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Finally got the new (to me) ride out for a proper shakedown. It feels good, I felt slow this morning. Weather was pretty much perfect.

Just modded my 007 Mk2.9. A video of a Stax guy changing pads that Birgir posted years ago helped. As well as the instructions he published. Thanks.

I guess dCS decided that headphone-based systems are now worthy of their time: https://shop.dcsaudio.com/products/lina-system Figured most people would be interested in the amplifier so I put it in this section: DAC includes crossfeed EQ (didn't look into whether it was software/hardware), compute module on the side for either Roon or whatever dCS decides to do in-house. Looks like a scaled down version of their ubiquitous Ring DAC External clock lets you use the DAC with OCXO's instead: Full system cost seems to total 29,150 USD. Price aside I think the casework is pretty cool, I saw esoteric do similar things with some of their new offerings. At this price point though I feel like it'd be more cost-effective just to pick up one of their older offerings (like the Debussy) and hook up a Roon endpoint to that...

Close enough (@cetoole can attest) Oooh, they ship... https://bagelofthemonth.com/ Argh, but no rye or pumpernickel. Except pictures.

Patty Gurdy -- Irish electric hurdy-gurdy playing ginger Her collaboration with symphonic metal band Scardust is fantastic -- I love the Celtic influence (I love the goofball bassist and silly drummer faces, but I relate more to the way-too-morose guitarist and keyboardist.) xPropaganda -- 80's band Propaganda reincarnate with ZTT and Stephen Lipsom -- synthpop with MILFs, Dusty like:

Milled a front panel, with inscription, today. With black painted aluminum net as top cover you can see the light from eight red LEDs.

I expect someone who knows about amplifier topology and construction to show up in this thread and say something pithy and rude about the resistors on that main board.

Man, bad day, RIP Ray and Andrew....and then RIP Alan White from Yes.....

Oddly enough, my favorite bagels came from Fairlawn NJ. My in-laws lived in Northern Jersey (Glen Rock, near Paramus) for ~50 years. When we'd visit we'd often go into NYC but a place closer to them was my favorite. Hot Bagels on Saddle River Drive in Fairlawn.....my brain is doing a Homer Simpson sound just thinking of it.... My sister- and brother-in-law live on Long Island and when they come up my wife gets an order from Bagel Boss for her to bring up. Also very good, but my memory of the Fairlawn place eclipses all....

King Harvest

I've listened to several Joy Division things today, including some early material when they went by the name Warsaw. For several years they were my favorite band, and are still up there in the top 5..... Probably my favorite song by them is Decades, the last song on the Closer album. In hindsight, knowing of Ian's suicide, this is such a powerful song to me. There is a keyboard "solo" towards the end that just sounds so frail...and of course the lyrics are very fateful..... EDIT: and the first single that new Order had post-JD was Ceremony/In A Lonely Place. Written while they were still Joy Division....the B-side is also incredibly powerful lyrically and in mood. Again, especially in hindsight....and it was the last demo ever recorded by the group apparently Lyrics: Caressing the marble and stone Love that was special for one The waste in the fever and heat How I wish you were here with me now Body that curls in and dies Hardship that often belies Warm like a dog round your feet How I wish you were here with me now Hangman looks round as he waits Cord stretches tight then it breaks Someday we will die in your dreams How I wish we were here with you now

I use the HD650 for 90% of my listening, basically all of my casual listening. For music listening, I use the L700 and SR-007, both modded. I went down the Focal route for a while and they were pretty nice, but too fatiguing, and in the end I preferred Stax. But I do like the lively Focal-ish sound, they just need to fix the highs on pretty much all of them.

Mahler can test the attention span. https://slippedisc.com/2022/04/yannick-stops-mahler-twice-for-phone-flash-and-snoring/

I missed Alan White passing. I don't think I can count how many times I have seen him live with the various incarnations of Yes (11 to 13 times at least). He never was the standout drummer - but a very good drummer - a great band drummer. I will have a few things to pick from to listen to. RIP Alan.

R.I.P Andrew Fletcher

R.I.P. Ray Liotta at 67...