By Richard Sarbin
To house his four-channel audio system, Fred H. Jansen of Berwyn, Illinois, designed and built a highly accessible, transportable fixture that suits both the modest dimensions of his living room and his need for high operational efficiency. Sixty-five inches tall, the wood cabinet is finished with simulated wood-grain vinyl and has a clean, uncluttered look in keeping with the style of the room.
Enclosed within the structure's carefully crafted compartments is a group of components consisting both of true quadraphonic equipment and of stereo units used in pairs for four-channel application. A Teac A-3340S tape deck, which occupies a central position in the setup, is flanked on either side by BSR octave equalizers offering four channels of equalization. The turntables situated beneath these units are a Garrard Zero-100 (left) and a Harman-Kardon/Rabco ST-7 (right). Both have angled mirrors positioned above them to improve visibility. The phono cartridges are the Audio Technica AT12 and the Stanton 780/4DQ. The heart of the complex, placed between the turntables, is a Marantz 4300 receiver equipped with an optional Marantz SQA-2B full-logic decoder (installed in an under-chassis slot).
The lower portion of the console not only functions as a storage facility for tapes, records, and accessories but also houses additional program sources. Eight-track cartridges are handled by an Akai CR-80D-SS deck in this section's center compartment and by a Panasonic cartridge player located at the left of the Akai unit. Just to the right is a Marantz CD-400B demodulator for CD-4 recordings. The pair of white circular openings at the top of the center panel act as air ducts for ventilation of the equipment.
MR. JANSEN'S installation is rounded out by a group of four speakers he designed him self. Each is a high-efficiency ported type using a twelve-inch woofer, a five-inch mid range, and a compression horn driver. The most impressive and original concept in the speaker system's design involves the installation of two LED digital indicators above each tweeter. These provide continuous, illuminated digital readout of the power delivered to each speaker.
To enhance the sense of composure he strives for when listening to music, Mr. Jansen has mounted a convenient control panel behind the living-room sofa so that he can select program sources without moving from his seat. Other inventive features worth noting include a series of five switches (positioned above the receiver) to control incandescent and fluorescent lighting for the entire complex, plus a set of three free-swinging glass doors that protect the open-reel tape deck and turntables from dust and moisture.
Mr. Jansen is employed in the General Motors electromotive division but hopes eventually to land a job in the stereo field. When he is not busy developing new modifications for his own system or designing housing for others' stereo setups, he finds time to make live recordings at clubs in the area. He expects to enjoy his collection of soft rock and classical music all the more with the purchase (still in the planning stage) of two super-power amplifiers and an Elcaset deck.
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Also see: Pioneer SX1250 receiver
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