postjack

Duly noted.

lol too late.

Scout with tonearm, decent cart, and phono stage would run over $2000. \ But you're right, if I went the Technics route I'd have to go cheaper on the options to make it worth my wallet.

And after I posted my post up above, I found this guy: http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/1200bld.htm Completely checks and customizes the table to the buyer's specifications. Damn it, I am a sucker for this kind of passionate customer service. Even offers an external power supply option. I also did some searching around the HF forum in the interim, but found the above site and have been reading about all the upgrades and shit... looks pretty badass. With Ortofon cart, Bellari phono stage, shure force gauge, external power supply, and of course an SL-1200MKII, my total is around $1200 shipped. Not saying I'm going to pull the trigger or anything, but you know... its a cool site.

Okay, so I've been reading the vinyl section voraciously over at audioasylum, which is a pain in the ass due to the archaic board software. I've been wading through troves of posts about starter tables, and reading wildly differing reports about the quality of various belt drive tables like the Rega series and the Music Hall MMF series, and then I stumbled upon something which really surprised me: Technics SL-1200MKII A direct drive table with a long, long history over which there is much debate. What I did notice is that the 1200MKII owners are total devoted fanboys, and seem to really love their dd technics. When I first started reading about vinyl, one of the first things I heard was to avoid dd tables (the staunchest anti-advocate of which is the guy who writes The Vinyl Anachronist). What is your take on the SL1200MKII, or maybe in general the possibility that decent sound is achievable in a direct drive TT? I admit the Musician's Friend price of $399 is very tempting, but of course it is difficult to know who to believe in this debate. Some say it sounds like garbage, that it doesn't sound like "real" music, but hell, I heard that levelled against both Senn and Grado cans, and I love the shit out of them. Others, like the linked TNT audio review above, say it isn't a "giant killer", but could be a good option for those who cringe at the thought of shelling out two grand for a VPI Scout.

I have Ege, Tago, Future, and Monster on SACD, all sound fantastic. In other news, I actually pulled out the yellow pages and found a hi-fi shop that has been in business in Mobile for 33 years. I'm going to call and ask if they sell turntables, maybe I'll actually be able to go give one a listen. Or maybe they hire Best Buy rejects, we'll see.

yeah, really you gotta catch 'em all. btw they are re-releasing Can's whole catalog on SACD. they sound great.

Future Days is the smoothest and funkiest out of the albums, and is preferred by some Can fans even though it may not be as respected as Tago and Ege. Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago are both CRAZY good discs, having said that. A bit rawer, rougher, and more challenging a listen then Future Days, but still a pleasure to listen to. All three albums are definitely "mind blowers" in my opinion. I like AMGs comparison of them to Zappa and VU. They are like Zappa, except serious, and they are like VU, except technically talented. So its difficult for me to pick one, but any one of those three you can't go wrong with.

You should listen to some Can and tell us how that works out. I find Can to be a very challenging but very satisfying listen on a good headphone system.

While watching the episode, I was entertained, but there was a lot of introspection and fantasy sequences and what have you, so I thought this would end up being a kind of lame-ish episode, until a big shocker right at the end. I honestly don't know what to make of it now.

Re: Tonight's Episode O M G !

Anyone have any feelings about buying a refurbished vintage TT (as opposed to a brand new one) from a place like Vinyl Nirvana Think the SQ:$$$ ratio might be a bit better?

Thanks jpak and rec for your responses. If someone would humor me a tad longer this evening? It is my understanding their are 3 versions of the HP-1000, referred to as the HP-1, 2, and 3, respectively. Judging by reks comments in this thread, the difference between the HP-1 and 2 is that the HP-1 has those polarity switches (which I think is weird. my BIC Acoustech sub has one of those, and I think thats weird too). Doing some searches over at HF, I read that it is essentially impossible to tell the difference between the HP-2 and HP-3, but this is probably a non-issue because so few HP-3s were made. Also, was the HP-3 essentially an HP-2 on which the drivers were not matched as well, so JG decided to sell them cheaper? BTW, congrats jpak on the get! Apologies for asking these questions in your thread.

Few questions: I read at HF that the original "stock" pads for the RS-1 were flats. Is this true? What were the stock pads on the HP-1000s and the PS-1? When was the bowl pad introduced, or has it always been available? I'm making myself listen to a few tracks on the RS-1 with the flats tonight, I still have mixed feelings about it. Listening to Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" SACD right now, and while the bass line sounds smoother 'n shit with the flats, I miss the tiny amount of soundstage the bowls provide.

The Royal Tenebaums, to me, is the quintessential dark comedy movie. I'm also a fan of Life Aquatic, Rushmore, and Bottle Rocket, but in my opinion none of them were as perfect as the Tenebaums. Probably a Gene Hackman thing. I Heart Huckabees is another good dark one.

Great movie. I can't think of any reason why anyone shouldn't see this flick. It took me a little while to see it, because when it was first recommended to me it was called a "dark comedy". And while in general I like "dark comedy", sometimes I find the term "dark comedy" actually means "boring" and "not funny" (think Death To Smoochy). Lots of fantastic acting, from the oldest actor (heroin using grandpa played by the always kick ass Alan Arkin) to the youngest actor (little girl, character named Olive), the characters are all real and engaging. Also starring Greg Kinnear and Steve Carrell, who continues to impress me with his incredible talent range. He'll snatch a Best Actor Oscar before its over with (people laughed at me when I said Phillip Seymour Hoffman would get the best actor one day, so eat my shit, people who didn't see Love, Liza and Owning Mahoney. The man's got talent). Also, the storytelling device is a journey, and I am always a fan of travel motifs. Gives plenty of opportunity for situational comedy (which LMS has in spades) as well as character development. So check it out if you haven't, and if you have, tell me if I'm wrong or right.

x2 x2

Yeah I'm a total nerd. I've been watching Next Gen since grade school, but I had never watched a single episode of DS9, and I decided to pick up Season 1. I'm almost done with it, and have bought Season 2. I've read that in season 2 is where the over arching thread arc begins to develop. Its a cool series; if nothing else Quark and Odo make it worth it. Also, definitely check out BSG, it is not just a great sci-fi show, but a great show, period. You need to watch the four hour mini-series/pilot first. I don't know if this is available on DVD, but it is available on iTunes. Then hop right into season 1. Adama is such a badass, he will fuck you up man. also the hot chix. Avoid spoilers around the internet if possible, the writing, dialogue, and acting are all top-notch. Well, you can tell a few of the actors aren't as experienced as some others, but... for the most part its great. No stupid cheezy shit: when the show gets emotional, it feels true.

Sounds like a decent enough show, but I think I'll steer clear of it. I can't stand those types of characters. Back to the DS9 DVDs then.

So is 24 a bad show? I was thinking of renting the DVDs of season 1 to do some watching on the weekends. However, I heard the mom and daughter characters make stupid decisions and always get themselves in trouble. Nothing, I repeat nothing, makes me more angry and frustrated then characters who make piss poor choices. I see it as shitty writing which serves only to lengthen conflict.

Received the RS-1 today. Initial impressions without being detailed, because I want to spend some more time listening to it. This is my first high-end Grado; I own the SR225, and have owned the SR60 and SR325i. Once I got the box at work, I was excited to get home and listen to it, but I wasn't super-pumped juiced or anything. Got home, powered up the 999es, the PPX3 Slam, and made dinner. After dinner I opened the box, and pulling out the RS-1, was surprised at how light weight it was. The finish is beautiful and dark, I'm glad I have one of these as opposed to the newer, lighter wood. All I have listened to is a touch of Clapton Unplugged before the tubes were through heating up, and currently Grateful Dead, Dick's Pick's 5. When the first notes of "Cold Rain & Snow" hit my ears, I was kind of shocked to feel a little heart flutter in my chest. I simply wasn't expecting that great of an improvement over the SR series. The biggest shock so far is the increase in soundstage and space. I'm not really good with audiophile terminology, so I can just say what I think, but the soundstage has increased greatly on horizontal axis: the sound is wider, not necessarily "taller". Still, this is surprising. The presentation, detail, and air around the instruments is what made my heart jump a little bit. Drums simply sound more real, and the keys sound as close to live as on any headphone I have heard. Bobby and Jerry's voice come through sweet and clear: damn it sounds like a DSO show (which is my only comparison since I never went to a Dead show!) I'll continue to narrow down what I feel the RS-1 does well and what it doesn't do so well; after all, the only thing I've listened to is a Dead show from 1979, but in short, I think these are a keeper.

No, you all watch it because you think spaceships are cool.

Ah, okay, thanks for the clarification.

The first time I have ever done any research into the Melos was today. The most immediate downside I see is that they break, and there is no one immediately available to fix them. But hell, if I could get one for $250 and get a few years out of it... regardless, more research/reading to do, I know almost nothing about it except it was designed as a preamp, but it has a headphone out that people say is kickass with the RS-1. Also I heard it eats tubes up.

Is there anything it can't do? The Extreme is certainly the wonder amp of the moment. Actually I do believe the hype on this one, I am sure it is a totally kick ass amp. It will be interesting to see how time treats it, and how it holds up against the super secret mystery amps coming soon from SP.