TNT-Audio Readers' Corner
Monthly section devoted to your letters, positive and negative feedback about everything related to Audio and HiFi.

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November 2012

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The Wand tonearm review
Hi Lucio,
First of all congrats on your new Fiat sports car. Enjoy it but please be careful. TNT needs you. Then I'd like to find out when we can expect the 2nd part of Mike Cox's review of the The Wand tonearm? I am curious to read what he thinks about it.
Thanks,
Deon - E-mail: deonc.private (at) gmail.com

LC
Dear Deon,
I drink and drive responsibly :-) but, alas, my bio page isn't up to date! I've had three other fast cars in the meanwhile: after the Coupé I've had a vintage, gorgeous Alfa Romeo GTV6 2.5 (year 1981), then a Toyota Celica VVTi and finally a Mercedes SLK Kompressor. Perhaps not exciting as the previous ones but driving without a roof over your head is something special :-) Especially here in this beautiful island in the midst of the Mediterranean Sea...
As for the Wand toneram, here's what Mike replies:

I am about to reinstall the arm and fit the new Benz Micro Wood cartridge. Hopefully tomorrow I can do this, it is scary stuff installing a fragile cartridge.
Hope this helped somehow,
Lucio Cadeddu

TNT-Audio plebs chorus
Hi Mark,
You wrote: "...and Britain is the only country where riding bicycles on the pavement is a traffic offence.". That is not true. ;-)
In Vienna, Austria, wrong parking of a bicycle will cost 7 Euro, riding your bike on the pavement will cost you 21 Euro (first time, more for "repeated customers"), going over a red light 36 Euro, driving drunk up to 3.000 Euro (0,8 0/00, more alcohol = higher fine).
Kind Regards,
Tom - E-mail: thomas (at) wanka.at

MW
Hi Tom,
I will not move to Vienna then!
I was repeating information popularly believed among the cycling community. The story goes that the late 19th century British establishment were opposed to cycling for many reasons, including the freedom it would offer working class people. Indeed cycling clubs in the North of England were often also socialist clubs. Hence considerable restrictions were imposed early on cyclists, including Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 as amended by Section 85 (1) of the Local Government Act 1888.

You sound like an aggrieved cyclist; you have allies at TNT-audio (Geoff even runs a cycle hire company). Here if you are caught 'drunk in charge' of a bicycle (legally a 'carriage'), which is because you knew you were drunk so you are pushing it along, (Licensing Act 1872, s.12; Corkery v Carpenter, 1951) fine up to £200. If riding, the offence is "Riding a cycle on a road or other public place while unfit to ride through drink or drugs (Road Traffic Act s.30)", fine up to £1000. It is an urban myth that UK cyclists can get points on their driving licence for offences committed on their bicycles. When I was a student I did get fined for riding the wrong way up a one way street and failing to stop when instructed to do so by a police officer, who was in a car so I didn't realise he was trying to stop me.

Thank you for the correction. We understand now why our Viennese readers stay in to listen to music on their fine audio systems.
Happy Listening,
Mark, The Old Scribe

Sound level meter
Hi,
I read your review of the RadioShack Sound Level Meter. I have a Pyle brand and your article helped me understand more on how to use it. I have a question though since I listen to jazz, what is the SPL reading of a live jazz (or classical) in a concert hall?
Thanks again.
Jessie - E-mail: jesusemmanuelseverino (at) yahoo.com

LC
Dear Jessie,
the sound pressure level in a concert hall is very variable and depends on your position in the concert hall and on the size (and acoustics) of the concert hall itself. Of course, it also depends on the number of instruments playing together! A jazz trio can't generate the same sound pressure level of a big band!
As a gross estimate I'd say 75-80 dB RMS while peaks might exceed 95 dB. Large orchestras might be a different story, of course, though 110dB are hard to reach, unless you SIT among the musicians :-)
Rock concerts, in places where there's no SPL regulation, might exceed 120 dB with ease. And since peaks are rare on rock music played live I'd suggest wearing earplugs in such cases.
Hope this helped somehow,
Lucio Cadeddu

In-ear headphones
Hello, do you intend to review in ear headphones?
Felix - E-mail: felix.mazaltarim (at) totsa.com

LC
Dear Felix,
we reviewed some of these in the past, for example the A-Jays Three, the Cresyn C750E and, of course, the famous Etymotic ER-4S. We will continue reviewing headphones and headphone amplifiers in the future, for sure. It does not depend on us, but on manufacturers' or distributors' desire to have their products displayed and reviewed here on TNT-Audio...
Hope this helped somehow,
Lucio Cadeddu

OP27's Best Op Amps for Arcam Alpha 7se?
Dear Nick,
I've read your article on TNT and was wondering if it would be worth changing the op amps in my 7se. I don't understand much at all in circuitry...I'm a drummer! And teacher too, but a friend said me it'd take him no time to change the op amps if I wished. He only asked me Which ones?
On the article you mentioned OP27. Is this the full name/code and brand? If you could let me know which exactly to buy and how many and any little details I woul be so grateful and if you live in London then a bottle on me!
Thank you so much,
Carlo - E-mail: moschetta.carlo (at) gmail.com

NW
Hi Carlo,
If you are a drummer, you probably can't hear well enough for it to make a difference!
I'm only joking of course, and you may well gain from a change in opamps in your Arcam 7se. To be honest, I am not sure which article that you are referring to as I have never had my hands on an Arcam CDP. So I can't really recommend a specific opamp for you. In this case, may I refer you to somewhere like diyAudio where you are almost certain to find somebody who has modified a 7se, and can probably suggest opamps (and other possible mods) much better than I can.
Regards,
Nick Whetstone

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