rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Sept 25, 2007 22:06:52 GMT
Graham, feel free, I am sure that you understand what I mean and will use it with care!
a couple of my favorites that qualify: The old Quad Electrostatic panels, Dynaco PAS3, Thorens TD160 TT, Tchaikovsky Symphony #4 with the New York Phil-Leonard Bernstein, Mobile Fidelity direct cut disk Dark Side of the Moon, all of my Sheffield Labs direct disks. I think my AKG701s will end up being timeless - they sound sooo much like the instruments that I hear on stage - even with only the BT928 (I'm saving for that green solo!). I also have a CD recommendation: Stämning by the jazz vocal group The Real Group (www.virgin.se). It is a collection of swedish folk tunes and conducted by the swedish choral god Eric Ericson. The music draws you in, the hardware has NO CHANCE!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Sept 24, 2007 23:34:20 GMT
High End to me is a playground for the partly informed. Vastly overpriced kit designed to kindle the eternal search for the holy grail. Even if you have invested 200,000 Quid, you still have another 200,000 to go, only to realize that your interconnects still are not optimal. ;-( The market for such things is very mature, most of the customers I would dare say not. If one can generate pleasure with projects never completed, there is no problem.
I think we need another term for systems designed to END the search, to give us a high level of lasting pleasure where the music and not the technology is paramount. I have a suggestion: LastFi. I am sure that there are many units that could qualify for LastFi. Any suggestions?
This type of equipment is not suitable for the X in ABX.
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Sept 23, 2007 12:42:46 GMT
Insanity, how could you make that decision in a store? A wine tasting only is the tip of the iceberg. Decisions between two fine amps or bottles of wine requires a great deal of time. Your emotional state even changes your hearing/tasting.
A couple of hours in the store in an unknown environment, with all sorts of distractions will not bring you closer to nirvana.
Quiet, candles, cheese, a good wine and an hour of headphone can make any weaknesses in the chain VERY audible. The urge to tap your feet, excitement are good signs. Falling asleep or turning the volume DOWN are not good signs! Trust your own ears!
Finding people that you can trust and going to concerts are things that increase your awareness of what is necessary. Nirvana has nothing to do with slam, black or broad. It has to do with reproduction so natural that NOTHING sticks out.
I have been lurking here for 6 months or so. I think Graham is on to something............. I think Pinkie is on to something and it doesn't sound like 4 figures! THAT is exciting!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Sept 22, 2007 12:08:58 GMT
So, I guess my question is sort of answered. If I read you right, the Solo is THE essense of what you have technically, economically, socially and politically learned and to get "better" I have to wait for you to learn more - in which discipline is insignificant...........
The trumpet issue is similar. The manufacturer is Dave Monette, a 10 person operation that builds 6 instruments a month. They are the essense of what he has learned and like Slee products are sold directly to the end customer. In his case, you order the horn and wait 12-14 months. I bought one 10 years ago and received the second one last month. It is obvious what he has learned in 10 years. A trumpet at 1/12 the cost I do not perceive as unfair though just as my modded BT928 is not unfair in comparison to the Solo that I am saving for (I have 4 children - a little planning is necessary!). It is damage control until I can afford better. I do not think that Marx addressed "damage control".............
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Sept 21, 2007 14:55:56 GMT
My first post here! I play trumpet with several different orchestras and 3 months ago bought my first serious headphones the AKG-701. I tried about 10 pair of different ones, but these sounded to me to be closer to what I hear live. At first we plugged the headphones into some "high end" CD player by Pioneer. No joy there. Then they connected a UREI mix board and I got a taste of what headphones can do! In the mean time I have bought the BT-928, and did the mods recommended here - as well as building a solid power supply. After break in, the 701s sound very, very good. I have built most of my hifi and am very happy. This thread about "High End" is very similar to what gets posted on the trumpet forums. The members that can hear the grass grow (and are annoyed by that very audible background noise) try to convince the rest of us about what we are missing. To be honest, when I listen to the recordings that I make of my symphonic or chamber music, the hardware becomes pretty insignificant. The real power is in the playing (especially mine of course). Sometimes I wish the resolution was tunable - especially when I crack a note. From what I have read while lurking here, Graham Slee (among others) seems to be plugged in to what works. I ask him: if Rohs and CEE and your customers pockets would let you get away with anything, how expensive would "the best that you are capable of" cost. Could you imagine an improvement to the Solo (or a completely different amp) if 1,000 (5,000) Quid was the target price instead of 399? I am not asking if this is necessary, just if he can imagine a no holds barred approach giving (somewhat) better results. We have these arguments concerning trumpets too. The price span for professional instruments is $1,500 - $12,000. In this case, the $12,000 is not necessary, but that much better!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Mar 8, 2008 14:07:08 GMT
Happy Birthday Mike! Blow the candles OUT not UP!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Mar 3, 2008 0:08:32 GMT
Doesn't bother me.
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Mar 9, 2008 11:55:35 GMT
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Feb 21, 2008 19:43:00 GMT
.....I mean, good god, what benefit is there in me visiting a probation officer once a week for god knows how long..... what are we going to discuss ffs.... the cricket? Sell him a decent set of electrostatic headphones and an amp. Then you can audition stuff together. Music is a universal language! If nothing else the headphones get a short circuit......... Good luck to you from Frankfurt!
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rowuk
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Pain in the ass, ex-patriot yank living in the land of sauerkraut
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Post by rowuk on Feb 19, 2008 0:08:39 GMT
Congrats! perhaps by 5,000 post Alex will see the light and prefer VALVES! I don't think there is a snowballs chance in hell for that! I think he could appreciate the "sound" of any extemely well built and great sounding headphone amp rergardless of technology though!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Feb 15, 2008 11:08:46 GMT
Mike, I hope that you find the R+R that you need! We will do our best to behave ourselves!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Feb 17, 2008 11:45:56 GMT
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Feb 15, 2008 11:12:40 GMT
If Karma is taken too seriously, then it is the same as when we take an internet forum too seriously. It can be an indication where to send questions however.
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Feb 6, 2008 15:55:41 GMT
If Karma is the only reason to be here, then we need to think about the purpose of this site. As I see it, we are all in this together and "hot-headedness" should be left for certain other sites. If a member chooses to leave, that is much different than getting banned. If one minor incident is enough to draw a reaction like this, there are other, deeper problems. Bennyboy knows that he is welcome back, it is up to him to face reality. I think MERTON is reserved for the irreal situations, or?
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Jan 15, 2008 12:10:29 GMT
Which Pioneer player is this?
The difference is probably the RCA plugs, the interconnect voodoo wire and the cabinet. I would assume that the mains lead accounts for £3000 too!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Jan 15, 2008 12:20:59 GMT
The reason that we have analog AND digital computing is because there is a market for both. As with many things digital, it is possible to dramatically cut costs by cheap software. Speed is not the issue, saleability is. It is a market issue, not an experiment on what is technically possible (at least for the masses).
My wife has been trying to reprogram my analog brain since 1980. She has only been successful in lowering my resistance to eating. Those food costs make me much less efficient than I was 28 years ago..............
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Jan 9, 2008 12:47:48 GMT
My voice. Images perfectly, no cable voodoo, unlimited repertory.
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Jan 9, 2008 12:45:29 GMT
The reason that it tastes good is that our tongue works differently than our nose. The nose smells the complete odor. The tongue has different areas for sweet, sour, salty......... The bad smell is a combination of things that our nose can't sort out but the tongue can
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Dec 17, 2007 11:43:26 GMT
In Germany we get an itemized invoice from T-Online by E'mail every month (we can set our preferences up on the web). They have always been cooperative when I have had invoicing questions.
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Dec 17, 2007 11:48:33 GMT
You just need to be sure that you have the money irrevocably in hand before you ship. DO NOT USE PAYPAL as it is not irrevocable! Once your merchandise is gone how can you defend your position? Complain to E'Bay? Yeah, right. Ever try to get your money from Paypal if the other party is not cooperative? It doesn't work. Foreign business means cash up front, PERIOD!
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Dec 13, 2007 13:25:41 GMT
Are the women there so bad that you got the man flu?
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Dec 14, 2007 14:43:50 GMT
"The foot pump is attached to a wind bag that probably has some dryrot." I hope you aren't suggesting that Mike is a windbag ! These instruments have two pedals that generate the wind pressure to create sound. Sometimes the pedals are under the keyboard so a one-man-operation is possible. Some bigger organs have the pedals on an external windbag and require an extra person to pass wind........ A douchebag would not be of much help here. Any moisture at all would turn the dust into sludge and make cleaning almost impossible - not to mention the change in color..................
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Dec 13, 2007 13:24:24 GMT
As it was not stored condomized (covered with a protective surface), you will probably need to get the insides cleaned out too. A vacuum cleaner or some other form of suction works best to bring a smile to your face. As far as getting it back into a playable condition, you need to strip it down and probably adjust every note individually. The foot pump is attached to a wind bag that probably has some dryrot. The better instruments have the bag made out of calves leather which can be patched after which the bag blows instead of sucking.
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rowuk
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Post by rowuk on Dec 14, 2007 15:33:22 GMT
...... MERTON YOU are in control of your PC . If Microsoft did that there would be howls of protests from around the world. You must have inadvertently given permission by clicking some prompt. I have set my PC up to automatically update when I shut down my PC. Even then, Microsoft gives me the option to not Update. SandyK You are only in control of the power lead! Microsoft does have a user interface. It is a shame that using it requires relatively profound system knowledge. Merton, I can sympathize with you a little - but only a little. I use Macintosh and also have some problems, just not of the Microsoft magnitude!
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rowuk
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Pain in the ass, ex-patriot yank living in the land of sauerkraut
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Post by rowuk on Dec 17, 2007 13:26:08 GMT
Specialists like this are what keeps the "State of the Art" moving forward. This is audiophile masturbation. Perhaps not as good as the real thing, but it will always bring a smile to your face, and is always available...........
Do not assume that these guys go to regular concerts though!
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