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Part Two of *mumble* The Wenlock Barracks apparently. It's a dog photo with some background people and vehicles. That's a lot of square trucks. Time for some pointy ears. What we have here is a Corgi 90 and a Corgi 110, though looking now he might even be a Corgi 130. At the time my (sainted, octogenarian) mother commented that the fella in the foreground was "first to the food bowl." There's a case to be made for the parallels between Corgis and Land Rovers. Both originate from the British Isles. Both are expensive and high maintenance for what they are and can be a bit ...temperamental at times. Both also have loyal (and in some cases, royal) fans who swear on their virtues vs other breeds/brands. Also, both are quite photogenic. Woof.

Bit of a link bait title, but I'm glad we're well clear of the lossy compression era in hi-fi CD players - I always turned skip protection off. The test album was Goldfrapp's Head First - pure synthwave ear candy. Head First is an almost entirely electronic album, with heavily-processed real sound from Alison Goldfrapp, a guitar, bass, and drums on selected tracks. I read that Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp were somewhat unsatisfied with the results of a rushed production process, but to me, it's a perfect gem. The anthemic, insanely upbeat pop tracks are well balanced against the more relaxed ambient instrumentals. To me, it's a touchstone, both a microcosm and a portal to classic 80s pop enchantment. Inspired by the video, I pulled out my old Panasonic SL-S160 from 1995, plugged in the Alessandro MS-1 and inserted 2 Eneloop AA 1.2V NiMH batteries and it sounded a bit looser and not as deep in the bass with its MASH DAC (with XBS bass off - this budget player lacks skip protection), but serviceable (volume is somewhere around 2 out of 10 with its scratchy old pot and decent channel matching - 2.5+ is deafeningly loud with the Alessandro MS-1) compared to the Sony D-EJ2000 from 2002 - the SL-S160 was an excellent match for my old student-fi Sennheiser HD 320 headphones with a nominal impedance of 100 Ω back in the day. Switching back to the D-EJ2000 on 1.2V gumstick battery with the MS-1 is a sonic revelation (perhaps not a surprise, comparing a budget player to a cutting-edge flagship). People underestimated the Sony when it was released (it came with horrible stock earbuds) - it has a much cleaner overall sound, far more separation, resolution, bass depth, soundstage, you name it - it blows the older Panasonic away in every category - you can hear things on the Sony that are completely obscured on the older player at the same volume level - younger people raised on iPods and wireless headphones have no idea what they're missing. It also demonstrates that you don't need a lot of power to drive the Grado headphones well. It was like comparing a landscape in a dark fog to a bright, sunny and clear day on a mountain meadow. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to finally test a Chord Mojo 2 - I used a Toslink optical cable out of the Sony D-EJ2000 to the Mojo 2 into the Alessandro MS-1 and I heard no difference. It was both reassuring and surprising. Obviously, the source and the headphones were limiting factors, but I walked away discovering that a $150 portable CD player from 2002 can match a $650 DAC from 2022 in my informal test (digital deathmatch!). Finally, I switched to my Arcam FMJ CD36, Headsave Classic, and Grado HP-2. Immediately, there was a change in tonality from the MS-1. It's actually hard to describe - they are in the same family and closely related, but the HP-2 emphasized different parts of the notes. The MS-1 was both brighter in treble and boomier in bass - the HP-2 had less emphasis and it was cleaner-sounding overall. I started to wonder if a pop album like Head First needed the distortion that is more evident in the MS-1 - was the HP-2 too controlled to enjoy non-audiophile music? After a few minutes, I settled into the new sound and I was able to hear a lot more - the full system had much more breadth and scope: treble was less emphasized, but more accurate and extended, with better soundstage, clearly-delineated layers, and better coherence in both the main voices and the background layers and effects. In particular, I heard the layered reverberations at the end of track 5, Head First, something I hadn't noticed before. With the home system, I heard new stuff from an album I'd played hundreds of times - was I taking crazy pills? It shows you that there's more to discover when you really listen carefully. Generally, I'm not an analytical listener and I don't seek out gear that emphasizes detail - I only do this when I'm comparing equipment. I also found myself at the limits of hearing fatigue - listening to the same short album (38 minutes long) three times in a row, even at safe volume levels, had a cumulative effect. Powering through this time, I was able to pick out additional little tunes that played in harmony in the background of the songs - they were barely audible on the other players, but the HP-2 gave them more space and separation. I like the word "holographic" that Joe Grado used to describe his new microphones. The HP-2 are not the widest-sounding headphones, but they demonstrate a giant leap from the plastic-bodied MS-1 coming out of portable CD players. At the end, it's a reminder of what happens when you climb Mount Head-Case. 🏔️ I had been easily satisfied with listening to what I had from 1995 for ten years - but after listening to better headphones and equipment, it's hard to go back. It's good to know I can still easily hear the differences between equipment. As a nice coda, the TTVJ Deluxe Flat Pads are holding up perfectly - no crumbling black foam on my ears! I'm doing a lot less headphone listening these days because I mostly listen out of my computer speakers or my stereo, but every time I get a chance for a full headphone listening session, I'm reminded of why I have such an intense relationship with and recall of great music (and such a large CD and SACD collection). Protect your hearing and enjoy the music!

Invited to a Birthday Party by a friend who works in Film trade / Craft Services. Some of their Call Sheets The Birthday Call Sheet There was Craft Services food Complete with an Oyster Shucking Station, and assistant in training With some smooth grooves (yatch rock?) drifting on the breeze They know their stuff. Tasty. Approved EDIT: Hey Kids, Let's put on a show! EDIT 2: And there was cake Of course there was cake.