Monday, August 17, 2009

Ride On. Ride On. Ride On.


With biking in my blood, I had a thought about how to promote cycling in the city, in the state, even nationally — some sort of social awareness campaign to encourage the activity. Road, Mountain and Hybrid. Bumper stickers seems like a logical item to start with, but I can envision t-shirts and ... Facebook, bike shops, X-games, Tour de France... Ahhhh! Look out for bumper stickers in the near future. Ride On.

Typeface: Co Headline by Dalton Maag
Design/Illustration: © Ryon Edwards

Update as of 9/1/09: Stickers now available at http://www.zazzle.com/ryonedwards

Monday, August 3, 2009

Vintage Stereos Rock the House





I have a weakness for all things old and for all things audio-related. So when a buddy offered this vintage Sansui 5000A receiver/amp (c. 1969), I got pretty excited. I have fond memories of playing with my Dad's Marantz tuner/amp and Dual turntable back in the ’70s, with all the cool knobs and controls that clicked ever so perfectly, with that solid feel that you just don't see in electronics today. This Sansui is built well, and is a beast at 40 pounds. It packs 55 wpc, which sounds like a lightweight compared to current models, but I think wattage today is way overated in many of today's consumer brands. I took the Sansui into Maunz Electronics for a new power switch, and just got it back the other day. I hooked it up to the beautiful vintage Panasonic RD-7703 turntable that came with the Sansui (thanks, Rob!), and put on The Rolling Stones “More Hot Rocks” album from 1972. Apparently, this unit could use a new stylus, so I'm on the lookout for a replacement. Meanwhile, I'm using my old Sony PS-LX 150H turntable (that is about 20 years old, but 20 years newer than the Panasonic). 

Next, I will be adding some new bookshelf speakers, to replace DBX (30 year old sub/sat system). I'm considering the Athena Technologies 150W AS B2.2's. Every review I've read is very positive and they are very reasonably priced.

By the way, The Who's “Hooligans” album sounds pretty good, even on my dbx speakers. Other albums so far enjoyed: Eric Clapton's “461 Ocean Boulevard” 1974, Sly and the Family Stone's “Stand!” from 1969, Queen's “Jazz” from 1978 and Roberta Flack's “First Take” from 1969.