John Hardy IM200 Modules
Adam@StudioOne
I came across some IM200 modules,
can anyone shed some light about this modules, sound wise ? ... value ?
Thanx
Adam
StudioOne Recording
Fletcher
John built two desks for 'db Sound'; Chicago. They toured for awhile,
with alot of big time famous people [no I don't remember any names].
I have a couple as well, which John was kind enough to refurb for me
last year [for a fee]. They have a lovely sounding mic-pre, an
incredibly powerful 4 band EQ, are overall exceptionally musical
sounding, though they do give you the power to really fuck something up
if you're not really careful.
Mine are currently for sale for $1,200 each [I don't want to...but the
wife's making me sell alot of my stuff]
--
Fletcher
Mercenary Audio
TEL: 508-543-0069
FAX: 508-543-9670
http://www.mercenary.com
"this is not a problem"
Adam@StudioOne
Does your modules have the 990 opamps or the 5534 ?
how much of a sound difference would the 990 make ..?
Thanx
adam
StudioOne Recording
Fletcher wrote in message <38CEC7...@mercenary.com>...
John W. Hardy
I will leave it to others to comment on the "sound wise" and
"value wise" questions, but I would be happy to answer any
technical questions about the IM200 modules. I am still willing
and able to service them. Thank you.
John Hardy
hank alrich
John! You wimp!! <G> You're supposed to say they roooool and they're
worth a fortune!! Damn. Ain't ya learned nothin' from d b?
--
hank sez "You got to get it while you can!"
To order the seven-CD set of "Bohemian R.A.P CD"
see http://www.hoohahrecords.com/rap
A Public Service Announcement from secret mountain
John W. Hardy
> John! You wimp!! <G> You're supposed to say they roooool and they're
> worth a fortune!! Damn. Ain't ya learned nothin' from d b?
Well, there certainly are some stories I could tell about the
general insanity that prevailed during the marathon construction
of the two consoles, but I'll just say this: There was no
controlling legal authority...
John
P.S.: The consoles were built for db Sound of Chicago,
specifically for the Fall of 1977 tour of the group Kansas.
Matt Stoody
'em in '77.
Matt Stoody
Westsun
badon...@gmail.com
Scott Dorsey
<badon...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Hate to hit this board over a decade later but two of these modules recentl=
>y popped up on a site and I'm super close to convincing my boss to buying t=
>hem. He says that if I find out details on getting them serviced and racked=
> that it's a done deal. Can anyone point me in the right direction as far a=
>s how much it would cost and who would be the man for the job? Any help wou=
>ld be greatly appreciated.
I'd call John Hardy. I don't know how well he supports stuff that old,
but he's a good guy and if he doesn't he is likely to know who does.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
John Williamson
--
Tciao for Now!
John.
John Hardy
fixture that I built to test them. These modules were the main module in
two consoles (Front-of-house and stage-mix) that I designed and built
for db Sound of Chicago in 1977, specifically for the Fall/1977 tour of
the group Kansas.
Having said that, I think I have a module or two from someone that sent
them in a long time ago, still needing a check-up.
I will NOT provide frames, etc., to rack them. Long ago there was a guy
who put the IM-200 modules in outboard cases with separate power
supplies, but he did a crap job of it. There were problems that turned
out to be bad power supplies and other issues not related to the modules
themselves.
I can provide a pin-out of the edge connector and a schematic of the module.
Note that these modules use the highest-ratio Jensen mic input
transformer, the JE-115K-E (now known as the JT-115K-E). All of my mic
preamps since then have used the lowest-ratio Jensen mic input
transformer, the JT-16-B (same as the "A" except for the having a square
shield can instead of a round can). The lower the ratio, the better the
performance - wider bandwidth, lower distortion, more linear phase
response, etc. The trade-off is, you don't get as much voltage gain from
the low-ratio transformer as you do from the high ratio one. The ratio
should be matched to the noise characteristics of the op-amp (or vacuum
tube) that comes directly after the transformer.
The IM-200 uses the first of the Signetics NE5534 op-amps to arrive in
the USA in 1977 (date code 7733 and 7734), originally known as the
Philips TDA1034 as it was available in Europe. There was a high failure
rate of close to 20% over the first weeks and months of the two consoles
being put into service by db Sound for the Fall of 1977 tour of the
group Kansas. All of my mic preamps since then have used the 990
discrete op-amp.
Because of the very different input transformers and very different
op-amps, do NOT expect the IM-200 to sound like an M-1, M-2 or Jensen
Twin Servo 990 Mic Preamp. The laws of physics prohibit that.
I originally ordered Bourns series-80 pots for these consoles. But a
couple of weeks after the order was placed, I was overruled by John
Robson, the head of the sound crew. He insisted that we use Allen
Bradley MOD pots, which became noisy within a few years. Something wrong
with the wiper design, or lubrication, or something. I do not have
replacement pots. The best thing I can do is to drill a tiny hole in the
side of each resistive module and spray contact cleaner inside and hope
for the best. It usually helps, but more cleaner needs to be sprayed
inside from time to time.
Some modules can be in poor shape. They are now 41 years old. Buyer beware.
I cannot say how much it will cost to check them out and make any
repairs until I see them. I typically UNDER-charge for labor for repairs
to my products, way less than I would charge for anyone else's products.
I don't have time to repair anyone else's products anyway.
The IM-200 and the consoles overall were remarkable cool (IMHO) for the
era, and served db Sound very well for many years, for Kansas, Cheap
Trick and many others.
John Hardy
The John Hardy Co.
www.johnhardyco.com
John Williamson
> On 1/14/2018 4:43 PM, John Williamson wrote:
>> On 14/01/2018 22:39, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>>> I'd call John Hardy. I don't know how well he supports stuff that old,
>>> but he's a good guy and if he doesn't he is likely to know who does.
>>> --scott
>>>
>> When he was interviewed in 2000, he said he still supported them.
>>
>
> I still support the IM-200 modules. I still have the original test
> fixture that I built to test them. These modules were the main module in
> two consoles (Front-of-house and stage-mix) that I designed and built
> for db Sound of Chicago in 1977, specifically for the Fall/1977 tour of
> the group Kansas.
Thank you for that information. Not many makers still support stuff that
old. ;-)
Ty Ford
Hope you're swell.
Ty
John Hardy
got your phone message weeks ago...
John
Ty Ford
> got your phone message weeks ago...
>
> John
Ty
matriarcham...@gmail.com
Very nice to find out I can send them to you to get dolled up.
Be Well
Apple Tooth Wallace