Still working on Part 2 of the Eico article, some thoughts on listening
room noise levels, and concerns about Japanese whaling.
Finishing the Eico Article
I hope to complete Part 2 of Improving the Eico HF-81 in the very near future. Things
have bogged down, as I have not been happy with the sound I am getting from the
Infinity Primus 360s. The sound is improving but not yet up to what I expected when I
bought them. I am hoping that this is just a matter of break-in and will resolve itself
fairly soon.
I put the new JJ Tesla EL-84 tubes in the Eico while I had it on the workbench
changing out the bias resistors. It is so much easier to adjust the channel balance
using the oscilloscope. I went ahead and put in the new output tubes as I felt they
would aid in hearing any differences when the preamp tubes are eventually
substituted. I am looking forward to doing this listening but need to feel that the
speakers (and amp) are completely broken in.
So far, the Eico upgrades have resulted in an amazingly quiet amplifier. I cannot hear
any noise with my ear directly to the tweeter or midrange of the Primus 360s. I can
sense something there but can’t clearly hear any describable sound. I will report
if/how this changes as the amp gets more hours on it.
Listening Rooms and Noise Levels
Because it is on the main floor, the living room system suffers noise from a lot of
sources that are simply not a factor in the basement main system. Most of these were
expected—traffic, UPS trucks, airplanes, lawnmowers, and appliances such as the
refrigerator. Fortunately, most of this noise is fairly brief, fairy low in level, or is limited
to the weekends. While the ambient upstairs noise level is not particularly intrusive,
when compared to the basement, it is obvious that what passes for quiet upstairs is a
lot louder than quiet downstairs.
While my Radio Shack meter isn’t sensitive enough to measure this difference, my
ears can easily discern the absence of this noise once down the basement. This got
me thinking about just how valid my previous observation as to the Eico’s noise level
really is. Is it as quiet as I think it is or is a higher overall noise level masking the
amplifier’s noise? It also raises questions about the validity of any reviewer’s
observations of system noise levels when you know nothing about the ambient noise
level in their listening environment. As I have been shocked to discover that there are
reviewers listening in ten-foot square rooms and passing judgments on bass
performance, so I am sure I would be shocked to hear the threshold noise levels in
many listening rooms as well. I suspect that I am listening at lower overall levels in my
main room than a lot of audiophiles simply because the room’s low noise allows me to
hear low-level information that much more easily. Loud levels still go impressively
loud but certainly also benefit from a low noise floor.
It’s become clear to me that when discussing room acoustics, ambient noise level is
probably the primary consideration. If the room isn’t quiet, you aren’t hearing what
your system is doing.
Whaling
I get a lot of environmental email information and I have to say I am increasingly
disturbed by the continued “research” whaling being done by Japan. The World
Whaling Commission says that it is absolutely unnecessary. Whaling is clearly being
done for commercial purposes and profits under the guise of science. Go to www.
greenpeace.com
I think the best way to discourage continued whaling is to put pressure on large
Japanese corporations, particularly audio, video, and car companies. Tell them that
you refuse to buy their products until the whaling ceases. Let them pressure the
whalers. The Japanese company doing the whaling owns the Gorton’s seafood
brand. Boycotting its products is another way to bring economic pressure to this
situation. Email them at www.gortons.com
Large marine mammals, like the oceans themselves, are in serious trouble. The US
government is not acting to stop whaling; we are going to have to do it (and
everything else environmental) on our own.
Kent Johnson
May 3, 2006
