Vectrex startup and buzz
Aug 27, 2022, 08:19 AM
A GCE Vectrex console is turned on, and emits its characteristic buzzing noise as it plays the standard startup tune, followed by the theme for Sean Kelly's Vectrex Multi-cart 3.0. The buzzing changes frequency and tonality as the CRT displays different content, prior to being turned off.
The Vectrex itself is a relatively rare and expensive American "home arcade" console with a vector display (like Asteroids). It is estimated that fewer than a million of these consoles were made between 1982 and 1984, perhaps only several hundred thousand. Due to the decision to place the amplifier for the built-in speaker on the power board, early models of the Vectrex made a distinctive buzzing noise due to electrical interference. Given their age (and the relative fragility of the built-in CRT display), as well as the relative popularity of "no-buzz" modifications to remove the buzzing sound among Vectrex enthusiasts, the Vectrex buzz, rare to begin with, is only getting more rare with each passing year.
Recording provided by Julia Jacobi.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The Vectrex itself is a relatively rare and expensive American "home arcade" console with a vector display (like Asteroids). It is estimated that fewer than a million of these consoles were made between 1982 and 1984, perhaps only several hundred thousand. Due to the decision to place the amplifier for the built-in speaker on the power board, early models of the Vectrex made a distinctive buzzing noise due to electrical interference. Given their age (and the relative fragility of the built-in CRT display), as well as the relative popularity of "no-buzz" modifications to remove the buzzing sound among Vectrex enthusiasts, the Vectrex buzz, rare to begin with, is only getting more rare with each passing year.
Recording provided by Julia Jacobi.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds