pabbi1

Have you gotten the Joshua Tree yet? Bout time you got here...

Yeah, my London staff love when I bring them over - they insist everything is half price... but, your premise assumes you will find a BH for sale in the US... a REALLY rare occurrance these days. I do think you can find a KGSS for something less trhan the range you spec'd, and even a predecessor version, similar to the Woo circuit, for <$1.2k, based on sales in the past half of the year. Even when you get a BH, chasing the tube dragon is gonna hurt. Regarding the HE60, I now find I can't listen to the Lambdas any more, so they are now expendable - the HE60 needs, and can scale with, a better source. Bye bye E5, Zap filter and all.

I bought a beautiful stitched leather bag in Monterrey, MX made in Columbia... a true man purse with handle and detachable shoulder strap. At a great price (~$110), though it was probably subsidized by originally carrying something else. Just superb workmanship.

MillettMax

Excellent recommendation - anyone know who's is on eBay, here? Of course, it will cost more than that, but thoughts about a 'fair' price i fixed your link --admin

Equation Audio RP-21, usually available shipped for about $95. Check their website for a dealer near you or that will ship.

That I would _except_ the E5 still skips once every two or three days - IFF only there were a better transport drop in. It is just annoying enough to remind me a better source is my next acquisition. This is, btw, my 3rd transport from Dr Art.

Ah, our first 'empty nest' Thanksgiving - Mom is bummed out, and in bed with the dog / cats... however we spring into cooking frenzy in about 30 - nothing like Thanksgiving during the Cowboy game halftime. Happy gluttony to all - we all have much to be thankful for, judging by what we spend time here discussing.

I _do_ cringe at cheap parts, and am willing to pay for better IFF it makes for a better platform. The Shanlings I have heard (all but the new CD5000 reference) sounded better than the zapped E5 (ok, pending memory crc), though I have no clue how close to 'stock' any of McManus's gear is. So, I am looking to see if anyone has traveled this route, or do I take a shot? Really leaning that way... unmodded, it looks like a $1200 ish adventure, less than the clusterfuck with McAlister. Yeah, but that was long before neuropathy has taken feelings from my fingertips down to my middle knuckles on both hands. Building DIY is now a past tense for me, and Alex (my guardian angel) has little interest in modding sources, or cleaning up my fuckups. And, who can blame him?

I have heard it extensively with the L3000, and maybe I was using the 7236 to drive, but it sounded like THE amp for L3000 - almost enough for me to buy the L3000 from Alex. The amp had no trouble driving the L3000 to perfection. I thought it a superb match - maybe it is the peyote talking... or thorazine.

I'll give it a shot with the Lambdas - doubt I can get the light and photo background to line up, but you never know. He does have that air of 'Sorry about your thin skin', eh? Jay is the only one that I know that has captured cats actually wearing phones. As for my old kitties, I have them cremated, and sitting on my desk. One has been with me through 3 marriages - proof I CAN commit.

I have heard a T100, and it was pretty good, but compared to my Sony ES-222, so not sure if it was a step up or not. Besides, it was over a year ago, so the memory fades - definitely was not an OMG, but it was also the first generation player, from which I believe they have come a long way. I spent a good time listening to both the T300 and T200, and both of them are definitely OMG, though who knows what tubes McManus had in them - something delicious no doubt, and certainly not the stock Chinese variants.

Per the review, it is quite good: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/shanling5/3000.html In the $2k range with basic mods, more for better mods http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1200364575, and another $400 to 'modify' the balanced outs. I'm thinking of taking a shot on the stock (or mini-mods pkg) and roll some tubes. Thoughts / experiences?

You've got the keys... now shut and drive. Just gotta buy it... tomorrow... Frys...

Raoul loves my headphones - he will sit on my shoulder listening, then stand on the desk and rub against the earcups, depending on what I'm playing.

We do test the disaster recovery on some of our AS/400 based systems with IBM, as they have a facility to do exactly that in Colorado somewhere. Microsoft _will_ in one of the Technology Centers, IFF you are a big enough fish to warrant it, or can shoehorn it in on some other technology research 'adventure'.

Just to be contrarian, look for a Wheatfield HA-2, as it was meant for L3000 and HD650. Can't comment on the others.

Too late to edit... lest anyone think a real moron _can_ do this stuff, here is a simplified diagram of my newest system (the other isn't quite as robust), missing a few bolt on pieces and other system (domain) interractions. We will grow this until we hit 20 servers, then outsource the entire mess. Affinity, load balancing, and firewalling increase the complexity. http://home.swbell.net/pabbi/Picture1.jpg

As well it should - it has been almost a year since I torched those 2sa1968s ***, and if only you'd get after yours, with the pretty case... ) ** OK, I had excess thermal grease on the mounting bracket, shook out some metal shavings in the case, which stuck to the grease, and cheesy-POOF!, out burned 7 of the 2sa1968, and other assorted parts. Alex troubleshot, fixed, and did a beautiful job of routing all the wire. Again, another DIY public humiliation for me that somehow came out, and traumatized Alex. Oh, MillettMax - Opus DAC incoming...

Ah, new kitties are always a joy... ...well, except to the older guy...

Many of us who do have paying customers hitting the site (mine: 18k ++) are always publicly huimiliated, and have the marketecture ready to roll (Welcome to our site - Sorry about your impetuous nature) when facing these type things. But, a few million for a hot backup is where the rubber meets the road, especially when we aren't talking x? millions in revenue. Sometimes, like this week, many are on vacation, and not really pounding us. Unfortunately, we do eat our own dogfood, and use the site for services engagements and managing subcontractors, so maybe my management will wake up and fork over. Sad part is they entrust this to the twits who are fucking us over time and again - maybe they feel it is just good $,$$$,$$$ after bad.

Well, after having my IT fucktards crap out my 'old' external portal over the past weekend, and working late into the night last night to recover it (we won't even get into why an IT group is hacking code in a production site without dev <sigh> - petty fucking politics), I feel his pain yet again. Another vacation ruined by my 'team mates'. Unilateral fuckups are now being considered 'team building' and 'character'. If I deliver shit for code, it is a cataclysm. Surprised he hasn't put up an announcement drafted by legal counsel... this is really bad for him. My experience in systems has always been that it isn't how bad you screw up, but how fast you recover. Slow recovery in this case may be lethal.

The DACT steppers are outstanding... one of the better $300 investments out there. Dr Gilmore did not steer wrong here, given that I just couldn't nut up on some Penny & Giles. http://www.goldpt.com/prices.html

SRM 252 added to the Christmas list - with the Azur 840c.... damn it, damn it, damn it...