Hackjob

I've owned a lot of headphones in my time, but I'd can't say I've ever owned a pair that was "heirloom worthy". No, no - the Dyson Zone is not that, and certainly not anything with some celebrity's name festooned upon it . Think sitting room with a big leather armchair, a glass of wine, and a hi-fi stack that costs more than a new car. What headphones would fit right into that picture? These ones, probably.

A little over a year ago I made a post covering my prized vintage MCS 3275 receiver. Like all pieces of unrestored vintage gear it had its fair share of little annoyances, but nothing that seriously impacted my ability to use the thing - until now. Now those annoyances have become persistent problems, so I did what I always do and resolved it in the most headache-inducing way possible.

When I reviewed the Dyson Zone, I poked fun at how ridiculous its token air filtration feature was, but surprised by how genuinely good they sounded as just headphones. It left enough of a good impression that I couldn't help but try their successor - the OnTrac. Dyson made more than a handful of changes here, but are they enough? Let's find out.

Everyone knows the vacuum cleaner company Dyson, right? A few years ago they actually made an unexpected foray into high-end audio - except they did it in a way that was so ridiculously on brand, it had zero chance of catching on. Dubbed the Zone, this goofy device was widely ridiculed, but it did have some high points. Now that they're steeply discounted, are they worth another look?

Getting my first vintage receiver was probably the most exciting piece of my foray into vintage audio gear. While I've changed other components of my setup around several times, this is the one piece of the puzzle that's remained constant over the past year plus, and it's not from a brand most people will immediately recognize. Here's why.

Here's a comparison I'm sure that nobody has pondered in recent years: two once very expensive pairs of celebrity branded headphones from a little over a decade ago; one from Sony, and the other from Beats. At the time, I couldn't afford them, but now that everything is wireless and people want jack shit to do with cables these days, these junk drawer specials now seem like a pretty enticing bargain. But which pair of cans actually lives up to their supposed pedigree? And are they still worth a look?

Speakerlab probably isn't a name that rings any bells for most people outside of the Pacific Northwest, which makes it even more weird that I found a pair of their speakers sitting in a Goodwill in the middle of Texas. Initially not knowing what the hell these things were, the Speakerlab 7s quickly stole my heart, and ruined every other speaker in the house for me. But, being close to fifty years old, they could use a little TLC, and perhaps a few upgrades while we're at it.

Back in the early to mid-eighties Technics began revising their core consumer turntable lineup, creating the MK2 series of SL turntables. These were, and often still are, regarded some of the highest quality and most feature rich turntables ever built. While the lineup has largely been overshadowed the monumental success of the MK2 SL-1200, there's one model that's held in nearly as high of regard: the MK2 SL-1600. Here's how I got along with one.

I recently came into the possession of a vintage Pioneer turntable. Specifically the semi-automatic, direct drive PL-518, one of their most venerable turntables of the late 1970s. Despite it's initial, relatively innocent appearance however, this deck was a long way from spinning LPs again thanks to the horrors of unchecked humidity. Unfortunately for me, the rust and rot was just the tip of the iceberg.

It's safe to say I was feeling pretty burned by my experience with the Technics AZ-60 earbuds. While they sounded great, they just didn't perform reliably enough for me to recommend them over virtually any other options. That brought me right back to Bose, who I've had plenty of experience with having used their SoundSport Free buds for several years. This is their latest and greatest offering in the wireless earbuds space: the QuietComfort Earbuds II. Let's see if they can carry the torch.

  I don't think I'll be able to outdo this one anytime soon. By complete dumb luck, I stumbled upon a rare and completely bonkers Sharp VZ-3000, just a short jaunt down the interstate from where I lived. Not knowing a single thing about what I was getting myself into, I parted ways with $100 and loaded this monster into my car. What ensued was months of trying not to rip my own hair out in the hopes that I could bring this unique machine back from the dead.

  For anyone under the age of 30, Technics probably isn't a name that comes to mind when thinking about headphones. They're mainly known for making outstanding turntables and stereo equipment, but not so much for speakers. Anyone who bought a Technics rack system back in the day will probably tell you that the giant floor speakers it came with are either best suited for the garage - or the dump. So, does a storied turntable manufacturer with a not-so storied background for speakers know how to make a decent pair of noise cancelling Bluetooth earbuds? Let's find out.

  About two months ago, I scored two direct drive turntables for $60: a Pioneer PL-518 and a Technics SL-1600 MK1. Either one of these decks alone would've been a steal at the price, and a huge upgrade from the old Garrard 770M I was spinning LPs on prior. Unlike the Pioneer (which has been such a nightmare that it deserves it's own post), the Technics managed to survive it's two decades of horrible storage in relatively great shape. It just needed a little love.

One of my favorite pastimes is scrounging around on online secondhand marketplaces and thrift stores for interesting gadgets worth bringing back into peak working condition. There's a certain satisfaction about finding some battered old throwaway and turning back the years of neglect to find something genuinely useful, or at least super cool. In some cases, it's a chance to visit a bygone era and bring a piece of it back to life. This Garrard Model 770M turntable was certainly all of the above.

For the first real post on this blog, I thought it would be fitting to write about something that was killing me not writing about it at the time: building my first guitar. My desire to do this write up was also fueled by an unfortunate event from that year; one of my all-time idols, Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6th, 2020, just months after I had completed the build in the summer. The guitar in question is a replica of Eddie's famously haphazard Frankenstrat, a guitar that after watching several YouTube videos and learning of the guitar's construction, I figured "Well, I can do that too!". So I did, and this guitar holds a very special place in my heart, not just because I defied my own lack of experience, but because I feel like it's a fitting tribute to one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived.