Another great afternoon at Bottlehead HQ! As audio enthusiasts, we read specifications all the time, but how many of us really know what those numbers mean?
In the Test Gear class, we started off with some basics that built on many of the things we learned in the schematics reading class, then moved on to various types of test gear. Doc and PB had a few test scenarios set up that demonstrated the proper use of multimeters, Oscilloscopes, and signal generators. PB also demonstrated how to make measurements using just a simple M-Audio sound card and the free ARTA Audio Real Time Analysis software. The class was a mix of theory and hands-on that I think is a very effective approach to teaching. I brought an amp that I'd built last year for testing and learned some interesting things about it. PB was able to suggest some simple tweaks to raise its power output.
Toward the end of the day, we once again retired up to Doc's lair where we were treated to some great tunes, courtesy of The Tape Project and Doc's superb Empire turntable, not to mention a growler of the excellent microbrew from next door. He had just reconfigured his speaker array, repositioning the tweeter in the middle rather than the top, which made for some interesting soundstaging differences. PB set up his Dayton Audio V2 kit and he and Doc demonstrated how to make room measurements. This is something every audio enthusiast should know how to do. Even if you are not into building amplifiers, simply knowing how to measure and tune your room is a valuable skill.
So, thanks to the Bottlehead crew for another fun and informative day. It really is exciting to learn new things and if you're in to tube audio, this is one of the very few opportunities available anywhere. I'm already looking forward to the next class and hope to see more of you there in the future.
