What is stereo?




There are now two system of high fidelity, monophonic (monaural) and stereophonic. Monophonic is a system that starts from one microphone and is fed through a single high fidelity set. Stereophonic is a double system. Two separate microphones are placed at different sides of the orchestra and two different systems are used to keep the two signals or channels separated. Two separate speakers are used, placed on different sides of you room. Stereo is much like 3-D photography, two slightly different sound reach your ears giving you a new dimension in sound.




H.H. Scott '59





Pioneer SE-L15 headphones

Lightweight Stereo Headphones

The latest ideas in headphone technology are incorporated into our top-of-the-line SE-L15 Lite-Phones. Pioneer's exclusive "Variable Chamber" design, provides rich, full-bodies bass response. A corrosion-free gold-plated plug reduces contact resistance for less signal loss. For your convenience, the SE-L15 is provided with two interchangeable cords, one for portable cassette players and one for home hi-fi systems,. In addition, a muting switch on the cord socket lets you listen to outside sound without removing the headphones.

 


Cross-section Diagram of Variable Chamber Design

  1. Air control path
  2. Damping diagram
  3. Damping mesh
  4. 4 Back air port
  5. 5 Tangential-edge dome diaphragm

 

Specifications

Impedance:  50

Sensitivity:  101 dB/mW (1 kHz)

Max. Input Power:  100 mW (each channel)

Frequency Range:  10 - 22,000 Hz

Connection Cords:  3 m with gold-plated standard plug, 1,5 m with gold-plated mini plug

Weight:  75 g (2,7 oz) without connection cord


 

Castle Tay loudspeakers

The Castle Tay has successfully taken over from the best-selling Castle Durham which it replaces. Optimally designed for stand or shelf applications in medium sized room, the Tay delivers a bass impact which belies its size.

Key to this performance is a specially developed version of the latest Castle 130 mm mid/bass driver. A high performance motor system was developed for the Tay by employing a higher power 1,2 Tesla magnet and a special long-throw voice coil wound on a high temperature Kapton former. Critically damped reflex loading with a radiused port ring gives low distortion bass performance of true power and scale.

High frequencies are handled by the highly praised Castle 25 mm soft dome tweeter crossed over through the easy amplifier load of a 2nd/3rd order network. The Tay delivers smooth and extended bass of considerable power and detail.

 


Specifications

Frequency Response:  50 Hz - 20,000 Hz

Nominal Impedance:  8

Sensitivity:  87 dB (1 W/1m)

Amplifiers Requirements:  25 - 110 watts

System Type:  Reflex

Bass Unit:  130 mm in a cast chassis with injection moulded cone

Treble Unit :  25 mm composite soft dome

Dimensions (H x W x D):  420 x 190 x 240 mm

Weight:  15,2 kg (packed)


 

Castle Eden loudspeakers

The innovative Eden is the largest Castle speaker for stand or shelf mounting. It takes the unique woven carbon fibre diaphragm technology, developed for the floor standing Castle Avon, and uses it to staggering effect in a compact enclosure.

Heart of the Eden's acoustic system is the latest in bass drive unit construction. Castle's new die-cast chassis 170 mm mid/bass drive unit uses a cone made from long woven, resin-set and baked carbon fibres. This material offers unprecedented rigidity coupled with low weight. The speed and accuracy of this large drive unit are phenomenal. Yet its extended midrange clarity permits a simple 2nd order crossover network at 3,3 kHz that is both transparent and easy for an amplifier to drive.

Treble is handled by the outstanding Castle 25 mm polyamide dome tweeter. The marriage of these two advanced drive units creates a sound quality that offers exceptional transparency, detail and astonishing dynamics. Stereo imagery too is solid and stable.

 


Specifications

Frequency Response:  45 Hz - 20,000 Hz

Nominal Impedance:  8

Sensitivity:  87 dB (1 W/1m)

Amplifiers Requirements:  25 - 120 watts

System Type:  Reflex

Bass Unit:  170 mm in a cast chassis with a woven carbon fibre cone

Treble Unit :  1,2 mm composite soft dome

Dimensions (H x W x D):  495 x 235 x 295 mm

Weight:  15,5 kg (packed)


 

Philips Spectron SP-39 loudspeakers

Rugged deep response woofer

To meet the specifications for the Sp-39, Philips engineers were obliged to design a woofer which could meet four rigid acoustic requirements; deep bass response, high efficiency, impeccable fidelity, and rugged durability. The newly designed 8" cone woofer offers all these features.

In any system, a woofer must provide rich, satisfying bass. The Sp-39's woofer exceeds even he goals of fine speakers, however, reaching down to 30 Hz for full bottom. With a fundamental resonance frequency of 20 Hz, however, the driver also avoids the hollow, boxy tones so sften found in speakers of this size.

Construction of the cone is from fibre-filled pulp selected for its combination of strength and exceptional resistance to distortion. The driver itself is seated in a new high-compliance suspension.

At the heart of the woofer is Philips Feroxdure ferrite magnet and an all-aluminum voice coil. Feroxdure eliminates the need for massive unwieldy magnets which were formerly needed to create deep bass response. One light-weight Feroxdure magnet provides more strength than orthodox magnets of considerably greater size. At the same time, the aluminum wire-would voice coil, which minimizes mass, offers significantly less resistance to movement than the standard voice coil. And the all-aluminum bobbin radiates heat efficiently, one reason why this driver is so resistant to over-load; even at 40 watts (RMS) of power input, this woofer will stand up to stress.

 

Wide-dispersion midrange

The same design features which characterize the SP-39's woofer have been incorporated in the new 2" dome mid-range driver.

The same patented Feroxdure ferrite magnet and the all-aluminum voice coil ensures high efficiency and faithful reproduction along with surprisingly light weight. The power of this new driver is comparable to that of orthodox drivers much larger and heavier.

Normal speaker systems force the mid-range driver and woofer to share the same baffle. This design allows interaction between the woofer and mid-range driver which can result in severs distortion. The new Philips mid-range driver is acoustically isolated in its own anclosure. The mid-range driver is capable of operating a full efficiency even outside the speaker cabinet. Because of the directional nature of mid-range frequencies, the driver has been designed for wide dispersion. The total angle of dispersion is a full 120°

 

Special acoustically isolated tweeter

A 4" dome design, the driver features a 1" copper wire-wound voice coil and the patented Philips Ferodux magnet. The Feroxdure ferrite magnet packs considerably more power into the same size than orthodox magnets can offer; greater strength means faster response and cleaner sound.

Like the mid-range driver, the tweeter is sealed in its own enclosure, isolating the driver from the woofer which could cause distortion. The tweeter is capable of operating at full efficiency even outside the speaker cabinet.

 


Specifications

Speakers

Woofer :  8" cone-type

Mid-range :  2" wide-dispersion dome-type

Tweeter :  1" dome-type

Power Handling Capacity:  40 watts (RMS); 80 watts (peak power)

Impedance:  8

Efficiency:  96 dB at 4 watts  (1 metre , T.H.D. 1,0%)

Frequency Response :  35 - 20,000 Hz

Crossover Requirements:  500 and 450  Hz

Crossover Network:  3-way 12 dB/octave parallel type

Fuse Type:  fast blow protection

Dimensions (H x W x D):  22" x 13" x 10,5"

Weight:  45 lbs


 

Philips Spectron SP-30 loudspeakers

Philips, the company synonymous world-wide with precision audio, proudly presents the Spectron Sp-30 , two-way acoustic suspension speaker system, designed in North America to meet North American testes but engineered to Philips Internationally famous standard of excellence.

Assembled exclusively from Philips engineered components, the SP-30 takes over where the other two-way systems leave off. With the Spectron line, you know that every element has been designed to be compatible with every other element. The clarity of SP-30 takes on all comers.

Features:

Rugged wide-range woofer - Philips patented Feroxdure ferrite magnet and an all-aluminum voice coil

Special acoustically isolated tweeter - 1" dome design, the drive a full 1" copper wire-wound voice coil and Feroxdure magnet

Exceptional new crossover network - Orthodox crossover networks employ a ferrite magnetic core

High frequency control switch

Furniture quality construction - like solid 3/4 chipboard core that ends unwanted resonances.

 


Specifications

Speakers

Woofer :  8" cone-type

Tweeter :  1" dome-type

Power Handling Capacity:  40 watts (RMS); 80 watts (peak power)

Impedance:  8

Efficiency:  96 dB at 4 watts  (1 metre , T.H.D. 1,0%)

Frequency Response :  40 - 20,000 Hz

Crossover Frequency:  1800 Hz

Crossover network:  2-way 12 dB/octave parallel type

Fuse Type:  fast blow protection

Dimensions (H x W x D):  20" x 11,5" x 9"

Weight:  35 lbs


 

SAE Mark XIV loudspeaker

The SAE Mark XIV Solid -State Electrostatic Transducer represents a dramatic advancement in the loudspeaker industry. Years of extensive research and design were required to perfect the ideal enclosure which would optimize the performance of all internal components. Only after this was achieved was the task of developing the correct drivers begun. Faithful sound reproduction was the goal while developing the Mark XIV. Each and every component part was developed expressly for the Mark XIV and is assembled within the SAE plant.

The result of this intensive program is the purest re-creation of the recorded audio signal by any device anywhere.

Low Frequency Transducer

Nominal diameter - 12,3 inches

Voice coil diameter - 4,175 inches

Voice coil material - edge wound copper ribbon

Magnetic assembly - Black anodized aluminum voice coil support to assist in transmission and dissipation of heat during high power operation

Integral heat sink in the magnet structure to assist elimination of temperature build up; double spider system for precise alignment of the voice coil form to eliminate breakage

11,25 pound cast ductile iron-magnetic structure for efficient conductance of magnet flux.

Frame - rigid 8-spoke aluminum

Compliance - non-fatiguing foam to insure linear travel

Free air electrical resonance of 18 Hz ±1 Hz

In system electrical resonance of 32 Hz ±1 Hz.

Chamber type - 3 cubic foot with acoustically suspended low-frequency driver

 


Specifications

Mid Frequency Transducers

Nominal diameter - 5.0 inches

Voice coil diameter - 1,0 inches

Magnetic assembly - 1,75 pounds

High compliance is ensured with a half-roll linear surround, drivers are acoustically suspended within their own chambers

Electrostatic Elements: Constant-charge, bipolar-radiating elements

Crossover:  All air-core copper inductors with special design audio transformers

Crossover Frequencies

Low Frequency Driver :  Adjustable to 120 Hz, 240 Hz, 4890 Hz at 12 dB/octave

Mid Frequency Drivers :  240 at 6 dB/ocave, continuously variable calibrated adjustment from 16 dB through +4 dB

Electrostatic Elements :  1440 Hz at 12 dB/octave, efficiency level adjustable from -4 dB through +10 dB, continuously variable calibrated adjustments

Solid-State Electronic Protection

The circuit is triggered by excessive voltage in relation to a particular frequency. Triggering may be caused by ±DC voltage, super-sonic or subsonic oscillations or any other amplifier malfunction; see graph. Operational mode is indicated by an amber light behind the grill cloth. A red light indicates the non-operational mode. This device also indicates the non-operational mode if it senses a malfunction within itself. Initial activation time - 5 seconds nominal; deactivation time 0,1 second nominal; reactivation time 5 seconds nominal.

Minimum Power Requirement :  100 Watts RMS per channel (recommended)

Maximum Power Input :  No limit, Electronic Protection will deactivate System with excessive wattage input

System Impedance :  8  nominal

Finish :  Oiled walnut or rosewood

Fabric :  Ebony

Dimensions (H x W x D):  1086  x 457 x 152 mm (42-3/4" x 24" x 6"

Shipping Weight:  113,6 kg (250 pounds) /pair