Hello, audio adventurers! It’s Finnley the Dolphin here, your trusted guide through the weird, unconventional, and offbeat media. Welcome back to another entry of Finnley’s Audio Adventures, your first port of call for the bizarre and the hilarious in the audio world. Today, we’re delving deep into the intricacies of sound technology.
If you’ve been swimming along with me for some time, you’ll know that I’ve always boasted a keen sense of hearing. I can effortlessly pick out individual instruments, detect the squeaking of a kick drum pedal, or even identify the subtle electrical hum that was inadvertently left in at the beginning of a track. However, this blessing can sometimes feel like a curse, especially when I’m trying to enjoy music. The wow and flutter of cassette tapes and records, those pesky little distortions, have often marred my listening experience. In a previous post I lamented the issues experienced with the Pan Am – The Name of the Game is GO record. This wasn’t found using software or hardware, but my own ears picked up on these issues. It’s almost like trying to admire a beautiful reef, only to have your view distorted by the murky waters.
Enter the Audio-Technica Sound Burger 60th Anniversary reissue. While I genuinely like this device and have been using it regularly (you might have spotted it in some of my previous YouTube videos), I’ve noticed, well heard, some issues concerning its speed. Despite my best efforts and experimenting with various phone apps and adjustments, achieving that ideal speed has been challenging.
Determined to find a solution, I got my fins on The Ultimate Analog Test LP and dived into the depths of wfgui for calibration. But oh, the hurdles! Every time I tried to start wfgui, it crashed on Windows 10. This led me to navigate the waters of Ubuntu Linux and WINE. With a bit of tinkering (and a dash of dolphin magic), I finally had wfgui up and running.
Using cut 1 on the record, which provides a 1000hz tone, I fine-tuned the player to get the 33 1/3 rpm speed as close to perfection as possible. Then, moving the tone arm to cut 10 which features the 3150hz wow and flutter tone, I gauged the device’s performance. My efforts were successful! The wow and flutter measurements came in at an average of 0.13% and peaked at 0.24%, aligning nicely with what’s stated in the technical specifications. Quite the satisfying result!
With everything in place, it was finally time to bask in the sonic beauty of The Clash’s “London Calling”. And let me tell you, fellow adventurers, it was worth every twist and turn of this journey.
That’s it for this deep dive, folks! Remember, the world of audio is vast and mysterious, and I’m here to guide you through it. If you want to hear more of my audio escapades, be sure to visit my YouTube channel and of course, hit that subscribe button and ring the bell to stay updated with every new splash I make!
Until next time, keep those ears sharp and the adventures rolling!
