Interesting Stuff
Outside of day to day business I've gathered together various snippets which may interest visitors to this site.
My Music.
I actually drifted into the hi-fi industry by accident. I was playing in bands by night and earning a crust by day, working with Dave Martin, of Martin Audio, designing sound systems for more successful and richer bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes. So this section is a bit of sheer indulgence on my part and in time it will reveal some of my musical interests and my past experiences in rock bands.
This is the Magic Mixture !
Listen to some tracks by a band described as a seminal 1960's psychadelic band. I played the organ for my sins
Hammond Organs & Leslie Speakers
I've played Hammond organs since the 1960s and at one stage had amassed a collection of 41 organs and roughly the same number of Leslie speaker cabinets. I'm rather more sane now with just two organs but these pages show some of the organs I've owned and the odd bit of useful information
Fenton Weill guitars and amplifiers
One of the first bass guitars I owned that wasn't home made was the Fenton Weill Contra Bass model. It was a big bass which did me well until I could afford the bass I really wanted; the Fender Precision. I've put the full Fenton Weill catalogue and a couple of leaflets here.
Moth Amplifiers
and the Mission 777 amplifier
In 1989 I designed a range of amplifiers for my old friend Mike Harris at Moth Marketing. The range comprised a Passive Control Unit; an active MC/MM Pre-Amplifier; a Stereo 30 watt Power Amplifier; a Mono 40 watt amplifier and a Mono 100 watt amplifier. It has previously been very difficult to get any information or the circuits of these products so I've given them their own space on the web. I've also added some information on the Mission 777 power amplifier which was well regarded for its sound 25 years ago but which is almost impossible to fix or use unless you know the thinking behind the design.
The Great Unknown Hi-Fi products.
There are a number of my designs which for one reason or another never made it to the shops or only appeared for a short time. This is a really interesting section
++++The Lecson AP4 and the ETI Class A amplifiers
++++The Mission 771 & 772 amplifier system
++++The Cambridge Audio Classic One integrated amplifier
++++The Acoustic Research integrated amplifier
++++The B&W Control Unit & Mono Power Amps
COMING SOON
+The B&W high end CD Player to be made in co-operation with SME
+The Cambridge Audio DT50; the world's first digital FM Stereo Tuner
+Monrio amplifiers; one of the first Italian high-end product lines
+The Cambridge Audio Musician amplifier
+The Rotel RB & RC2000 Pre & Power amplifier system
+The new generation LEAK valve amplifiers
+The Cambridge Audio CD1 mkll CD Player; planned sucessor to the legendary CD1 player
Sound Technology Test Equipment
In the 1970s and 1980s Sound Technology test equipment was the best you could get but somewhere along the line the company seemed to disappear from view. A lot of this equipment is still in use but there is virtually no information on the web. Here you'll find some manuals and literature
Radford Test Equipment
In the 1970s Radford test equipment were the best British made audio instruments you could get but it was overtaken by better products from HP and Sound Technology. Here you'll find some manuals and literature
Cambridge Audio (prior to 1994). COMING SOON
From around 1970 until 1990 I was intimately involved with Cambridge Audio and responsible for most of the product designs. Bit by bit I hope to add more information on the products
Magazine Articles
By way of a hobby I am a columnist for "Hi-Fi Critic" magazine and periodically I contribute to other journals. A few of these articles are available below for you to download and read. I hope you enjoy them. Over the years I've written thousands of articles and over the coming months I will add a few interesting pieces.
Compton Organs
There is little information available on Compton organs so I've tried to help by scanning a copy of the service manual and adding a few photographs and links
Smith's Industries Standards
When I worlked for Smiths Industries this little document dating from 1944 or earlier was the bible for anything concerning screws threads; drill sizes etc. It is strictly Imperial and may be useful to anyone working on old equipment.
My Family. COMING SOON
Like most people I'm immensely proud of my family so here are a few pictures
