Hi,
The last half of 2009 has been a busy one for me. Both my parents died this summer of natural causes. They had a good life together and almost made it to 93 years. The Modjeski clan has good long life genes and I am excellent health with the full expectation of 100+ years. I went back to Virginia to settle up some affairs and get a few things out of the house I grew up in. There I found a "Quarter Century of Service" pin given to my grandad for his years at Brunswick. Over the years I have been collecting information from my dad on his dad's work there. He told me that his dad brought home defective or out of catalog 78's for target practice in the basement of their home.
I have been collecting Brunswick phonographs and records for many years and hope to write a book on their work in the early days of recording. Although known primarily for their bowling equipment and beautifully carved pool tables, they were an important force in both pre-electric recording and playback and the electrical systems that followed. If you are a student of early jazz, as I am, you will note that they were the early label for Billie Holiday and many others. (Check your CD booklets for BR numbers )They had exclusive contracts and made known many early jazz artists, Al Jolson was under exclusive contract for example. I have a 1925 catalog of their recordings that numbers in the tens of thousands. Brunswick eventually sold their recording business to Decca.
On to my work and some MR updates: I made it to RMAF and we shared a suite with Silverline Audio playing the RM 200 MK II for most of the show. Amplifier production is always first on my list and the current run of RM 200's is the best we have ever made. It has taken most of my time and effort to get the quality and reliability I demand in my products. We have brought all the transformer production back in house and it's been a real effort to train and watch over the winding, potting and testing of these newly designed transformers. I will say that we are are doing some very unusual things and that I've wound some transformers with bandwidth I had never imagined possible. I have had great response from those who have spent the extra $1050 to have transformers wound by me personally. I could talk for days about what goes on in my transformer shop verses what goes on in the transformer industry. The things I am doing are just not done out there and I think there is no way to get them done outside as my techniques differ so much from theirs. Whether I wind the transformer or my assistant does, he must do it my way start to finish. We are currently making a run 5 amps with transformers I wound over the past few months. A few of those amps are available this month. Given the other projects I am working on I may not have the time to make RM 200 transformers myself for many months. If you want an amp with transformers I have made personally they sell for $5250. The standard amp is currently available at $4200 and still class A rated by Stereophile since 2001.
Due to encouragement from several dealers, I have been working on a headphone amplifier/preamp. This is a very interesting project and has brought to light several things I had not previously thought of. We are planing to have two models one around $700-$900 and one around $1400 -$1800. Both will have output transformers, multiple impedance taps and preamp outputs that can drive any conventional power amp. They are in the listening stage of development and I have good feedback from several people who have borrowed them for use with top end Sennheiser and other phones. These amps are very quiet, simple and versatile in what they can do.
As to the shop and business: This summer I decided to expand our work areas and improve the organization of all the stuff it takes to build amps and provide tubes. Several of you have spoken to my associate, Robert. He is doing a fine job learning this business and doing much of the re-organization around here. There is a lot for a person to learn here and he's getting it bit by bit.
Thanks to all who have been here to answer the questions of others. I hope in a few months I will once again be here more as I do enjoy hearing from all of you.
