coming out?

[Casino]

Well, I've heard that being cutting-edge, Fulton is planning to bypass CD and market an SACD player (CD compatible) this coming winter. Like the turntable, it will be able to be powered by steam from a nearby radiator, or if you don't have one available to tap, a pipeline connected directly to the Ozark coal-fired amp. Don't think the warranty will be as good as that of the Geiger-Roentgen unit, though.

[Joel Cairo]

And for those of you with a more quantum bent, don't miss the Schroedinger turntable line stage... the only problem is, like all of their gear, it either works or it doesn't-- you never know from one moment to the next.

[shakes his head] ...material like **this**, and I still only get credit for one post... :)

-Kevin

[indy mike]

Hmmm, anthracite burns cleaner than bituminous - how're you dealing with the extra soot and ash???

[Casino]

Indy:

Although the Ozark amp may be placed in your fireplace, it's best to install a separate, dedicated stack or chimney for best sound. Regarding soot, a scrubber kit comes in the crate with the amp for installation into your stack or chimney. Also in the crate is your application for an EPA permit.

[Gary]

Great information but missing one important item: If you live on a fault line, will it create an unstable environment? :confused:

After all, I don't want to affect any of the earth's plates....

[Casino]

No Gary, I wouldn't worry about that. We're not dealing with explosions here, just a little harmless smoke and radiation. *cough*

[Jamie Tate]

Not really sure what Casino is a smokin'. I guess lack of a precious organ will make you giddy.

Damn glad to have you here.:D

Enjoy

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by Casino
We're not dealing with explosions here, just a little harmless smoke and radiation. *cough*

If you ever need surgery from your inevitable injuries with this project make sure the doctor doesn't use a local. Make him use something imported.

[Casino]

Giddy, yesman? Anything but. Would you be giddy if you had to figure out how to make the next payment on a $6.4 million Geiger-Roentgen Plutonium SACD player? Granted, I negotiated the dealer down to $5.9 million, but that's not exactly inconsequential.

[SVL]

Originally posted by indy mike
Hmmm, anthracite burns cleaner than bituminous - how're you dealing with the extra soot and ash???

Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions (SO2 and NOx) may be another problem when burning bituminous vs. anthracite.

These can be reduced by installing a dry or wet-type scrubber device that should be attached to the system's exaust valves.

As an older (significantly more methamorphosized) type of coal, anhtracite would have higher calorific value, but lower methane gas content than bituminous coal, which may explain its drier and less inspired performance as fuel for a high-end audio system.

:D

[Ken_McAlinden]

water-cooled Oppenheimer cesium-core flexatronic interconnectsCesium! Give me a break. Do you realize that the use of cesium results in a time delay factor of a nanosecond per every 12 hours. I know that specs aren't eveything, but come on, don't tell me you can't hear this.

Regards,

[Casino]

Originally posted by SVL


Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions (SO2 and NOx) may be another problem when burning bituminous vs. anthracite.

These can be reduced by installing a dry or wet-type scrubber device that should be attached to the system's exaust valves.

:D

Thanks for the tip, SVL. But I have found that while attaching scrubbers directly to the exhaust valves works OK, they sometimes get in the way when I want to grill a couple of burgers on the amp. That's why I've got the scrubbers in the chimney. All seems to be well as current readings are:

S02: 4.20 rms, both channels operating

NOx: 2.70 into 4 ohms, 1.35 into 8 ohms

C02: 249.42 unweighted below rated output.

[John B]

Hi Casino,

Welcome to the forum. I took your advice and spent the weekend tracking down the equipment you recommended. A nuclear/coal-burning combo makes so much sense.

Need your suggestions though. I have one problem that I had not anticipated. The sound is great but my wife coughs incessantly when the system is fired up, thus drowning out the quieter passages of music.

What should I do??

[SVL]

If bituminous coal appears to have a high sulfur content, try mixing various ranks of coal (see ASTM standard publications) to achieve sulfur emissions that are within the EPA compliance limits.

I hope you are buying the stuff from unionized coal mines anyway.

John B: you may want to consider a respirator-type device for wife, or a self-contained self rescuer, similar to what coal mines are using. The Department of Labor/Mine Safety and Health Administration can advise on specific models.

:D

[Casino]

Originally posted by John B
Hi Casino,

Welcome to the forum. I took your advice and spent the weekend tracking down the equipment you recommended. A nuclear/coal-burning combo makes so much sense.

Need your suggestions though. I have one problem that I had not anticipated. The sound is great but my wife coughs incessantly when the system is fired up, thus drowning out the quieter passages of music.

What should I do??

Hiya, John -

Thanks for the welcome - and may I welcome you to the high-end. You now own the best. And in the future you will find any heating bills you have will be drastically reduced.

I do hope, however, you got a prescription for the Viagra Nonflex tonearm and didn't pick it up on the black market. Tip: For optimum performance, tonearm may need a half-hour to an hour warmup before using.

Regarding your question, there are several possible remedies:

1. Play louder music
2. Hold breath during quieter passages
3. Send wife to visit her mother or sister
4. Assuming wife doesn't want to wear gas mask, codeine can be quite effective.

:cool:

[Casino]

Originally posted by Ken_McAlinden
Cesium! Give me a break. Do you realize that the use of cesium results in a time delay factor of a nanosecond per every 12 hours. I know that specs aren't eveything, but come on, don't tell me you can't hear this.

Regards,

Ken, you're right on the ball. Yes, what you say is true. It doesn't really bother me, though, unless I listen to Kenny G. Then, for some reason, it's horrendously annoying. You can compensate for it by feeding the signal from the amp to a Ronco Positron/Hall Effect Mu-Particle Accelerator and then to the flexatronic interconnects.

[mcow1]

You gotta watch those Viagra tonearms, sometimes they just raise up on their own.:D

[John B]

Originally posted by Casino
.............I do hope, however, you got a prescription for the Viagra Nonflex tonearm and didn't pick it up on the black market. Tip: For optimum performance, tonearm may need a half-hour to an hour warmup before using..........

I did get the right one. Luckily I had a partial prescription already. I cheated a bit and added the words "Nonflex Tonearm" in my scratchiest, pretend doctor handwriting.

The tonearm is still a little too flexible for optimum performance though. :sigh:

[Stax Fan]

Originally posted by Casino
I own the venerable Fulton ST-25 steam-powered turntable equipped with a Viagra Nonflex-7 tonearm and the renowned Joe Bazooka bubble-jet cartridge. The signal is fed through water-cooled Oppenheimer cesium-core flexatronic interconnects to a coal-fired Ozark 30-ton per channel integrated amplifier.

Coal-fired, eh? Certainly a respectable performer, but you haven't heard the breath-of-life that wood-burning gear offers. I prefer pine...seems to impart a richness of tonality the harder woods like oak cannot match. ;)

[Casino]

Originally posted by John B


I did get the right one. Luckily I had a partial prescription already. I cheated a bit and added the words "Nonflex Tonearm" in my scratchiest, pretend doctor handwriting.

The tonearm is still a little too flexible for optimum performance though. :sigh:

Good goin' John - you were halfway there, which makes it less of a hassle. And yes, the scratchier the better. As for the stubborn flex problem, double the dose and let us know. Use only as directed. Avoid exposure to sunlight.

[Casino]

Originally posted by Arin


Coal-fired, eh? Certainly a respectable performer, but you haven't heard the breath-of-life that wood-burning gear offers. I prefer pine...seems to impart a richness of tonality the harder woods like oak cannot match. ;)

Well, without getting into the age-old wood vs. coal amplifier debate, I do understand your preference for soft wood, much as I prefer the softer bituminous coal. Woods like oak and maple do produce a harder, less musical sound as compared to pine. Balsa wood is really the best, but you have to re-stoke the amp every three minutes.

The drawback to wood, however, takes me back to a good friend of mine who lost not only his fuel supply but his entire amplifier to termites. :(

[Stax Fan]

Agreed...there's definitely a balance to be struck between stoking frequency and performance. Wadded newspaper actually offers the greatest sonic gains, but the stoking frequency is far too great for all but the most committed. :)

[Gary]

Oh oh - I just dropped mega $ on the water cooled Pickering nuclear power plant. But it sounds like *****! :(

What do I do? Is it the wrong type of N-Power? Is the water affeting the Coal's performance? :eek: