Sound heads? RCA MI-9030 and the Simplex SH-1000 were the best! (if you add a drop of oil now and then to the gear box).

Speaking of which----when you check the oil levels of the gearbox in the RCA's and SH-1000's and SH-1004's, please make sure you break the vacuum lock when you do it. Especially the RCA's. Then let the oil settle to it's true level and add oil as necessary. Then let it settle again....and again...I usually force feed them. If they become too full, all you will have is a mess on the floor the next morning. It is much better than a stripped gear and bearings that feel like someone poured Poly-Grip into them...

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

As for sound, we have installed quite a number of CP500s and probably 50% have had some kind of fault either on installation or shortly thereafter. However I am not surprised to hear other techs say they have not had any problems. Many of the CP500 problems are intermittent and therefore not apparent all the time and tend to get overlooked, or are not noticed, by projectionists and technicians because they do not get the opportunity to stay in the auditorium for very long at a time. It is the poor suffering audiences that have to cope with the annoying glitches.

Unlike analogue processors, the CP500 suffers from really weird stuff - like in one cinema the sound kept going to a delayed echo effect. When we took a closer listen, the centre was staying constant but the left and right screen channels would start to emit dialogue about 20mS delayed behind the centre. This would come and go throughout the movie. Really annoying. Maybe Dolby just send all their crap to Australia.

It is great shame that Panastereo is not widely available in the USA. Now THAT is a beautiful sounding cinema processor, but probably a bit too expensive for most el cheapo cinema chains in the USA. Also I think they are distributed in the US by Smart who would have to make the crappiest cinema processors since the Eprad. Not a good marketing move on Panastereo's part.

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

It was in a Simplex PR-1003. I never even thought about it until after I was done running it! Probably a one-in-a-million shot, though.

 |  IP: Logged

There is one machine that is REALLY a pile of garbage - and those were the old military surplus Devry's. I can't recall the model No., but supposedly, was a "portable". All you needed was a pedistal to set it on and a lamphouse. Probably the reason they were portable is so the operator could carry them to the dumpster - That's where they belong! And, I think that's where they probably all are - in landfills. The last one I saw was about 10 years ago.

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

Century
pro 35's
westar
simplex

I currently use the simplex 1050's with five star soundheads. speco platter systems and cfs consoles. (yes I work for Cinemark). I definitly like the simplex projectors. Platters run great. Consoles run good but I know they could be better. I use the older type consoles 11 years old so they don't have as many problems as the others. Here is a piece of advice for all of you who use these consoles. If your lead wires for the diodes still have the red and blue sleeves over them get rid of them. All they are doing is causing heat to build up on the diodes causing them to short out. This could greatly reduce your diode changes. Also if you are in the habbit of changing the power tap settings as the bulb ages try leaving it at one setting and stop moving it. We have found that it stresses the diodes among other problems.