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| Traffic jam at exit of JR Akihabara station | Side street filled with people | Restored vacuum tube amplifier |
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From the Editor (A repetition of the preceding day) The Travel Diary will have a first anniversary on December 15, 1999 (The trial started from December 1, 1998.) During the period, data volume has become huge. The server which opens my homepage now suffers from its bigness. As the data was not spread to many folders, number of files in a single directory becomes too much. So the construction of the diary will be changed starting from December 15, 1999. The action is to increase the number of folders so that number of files of a single directory would be kept small. The operation by the readers does not change at all. But the following points will be changed. I would like to get your understanding and cooperation. * On the calender, the color of the dates which
you opened has changed from light blue to gray. But all these
will be back to the original blue until you reopen them. But as a whole the volume of data have become too big, CD Rom copied from Diary will be distributed to those who want to have it. This is to reduce the burdens on the server as well as personal computers. Thank you. |
On Tuesday, December 7, I went to the Columbia Tokyo Service Center at Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo to get a perfectly repaired and tuned vacuum tube amplifier. Mr. Konuma who repaired my amplifier told me that he could find out the best combination of four power tubes from a few of tubes which I held as spares for years. He added that all other tubes were exchanged to new ones from my spares and that the sound of the refreshed amplifier was excellent. He explained me how to adjust bias of power tubes in details.
As the amplifier weighs about 30 kilograms, I cannot carry it myself. I needed helps from a few people for putting it on the rear trunk of my car, bringing it down to entrance hall of my house from the car trunk and for carrying it up to the second floor of my house. As my spare amplifier is set on a shelf where the vacuum tube amplifier was set originally, and also as it is almost impossible for me to raise it up to the height of shelf, I put it on a wooden stand on carpeted floor, the height of which is about 7 centimeters. The distance from the controller to the amplifier has become bigger so that longer audio cables are required. Until I get them, I cannot operate the renovated amplifier.
Today I came to Akihabara by train a bit before noon in order to get the connecting cables. I expected the street would be crowded because it was one of year end Saturdays when many people are coming to get PCs. I was more than surprised to see a big crowds at JR Akihabara Station, on Akihabara street and also on side streets. First I asked at audio parts counter of Y store whether they have four meters long audio cables. A sales staff replied that I had to make a special order for the cables as the standard products were up to 1.5 meters. He would call a manufacturer on Monday to get a price and delivery date estimation. On my way back I dropped in a few small cable stores under the elevated train station. After shopping around a few stores, a shop owner told me that H shop was specialized to sell audio cables. Mr. Nakamura of the shop, who looked like a man of audio, asked me about my equipments. While we were talking about how we had enjoyed analog disc music, we found ourselves kindred spirits. He said he would make four meters audio cable by using the best quality cable from his stocks with the best imported audio plugs. He would make them within thirty minutes, he promised.
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| Traffic jam at exit of JR Akihabara station | Side street filled with people | Restored vacuum tube amplifier |
While I was waiting, I dropped in a sushi restaurant. But when I opened the door, no one was there. A sushi cock came out from the back of counter, responding my call. He said from the early morning many customers came to the town and they made long waiting lines at front entrances of big electronic stores. Every store mobilized their sales staffs with helpers from manufactures to meet the customers demands. All of them could not find time for taking lunch, he presumed. I came here a few times before. Whenever I was here at lunch time, it was full of customers. When they have the biggest customers at the town, sushi restaurant there is empty. Because it is in Akihabara, I am sure.
He also suggested me as it would take a lot of time to buy JR train ticket and enter platform at Akihabara station, it would be better to walk up to Ochanomizu station.
Immediately after I came back to my home, I connected the amplifier to the controller with the cables. Thirty minutes after the power was switched on, I adjusted baias of power tubes as I was taught. Then I put a stylus of Koetsu cartridge on the disc of Mozart violin concert No.3 co-played by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Herbert von Karajan. Then I turned up the volume control slowly.
It was completely different from ‚b‚c's stimulative sounds. It sounded natural and soft. I was so excited that I quivered with emotion. The sounds of about thirty years ago has revived. The culture of analog disc reached a peak during 60s and 70s. It was a different one from the present CD culture.