Factory Records Shop Dover NJ

Every time Tish and I go on a long drive, I'm always on the lookout for antique malls, flea markets and record stores along the way. On this particular weekend, we were en route to visit friends in Rye, NY. 

 

To avoid the monotony of New Jersey turnpike and congestion on George Washington Bridge, I took the longer route through scenic back roads of PA via New Hope to catch Route 202 and I-287. Then I exited for a brief detour to Dover NJ to check out Factory Records.

Rows and rows of Rock, Pop, Metal, Jazz, etc. of new and used LPs! Some CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes as well.

I'm a sucker for the warehouse vibe!

What use are LPs without record players...

...amplifiers and speakers?

It was a pleasant stop over!

I picked up these three 80s LPs for a very reasonable amount!

Stop by if you're in the area!

The following two pictures were taken by my navigator and co-pilot. 😊

Back on I-287

Crossing the Hudson River via Tappan Zee aka Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

Hub City Vinyl

We took a long drive to visit relatives in Western Maryland for Memorial Day weekend.

I made sure we checked out Hub City Vinyl in downtown Hagerstown, MD. This really cool record store is housed in an Art Deco structure that served as a car dealership in its previous life.

I was based here from the latter part of the 90s till the late 2000s and never imagined a well-stocked record store of this size could thrive in this town.

Notice da boss patiently waiting in the listening lounge?

The Zu Omen speakers driven by Schiit Audio electronics with Steely Dan's "Gaucho" spinning on a Technics turntable made the atmosphere even more endearing!

Towards the back of the building is another room full of LPs and CDs.

The left hand corner of that room had stacks of classic hifi gear!

 This Gates CB1200 3-speed idler driven turntable + Gray 206 viscous damped tonearm definitely caught my eye. But I've run out of space and need to unload to pacify the boss.😉 

So I hope a blog reader will buy the above set up and enjoy it!🍻

I like the black out aesthetics of this 70s Plainview NY era Harman Kardon 330C receiver, which sported technically innovative circuitry. The rack mountable Tandberg tuner is also interesting!

How about a custom tube amp using 6BL7 tubes?

One of the sales associates told me that the back end of the building will eventually be transformed into a live music venue as the pandemic winds down. This is really great news for the cultural life of Washington County!

If you're a record collector and/or audio buff driving through the junction of I-81 and I-70, this place is a must-see!

Welcome, summer! Safe travels!

Our Man in Japan - JP

The title is a tribute to James May's series on Amazon Prime. I've been a fan of this classically trained musician turned TV presenter, author, and journalist since his Top Gear UK days.👍

However, this blog entry isn't about cars, reverse engineering or fine wine. It's about the other man in Japan.😄

JP in Akihabara

The man is John Piro. Right before the COVID-19 outbreak, he chronicled the Japanese audio hobby scene to share with us. This came as a timely follow-up to my Tokyo adventure almost half a decade ago.

Tokyo Radio Department Store

JP's view of the basement from the escalator in early 2020

As I saw it in late 2015

The former Noguchi stall in the basement is now occupied by General Transformer Sales Co. Ltd or Gtrans. Based on this, we can conclude that Power Max is the transformer manufacturer formerly represented by Noguchi and now distributed by Gtrans.

Gtrans still has speakers and amplifier kits but the inventory is not as extensive as it was before

Finemet and regular type Power Max transformers are still available but less models are stocked. Most Finemet models are now made to order.

The auto-former volume control at the bottom shelf reminds me of a Teramoto I wired for a friend.

Much less Hashimoto models, only a handful of old stock Tamura and no more Tango

But there's some good news. The recently reorganized ISO (ex-Tango ISO) transformer company is distributed stateside by TubeUSA.

Take note, Gtrans is only open Tuesday - Saturday

 Another source of transformers across the street from Tokyo Radio Department Store under the rail road tracks is Kasuga Wireless.

Kasuga Wireless has their own line and can also supply any Hashimoto model within a day's notice.

I still have a pair of KA6625ST OPTs waiting for an amp project. 😊

More audio stores in Akihabara

JP's Jazz Kissa adventures

Jazz-Spot Yamatoya

 

Shibuya Swing

HMV 157 gramophone in the middle

Western Electric 22 horn + Eltus TA 4181 woofer inside the WE753 style cabinet

RCA Theater Amps 

But according to their website they also use an Eltus custom modified Altec 1567 preamp + Altec 1569A power amp

Turntable: RCA 70D

Tonearm + Cartridge: Eltus modified Western Electric 5A + 9A

   

Left: Western Electric WE555 field-coil compression driver
Middle: Field Coil Power Supply
Right: Eltus 596 field coil super tweeter

JP's Souvenirs

Thanks JP for the virtual tour! Glad you and Patricia got home safe!🍻