And I agree. I have no interest in vinyl, and the related paraphernalia, at this point in my personal system. That being said, it appears that SOL is a turntable with features found only on more expensive models. I leaf through magazines and see the turntables and cartridges in the market place...

Well, The only real significant event in 1953 was Uncle Joe kicking the bucket, which may have directly caused poor Soldering skills...Let's wait until those memos are declassified:cry::money_mouth:

One final time-- I don't think the death of Stalin has anything to do with the quality-performance and degradation of vacuum tube solder over the years. The initial post was about the differences between 1953 vs. 1958 Fotons. Unlike Western Democracy, which turns over leadership on a regular...

Or more importantly, that the tubes would outlive the country.

Outcall

Thanks, I just see the change of leadership as an event which may have affected quality across many industries.

Thanks for the input. You sold me on Unison--sooner rather than later. I thought EITR/ModiMB was my end-game but "BiF2" appears to top that technology in many ways.

When discussing "obsessive", we must never forget the "compulsive" aspect of the disorder. My Belle-grinder for $27 and my Mr.Coffee machine were first approved by my counselor at Mental Health, as "an improvement". I had fallen into full-blown OCD, as I attempted to keep up with my peers in...

Now, boys and girls, let's open our Soviet History books to the period at the end of Stalin. "Joseph Stalin, the second leader of the Soviet Union, died on 5 March 1953 at the Kuntsevo Dacha aged 74 after suffering a stroke." Hmmm. Stalin died in 1953. Foton Tubes from 1953 and before having...

I think it a great service to a potential customer, to be advised what they are getting into. A friend always wanted to own a BMW, and when he finally got the BMW, he was shocked at what the dealership charged for service. I would rather have them say-- this is a delicate piece of equipment and...

I purchased a SovTec 6SN7 from Tubedepot.com (I think it was $7.95) It took a month of being kind of rough, but it eventually smoothed out, and when I bought my Saga Classic, guess what the stock tube was?--Yup, the same tube... so I am using the "burned-in one" although since both were "new"...

Russians and Chinese have different names for the same tubes because we transliterate a different alphabet. 6SN7 is a western designation, which Russians also call 6H8C (I plead no knowledge as to the difference between 6H8C and 6H8S but have seen them also used to mean the same thing) New...

I cannot tell you whether the Wyrd made a difference. I know that EITR is better, but the poor lowly Wyrd still has a life. It is a wonderful PSU for Modi 3. I will mourn the passing of EITR and Wyrd, as I celebrate Unison and Autonomy because I enjoy tech gear improving by generation. At least...

Exactly-- I know my limitations, and patience with the set-up of a new turntable would not be my forte. When I first looked into going back to vinyl, I was dissuaded by the price of a record cleaning system--long before the cost of a good TT and a cartridge was factored in. Plus, the capital...