About Me

Basic Information

About Me
I caught the audio bug early… at church of all places. Dad led the music and had me helping with the P.A. system. Started wandering through the mid ‘70s SoCal stereo stores like Pacific Stereo, The Federated Group, RogerSoundLab, etc. checkin’ out the gear. In ’79 I walked into a little shop in Westminster called Audio Today (still there) and discovered the “High End”. I’ve been cruising down this highway ever since. By H.S. graduation I was grooving to a Dual TT with Ortophon cartridge, Nakamichi cassette deck, NAD 3140 integrated amp and DCM Time Windows.

Right out of high school I went through Golden West College’s Recording Engineering program (just a few years after Robert Harley passed through) then received a scholarship from Azusa Pacific University to be the School of Music’s concert sound engineer and run their recording studio. Got to tour all over the U.S. and Canada doing concert sound mixing for APU’s 125 voice choir and 40 piece orchestra. While in graduate school I worked at a mega-church in Irvine (South Coast Community) as their lead sound technician running four services a week in a 2000 seat hall with full rhythm section, 80 voice choir plus lead & backup vocalists.

Professionally I work in Human Resource Management for the Automobile Club of Southern California and am an adjunct Professor of Management for BIOLA University. I still run live sound a few time a month at church as I’ve done for over 30 years. I also help my buddy’s bar band get their sound system dialed in as they play some of the ugliest sounding lounges in O.C. I serve on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, which simply means I’m one of the dudes who shows up early and helps set up and run the meetings/events.
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Russ Stratton

Russ Stratton

Now I remember why I haven't been as active on EVO to past year or so. Great people here but the site is functionally frustrating to me. I get locked out of it when I use Chrome and some of the functions don't work with my old Explorer browser. I'll keep trying though. I like you folks too much to give up.
- 2 months ago
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  • Thursday, 25 February 2010 00:16
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  • 4 days ago
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  • Now I remember why I haven't been as active on EVO to past year or so. Great people here but the site is functionally frustrating to me. I get locked out of it when I use Chrome and some of the functions don't work with my old Explorer browser. I'll keep trying though. I like you folks too much to give up.
    profile 68 days ago
  • How cool is this? A feature article on local record stores by AAA Westways magazine. The mag mails to about 6 million AAA members in Southern California.

    http://ww1.calif.aaa.com/westways/2013/03-04/Pages/index.aspx

    BTW, I work for them. I wish I could take credit for the article but I can't.

    Russ
    profile 85 days ago
  • I'm always goofing around with stuff. Home audio is my sandbox. Here's what I've been dabbling with the past year or so. If any of this is of interest, let me know. I'm willing to share.

    - Set up a PC based music server to play DSD files from my SACD collection.
    - Set up music server to play multi-channel files from my DVD-A / SACD collection.
    - Installed a free plugin in the music server software to replicate the effect of the $4k BSG QOL processor.
    - Rebuilt a Technics SL1200 to rival the sound of big dollar turntables.
    -Built a moving coil phono preamp that sounds better than the $2500 SUT/tube phono stage it replaced. Parts cost between $150 and $300 depending on caps, opamp, chassis,etc
    - Modified the Oppo BDP-103 to kick the performance up quite a bit. Parts cost $150.
    profile 93 days ago
  • Hey! Good to see you folks are still here. It's been a while for me.
    profile 94 days ago
  • Beats buys MOG. I hope this is just a marketing-branding acquisition. Based on the SQ and tuning choices of Beats gear I've heard, this is not encouraging news.
    profile 320 days ago
  • Any Evoites in SoCal have extra SPDIF RCA digital interconnects in their cable stable that I can borrow and audition? I'm using a $5 75ohm SPDIF between my Squeezebox and DAC and want to hear what a better cable will do. Thanks.
    profile 372 days ago
  • Fresh off my SL1200 project I'm jumping back into computer audio. I have ISO files of some of my SACDs with hopefully more on the way. I've started using software to extract DFF (aka DSD) files and convert them to 24 bit FLAC to play on my PCM DAC. At some point I hope to get the Mytek DSD DAC so I can play the DFF files natively at 2.8Mhz rather than converting to PCM. Even when down converted to 24/176, the files sound really good. Brave new world (for me at least).
    profile 373 days ago
  • Russ Stratton added 2 new photos in Projects album
    • JackWhite.JPG
    • SL1200.JPG
    Audio Project Photos
    photos 376 days ago
  • I posted some info on my SL1200 project over at Audio Circle.

    http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=106045.msg1085269;topicseen#new

    Exhilaration and fascinating... if you're into turntable power supply upgrades.
    profile 381 days ago
  • Comment on the photo 100_3444
    • Zu's top nanotech 16 ohm drivers.
    photos 387 days ago
  • Had around ten folks over Saturday night to spin vinyl. Heard lots of great music. Some highlights: Tea for the Tillerman reissue, Keb Mo on MoFi, Janis Joplin studio outtakes, Tool @Lollapalooza. Good times. A friend brought over a graphite mat from Boston-audio.com. We were all shocked at how much better the system sounded just by dropping a mat on the platter. Crazy! Missed Mercer and Seislove but managed to have a good time anyway.
    profile 390 days ago
  • Wow! I installed a startlingly good upgrade to my phono preamp last night. The preamp is a wierd op amp based MC design that uses the cartridge's internal resistance as the preamp's input impedance. I swapped out the original OP27's with the latest generation LME49713 metal can op amps. I'm now getting a lot more music outta them grooves. I was so digging the improvement it was hard to turn the rig off and go to bed.
    profile 396 days ago
  • This Saturday, April 21st is Record Store Day so I'm hosting a RSD listening party at my place starting around 5pm. SoCal Evoites are welcome to stop by and spend the evening spinning records with a bunch of local vinyl freaks. Bring your RSD acquisitions or other vinyl delights to share with others. PM me for more info.
    profile 397 days ago
  • Back in town and on line after a week of awesome hiking and exploring in Southern Utah. My boys are "so done" with those "stupid mountains" and just want to get to the Xbox.
    profile 400 days ago
  • On invitation from my friend Jon Whitledge, I hung out with a bunch of car audio guys this afternoon. These guys are as crazy as we are. This is the "SQ" crowd that emphasizes sound quality over SPL & gimmicks. I heard some awesome cars that had tonally neutral, phase coherent, pin-point imaging systems. I listened to a Mercedes 350 sedan that played back a Blue Man Group DVD-A in 5.1. I measured 110 db at 40 hz on the bass drum whacks. Music was very clean and clear despite the SPL. Pretty awesome. Of course Jon's "Magic Bus" sounded magnificent as always.
    profile 406 days ago
  • When one of my monoblock amps stopped working last night I got that creeping feeling of "this could be bad". Turns out the 12BH7 driver tube gave out.

    I don't get it. It's been years since I changed the 12AX7 input tubes, but I seem to burn through a pair 12BH7 driver tubes every 18 months. Any of you toob-heads know what might be going on with that? Amps are Quicksilver 8417 monoblocks converted to 6550s.
    profile 409 days ago