Words by Rafe Arnott, photography courtesy of Tyler Davis.
The very definition of a listening space should be self-evident. A place where one may relax and have the opportunity to unwind from the pressures generated by the daily grind unique to everyone’s lives. It could be participation involving just the individual, but observation has proven when friends and family are involved in a collective experience sharing the music, the benefits as a path to wellness are multiplied. The knowledge gleaned from discussions of art, culture, politics and literature inspired by great music being played back on a system curated for (subjective) optimum sound in a social environment help more tightly knit the familial ties which bind us. As I’ve written previously regarding this, a listening space is a structure for the deep exploration of music’s impact on our collective and individual psyches.
The enlightenment a listening space provides is the sole domain of the caretaker who has curated not only the physical space, but the source material for playing and the sound system that music will be translated by: the geographic location, the home, the room, the gear, the decor and furniture... is utterly unique as one’s DNA. And so, in the spirit of resurrecting what could be considered a lost art, Listening Space is back with a third instalment (Read the first HERE, and the second HERE). This time around we spend time with Tyler Davis, who hails from the Lone Star state of America.
This escape into hi-fi journalism is supported by Hi-fi Centre.“Vintage sound is warm and inviting. It’s large. It’s wide. It can sound like all of your worries are gone. Vintage sound means having a nice dinner with my wife at home in our dining room.”
–Tyler Davis
Resistor Magazine: Tyler Davis… vintage high fidelity online enigma? Music-loving gear obsessive? Who are you, what do you do for a living, where do you call home?
Tyler Davis: “Well, as you mentioned, my name is Tyler. I guess that doesn’t exactly explain who I am though. By day I work in operations for a petrochemical start up. By night I’m a husband and father. By late night I’m a music lover, record collector, and vintage stereo hound. Home for me is ‘South of Oklahoma, East of New Mexico, West of Louisiana, where all them Cajuns go… a little place called Texas,’ (That’s a reference to Northeast Texas Women by Willis Alan Ramsey). Fun fact: Three songs off of the album I referenced were recorded in the city I currently live in.”
Resistor Magazine: Did you grow up with music in the house? Was it a vinyl-centric childhood?
Tyler Davis: “I did grow up with music in the house. A majority of music was ‘90s country. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that my Dad has this thing where he listens to the same three to five songs over and over again. That mini-playlist has been slowly evolving over time... to this day. As a kid, I really remember three of the songs being “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Lenny,” and Vaughan’s version of “Little Wing.” At that point in time, mine was just like most young families of the era; enamoured with tech’s latest and greatest. I honestly think the only vinyl my family owned belonged to my grandfather. It was forgotten about in an old boxcar on his ranch. I re-discovered them years too late to add to my collection. They were absolutely roached.”
Photo left: Davis surveys analogue possibilities at a local Texas record shop.
Resistor Magazine: Who turned you onto vintage equipment, or did you develop a curiosity for it on your own?
Tyler Davis: “To be completely honest, I bought my first vinyl before I ever owned my first stereo, modern or vintage. The curiosity really began there, as I knew Crosley was not the answer to my sonic dreams. My iPhone speaker aimed into a red Solo cup sounded better than that. So, that meant there had to be something else. I just didn’t know what. I knew what modern McIntosh was. I knew I couldn’t afford it, so I had to really start digging. At that point in time, I was the Tour Manager for the musician, Jonathan Tyler. We spent a lot of our off days in Nashville at the house he shared with his then-girlfriend, Nikki Lane. They had a nice vinyl collection brought to life by a Marantz integrated amplifier (I cant remember the exact model). That Marantz is, without a doubt, the reason for my love of vintage stereos.”
Resistor Magazine: What was your first piece of vintage hi-fi?
Tyler Davis: “My first real piece of vintage hi-fi came in the form of a complete Marantz stereo – A Marantz 2252B, Marantz 6170 turntable, and a pair of Ed May designed Marantz HD 880 speakers. Each piece came in incredible original shape. I answered an online ad looking to sell just the Marantz 2252B. I asked the man selling if he had any other stereo items. He told me that he had, “A turntable and some speakers.” Me being the green behind the ears collector that I was, I just assumed that they had to be of good quality since the receiver was good. I blindly agreed to buy them. When I met the man, testing them never crossed my mind, yet I purchased them without hesitation. He just seemed like an honest man. I drove away from the gas station with an untested Marantz stereo.. all for $400. Hell, in my mind, it was all worth just looking at for that kind of money. My gamble paid off – it all functioned beautifully.”
Photo right: A pair of vintage McIntosh MC30 mono blocs.
Photo above: The Fisher X-100. "That thing is 13 watts per channel of true audio bliss. I still have it and I plan to take that piece to my grave." – Tyler Davis
Resistor Magazine: How did you develop your experience to be able to collect so astutely?
Tyler Davis: “Curiosity. I was (and still am) always looking for a deal. Keeping my nose in the forums and various social media groups helped me get hip to what was desirable and worth having. However, reading how something sounds doesn’t really scratch the itch. So, to be truly versed in stereo, you just have to try gear out. With hi-fi stores seemingly a thing of the past, I was forced to just buy gear to see how it sounded.”
Resistor Magazine: Having followed your hi-fi acquisitions via your IG account, how are you able to source so much gear in such great shape?
Tyler Davis: “Dumb luck, staying ahead of the pickers, and maintaining relationships. Plain and simple. It’s funny how often life works around being at the right place at the right time in various forms. There have been times where I’ve found a Marantz 2270 at a flea market, but more often than not, I would come home empty handed. Picking didn’t really pan out for me. From there, I resorted to doing what the pickers do – posting and scouring ads. I found my first piece of tube gear that way. It is an early version of The Fisher X-100. That thing is 13 watts per channel of true audio bliss. I still have it and I plan to take that piece to my grave. I was able to source my McIntosh C22 and McIntosh MR71 from an online ad. Funny story – I posted an ad selling a Sansui G-9700, it sat for about two weeks and then a gentleman agreed to drive four hours to buy it. Within minutes of him agreeing to purchase it, an antique mall reached out to me saying that they had some McIntosh gear."
Photo below: Another example of Davis' astounding ability to locate gear in amazing condition – a pair of highly-coveted vintage Altec Model-19 with the sales tag still attached.
"It was the C22, MR71, and three MC30’s that weren’t in museum shape by any means. We ended up working a deal for me to purchase the C22 and MR71 for $100 less than the amount I had just agreed to sell the Sansui G-9700 for on contingency that I helped sell the three MC30’s. I reached out to a friend and he agreed to buy them on the spot. The money I was about to make on the Sansui was spent before I even had it in my hand. I sold the Sansui that same night and picked all of the McIntosh gear the following day. Right place. Right time. From there, it’s been about growing and maintaining relationships with people I’ve met along the way. Maintaining relationships afforded me opportunities to buy my Altec Lansing Model 19s, as well as my Sansui G-22000. Each of those deals took me 15 months and two years to close, respectively.”
Resistor Magazine: Describe what ‘vintage sound’ means to you?
Tyler Davis: “Vintage sound is warm and inviting. It’s large. It’s wide. It can sound like all of your worries are gone (Don’t lie – we all know secretly in the back of our mind we are worried about when a tube will go out or when a cap will go out of spec). Vintage sound means having a nice dinner with my wife at home in our dining room.”
Resistor Magazine: Do you play a musical instrument?
Tyler Davis: “It would be a disservice to all guitar players around the world to say that I play a musical instrument. I used to play quite a bit, but I rarely do any more. I do collect guitars when I come across them. Maybe I should start learning to play along to records…”
Resistor Magazine: Do you remember the first LP/cassette/8-Track/CD – physical media – you ever bought?
Tyler Davis: “My first physical media was a CD. Millennium by Backstreet Boys to be exact. Give me a break, I’m a ‘90s kid. First LP? Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood. Bought it my first semester of college.”
Resistor Magazine: Talk to me about your record collection. Do you have a particular bent? For example, punk, pop, rock, country, folk, electronic…45s? Mono recordings?
Tyler Davis: “Original blues LPs are my kryptonite. They’re hard to find which makes the hunt just that much more rewarding. I really like collecting small local labels, too. For example, Cowpatty Records (Longview, TX), Paula/Jewel/Ronn (Shreveport, LA), or Buddy Records (Marshall, TX).”
Photos below: Left – A vintage McIntosh C22 all-tube preamplifier with McIntosh MC30 mono blocs. Right – A pair of Altec Lansing 604E Super Duplex housed in an unknown cabinet.
Resistor Magazine: Describe your current system in detail and touch on some key pieces from the past which steered you in the current direction of your set up.
Tyler Davis: “My main system is composed of a Thorens TD-147 with a Shure V15 Type IV cartridge into a Mcintosh C22 preamplifier with a MR71 tuner, into a pair of McIntosh MC30s. The 30s power a pair of Altec Lansing Model 19 speakers. The 30s were the anchor that really set the direction of my stereo. I bought them without even having a pre-amp to use them with. I had just sold a restored Pioneer SX-1250 for a pretty penny, so I used some of that money along with a pair of JBL 075 tweeters I found in a church organ as trade credit to buy the 30s the week after I sold the SX-1250. Once again, right place, right time.”
Resistor Magazine: What have you learned about historic equipment that would be important to pass along to those wanting to pursue a system comprised of vintage gear?
Tyler Davis: “Use it and abuse it. By that, I don’t mean use it in the garage or neglect to maintain it. I mean listen to it often and listen to it loud. If it’s good equipment that’s been properly restored, it very well may outlive us. I know it will definitely outperform us. Well… me at least. Also, don’t be afraid of gear having small quirks at first. Even after a restoration, all of those knobs and buttons will need exercising. Make sure all connections are good and if somethings not right, don’t be afraid to turn knobs. Chances are your issue is trash in the potentiometer. Lastly, and most importantly - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
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