Spectro Acoustics

[onanparts]

Robin, very interested in the history of your excellent Spectro Acoustics audio gear line from the 70's that you produced. I have most if not all of the models you made and they have been in daily use now for almost 35 years! No repairs ever needed etc. The 500SR amp being my favorite!

[niel]

robin did that? very nice stuff. i'd like to hear this too.

[Halfcrazy]

I will point Robin to this thread it will be a fun story I am sure.

[onanparts]

Very high quality manufacturing and designs. They have stood the test of time, a LONG time! Clearly anything Robin & Bob get involved in is never second rate and made/designed to last! OK boys, there's a bunch of flowers for ya, how about the whole story on Spectro? Or at least as much as you can remember.... Spider Man, Pink Lady etc.

[onanparts]

First pic was the back of their EQ brochure. This is the front.

[Robin]

I wish I knew how to post pictures here? Maybe Ryan can show me. Bob has some pictures of Spectro, but I still have a bunch. The history is quite interesting as it happened in a fun time when bob and I were still young. I started my electronics career in 1971 working for Bob Carver. Heard of him? He was the brains behind Phase Linear and the Carver Corporation. Bob's partner at Phase was Steve Johnston. One of the guys working with me at Phase was Ken Cox. Ken and I got tired of waiting for Phase Linear to come out with their Phase Linear 1000 preamplifier, so we built a simple preamp ourselves. We built 23 of them because lots of our friends wanted a preamp so they could really use the Phase 700 watt amp, just like Kan and I. By the way Bob Ca and Steve J were a couple of the people that bought these home made preamps. Turns out they were pretty good. I even still have one. A dealer from Canada was down visiting us at Phase and saw our little preamp. He said he could sell them if they were available. That was the statement that made Ken and I start Spectro Acoustics. By the way, Ken Cox and Steve Johnston went on after our HI-FI career to found Trace Engineering while I was designing nuclear cruise missile launcher power supplies. I was a whopping 21 years old while at Trace. When Ken and I started Spectro, one of our first products was the RobKen 2123. The model number came from our ages.
I have to go to a convention at the moment, so will continue this later.

[niel]

interesting stuff. i am supposing there weren't any ics in those preamps as ics were still fairly newerish, if that's a word, and the ones that were available commanded a bit of cash compared to their discrete counterparts. i'm curious as to why you did not continue the audio endeavor even after the service? right now you could throw together a good tube stereo amplifier and make a killing as there are audiophiles out there that love them. not sure what a nice solid state amp's reception might be, but they both run rings around the ic pas they have now.

it just occurred to me that both you and boB could have the same nickname with rob. that's wild.

maybe you guys could start a history like section. it is something that many of us do not think about until long afterwards and we start saying to ourselves that i wish i had saved that or marked that down. there is much history to be had and it's all worthy of at least mentioning to some degree. include any present employees with their own if they wish to as well. ok it doesn't all have to go on the internet, but would still be good to do anyway.

[boB]

Here is one link to a short version of the history of PWN inverters written by Robin...

http://www.hardysolar.com/inverter/inverter-history.html

boB

[onanparts]

I wish I knew how to post pictures here? Maybe Ryan can show me.

In Firefox and Chrome my attached images do not show up in preview. After hitting post, they do. Had me confused at first but then I just went for it! Are you hitting additional options and then browse for the images?

boB, I know Robins version of the Spectro Pre-Amplified planter box. Would like to hear your version.... 

[littlebird]

Awesome history!

[niel]

very good reading and it kind of makes me see there were so few doing this for the industry. kudos for your insight and efforts. had i known you guys back then i'd have probably wanted to join you in some capacity. i had one of those buzzing tripplites in the 80s too.

i, also, have a different view of you robin as i now believe you humbled yourself into a bit of a backseat before from my perspective and i now know better. no offense is meant as all i'm saying is i now have a better concept of your abilities and accomplishments. i'm also sure many out there feel the same. it only serves to better the company/customer relationship unlike dealing with a cold conglomerate.

my thanks to you for posting that boB. got any more?

[onanparts]

Am I the only one that keeps a box in the closet for 32 years? And the receipt + the owners manual? It is a good box......

[onanparts]

Hey boB, maybe this will jog your memory on the rare Spectro Pre-Amplified planter?

[boB]

Those are GREAT pictures !!

I will have to post a few of what I have too.
I DO remember the planter box !   One thing that was neat to see was your picture of the Spectro cardoard
box.  I had forgotten what they had even looked like !

PS, Niel...   Robin's stories are pretty right on. There were a few northwest companies that were all related to
those early stories.  Greg Mackie of  TAPCO, Audio Control and Mackie Designs (now LOUD technologies), as
well as RANE  Symetrix and Carver Corporation for a few of the audio companies around here.
Robin and I spent quite a while with audio companies.

boB

[onanparts]

I don't know what the actual preamp planter box was that Robin made way back when, model etc.? The one pictured was done a few years ago by me. That preamp is a P303 that you or Robin gave to your dad and sometime around 2000 or so he was no longer using it and sold it to me. He was in the neighborhood and delivered it right to my front door. Customer service obviously runs in the family!

The planter pic was "staged" and it still works just fine. I fire it up and drive a 202 amp with it once in awhile.
I alternate between that and a Spectro 217 preamp driving a 500SR when I want to "feel" the music! Have some Carver gear as well, C-1 preamp, PM350 amp etc.