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again in the late 40's and 50's. As the original masters were normally used, the re-release will require the
flat Rolloff even though the label states NAB or Orthoacoustic! This is also true for post-WWII 78's. Take a
RCA-Victor 78 of Glenn Miller, which was originally recorded in the 30's on Bluebird or Victor, and you will
find that a Rolloff of FLAT or -5 will suffice. Many of the compensator settings specified in various old
tables would have stated that -10, or the AES setting was the proper Rolloff to use. Try playing many Lp
reissues of 78's, as on RCA Bluebird, with the Flat Rolloff position and you will be in for a pleasant
surprise.
Also, many small recording company and radio station engineers seemingly didn't understand recording
and playback curves and often employed no pre-emphasis on recordings labeled as NAB. This has been
found to occur commonly, even on discs cut into the 1960's!
You may find many discs that do not fit the tables or discs that do but for whom the table is ambiguous.
On these, you will have to let your ear be your guide and also try to determine if the manufacturer could be
Western Electric, Columbia, or non-US. These tended to use 300 HZ Turnover. Listening to the material
will often suffice to impress you whether to use 300 Hz or 500 Hz. Once the low end is determined try
various Rolloffs. Almost all early electrical recordings were recorded with flat response. If noise proves a
problem try more than the recommended Rolloff.
When playing older or abused records that require less Rolloff, i.e., Flat, -5, -10, a significant increase in
noise level will often be noticed due to surface noise. In these cases, a high frequency, lo-pass, hi-cut, or
"scratch" filter is recommended. Don't forget that when playing a flat cut record with an RIAA preamp, you
are actually effectively using a scratch filter that is some 13.7 db down at 10 KHz. On these types of
records, with let's say a 7.5 KHz scratch filter and the RE-EQUALIZER set to FLAT, you will be gaining in
highs between 2.2 KHz and 7.5 Khz. Although the scratch filter is employed, its use in combination with
the RE-EQUALIZER will result in significantly more highs than with a standard RIAA preamp and not using
the filter.
When playing vertical-cut records, such as Edison or Pathe, be sure to switch one pair of leads (non-earth
ground) of a stereo cartridge used for play. If this is not done, the channels will largely cancel when the
RE-EQUALIZER is switched to “IN,” resulting in very low volume.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Max input signal level: 3.5 volts (+12 dbm)
THD at max output : 0.02%
Frequency Response (RIAA compensation): 20 - 20 KHz +.5 db
Gain: 1
Signal-to-Noise relative max out: 85 db
HELP SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Please inform Esoteric Sound of any errors that you find in the equalization tables. If you have any
additional equalization information, please bring it to our attention so that it can be included in the future
updates. **** WARRANTY ****
This unit is warranted to perform properly for one year from date of purchase. All parts and labor is
covered. Should the unit malfunction, return it properly packed, and with payment of $10.00 to cover return
postage, and it will be repaired and returned as soon as possible.
Foreign purchasers are requested to remove the RE-EQUALIZER from its cabinet (if purchased) and
return the unit along with payment of $40.00 via surface shipping. We will return the unit via the same
process.
