HH Scott Info
From their Maynard, Massachusetts, research
facilities, audio pioneers Hermon Hosmer Scott and Chief
Research Engineer, Daniel R. von Recklinghausen made their mark
on the Golden Age of the High-Fidelity landscape.
We cordially invite you to view their legendary
Scott Stereomaster (vacuum tube) consumer electronic
components including: FM Wide-band tuners, integrated
amplifiers, preamplifiers, power amps, receivers, turntables and
speakers. Over 100 vacuum tube products were introduced in a
twenty-year span.
This site promotes sharing of information,
understanding and historic appreciation of vintage H.H. Scott
(vacuum tube) consumer high fidelity audio products produced
from 1946 through 1966. For a chronological photo-tour of all
products with index of available manuals and schematics, be sure
and browse the recently added VHHScott InstaBase.
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suggest you look here.
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Lee K. Shuster
Lee K. Shuster
04-Nov-2004
Vintage HHScott Hi-Fi Stereo Archive
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Hermon Hosmer Scott, Audio Pioneer, 1909 - 1975
Hermon Hosmer Scott
1909 - 1975
Hermon Hosmer Scott was born, March 28, 1909, in
Somerville, Massachusetts. He received B.S.(1930) and M.S.
(1931) degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Scott later earned his
doctorate from Lowell Technological Institute. In the early 1960's,
Mr. Scott served as a special Lecturer at the Tuck School of
Business Administration, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New
Hampshire.
Mr. Scott invented the RC Oscillator, the selectively tuned RC
circuit, various RC filters and the modern sweep circuit. He is
perhaps best known for inventing the Dynaural Noise Suppressor,
and held more than 100 patents (U.S. and foreign) for original
research in the field of electronics.
On January 6, 2000, at 2000 International CES in Las
Vegas, The Consumer Electronics Association, inducted the first
fifty pioneers that made a "significant contribution to the world,"
and among them was Hermon Hosmer Scott. Scott was honored
along with other significant luminaries like: Armstrong, Edison,
Farnsworth, Fisher, Harman, Kloss, Lansing, Marantz, and Sarnoff;
to mention but a few. Please view the complete site of the
charter inductees to the Consumer Electronic Hall of Fame, for
more information.
Early in his career, Mr. Scott worked on sound motion
pictures and high-quality broadcast systems from 1929 to 1931 at
Bell Telephone Laboratories, in New York, NY.
Mr. Scott worked for the General Radio Company, in
Cambridge, MA from 1931 to 1946, serving first as Sales
Engineer/Development Engineer and later as Executive Engineer
in charge of Audio, Acoustic, Broadcast and related
developments.
The Technology Instrument Corporation, of Waltham, MA
was founded by Mr. Scott, in 1946. I.T.C.'s first product was the
Type 910-A; a 13-tube, 19-inch, rack-mounted, Dynamic Noise
Suppressor marketed to commercial broadcasters and permitted
stations to greatly reduce their dependence on live performances.
With Scott's new technology, stations were now able to air much
more recorded content using older 78 rpm phonographic
recordings. I.T.C was also successful in sub-licensing the patented
DNS technology to other manufacturers including Electric and
Musical Industries, Ltd., (a.k.a. EMI -- of Beatles & Parlaphone
fame) and ironically, to E.H. Scott Radio, of Chicago, IL (note: H.H.
and E.H. were not related), and also to Avery Fisher's Fisher Radio
Corporation, of New York, NY.
On the initial success of I.T.C., H.H. Scott, Inc., was formed in
1947, humbly situated in a rustic old shoe factory located in
Cambridge, MA. The new company expanded to build the first
integrated, high fidelity, phono amplifier (210-A) incorporating a
simplified (3-tube) DNS intended for the emerging post-war
consumer market, while continuing to offer commercial
"laboratory-grade" instruments.
A decade and several successful products later (in late 1957);
the company built and moved into a new state-of-the-art
manufacturing and research facility, at Powder Mill Road, in
Maynard, MA. H.H. Scott, the name by which he and his firm were
so widely known became one of the top two respected names in
consumer high fidelity (and later stereo), the other also bearing
its founder's name, Fisher Radio.
The company remained independent until 1973, when it was
acquired by Electro Audio Dynamics of Europe. US operations
were later relocated to Woburn, MA, offices. In 1985, the famous
hi-fi brand was purchased and today operates as a division of
Emerson Electronics.
Hermon Hosmer Scott's technological leadership was
recognized by election to Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Acoustical Society of America, and Audio
Engineering Society, where he served as president in 1962, as well
as a member of the AES Board of Governors. Scott was one of
the first to be presented the John H. Potts Memorial Award by the
Audio Engineering Society "for outstanding achievements in the
field of audio engineering."
Active in civic affairs, Mr. Scott was a trustee of the Boston
Opera and the Boston Ballet. Mr. Scott received numerous
awards and accolades for his accomplishments including the
Distinguished Service Award from President Kennedy's
Committee on the Employment of the Physically Handicapped.
Hermon Hosmer Scott, died April 13,1975, in Lincoln,
Massachusetts, after a long illness at the age of 66.
Reprinted from circa, "1959 - 1960":
They Shall Have Music
By John M. Conly
The Scott Hypothesis
Boston is bordered on the west by electronics. Belting the city,
across the route once ridden by Paul Revere and his daring
companions, is a string of bright new buildings, mostly
single-storied and imaginatively tinted. They represent the
Yankee challenge in modern industry and reflect the research
constantly in progress at Harvard, M.I.T., and other great New
England schools, together with the incomparable skilled labor this
has brought into being. Not least impressive of the buildings is a
structure identified, with admirable simplicity, as H.H. Scott,
which house, during work hours, more than three hundred
people, and its product is reproduced sound, pure as it can be.
Hermon Hosmer Scott is a soft-spoken, middle-sized man, with a
down-East accent to which he is entitled. One of his forebears
was a adjunct to a militia detachment which made itself famous
at Concord on April 19, 1775. He still lives in the neighborhood,
near Maynard, with his wife Eleanor, and two daughters, Priscilla
and Jane.
It would be downright silly to introduce H.H. Scott to veteran
record listeners. We have been gratefully aware of him since
1947. He is the man who took the grit out of Grieg and the scratch
out of Scriabin, in inventing, back then, the Dynaural Noise
Supressor, the only device of its kind that ever actually worked, so
far as I know. It killed irrelevant noise, without detracting from
the music. It really did and still does. If you use an HHS/DNS, a 78
sounds as clean as an LP, and an LP sounds as clean as live FM.
The Supressor even now is incorporated in some Scott amplifiers,
because record fanciers want it, and Scott, a loyal record fancier
himself, supplies it.
Scott has received many engineering citations, some for truly
basic work in electronics measurement; and his scholastic record
at M.I.T., is still spoken of with awe. Yet he is honored and
heeded most by his friends on the grounds of ethics and
aesthetics. This is important and is reflected in the clear reliability
of his products. A walk through the plant makes plain that H.H.
Scott employees never, never (as the song says) will be slaves. My
guide was Victor Pomper, Scott’s vice president, and inseparable
companion. All the pleasant ladies with their soldering irons
called him Vic, and he knew their first names, too. What that
means, most importantly, is that living-room listeners do not get
H.H. Scott FM tuners or preamplifiers with fractured cold-solder
joints. The things work, and keep on working, because they were
made with devotion, and I think with pride. "No one’s afraid of
anyone else here," Pomper remarked.
"They’ll all fight like lions if they think they’re right, and we’ve
never lost a good top-level man in the history of the company."
Pomper designs the exteriors of Scott high fidelity equipment,
though he has no formal training in such matters (he is an
engineer, too), and this is why most of it comes forth in brushed
gold. Pomper is partial to brushed gold; it is so elegant. An
example is the new 399 stereo tuner-amplifier, a glistening device
obviously made by perfectionists for perfectionists. It will perform
any stereo function, with easy power, and its frontal escutcheon
is not only elegant but self-explanatory.
Scott’s own insistent ideas lie behind the designs. He is terribly
irritated by imperfections of any kind. As an opera lover he
abominates sopranos who look like barrage balloons. As a
manufacturer he grieves over audio instruments that suggest
something filched from a battleship’s innards. He does not see
why an amplifier or a tone arm should be ugly, any more than a
cello is. To this we owe a revolution, since it was Scott who, in
1953, gave us the Model 99 amplifier, which did not need to be
hidden. It could be laid laid on a bookshelf, where in its gold and
leatherette sheathing, it looked quite as worthy as a de-luxe
edition of Columbia Encyclopedia. Everyone now follows this
precedent, but it was Scott who established it, and the Scott
musical gear still looks best of any.
In Scott there is a survival of Yankee aesthetic, which gave us
once a countryside of beautiful architecture, fully useful, and
equipped it with furniture to match. It is good to have someone
like him around, still confident in the tradition.
Special "Thanks" to: Kevin W. McDonald for submitting this
original H.H. Scott Reprint
______________________________________________
H.H. Scott
H.H. SCOTT WAS FOUNDED in 1947 by Hermon Hosmer
Scott. The prefix H.H. was to differentiate his fledgling company
from E. H. Scott, the Scott Radio Company of Chicago, makers of
"The Rolls Royce" of AM radios. Although H.H. is different from
E.H., they are similar enough to make one wonder it perhaps
Scott, always the shrewd businessman, hoped that some of E.H.
Scott’s reputation for quality might, by association, rub off.
H.H. Scott's first product was the Dynaural Noise Suppressor.
This product, aimed primarily at the professional broadcast
market, made it possible, for the first time, to play records over
the radio. Prior to its introduction, 78 rpm records were
considered too full of pops and ticks to warrant airplay. Scott's
first product, while a technical step forward, changed the face of
American radio in a way that, in retrospect, cannot be considered
positive. Overnight, all those wonderful live programs were
replaced with recorded music. Chalk up another victory for
technology over live music. Scott continued making a Dynaural
Noise Suppressor through 1956, when the model 114A was finally
discontinued. (editor's note: DNS was featured on such high-end
Scott Types such as the: 121-C, 122, 272, and 296, well into the
sixties. In fact, twenty-five years after Scott introduced DNS, SAE,
introduced a conceptually similar processor in the mid-seventies
called the SAE 5000 Impulse Noise Reduction System.)
When the Dynaural Noise Suppressor was first introduced,
Scott licensed the device to several companies for inclusion in
their products, among them, the Fisher Radio Company (editor's
note: oddly enough H.H. Scott, first licensed its DNS circuit design
to the prestigious E.H. Scott, in the late forties.) This alliance was
short-lived, as Scott soon began to market its own Amplifiers and
Control Centers, utilizing its Dynaural Noise Suppressor circuitry.
From the beginning, Fisher saw Scott as trouble, and the two
companies were competitors through the mid-Sixties. Even today
when people think of Scott, they also think of Fisher. These two
companies became the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum of
American audio.
From the very start, Scott used a model numbering system
that was rococo in its complexity. Scott’s use of letters to
differentiate up-dated versions of products is still employed by
many contemporary High End manufacturers, and still wreaks
havoc or hapless consumers. Like most overly complex systems,
Scott’s model numbering system was designed to be simple. The
system was set up as follows:
100 - Preamps and control centers
200 - Power amplifiers and integrated amps
300 - RF devices like tuners
400 - Sound measuring devices
700 - Pro sound products
800 - Acoustic measuring devices
THE SYSTEM worked rather well until 1952 when the model
99A integrated amplifier was released. This unit was the first to
mount tubes horizontally, pioneering "slim-line" styling that is
common in current audio components. The marketing folks at
Scott felt that since their product was priced at "only" $99, what
better way to get their point across than call the unit model 99? It
should have been christened the 299 to adhere to the system,
and in 1960 Scott did introduce a model 299 integrated amp. The
model 99 went through several incarnations and remained in the
Scott tine well into the stereo era. The model 99-D was finally
dropped from the product line in the September 1964 price list.
Although Scott's first product, the Dynaural Noise
Suppressor, was important as the Dolby or dbx of its day, Scott’s
primary contribution to Audio was its FM tuners. If there is a
single antique Scott product worth owning in 1987, it is one of the
tuners. While no one person is ever responsible for a major new
technology, Daniel von Recklinghausen, Scott's chief engineer,
was certainly a major force in the development and
popularization of FM radio. Recklinghausen, unlike his
contemporaries, still has designs that are in the forefront of
current state-of-the-art audio technology. The EMlT tweeter,
which can be found in some of the finest systems in the world
(including the one at Sea Cliff), was designed by Recklinghausen.
KLH first marketed it as the DVR tweeter (you are all such quick
studies that I need not tell you what DVR stands for).
Recklinghausen was, and is, a rare breed of audio engineer -one who uses his ears and has an open mind. A quote from a
Boston Audio Society meeting best illustrates his philosophy: "If it
measures good and sounds bad, -- it is bad. If it sounds good and
measures bad, -- you've measured the wrong thing." Listening
was an integral part of the design process at Scott. The Audio Hall
of Fame article on H. H. Scott contains the story that once Scott
came to work one morning with a black eye, the result of a scuffle
with an angry neighbor who objected to Scott's night-time
listening and testing sessions. This is the kind of dedication to
sound quality that is only found today among High End
manufacturers. At Scott the sound of music was the reference.
An article in the December 1954 issue of Radio and
Television News co-written by Recklinghausen, Casey, and
Pomper introduced the public to the first commercial wide-band
FM-only tuner, the 310A. Scott was so confident of its lead in the
market that the article even included a schematic of the new unit.
This six-month lead in FM technology continued through the
multiplex stereo era. Not only did Scott bring to market the first
FM multiplex adapter and the first FM multiplex tuner, but it
designed and built the first multiplex broadcasting and test
equipment.
Scott took some very calculated risks in the development of
the FM multiplex adapter. No one knew which of four systems
tested would be accepted by the FCC as the standard, so
Recklinghausen and his staff had to design multiplex adapters for
each of the four systems, utilizing as many of the same parts in
each design as possible. On April 19, 1961, when the FCC finally
announced the new multiplex standard, Scott was ready with
enough parts and materials in stock to immediately manufacture
1000 multiplex adapters and begin shipping them to radio
stations across the country.
During Scott’s first 15 years, from 1947 to 1962, it was more
of a High End manufacturer than a mid-fi , or consumer
electronics company. Products were added not because it was a
new year and marketing demanded new products, but when
sufficiently substantial improvements were made in a design to
warrant a new product. During the Sixties, the definition of
"substantial improvement" became increasingly abused as
marketing became more influential in decision-making. In the
early days, Scott products were not cheap. In 1956 its Model 280
-- an 80-watt mono power amp -- sold for $199.95; its 310-B tuner
for $159.95. In 1987 dollars, the 280 would cost $860, the 310-B
about $690.
Scott remained independent until 1973, when it was sold to
its European distributor, Electro Audio Dynamics. This began the
final chapter in a gradual decline that began in the mid-1960s.
The transistor age, and the entry of foreign products into the
American audio marketplace, was the beginning of the end for
Scott, Fisher, and most of the American manufacturers. Rather
than aim for the smaller up-scale market, as McIntosh did, Scott
tried to beat the Japanese at their own game. Scott lost.
While its early products are important and much sought
after by collectors, "The Antique Collector" will concentrate on
components made between 1956 and 1964. 1956 on the bottom
side because most electronics that are more than 30 years old
need substantial restoration and modification for reliable
everyday use, and earlier pieces are priced to reflect their rarity
and collect ability rather than their sonic virtues. After 1964, Scott
products took a nose-dive in quality and sonic excellence.
-Steven Stone
Editor's Note: This text first appeared in TAS, Volume 12,
Issue 50, pg. 83-85, The (Golden Age) Antique Collector: part 1.
Reprinted with the permission of the Editor-in-Chief of The
Absolute Sound, the (only) High End journal about music and
sound.
______________________________________________
"Scott . . . where innovation is a tradition."
"H.H. Scott has been a leading manufacturer of superb high
fidelity components since 1946. During this period Scott has been
responsible for the introduction of many new concepts in both
the engineering and design of components."
"H.H. Scott produced the first high fidelity amplifier (in the
modern sense of the term). Later, Scott eliminated unsightly wires
and tubes by designing the first "flat" amplifier.....bringing high
fidelity components from the workshop to the living room. Scott
was the first manufacturer to introduce a successful Wide-Band
FM tuner, and Scott was first to deliver multiplex adapters and
tuners which met the requirements of today's FCC-approved
(Zenith/GE) stereo transmission system. And Scott was the first to
produce modular tuner-amplifier combinations."
Important Scott industry "Firsts" . . . . .From a Scott brochure -circa, 1961
Also see the tribute to Daniel R. von Recklinghausen, Chief
Research Engineer.
First high fidelity AM/FM tuner using wide-band AM design
First high fidelity tuner manufacturer to incorporate an all-silver
plated front-end
First commercially successful use of wide-band circuitry in high
fidelity FM tuners
First usable (wide-band) multiplex output on FM tuner
First Dynaural (signal/noise ratio actuated) inter-station noise
muting
First to market an FM multiplex stereo tuner and multiplex
adaptor employing FCC-approved (Zenith/GE) stereo transmission
system, including commercial FM multiplex signal generator
First integrated high fidelity amplifier
First low, flat (slim-line design) high fidelity amplifier
First supersonic cutoff filter for tape recording
First stereo balancing circuitry
First to provide center channel outputs on stereo amplifiers
First wide-range consoles without acoustic feedback
___________________________________________
from H.H. Scott brochure........circa, 1962,
"EXCLUSIVE H.H. SCOTT LABORATORY
STANDARD GUARANTEE ASSURES EXCELLENCE"
Seal (34499 bytes)"Every H.H. Scott component is furnished with
a bonded guarantee to assure you that it meets or exceeds the
technical specifications claimed for it. This guarantee is made
possible by the stringent quality control tests given each H.H.
Scott component before it leaves the factory."
"Component high fidelity reaches far beyond an ordinary
phonograph in performance and complexity. When we purchase
stereo components, most of us do not have enough technical
knowledge to gauge the quality of engineering. Therefore we
must rely on the opinions of others in making our decision. We
must examine the background and reputation of the company.
Let's examine H. H. Scott in light of this:
Scott engineers analyze problems in fresh ways, solve them
through sound engineering techniques. Until Scott, in 1952,
solved the engineering problems involved in designing a "flat"
amplifier covered with a handsomely styled case, high fidelity
components were ugly and bulky . . . a maze of tubes and wires.
This Scott innovation was immediately adopted throughout the
industry.
Scott protects you against obsolescence. In 1954, Scott
engineers developed a new kind of circuitry using Wide-Band
design. Today, with FM stereo multiplex a reality, Wide-Band
design is essential. Scott's pioneering Wide-Band tuner design of
eight years ago has become a necessity in good stereo reception
Scott is equally conservative in advertising claims. Scott
insists that every unit off dealers' shelves should exceed
advertised specifications . . . these figures should not apply to just
a selected engineering master sample. As a result, engineering
tests by leading high fidelity publications consistently show
ratings better than claimed by Scott.
Every Scott component receives more than 50 separate
quality tests before it leaves the factory. Our test engineers insist
on rigid test procedures to assure long trouble-free operating life.
Scott feels that its service to the customer begins with his
purchase . . . that your problems are our problems. We have
many letters from satisfied Scott owners well pleased with our
service. Scott has grown over the years because enthusiastic
owners recommend Scott to their friends and acquaintances.
Before you decide on your high fidelity system, we suggest that
you ask the man who owns Scott."
________________________________________________
Antique Radio's Touch of Perfection
from an article by J. W. F. Puett
(Editor's Note: Also check out the E.H.Scott Radio Collectors
Guide)
Like that proverbial old violin at the auction, worthless until the
old master picked it up and played, so would be the field of classic
radio without the touch of perfection it received from Earnest
Humphrey Scott. From 1924 to 1945, E. H. Scott designed and
built the world's fine radios, many of which, although nearly half a
century old, are still treasured by their original owners.
What sort of man was responsible for manufacturing radios which
inspire this kind of devotion? - Scott was not a man who enjoyed
being second to anyone. He was, by temperament, a
perfectionist, an engineer, whose all consuming desire was to be
first - to produce radios which were guaranteed to "outperform
any other radio or sound reproduction system in either a tone or
long distance reception test." This was no idle boast. In the
August, 1935, Scott News, he wrote, "During the past ten years, I
have repeatedly challenged the whole world of radio to any kind
of competitive test, but during this period, not a single
manufacturer has been willing to accept this challenge.
" E. H. Scott was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on June 1, 1887.
He spent his early years in Australia. His father was killed in a
railroad accident when he was only five. When he was fourteen,
his mother died suddenly, leaving him an orphan. Confronted
with the necessity of self-support, he became a messenger boy,
but soon progressed to the position of salesman.
With the advent of World War I, he enlisted in the Australian New
Zealand Army Corps and served in France. During this time he
invented a simple little gadget, the Telecator, for locating troubles
in automotive engines. The United States government purchased
the rights for his invention which eventually amounted to a total
of $46,000.00. Telecators were provided as standard equipment
in army machine shops, and were installed on tanks and tractors.
Scott made many American friends while stationed in France.
When he was discharged in London at the end of the war, he
decided to come to the United States, making Chicago his home.
During his first two years in America, he wrote a column entitled
"The Care of an Automobile," which was syndicated in fifty
newspapers in the United States and Canada. In this time period,
Scott became "intensely interested in radio." In addition to his
automotive column, he soon found himself supplying weekly
articles on the construction of radio sets. In 1922, he originated
the pictorial wiring diagram which "helped thousands of
non-technical radio enthusiasts to build their first radio sets."
During the years he wrote radio articles, Scott maintained a well
equipped laboratory where he tested hundreds of different
circuits. This was necessary, since he was supplying radio articles
to 112 different newspapers.
After four years in America, Scott decided to visit his native New
Zealand again. He was determined to take with him a radio
capable of receiving U.S. broadcast stations in New Zealand.
Before leaving Chicago, he arranged for stations WGN and WQJ
(now WMAQ) to send him special programs when he reached
New Zealand. These programs began at 1:00 a.m. and lasted until
4:00 a.m. The distance from Tasman, New Zealand to Chicago is
about 8,300 miles. In 1924, very few receivers were capable of
tuning in broadcast band signals from that great a distance. Scott
tuned in both special broadcasts, logging them for over an hour.
The morning after each program was broadcast, he cabled
program details to the stations and sent them his logs by
registered mail.
During his thirteen week stay in New Zealand, Scott logged 117
programs from 19 different stations, all 6,000 miles or more
distant, establishing four world's records for the consistent night
after night reception of stations 6,000 miles or more away. This
was 1924.
To prove that he did not have a "freak set," Scott cabled Chicago
for a duplicate set of parts and built a second receiver there in
New Zealand. The second set performed as well as the first, and
Scott named this receiver the World Record 9. The second set set
was left in New Zealand when Scott returned to America. Upon
his return to the U.S., Scott checked his logs personally with the
managers of Los Angeles stations KHJ, KFI, and KNX. The station
manager of KNX could hardly believe that it was possible to pick
up his 500-watt station almost every night 6,000 miles away. To
prove this kind of reception was possible, a test program was
arranged with station KNX. A cable was sent to the man in New
Zealand who purchased the second World Re- cord 9, asking him
to pick up the program and report it by cable. The following
morning, a cable arrived from New Zealand giving program details
and several weeks later, the log arrived by mail.
When Scott arrived in Chicago, he received hundreds of requests
from radio fans in all parts of the country asking for construction
details on the World Record 9. He published and sold hundreds of
copies of a booklet which contained all technical data on this set.
Many who constructed this receiver had difficulty aligning the
circuits and came to Scott for assistance. In that time, very few
laboratories had the necessary equipment to "properly match" IF
transformers. Mr. Scott was thus "forced to go into the radio
business," and began supplying matched sets of IF transformers.
He opened his first laboratory, The Scott Transformer Company,
in 1924. It consisted of two rooms, each about fifteen feet square,
one an office and the other the laboratory. In the September,
1933, Scott News, he wrote, "Right from the start, my only
interest and ambition has been to design and build the very finest
radio receiver possible.
" The growth of the company was rapid in spite oi the depression,
a tribute to the business genius of Scott. In 1933 he doubled the
size of the laboratory. Expansion continued, and by 1935 the
company was housed in a large modern three-story building with
97 employees
Unfounded claims of fantastic sensitivity, selectivity and fidelity
made by other manufacturers annoyed Scott. Upon reading an
advertisement that a certain receiver "would give reception on
the broadcast band of stations up to 5 000 miles in broad
daylight, ' Scott offered to wager $1,000.00 that it could not be
done. His wager was refused. When a manufacturer offered "an
open challenge to any and all reception records," Scott accepted
by registered letter, offering a side by side public reception test.
The letter was never answered. Scott concluded, "Bluff is all right
until someone calls it." Scott's designs and innovations were often
copied by other manufacturers. When another company offered
four consoles which were "copies" of Scott console designs, he
retorted by quoting Kipling:
"And they asked me how I did it, And I gave 'em the scripture text;
'You keep your light so shining a little ahead of the next.' They
copied all they could follow, But they couldn't copy my mind, And
I left them sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."
Scott guaranteed his receivers for five years, with only the tubes
excluded. Holding to his belief that "the fine things are always
hand made," he never considered mass production.
Scott radios probably still hold more verified long-distance
broadcast station reception records than the sets produced by all
other manufacturers combined. The following records were
established in 1924:
(1) Greatest number of broadcast band stations and programs
6,000 miles or more distant: (a) 19 stations 6,000 to 8,000 miles
distant. (b) 19 programs from stations 8,000 miles or more
distant. (c) 19 programs from stations 7,000 miles or more
distant. (d) 79 programs from stations 6,000 miles or more
distant. (2) greatest distance over which voice and music had
been heard, 8,375 miles.
As an advertising promotion and demonstration of the
performance of the new All-Wave De Luxe, Scott offered an all
expenses paid trip around the world. The contest was limited to
Scott All-Wave owners and spanned the first six months of 1932.
During the first four months, Scott owners sent in verified
reception reports covering 231 different foreign stations and
13,280 foreign station programs, which were heard from 41
different countries.
In 1932 a Scott All-Wave receiver in the United States established
a record for the most consistent foreign station short wave
reception very broadcast from station VK2ME in Sidney, Australia
for twelve consecutive months - distance 9,500 miles.
E. H. Scott installed an All Wave De Luxe receiver aboard the S. S.
Manganni on which he sailed to New Zealand in February of 1933.
He was able to pick up station WBBM in Chicago all the way to the
amazement of passengers and crew alike. He furnished music
direct from Chicago for the passengers to dance to each night of
the voyage. Scott commented, "There seems to be no other way
to definitely establish our right to make the claims we do and to
overcome what I know are exaggerations by some of the
manufacturers who claim to compete with us to the confusion of
some of our prospective customers."
"Once more we will have proven beyond fear of contradiction the
supremacy of our receiver."
Radio station WBBM read cablegrams received daily from E. H.
Scott during his voyage and announced his reception reports.
The chief Radio Operator of the S. S. Manganni issued this
statement, "In all my radio experience, I have never heard such
reception of broadcast stations on board ship as that
accomplished by the Scott receiver."
On this 1933 trip to New Zealand, Scott visited the man who
purchased the second World Record 9 receiver from him in 1924.
Although this set had been in continuous use on an average of
three hours a day, it was still bringing in stations from all parts of
the world. It took a great deal of persuasion, but Scott was finally
instrumental in trading a new All Wave De Luxe for the World
Record 9, which was later placed on exhibit at the E. H. Scott
Radio Laboratories in Chicago.
Scott did not change the appearance of his sets each year as some
manufacturers do for sales purposes. New innovations were
constantly incorporated into existing receiver designs, but the
models remained essentially the same in appearance. Only when
significant developments could not be utilized without drastic
changes, was a new model introduced.
Scott not only stayed abreast with the state of the art, he often
surged far ahead of his time. A few of the "firsts" attributed to his
designs are listed herein: (1) First to successfully use more than
one tuned RF stage. (2) First all-wave receiver offered to the
general public (l928). (3) First to successfully utilize the screen
grid tube. (4) First 15 - 500 meter superhetrodyne set without
plug-in coils. (5) First to utilize triple-grid " super control" type 57
and type 58 tubes. (6) First minimum usable sensitivity of .025 uv
per meter at 600 KHz and a maximum sensitivity of .006 uv per
meter at 1400 KHz. (7) First to provide 10 KHz selectivity at a field
strength of 600 to 1. (8) First true high fidelity radio capable of
reproducing the entire audio range (30 Hz to 15 KHz). (9) first to
provide variable selectivity: control of both RF and IF stages. (10)
First accurately calibrated dial - within .1% on the broadcast band
and within 3% on all short wave bands.
E. H. Scott was probably the first radio manufacturer to employ
modern reliability testing devices. He designed and utilized
electric rotators to test moving parts, electro mechanical shaking
tables to test the permanence of all adjustments, and a special
refrigeration cabinet to simulate humid conditions encountered
in a tropical climate.
At the Century of Progress, 1933 Chicago World's Fair, a Scott All
Wave De Luxe in a Napier console was placed in operation in the
control room at the top of the elevator of the observation Tower
at the Sky Ride. Each day, eight to twelve thousand people visited
the control room. They heard music and news coming from the
radio without the slightest trace of electrical interference, yet the
set was situated in the center of a mass of motors, dynamos, and
control contractors. This unusual demonstration "proved the
perfection of shielding in the Scott All Wave De Luxe."
In 1935, Scott ads heralded the 23-tube full range High Fidelity
Receiver, also known as the All Wave Imperial. Four of Chicago's
largest theaters were slated to use "two well known receivers" to
pick up the Joe Louis vs. Max Baer fight. This program material
was to be connected from the receivers to the theater $20,000.00
sound systems. It was found that neither of the receivers was
capable of bringing a sufficiently clear signal into the theaters.
The theater owner asked E. H. Scott if he thought his new 23 tube
All Wave might do the job. Scott replied, "It is not only capable of
bringing in the signal, but of delivering the volume required
without feeding it into the theater sound systems!" The next
morning, an All Wave Imperial in a Napier console was installed in
the Drake Theater. To the owner's amazement, it brought in the
desired station without even a crackle from the ambient
downtown electrical interference and " filled every corner of the
theater with the volume turned only one-third on." With a
standing room only audience, the volume was turned one half on.
The supremacy of Scott receivers was now legendary, and their
elegance increased as time marched on. There was the $2,500.00,
forty-tube, Quaranta, a special version of the AII Wave Imperial
with a very elaborate audio system, and finally, perhaps the
greatest of all classics, the Philharmonic. There were countless
custom built installations, some with remote control systems for
both tuning and volume. Some affluent customers even had their
large yachts [equipped with Scott receivers for entertainment
purposes.
Famous people in all walks of life owned Scott receivers. In the
world of music, many well known concert masters such as Arturo
Toscanini, Eugene Goosens and John Barbirolli treasured the
quality sound reproduction that only a Scott could bring. The list
goes on and on, Frank Lloyd Wright, Guy Lombardo, Deems
Taylor, Walter Winchell, and countless other connoisseurs of the
very best.
The period from 1935 to the end of World War II represents
Scott's grandest years. His long time feud with McMurdo Silver
ended in 1938 when Silver succumbed to bankruptcy and Scott
purchased the company assets. Scott commented, "I did this
rather than let the tradition for custom built radio pass to
someone who might tear down the high standards of quality a
custom built product represents."
In 1939, radio station WCFL in Chicago broadcast The Scott Music
Lover's Program from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Monday through
Saturday. E. H. Scott loved fine music and even included "The
Scott Record Review" for SCOTT NEWS readers in 1940.
Scott's mind was always full of improved designs. In 1940, he
developed an elaborate 26 tube communications receiver which
was produced in very limited quantities. Known as the Scott
Special, this set was perhaps the last and greatest of his ingenious
designs. The circuitry bore some similarity to the Philharmonic.
There were seven short wave bands (1.7 to 64MHz) and two
other ranges from 140 to 395 KHz and 520 to 1710 KHz. This set
utilized two separate tuners on the same chassis, one for the
short wave bands and the other for the broadcast and low
frequency bands. The performance of the Scott Special High
Fidelity Communications Receiver was not equaled until years
after World War II.
E. H. Scott spent many happy hours with his own Scott Special,
which his wife "would not allow in the living room." Gladys Scott
much preferred the Philharmonic in a Chippendale Grand console
for living room listening. Scott maintained a special listening
station in his upstairs den where he kept the Scott Special which
was connected to an elaborate outside antenna system.
Scott had two other interests. The first was flying. As a passenger,
he logged over half a million miles in his later years. His second
hobby was photography, especially making movies. He made
many movies on travel in foreign countries and also wrote books
on that subject.
Like many others who excel in their field, Scott was eccentric,
demanding, a strict disciplinarian, and at times even hotheaded.
From the privacy of his rooftop office, he often checked on his
salesmen's talks with prospective customers by means of
microphones hidden behind pictures in the Chicago sales salon.
He once dozed off while driving his car and crashed into a Chicago
bungalow. As a reminder that sleep can be dangerous, he had an
artist paint a picture of the wreck which he hung in his office.
On the other hand, Scott was a man of depth and feeling and a
generous employer. Perhaps the greatest testimony to his
generosity could be obtained from hundreds of Australian and
New Zealand service men who trained in Canada during World
War II. Scott financed and operated a club for these men in
Chicago. They were treated royally, taken to ball games and on
sight seeing tours. Scott made pictures of each man and if one
was killed or wounded in the war, he wrote a personal letter to
their families. If Scott ever received any recognition for this
humanitarian endeavor, it is not known, although others who
probably did less received special awards. Mr. Scott's reward was
the personal satisfaction he received from helping others in need.
At the outset of World War II, German submarines used direction
finders to locate ships at sea up to 100 miles away by tuning in on
the minute signal from the local oscillator in any superhetrodyne
receiver aboard ship. In only 36 days, Scott designed and
developed a receiver which produced no detectable radiation
beyond 25 feet. The company immediately began to manufacture
these low radiation receivers which were used both for
communication and crew entertainment aboard Navy and
Merchant Marine vessels. The firm received the Navy E, the
Maritime M, and the Treasury T awards for their part in the war
effort.
By the end of the second World War, the last Philharmonic had
long since been assembled, tested and shipped to some lucky
customer, and the great days were waning for E. H. Scott. In 1943,
the company was doing a $2,800,000.00 business with the U.S.
Navy, but when Mr. Scott totaled the profits, he found with
renegotiation and taxes that he had only $90,000.00 Ieft.
Discouraged by previous deficits, and dubious about the
immediate postwar future of radio, Scott sold his interest in the
company for $260,000.00, remaining in the capacity of president
and still in charge of all company business. From 1943 to 1945 the
relationship between Scott and other company officials declined
sharply. Returning from a trip to New Zealand in June of 1945,
Scott found that the company capitalization had increased from
6,000 shares to 251,000 shares on the strength of war time sales.
Almost 225,000 shares had already been sold to the public for
$703,125.00 . Scott further found that he had been demoted from
president to advertising and sales manager. He turned down the
job in a 3,500 word letter. Purchasing large ads in two leading
Chicago newspapers, he publicly announced his resignation and
disclaimed any responsibility for the stock sale. Without Scott's
leadership, the company gradually faded away in the 50's.
Retired, E. H. Scott moved to the municipality of Saanich near
Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. His home still stands near
the top of the southern slope of Mt. Tolmie, a rocky isolated hill.
This location provides a beautiful view of the city and surrounding
country including the Olympic Mountain Range in the State of
Washington about twenty miles across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
E. H. Scott passed away in 1951, leaving a legacy of quality and
perfection which may never be equaled in the world of radio. The
instruments he manufactured were truly "The Stradivarius of
radio receivers" and in spite of his eccentricities, Mr. Scott will be
remembered as the old master whose magic touch made them
play.
The author (J. W. F. Puett) extends special thanks to Mr. Jack
Rhodes for contributing invaluable information used in this
article. Our thanks also to John Caperton, Anthony Ciardi, Brent
Dingman, Earl England, Bob Fabris, John Field, Joe Halser, Walt
Jackson, Robert Lynd, Russ Mappin, George Sartor, Buford Smith
and John Tishopp.
October 1974, article by J. W. F. Puett.
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Excerpts from the article:
“Nothing New Under the AM Sun”
by Michael N. Stosich
Originally published in the January, 1977, issue of Audio
magazine.
“...The trend towards modern component hi-fi, actually began
during the 1930s, and E.H. Scott was the foremost manufacturer
of custom high-fidelity component systems, being the Crown or
McIntosh of his time. Custom is not an idle word either; Scott
aligned tuners to work better for different geographical locations
and added or subtracted controls to suit the purchaser.
Scott was born in New Zealand in 1887, orphaned at 14, and while
in the Australian Army Corps, invented an automobile trouble
shooting device which eventually brought him $46,000. After
World War I, he migrated to Chicago where he wrote auto
maintenance articles syndicated in 50 U.S. and Canadian
newspapers. His interest soon gravitated to radio, and he began
to write articles on that subject too. On a holiday in New Zealand
in 1924, he took with him a set specially constructed for the
occasion to receive U.S. broadcasts while there. The feat of
having received 117 programs from 19 stations, all at least 9,000
miles distant, with his World Record 9 receiver eventually put him
into the radio manufacturing business.
His high fidelity receivers were bought the world over by those
famous in musical circles. Scott owners included Sir John
Barbirolli, Eugene Goosens, Tullio Serafin, Lauritz Melchior, Al
Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Deems Taylor, Guy Lombardo, Rudy Vallee
and Arturo Toscanini. These names attest to the authenticity of
the sound produced for that period. Other owners included
Prince Otto von Bismarck, the Baron de Rothschild, and the
Chicago Tribune’s Colonel McCormick. The Hearst press used
Scott receivers to monitor world news events. A Scott tuner was
used to receive one of the earliest experimental television
broadcast demonstrations during the 30s in Chicago.
From his earliest receivers on, Scott emphasized good tone,
realistic sound, and the custom look. There were always several
different super-crafted console cabinets available for both the
receivers and the speaker systems. All but the very first were sold
directly from the factory to the customer. Each set was built to
order by an individual technician, and all sets were “burned in”
before final testing. The Scott look lasted until the late 50s, that
is, lots of chrome and massive construction. As the chassis and all
coil and tube shields were heavily chrome plated, many owners
bought only the basic component equipment, the tuner, power
amplifier, and speakers. They would then, as now, proudly display
their component equipment on shelves or table tops with the
speakers mounted in the walls or in speaker enclosures, either
custom built or made by Scott. This, by the way, was in the early
1930s.
But, what of the technical quality of the Scott receivers? How
does this obviously archaic equipment compare with modern
components? Well, first of all, Scott was initially bound to AM for
radio reception, and he was forced to develop AM receivers to
the technical limits of the period. His tuners, unlike most modern
tuners, had an audio bandwidth that permitted the reception of
everything being transmitted. For instance, my last $300 tuner
had an AM response of a mere 1,500 Hz. My new $400 tuner with
a new IC AM circuit has an audio response of 4,000 Hz. However,
my 1930 Scott Air-Wave 12 had a response of 4,000 Hz. I should
add that the list price of the Scott was $600, during the
depression years to boot.
The early sets had a fixed, flat-topped IF. response, and
consequently fixed wide-band audio response, just like the
modern solid state super tuners. The use of a broad IF. is fine for
local stations which transmit wide-band information, but distant
stations or limited bandwidth stations require progressively
narrower IF. bands. Soon Scott introduced a stepped IF.
bandwidth and later a continuously variable IF. control. This
allowed the user to adjust the IF. to suit both the station and the
atmospheric conditions.
“...The year 1937 saw the introduction of one of the best
high-fidelity AM receivers ever built and, I imagine, to this day
unexcelled. To approximate it today you might purchase the
following: a McKay-Dymek AM tuner, a DBX-119, a Burwen 1201
Noise Reduction unit and an Audio Research tube amp.
The 1937 Scott 30-tube Philharmonic receiver came standard
with features many of us are now seeing newly reintroduced and
rediscovered. This set had two tuned RF. stages and four audio IF.
stages. The audio IF. response was continuously variable and flat
topped at all points but the narrowest, from between 4 kHz and
32 kHz wide, which permitted 16 kHz audio. Sensitivity was
advertised as 0.5 microvolts. Just as with the latest Luxman $900
tuner, this set had effective AM muting, only it was continuously
variable. The IF. was front-panel adjusted by a control
mechanically linked to each stage and trimmed each transformer
primary and secondary, to accomplish stagger tuning. The
Philharmonic employed both IF. AGC and delayed RF. AGC. Each
AGC voltage was separately derived by an extra tuned gain stage
and rectifier. It could almost be said there were three IF's in the
set, one for audio, one for RF. AGC, and one for IF. AGC. The use
of tuned AGC amplifiers reduced the effects of modulation on the
AGC voltage. That is, you don’t hear the station breathe at you as
the AGC voltage follows a broadcaster’s voice.
“...Quite a bit of audio processing was employed in the Scott
Philharmonic. Besides the usual bass and treble controls and
loudness compensated volume control, there was also a dynamic
range expander and an automatic noise reduction system. The
+-20 dB bass control, by the way, had a ganged 60 Hz notch filter
to correspondingly minimize hum with the bass boost.
The dynamic volume range expander utilized a “Magic Eye” tube
to indicate the degree of expansion, somewhat as its solid-state
counterpart does on a DBX unit. It also had a continuously
variable expansion control as does the DBX. The Scott noise
reduction system is usually ascribed to H.H. Scott and is said to
have been invented by him in 1946. This is not true. H.H. Scott (no
relation) described in his 1947 Electronics article how he
improved the time constants of the earlier 1937 E.H. Scott Radio
Laboratory Automatic Needle Scratch Suppressor in developing
his DNS. It has been suggested in AES literature that Burwen used
the H.H. Scott DNS for inspiration in developing his now famous
product. This, of course, was a standard feature of the
Philharmonic.
Other audio features of the Philharmonic were a 10-kHz audio
notch filter, a40-watt class-A power amp employing push-pull
output devices, and a two-way speaker system employing a 15-in.
woofer and two five-in. tweeters. The set was constructed on two
welded, heavy gauge, chrome-plated chassis, one for the tuner
and control section and a second for the power amplifier/supply
section. Later versions included a third chassis, which contained
an LC crossover network. Dial calibration was advertised as 0.2
per cent.
The 1937 Scott Philharmonic, then, was quite advanced even for
1977! However, it was missing one important feature which Scott
had in limited production in 1936 (and Sony and Crown in 1976)tri-amplification. One channel was used for each of the following
ranges, 30-125 Hz, 100-600 Hz, and 3-16 kHz. This set was the
40-tube, later 48-tube, and still later a 57-tube; Quaranta. Besides
employing an 18 in. woofer, two 12-in. midranges and three
tweeters, some Quarantas came equipped with a disc-cutting
lathe and ribbon microphone. At up to $5,000 in cost, its
production must have been very limited.
E.H. Scott had several competitors. The most significant among
them was a dashing young genius named McMurdo Silver. Silver
was a continuous contributor to technical articles to Radio News
magazine (the predecessor of Popular Electronics) throughout the
1930's. He was a polo player, gun collector, and is said to have
been quite a bon vivant. Formerly the president of
Silver-Marshall, Inc., he set up the McMurdo Silver Corp. and
began building custom high-fidelity receivers in competition with
Scott.
While good, his receivers were never quite the equal of Scott’s.
One of Silver’s most famous owners was Dr. Lee DeForest,
inventor of the vacuum tube. DeForest owned a Silver
Masterpiece V and praised it in the final chapters of his
autobiography. Throughout the 1930s, Scott’s and Silver’s
advertisements would do battle trying to “one up” the other’s in
technical achievement. Features were stolen and lawsuits
initiated. Finally, Scott won the battle and bought out the failing
Silver in 1940. Scott then introduced a new, bottom-of-the-line
receiver and designated it as the Scott Masterpiece. I do not know
if the gesture was meant as a tribute to his archenemy or to rub
salt in the wounds. Silver eventually committed suicide in 1947.
Later, Scott high-fidelity receivers came with 40 MHz FM, 100
MHz modern band FM, and push button, motor-driven
remote-control tuning. By 1947, the last great Scott receiver was
built -- the AM/FM model 800B, but the company was in
advanced decline. Because of Scott being eased out of his
company and the advent of post-World War II TV, Scott Radio
Labs died in the early 50s.”
________________________________________________
"Will I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid?"
from: "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
by: Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys
Circa: 1965
Those famous lyrics no doubt are the secret anthem of more
contemporary adults than we might suspect. Here I am (written in
1999), at forty-eight, and I still get a kid-like kick every time I hear,
see, touch, and yes, smell my 40-year old H.H. Scott tube gear
reproduce my favorite musical selections. Strange? Maybe. For
an entertaining, yet informative perspective, see: Ric Manning's
syndicated column: The Gizmo Page: "Tube Gear from the 60's
Still in Demand."
Like many Eisenhower/Kennedy-era baby boomers, I cut my
teeth on my father's H.H. Scott's, EICO's, Garrard's, Tandberg's,
Electro-Voice's, and JBL's (.......and Ford's -- he never owned any
Oldsmobiles).
These manufacturers (and many others) designed and built
world-class products that can last a lifetime with a little tender
loving care and maintenance. When compared against
contemporary "high-end" tube audio designs; vintage H.H. Scott
products represent a true audio bargain!
The following pages are designed to help you find, acquire,
restore, maintain, and enjoy the many fine vintage H.H. Scott
tube Hi-Fi components that are still out there waiting to be
rediscovered.
________________________________________________
Unfortunately, H.H. Scott has not built tube gear since 1967.
While a lot of this gear has survived (a testament to its timeless
design and excellent build quality); finding the right gear can be
challenging at times. Enjoying this pastime requires patience,
creativity, networking, and information. You might try the
following:
Flea Markets, Yard and Garage Sales
Pawn and Junk Shops
Dumpster Diving
Estate Auctions
Friends, Relatives, and Neighbors
Electronic, Online Auctions, such as e-Bay, and other
newsgroups, such as rec.audio.tubes
Specialized Audio Stores that focus on Used Tube Equipment
Post a free Want-to-Buy (WTB) ad on the Vintage HHScott
Web Forum
________________________________________________
There once was a time (in the fifties) when every corner drug
store in America, had a tube tester stocked with tubes. Consumer
electronic devices where simple enough that even your mother
could fix a TV set or table radio.
Unfortunately, the inner workings of today's modern consumer
electronics are literally designed by rocket scientists. Such
products have a short technological lifespan in today's fast-paced
world. When they wear out or break, we usually toss them. Most
often they are made obsolete by YABBB (Yet Another Boring Black
Box), that the marketing powers have decided you and I need.
Luckily, tubes use simple, proven, some would even say "ancient"
technology that is easy and fun to restore or modify. Learning
how to appreciate and safely get the most from these treasures is
the goal of the next web sections.
So, "return with us now to those thrilling days of
yesteryear...........when even your mother could return from the
corner drug store with a bag full of new tubes!
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RESTORATION
To make your vintage H.H. Scott amp, preamp, tuner, or receiver
perform as it was originally designed to, avoid modifications
unless they are absolutely required to replace an obsolete and
unavailable part. Resist adding additional switches, controls, or
indicators that will devalue the originality of the vintage H.H.
Scott designs. Usually, modifications by "so-called" experts can be
costly and seriously de-value vintage hi-fi equipment.
Personally, I believe in using this equipment on a daily basis. A lot
of the vintage H.H. Scott gear was originally sold without cabinets,
for custom installation. The factory-original (optional) cabinets
came in two types: "leatherette"-covered metal and genuine
wood. One modification, that will enhance your equipment is the
addition of a custom wood cabinet.
Generally, speaking vintage H. H. Scott products were
conservatively designed and use quality sub-components, but any
product that is 40+ years old can and will have certain
sub-components that are extremely likely to fail or degrade. Use
the following pages as a handy guide to your restoration. The
ideas and procedures outlined in this guide have been gathered
and shared in the Vintage H.H. Scott Hi-FI Web Forum, by other
vintage H.H. Scott enthusiasts, so they are not simply the editor's
opinions.
!WARN!NG! All vacuum tube devices contain lethal voltages;
certain components can store lethal electrical charges for days.
Before you attempt to look around inside any amp, tuner, or
receiver; read this! A lot of the information this publication has an
equal potential for good and evil.
Poking around inside high-voltage amps or tuners can be
dangerous, fun, corrective, damaging, rewarding, creative, and
life-threatening.
The material within this publication is offered only as a guide. In
time, and with practice your troubleshooting and restoration skills
will develop. In the meantime, heed the advice of an old
carpenter: "Measure twice and cut once." You should not be
afraid to try something, but always understand what it means to
cut a hole or wield a soldering iron. If you are "newbie" or an
experienced "filament-head" just wanting a refresher on sound
troubleshooting techniques, may we suggest you read Samuel M.
Goldwasser's excellent guide:
Troubleshooting and Repair of Consumer Electronic Equipment
The restoration and troubleshooting of vintage H.H. Scott gear
can be a time-consuming, slow process. If you can't solve a
problem, take a break or post a message on the Vintage H.H.
Scott Hi-FI Listserv. Chances are someone else has seen the same
symptom and can offer their solutions. If you do not feel at ease
performing your own restoration or maintenance, the
information here will at the very least make you a more informed
and educated consumer.
Is it worth it? If you are still skeptical, may we suggest you view:
"The Cool Sound of Tubes," By Eric Barbour, as published in the
IEEE Spectrum, August 1998 edition.
Vintage hi-fi is not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to at
least give vintage tubes a critical listen. There's something very
satisfying about restoring, preserving, and listening to a quality
piece of vintage hi-fi history.
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