[Jukebox-list] RE: AMI G-200 questions.

[David Breneman]

--- "S.R. Boland" <digiovanni13 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>  I can
> also see that I will need to become handy with a
> solder gun!

You know, until you mentioned this,  I'd completely
forgotten to tell you the biggest problem with these
AMIs.  Some of the 110V wiring in the cabinet is done
with regular black zip cord, like what you'd use for
a table lamp or small appliance.  But the insulation 
is natural rubber and so by now its exceedingly brittle.
You'll need to replace that.  There's not much, but one
of the things to look out for is the wire that goes 
to the light fixtures in the glass door.  That wire
rests against the aluminum window frame, and if the
insulation flakes off at the bend point - ouch!

> It seems to me that jukebox tube amp designs and
> speaker configurations optimize the sound of the old
> 45 rpm records.  I think that '50s and '60s 45s were
> also mastered/pressed in a way that they would
> actually sound best in jukeboxes of that era.  My old
> records never sounded as good played at home as they
> did when I'd find the same songs in a jukebox
> somewhere.  That's part of the appeal for me.

This machine sounds good playing records of any era.
Capitol recently released some Pink Floyd pieces on
45 and "Have a Cigar" / "Welcome to the Machine" sounds
awesome on the G-200.  

BTW, back to speakers - Like (I think it was) Steve
mentioned, horn-loaded speakers are very efficient.
When Western Electric brought out their first sound 
system for movies, they used a spiral (like a snail
shell) horn that was something like 20 feet long if
it could be uncoiled.  That was driven by a ~10 watt
amp, and two of those behind the screen could fill
a typical movie theater.  Also, remember accoustic
phonographs had *no* amplification; just a diaphragm
2-4 inches in diameter coupled directly to a horn
and they can fill a home with music.  The disadvantage
of a horn is that it takes up space.  That's why
nowadays you need a 100 watt stereo system, it's
because a speaker by itself is not a very efficient 
way to move a mass of air.



David Breneman         david_breneman at yahoo.com


       
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