Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Members' Lounge (General Discussion) › Cast Iron or Silver Spray-Painted Plastic? You decide.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Cast Iron or Silver Spray-Painted Plastic? You decide.

post #1 of 18
10/22/09 at 2:19am
Thread Starter 
This is a poll to decide which you prefer, cast iron or silver spray-painted painted plastic. What makes this poll different is that it is not about audio equipment but about another noble invention; electric fans. There are two choices here. One, is a 1918 Emerson cast iron, steel, and brass fan. I spent two years learning about and restoring this fan to its historically accurate condition. The second choice represents "cutting edge" electric fan design in 2009; the Dyson Air Multiplier. Just to let you know, the Dyson does use a conventional blade within its interior base. This is not only a battle of iron vs. plastic, but of the old vs. the new. Are there parallels in the audiophile world?

1918 Emerson Fan




2009 Dyson Air Multiplier


Reply
post #2 of 18
10/22/09 at 3:17am
As a fellow fan collector and occasional restorer (it is frightening how much Head-Fi'ers have in common, isn't it?) and antique Emerson worshipper, I can confidently say, 'screw that Dyson crap.'

The Emerson single bearing motor is, perhaps, the finest electric motor ever created. They run for decades, do not throw oil and I fully expect them to be passed through the generations. These are some of the finest consumer products ever built, period. By the way, you did a great job with that fan! I've got an old 77648 very similar to that one. I have a few Silver Swans, as well, though the two bearing motor isn't the same. They're still quite good and stunningly beautiful, though.

As for comparison to audio gear, I think the similarites lie mostly in amps. I buy and build amps that should last for my lifetime and a few generations on. That means tunes and all point-to-point construction. Tubes do not belong on a PCB. You should be able to go through an amp 50 or 100 years from now and easily replace all the caps and resistors without futzing over lead spacing or a lifted trace. Not to mention that replacement tubes should still be available unlike unobtanium chips that rolled off the line five years ago.

Unfortunately, the only transducers that hold up with quality parts in the long term are ribbons. You can always replace an aluminum ribbon and not worry much about the magnets. Other gear needs plastic and non-durable parts to achieve their performance goals. Sadly. I'm willing to overlook the plastic in the HD-800 and ESL-63 simply because they sound so good and I don't think they'd perform as well without it. Unfortunately.
Reply
post #3 of 18
10/22/09 at 3:42am
Thread Starter 
Well, thank you Uncle Erik for your opinions. Yes, this fan is a 24646 and I wrote an article on my restoration for the upcoming December issue of a fan collector magazine. It was actually a huge headache for me having to search old archives and I probably spent thousands of hours talking to other experts about Emerson fans. In the end, I wanted the fan to be as close to what it looked liked when it came off of the production line in 1918. You are correct too in praising the patented motor design of this fan. It was meant to run like a Honda Civic, or more accurately, as simply as a toaster oven. I purchased it after I got fed up with all of the plastic fans that I have been using during the hot and humid New York summers. It is nice to know that there is a fellow Head-Fier who is into electric fans, that's for sure. I was a bit trepidatious when I posted this poll but I am convinced that the electric fan is one of man's most noblest inventions (not quite at the level of the bicycle or umbrella though). Unlike vintage vacuum cleaners, if these fans are kept in good running condition and restored with sensitivity from time to time, they should last forever. As you know too Uncle Erik, this is a thinly veiled comment on the HD800. Yes, it was worse for me than I could have even imagined when I held the HD800 in my hands (but this is for the "other" thread). Your comments about transistors vs. tubes is an apt analogy. I would love to be able to restore an ESL-57 or vintage ESL-63 too. Perhaps it is because I have heard a lot of older audiophile equipment that I am a bit blase' about the new stuff, including the new headphones. I just reached Headphoneus Supremus status and I just want to laugh. I know no nothing about headphones. Yeah, even with the Orpheus, it still is not close to the original sound and I find the technology wanting (soundstaging anyone?). At least these old fans do what they advertise; they blow real air. Anyway, I do find that the 91 years that have passed between these two fan designs to be stupifying, to say the least. This is just too much time but not even close to any improvement. Likewise, have headphones really improved "that" much since the DT48? It is just me, however. Maybe others disagree.
Reply
post #4 of 18
10/22/09 at 3:55am
I'm not really into fans, but I really like the style of the Emerson one. If those pictures are of yours, you did a great job with the restoration! It's beautiful.

The Dyson one looks kind of lame in comparison. I don't think of a fan when I look at it. There's something about it that draws my attention though but I don't know if it's in a good or bad way...
Reply
post #5 of 18
10/22/09 at 4:03am
Thread Starter 
The good thing about the Dyson is you can launch a paper airplane through it. The bad thing about the Dyson is that you can no longer sing, "I'm Off to See the Wizard", like a Munchkin.
Reply
post #6 of 18
10/22/09 at 5:41am
The only thing I want made out of cast iron is my cookware.
Reply
post #7 of 18
10/22/09 at 6:34am
Voted (no idea why I actually voted for what's the nicer fan ) Dyson for its completely new and cool design.
Reply
post #8 of 18
10/22/09 at 6:39am
That cast iron fan looks downright dangerous.
Reply
post #9 of 18
10/22/09 at 8:50am
I voted for the emerson fan because I always try to use vintage/used/antique/garbage appliances if they will do the job. For something like a lamp, desk, microwave, clock, etc, why the heck would I buy a new one when I could get one for a few bucks or free that works just as well? I have saved probably thousands of dollars over the years by not buying new appliances and furniture as all my friends have. That just gives me more money to spend on my hobbies.
Reply
post #10 of 18
10/22/09 at 10:27am
The Emerson is awsome. Great job on the restoration.
Reply
post #11 of 18
10/22/09 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidhunternyc View Post
I would love to be able to restore an ESL-57 or vintage ESL-63 too.
You really should. If you are that meticulous with the fan, you can find your way through an old Quad. I still haven't pulled my pair apart yet, but will as soon as the office stops keeping me there 70-80 hours a week. I have all the parts and manuals. The biggest challenge is tensioning the diaphragms, but there are several methods to use. Though I haven't done it, it looks like careful, patient work, not necessarily difficult work. I'm also going to replace all of the components in the base. They work marginally well, but occasionally hiss and spit, so a rebuild is in order.

Also, I don't really think speakers have improved much since the ESL-63 came out in the early 1980s. Even Linkwitz carefully studied the Quads when designing the Orion+. The reason I went for the Orion+, as well, is because I wanted the bottom octave and some dynamic punch. The Quads will be restored and used as a bedroom system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by XxATOLxX View Post
That cast iron fan looks downright dangerous.
They're really quite safe. Of course, don't ever be stupid enough to put something into it. However, the danger is so obvious that no one messes with them. Sort of like kitchen knives. Even the kids never really had to be warned - they knew. As for electrical and mechanical safety, there are zwro worries. These were designed to be left on for days or weeks straight. I've left them on for days and days and have never had a problem. Also, they're designed to be opened up and serviced. You can replace the wiring in minutes, which should be done every ten years or so.
Reply
post #12 of 18
10/22/09 at 2:18pm
I would take the Emerson any day over the über modern Dyson one...
Reply
post #13 of 18
10/22/09 at 4:59pm
I would take the Emerson as well. Even considering its present age, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it lasted longer than the new Dyson.
Reply
post #14 of 18
10/22/09 at 6:15pm
Like Grado HP-1 vs Senn HD800... I'll take the Grado any day.
Reply
post #15 of 18
10/22/09 at 6:22pm
Emerson, but I'd be too afraid to turn it on; so it didn't explode, and for the safety of my fingers. It sure would look pretty, though.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Members' Lounge (General Discussion) › Cast Iron or Silver Spray-Painted Plastic? You decide.