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Somebody turns 80 today. There's certainly no other earthly reason I'd post this particular album cover. No siree....

New Standards Vol. 1 Terri Lyne Carrington 2022 https://album.link/i/1635218059 Example: Terri Lyne and crew putting down a set of great tracks. Collabing with a bunch of people and vocalists. It really wraps this up into a satisfying album, mixing instrumentals with songs. And a nice groove.

Been working on this for a looong time. CFA3 from scratch mixed smd/thru-hole design. Currently assembled with NOS Toshiba 2SC3381/2SA1349 inputs, NOS MPSW TO-92L thru-hole transistors and bcxxx for the smd. Power consumption 75W no fan. Linear PSU with 20,000uf/63V filter capacitance — custom golden reference regulators. Final dimensions are 12x9x4.5” / 22lb+ the motorized 48 step attenuator w/ remote and display was a last minute addition. definitely interested in finding out the feedback for that, but would want it built backwards for a final design, I think.

An oldie, but a goodie.

The Tourists (1979) Never available on Compact Disc. Yes, that's Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart.

I heard this yesterday at Canjam with a pair of brand new SR-007s, which the Viva rep made a point to tell me since that would apparently explain any deficiencies in the sound. Didn't spend a lot of time with it because I was waiting for the Grand Cayman with the X9K to be available but it was very okay for a $32k amp.

A friend is at canjam right now and just sent me a photo of this beast there. Great work!

https://album.link/i/464330321 Way Down Deep David Grissom 2011 Me: The Music of Wayne Shorter Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis 2020 https://album.link/i/1492163211 Example: A great celebration of Wayne with a full band.

Johnny Jewel: Windswept Some background music from Twin Peaks: The Return

absolutely not. topping has potted modules including the bias module that are not available as spare parts. topping has a custom switching supply that may not easily be substituted. every one of these is likely to be dead in less than 5 years. where 40 year old stax amps continue to function even though all the silicon is obsolete. topping is flavor of the month throw away garbage.

Ryo Fukui in New York

Catching up a bit on the notables. I have of course been listening to music, but just not posting. So a few things I liked. All Your Life: A Tribute to the Beatles Al Di Meola 2013 https://album.link/i/1564096794 Example: So to answer the question, do we need another Beatles tribute album? AbsaFuckingLootly. When it is our Friend Al. It is more like you are just sitting down with him and he is just jamming and picking on some Beatles tunes. Which I guess he is. Very enjoyable. And not too many demands on the royal ear. The Dharma Wheel Howlin Rain 2021 https://album.link/i/1574474906 Example: Need some 70's rock in a modern package? Have I got a deal for you. New to me, and I want to explore. Pretty straight forward, other than some monster works that rock hard. LIVE Chick Corea Akoustic Band 2019 https://album.link/i/1548821481 Example: Not much to say - it is just so good. Just a killer set. Hodges: Front and Center, Vol. 1 Owen Broder 2022 https://album.link/i/1689273550 Example: New to me - but put together a really nice set. Ears and eyes open for me. Reckless Morgan Wade 2021 https://album.link/i/1578973602 Example: I first heard Morgan in December, and I was hooked on her voice. Well her first album backed that up. Strong vocals, and some powerful messages. There are a few more mainstream in there, but it was a rewarding album. Okay think that I am caught up. - Back to listening.

This guy never fails to deliver.

Cheese and rice, didn't I tell you about them back mid-COVID? That's the shoe on the other foot, me telling you about music you haven't heard about already.

Late to the Alcest train. Really like Blackgaze, thus my love of Deafheaven. But these guys do a lot more melodic stuff. The Apple Music Alcest Essentials playlist is a nice 22 song, 2 hr 42 min way to enjoy music across their catalog.

this - from another thread - thx Ric.

A few recent watches: On AppleTV, Silo - why are people living underground in this dystopian future? On Hulu, The Class of 09, an interesting portrayal of how a surveillance-state develops: Also started on AppleTV, High Desert, for some comedy: Decent, if not great watches so far - soft recommendations, all. They could all use some tightening up, storywise. But then they'd be movies instead of a series, I guess #shrug.

1.5m cable made for Japan, not viking

I thought that I'd post some impressions to this thread now that the gs-x mini is in the wild. I have serial #3. This is a fantastic headphone amp. Here is a few pros and cons, off the cuff: Likes: 1. Outstanding parts and build quality. Fit and finish are exceptional. Aesthetics are often a matter of personal preference, but I have to admit i find the look of the Mini to be dead sexy. 2. Functionally this amp is very versatile. The built in pre-amp feature works well. Conversion of SE sources to balanced output is quite handy. And then it powers just about any headphone on the market (dynamic and planar) equally well. I love the volume tracking on this amp. It's very tight and precise and gets louder gradually...never in a harsh way or overbearing. 3. Tone of the amp hits the sweet spot for me. Instruments (particularly the ones that I play personally) sound convincingly real. Vocals are authentic and have a layered presentation to them. I can hear the low raspiness of Patricia Barbara when she belts out a tune in The Cole Porter Mix. Fine detail is a hallmark of this amp. I supposed it's function of the quality of the PSU among other factors. Dislikes: 1. Honestly, I have a hard time poking any holes in the gs-x mini. I guess if you must have a tube amp, you have to look elsewhere. There are some very fine imperfections in the top plate in the powder coating. But that's about it.

Butter is better than batter, and that's banter