TESTIMONIALS
Some of my clients have been kind enough to provide testimonials about the work I have done for them. Here are a few of those testimonials.
"In 1987 and 1993, my parents spoke on tape to a grandchild, talking about their childhoods in French South Louisiana. This was all on cassette, and I had never listened to the tapes. Scott transferred the mediocre quality cassette tapes to digital audio format. The final product sounds great, and I’m sending the MP3’s to my sisters as Christmas gifts this year. Thank you, Scott, for the miracle of hearing my father’s voice for the first time in 28 years." -K. Larue.
"Scott's excellent work on my father's old reel-to-reel tapes has allowed me to hear precious voices now silent in my life. What a gift!" -Susan C., Signal Mountain, TN.
"I couldn't speak highly enough about the quality of work and professionalism I've received dealing with Scott. He has brought a few of my components back from the dead! My favorites are my Pioneer CT-F950 and RT-707. Absolutely perfect!" -Larry G., Hixson, TN.
"I’ve brought several pieces to Scott for repair and he has never once caused me to regret sourcing out another tech. He is a consummate professional and has earned my utmost respect. His soldering skill set alone is among the finest I’ve ever seen. His methodical approach to problem solving gives me complete confidence and trust. Our relationship has progressed to the point of me dropping off future projects on the same day as taking delivery of completed ones. Much like having a personal mechanic that is the only one who services your prized vintage Porsche, Scott is the only man I would trust my gear to service properly and in a timely fashion." -Jason R., Chattanooga, TN.
"Scott Grammer has recently undertaken the overhaul and calibration of my Sony TC-D5 cassette recorder. It required transport repair and tape path alignment, as well as electrical calibration. It was also decided to do a “recap” on the boards while we were in there. Once opened, it was decided to swap in another head I had provided as it was showing less wear than the original one. I had also sourced several NOS idler wheels and pulleys and those were installed too. So, it ended up being a rather extensive rebuild. Turn time was quite fast considering all this.
Now, In order to accurately evaluate any piece of gear, we need a standard. A reference that we can refer back to which will indicate if the item under test is performing identically to the source, or if it colors the sound, rolls off the highs etc. “Sounds good” is subjective (and it does sound good!), but we want to know if it sounds accurate.
For my test, I used a pile of antique audio gear. Source was CD- Robbie Robertson’s first solo album of 1987, played on the Alesis ML-9600 Masterlink. Track six- “Somewhere down the crazy river”. This is a reference track I use for evaluating all my stereo gear purchases. I have listened to it steadily since 1987 so I have a very good feel for how it sounds. This particular track has a wide dynamic range, with some solo drum hits at the intro where the attack and decay of the drums can be heard and evaluated. As a drummer myself, for abut 45 years now, I have a good understanding of how drums and cymbals sound, or, at least how they SHOULD sound, so drums and percussion are often my point of reference for fidelity on any recording. That said, there is a combination of spoken and sung parts to this song, and those are also very good at determining resolution. Does it sound like he’s right in your head? Right in the room?
From the Alesis, via balanced connections, the signal fed one of my recently overhauled Tascam 122 Mk. III cassette decks. I calibrated the deck for a new TDK SM10 “professional” cassette (Which is just a short SA tape). Fast Forward a bit to begin setting levels, which went smoothly. It should be noted that the 122 has 0 VU at 250 nW/M, (per service manual) which is quite “hot”. I can easily saturate and distort this tape, and my average was set at roughly -3 VU to avoid that.
I use AKG K702 headphones for monitoring. These can be rather unforgiving but if there is a problem, they won’t mask it either. On a good recording, they sound excellent, and on this recording, from CD, they are excellent.
Roll tape, start the CD. Recording went smoothly, and checking source against the recorded signal on the 122, there was very little difference- like none I could pick up on. No coloration or roll off/exaggeration of signal. This is one of the things I like so much about the Tascam decks- they neither roll off or accentuate any frequencies to any significant degree. The tape sounds very much like the CD. An oscilloscope may “hear” things differently, but I’m not an oscilloscope.
Once the tape was done, I transferred it to the Sony for playback. WOW. It sounds really good. Really accurate to the source too. I was never straining to pick up on those details like drum and cymbal decay, which can be lost when the detail gets muddied. Stereo separation is exactly as it should be, and Robbie
is right in my head. Even smoother and more “refined” with lesser headphones (Behringer BH 470) but always pleasant to listen to, if the recording is done well.
I will continue to use this and expect things to get even better with age. All electrolytic capacitors have been replaced with Nichicon Fine Gold (Except Tantalums, which tested well and remain) and I think some hours on this will improve it even further. However, “out of the box” it really sounds exceptional; and by that, I mean: accurate to the source, which is very important to me.
Thank you, Scott!" - Jim L., West Hartford, Connecticut.
".... I cannot say enough great things about Scott’s ability and technical knowledge about vintage HiFi equipment. I would have no hesitations taking him another tube amplifier, turntable for alignment or classic amplifier for complete re-cap. Scott is thorough, accurate and helpful when diagnosing a quote for repair." - T. Biss, Chattanooga, TN.
"... Just a quick note to tell you how THRILLED I am with the work you did on my 45-year-old Pioneer QX-747 ... I spent last night listening to FM Stereo Radio Broadcasts...No signal drift, no static, no problems, just GREAT SOUND!!! I am now listening to Compact Discs - everything from Ambient Electronic to Heavy Metal to Post Punk to Smooth Jazz ... I am so happy with your work and I want you to know it ... I will be bringing you more gear soon ... Thanks!!!" - R.T. Nash, Chattanooga.
"Scott,
I'd like to sincerely thank you for bringing my Pioneer SX-1980 back to life. As you know it is an icon, and it has pained me for many years that it stopped working. I had nearly given up hope, and to think you've been just down the road from me this whole time. The work that you have done goes above and beyond my expectations, as I have needed to bring the unit back to you a few times since the initial repair. Each time though, you have cleared your bench, and repaired the unit as quickly as possible, twice in the same day, and even at your own expense. You don't find many people who do business like that anymore, my friend. That's called, Integrity, and you have plenty of it!
Best regards,
John Lacey Smith
Agent, New York Life Insurance Company
(423) 364-4283"
(Contact information left intact at John's request.)