[Post the last thing you bought!]

I didn't buy it, but it's a nice tale. I got a 30GB iPod Video in Mar 2006 as a 10 year anniversary gift at work. I finally managed to rip enough music that I can no longer load my entire library on it. So Stacy (my wife) surprised me today with a silver 120GB Classic.

That's a nicer gift than anything in the catalog-of-crap my previous employer (Aon eSolutions) offered. I didn't even bother to send in for my 5 year anniversary prize. Props to your wife

[Post the last thing you bought!]

An Apple TV, the cheaper 40GB version.

It's pretty a cool toy for the price, especially considering that my 100+ year-old apartment gets free broadband wifi but doesn't have a cable/dish hookup for TV

I WISH there were a way to hook up my Apogee Duet to the thing for audio, while using the Apple TV HDMI for video. Still, it's a pretty nice gadget. Also bought Aqua Teen Hunger Force season 6 on DVD, and Rock of Love season 3 episode 1 on iTunes

[How has your rig changed in 2008? And do you have any plans for 2009?]

update 2009:

Sold HP-2

Sold Supra SE

Gonna sell SDS to Purk

Bought Gilmore V2

The Gilmore V2 is GREAT for the price (was way cheap). Great with the HD650, awesome with the L3000. I can appreciate that the expensive tube amps sound great too, but when I think about all the money I've sunk into speaker amps/headphone amps/preamps, for the amount of difference they offered, when I COULD have sunk that money into some truly amazing speakers like the Tannoy Glenair 15s or Kensingtons...Absolutely, if I could do it over again I'd have all relatively low-cost SS amp/phono/preamp/headamps and those gorgeous 12" or 15" Tannoy prestige speakers. Don't get me wrong, I love my Dimension TD10s and think they're way awesome, but the speaker upgrade would make way more difference than the amp downgrades. Lesson learned, over the last few years. It was too easy to follow the logic of "now that I have speakers/headphone X I need $$$$ amp/preamp Y to do them justice", when it would have been far better to go with the < $$$ amp and even better speakers for the same money. Thing is that the larger, more efficient speakers are an easier load for the amp

I'm done with non-turntable electronics that cost $1K+. Srsly

[There's something wrong in Colorado...]

I see the DAC 5 is on Ebay Audio Note DAC 5 Signature NIB on eBay, also, Processors, Home Audio, Electronics (end time 19-Jan-09 22:42:33 GMT).

Wow, apparently people interested in a ridiculously, ludicrously expensive DAC are also very concerned about shipping costs. Sounds like just the kind of bipolar lunacy it would take to deal with Mikhail

[SAA Equinox Voice]

Higher price = better for many peaple.

That's true, and that was roughly my thought process for a long time.

Higher price = better for many peaple.

HD650 stock to SAA Equinox the step is hudge because the stock one is so bad ...

The HD650 stock cable is great - I've been using one for a while now. Had the Equinox/Clou red/Cardas/Zu/Silver D/Blue D before.

... it's probably possible to have something close at much cheeper price.

Yeah, like the stock cable. Plus the stock cable is far far more pleasant to use, despite whatever the other manufacturers claim about ergonomics & low microphonics on their aftermarket cables.

[A Question of Amplification]

Posty,

Buying new amps does indeed scratch the audiophile upgrade-itch but the euphoria is fleeting and the difference usually not in line with the expense. Today I have a hard time justifying an amp over $1K for my speakers (that said I could stand to unload one of my extra unused amps) - that money would be far better sunk into your vinyl rig or squirreled away for the next great pair of speakers. With the huge market of used and vintage amps, you can usually find one to drive your speakers "right" for well under $1K. Newer model amps don't hold their value well, especially when the new-improved models come out. No need to follow the "more $K = moar better" reasoning to its final conclusion of financial ruin. That and as you've discovered, moving speakers within a room or especially into a new room entirely makes FAR more difference for no cash outlay.

That said those Quad 77 Carbon series look fukin' sexay!

[HD800? Another rumor?]

Ugh, I SO want to order these right now - but I really shouldn't as any financial gain from my recent sell-off would be for naught. That and I still want a nice new $700-1000 cartridge. Buying BOTH would be very bad, yes very bad indeed...

Hypothetically, if I DID order an HD800, they would be cabled with the stock cable under my reign of ownership.

[909]

David bought a beautiful pair of Joe Grado HP-2 headphones from me. Prompt payment, fine ear for quality, nice guy all-around. These cans should have a great new home

[New Year, new diet!]

Oatmeal is awesome dude. Cook it with 1-2% milk instead of water, sprinkle cinnamon, slice some banana or add some raisins...'twas a staple of my morning routine for quite a while last year.

That and other quality whole foods will start tasting real good once you've cut out the junk foods for a while. Keep it simple, if you don't know what its ingredients are or the list is a mile long then you probably shouldn't eat it. Roasted/baked whole chickens are super for lean low-cal protein - remove the skin. Plain nonfat or lowfat yogurt - yum! Go for liberal doses of assorted fruit and veggies (cut back on starchy veggies and watch the caloric dried fruit and juices though). I love eggs, cooked in EVOO, a few of 'em have satisfied me a number of times when nothing else healthy would do. Watch the breads & cereals, they are rarely 100% whole grain.

Of course I recently started drinking a bit again - that's my one indulgence. I've mostly been sticking to light beers and vodka shots though

[New Year, new diet!]

I am almost a week into this and I have had no cravings and am not as hungry as I used to be. I also feel rather good too! I have avoided getting on the scale as I want to see the difference at the end of the two weeks.

That's great! It took me almost 3 weeks before the cravings got under control and I started feeling great. I also noticed that the significant intervals of improvement on the scale came along about every 3 weeks.

[HD800? Another rumor?]

Wow, really tempting as I love both the HD650 and Qualia. Bit surprised how much a rip-off of the Qualia design ideas this looks like, though - right down to the ring driver membrane. Also, that's a pretty high price point but I'd imagine/hope this will easily hold its own with the discontinued dynamic greats.

Dammit, I'm supposed to be DOWNSIZING not increasing my gear stash for '09....

[New Year, new diet!]

Those vegan-only "detox" diets scare me, I would be wary. Drink water, up your fiber intake, cut out the processed/refined crap - that's your "detox" right there. Fruits and veggies are super, but by themselves they are a not balanced diet. No need to cut out lean meats, nuts/seed, lowfat dairy, eggs, whole grains (make sure they are 100% whole though). I modified my diet last year to this kind of mix, exercised more, and I feel great and look like a different person - face leaned up nicely, no longer look like a kid No problems maintaining as it's not too restrictive to variety. I've recently added some alcohol back in but now I'm in maintenance mode anyways.

If you're sticking to the vegan diet thing, at least make sure you're getting enough protein by eating plenty of beans. You don't want to lose muscle mass on this diet.

[Apogee Duet Kicks Ass]

I'd be surprised if a reference was ever priced cheap enough to count as a downgrade

Yeah, that one's a reeaalll long shot.

I allowed myself to become so desensitized to the cost of audio gear over the last couple years - now that I'm becoming much more sensitive again, I think I could live with a nice Gilmore V2 as my 2nd amp/preamp. I reckon it should be relatively inexpensive if they ever came up used. I remember it sounding very smooth and powerful last time I had one - first amp I really "loved" and really proved to me the utility of a good amp. Tubes are fun to look at, but seriously I only really need the Zana (and even that's seriously stretching the meaning of "need") to cover my tube amp usage.

[Apogee Duet Kicks Ass]

You'd probably guess right... while I miss the old SDS the gilmore lite is definitely holding its own.

Yeah, I wish the older variants (Headamp V1, V2, V2se, Reference) came up FS more often, I might be tempted to grab one (cheap-ish) at some point and see if I can downgrade further to free up even more funds

[Apogee Duet Kicks Ass]

I've had this Duet (with Nate's breakout cable) for a couple weeks now and I'm still really pleasantly surprised by its sound quality as a DAC. I'll be the first to admit I'm NO digital source connoisseur. I can place all the digital sources I've heard simply into one of three coarse categories, without wanting for further distinction/categorization: terrible, tolerable, and good. This duet is squarely in the GOOD categorization. Really underscores the value of this unit when compared to other "good" digital sources I've thrown buckets of money at, ala G08 - or maybe that just underscores the excessive cost of the latter! Hell this super-nice 24" iMac PLUS the Duet still cost less total...

It's proving to be a really overachieving work rig paired up with the toaster SDS and HD650. I bet a nice 2nd hand M3 or Gilmore amp could sub for the SDS and still be a stinkin' nice rig at a very reasonable overall cost.

[Next Step]

I need to try a different preamp to see if that's the source of my woes. I think it is, but shouldn't impulsively buy a pre without knowing for sure that's my problem.

In the meantime why not try your headphone amp as a preamp - if it sounds much better then that Onkyo really is a bottleneck. If your headphone amp doesn't have pre outs then a cheap little 1/4" -> stereo RCA jack adapter from Radioshack should do the trick. Any good headphone amp should do a pretty decent job in preamp duty. Just be careful to keep the volume LOW at first and go up SLOWLY from there since the gain of headphone amps tends to be much higher and you could drive your power amp to clipping otherwise.

[Next Step]

If you're not THRILLED with the sound now, your best bet is going to lie in swapping speakers and experimenting with positioning until you find the "right" sound. Some acoustic panels in the right reflection spots can ease listening fatigue quite a bit, especially in smaller rooms. Make sure you throw down a nice big rug (thick or w/ padding) if you have hard floors. Heck, try other rooms too if that's an option.

To me, the right pre/power combo is really the finishing touch (I hesitate to say "icing" because to me that's the most important part of the cake) once you've gotten the speaker/room issues hammered out. That Melos Gold makes a nice preamp; I had a "reference" modded unit that sounded quite superb in a system I had with either Tannoy Eyris DC3 or Taylo Reference monitors driven by a PS Audio HCA-2 (perhaps sounds somewhat similar to ice-power amp?). A Meridian G08 was my source at the time (vinyl's definitely better). The Melos was certainly a notch above the Sugden Headmaster in preamp & headphone capacity, and heck I think I preferred it to the BAT VK-5i too. For amps, I've had both expensive modern stuff (Sunfire Sig II, VAC Auricle, Parasound JC-1) and the good vintage stuff - in my mind you can't touch the vintage stuff for value. There are many great sub-$1000 (even sub-$600) vintage amps that I'd take over the modern amps I've listed (which still do sound good, with the exception of the Sunfire). Restored Eico and Heathkit stuff is usually great if your speakers are efficient enough to handle. The vintage McIntosh SS stuff is also a great value IMO, and usually beats its rated output.

Best speaker cables I've had are also the CHEAPEST - basically 50-75 cents/foot star quad does it for me.

[Qualia 010 headband/fit fix]

That looks real nice; I'll have to copy that. The sponge should work better than bubble wrap because the extra grip on hair will reduce slippage.

[Official Head-Case Audio Confessional (post your (audio)sins here)]

Jeebus, it's scary how similar are interests have been for the past couple of years!

Father PJ, forgot to add that I as well bought hp2's for the 4th time this year, dropped plenty of money on gear I do not need, began listening to those dreaded big boxes with little drivers on them, got crazy into vintage klipsch only to sell those freaking boxes within a week (darn WAF), and have done away with power conditioning crap and random audiophilia tweaks.

Random off topic - mike, would love to hear your thoughts on the vintage tannoy's. They have this one 12" coaxial driver hi sensitive vintage model that is supposed to be fantastic, but rare and expensive (can't think of it anymore). I believe they had a couple of speakers that would probably sound fantastic with my 2a3 or 45 tubes

Haha, true that!

Dude, wish I'd heard some vintage Tannoy splendor but I haven't Every modern dual-concentric I'd heard, however, has been fantastic - my kind of sound. Coherence, dynamics, and just the best overall musical presentation IMO. Even the lower lines I've heard (Eyris DC, Sensys DC) are pretty sweet. The new Revolution DCs are supposed to be better than the Eyris DC they replace. The Dimension and Prestige lines add better resolution, dynamics, and extension over those lines. The Dimensions are voiced just a touch cleaner/more neutral than the lower prestige line, think a bit HP1000 vs. HD650/L3000. In this case I think I've probably jump from the Dimension 10s to any of the Prestige 10s given a chance! The Prestige series I've heard are all so gorgeously musical. Any 10" dual-concentric is the entry level to serious hifi sound in a good moderate/large room IMO...the 12" Kensingtons I've heard are just SUBLIME but out of my price range. In smaller rooms I'd think an 8" Dimension or Prestige would be ideal. I can't confirm but I'd hazard a guess that the vintage Tannoy DC drivers are very similar to their contemporary counterparts. With the bigger drivers and cabs, the high efficiency is definitely a HUGE plus. Mine are 92db, which is nice, but not quite SET range

I'm lucky enough to live next door to one of the few Tannoy Prestige dealers in the US - they've even got a custom speaker they've built based on an 8" Tannoy DC driver that I'm itching to audition...at $2K for the entry level price, sounds like it could be a deal.

[Official Head-Case Audio Confessional (post your (audio)sins here)]

Oh father posty, absolve me for I am lost from my flock!

I bought an HP2 for a THIRD time.

I might repeat the cycle again

I dropped ungodly amounts of money on audio gear, in the face of my girlfriend, before Christmas.

She buys me vinyl and prodded me to get the turntable

I quit drinking for the better part of the year.

It's great to enjoy good tunes with some beers again

After preaching for years on my preference for headphones, I finally got a good-sounding room and became a...speaker man! Hypocrisy!

I became a raving fanboy of another brand - Tannoy.

I began to shun modern expensive hifi gear in favor of moderately priced well-engineered vintage gear, where possible. Not sure if this one is a sin...

I gave up completely what little faith I had in cables, power conditioning, boutique caps, etc. Not sure if that's considered a sin in your church, either.

I dropped off the audio forums for the better part of the year

[How has your rig changed in 2008? And do you have any plans for 2009?]

christ, you're still alive, mulveling?

Yeah, I went through some moderate life changes and quit buying audio stuff for awhile. I'm better now

Er, or maybe that should be "worse again"...

[How has your rig changed in 2008? And do you have any plans for 2009?]

Early 2008:

Sold off VAC Auricle tube monoblocks

Bought Heathkit W4 tube (5881) monoblocks

Bought a McIntosh MC2100 stereo amp and had it refreshed

Bought an Eico HF-87 stereo tube (el34) amp

Bought a Singlepower Supra SE

Fall 2008:

Moved into an apartment with a MUCH better sounding living area (spacious, old-world construction & materials) and NO neighbors in the area at night. It's been a revelation for the speaker rig.

Got a new girlfriend that is nicer to look at and listen with

She buys me vinyl and hates digital too :D

Recent:

Setup a MONO speaker rig in my 12'x12' bedroom:

* Tannoy Dimension TDC-1 center speaker firing down the room diagonal

* Eico HF-87 bridged to mono

* Run a loong cable from the TT/Zana Deux/stereo->mono adaptor in the living room, to the bedroom

Sounds surprisingly good with stereo records, and superb with mono records.

Bought an Apogee Duet

Bought a Merrill Heirloom table with Eminent Technology Tonearm 2 (linear tracker) and Ortofon MC20 cart

Bought a Martin Logan Descent-i sub

Now:

The Tannoy Dimension TD10 speakers have been my main listening device since moving into the new place. Have yet to hear anything, short of the larger Prestige series Tannoys, that I'd want more.

The MC2100 has been powering them. Awesome amp. The Heathkits and Eico also sound great, but I run the rig loud so it's nice to have the assurance of extra power.

The Eddie Current Zana Deux has been my main preamp and headphone amp. Don't find myself wanting for anything better.

The SOTA Star table (Fidelity Research arm, Benz Glider cart) had been my best source (by far) all year, but the Merrill sounds slightly cleaner and images a little better. This came as a surprise to me. I'll get the SOTA re-tuned soon. The Merrill setup is a REAL picky tracker while the SOTA setup will track almost anything. I can use two tables anyways (one for stereo, one for the mono setup) - just need another MC phono stage.

Finally over the 500 LP mark.

Future Plans:

Haven't been using headphone gear as much, since the speaker setups sound better (finally). Need to downsize my stash, especially after splurging on that 2nd table. I REALLY don't need 3 high-end headphone amps and 1 mid-fi amp (Sugden Headmaster). The Zana is the only one I NEED. The HP1000 sounds tonally the most like the Tannoys, BUT I enjoy the Tannoys much more (that soundstage thing, speaker dynamics, and all), so....

Looking for a vintage MC phono stage (eying an old Dynaco PAM-1 which would be too cute for the mono rig); still need to decide which table goes where.

Need to buy some backup Zana tubes.

The Martin Logan sub is nice for movies, but it doesn't look like it'll crack into my 2ch rig so it may become expendable at some point.

The Apogee is sounding REAL nice for a computer rig, but being digital it's more expendable than my rig's mainstays.

[Me and my Zana Deux (+ pics)...]

I had the great fortune to send in a downpayment for the Zana Deux on my birthday, June 1st and Craig had a cancellation so I'm to get one of the next batch.

You made an excellent choice. Be thankful your first post here was "I'm waiting on a Zana!" rather than along the lines of "I ordered a B52/apache/raptor 30 minutes ago and Ray just showed up at my door with amp and a pizza and now he's mowing my lawn with his shirt off should I post pics".

From what I remember of the older Headroom Max - I've owned a '97 and heard whats was either a 2001 or 2004 - they weren't bad but the Zana is way better. Could be worthwhile auditioning more headphones, even cans you've dismissed before, to see how you like 'em on the Zana - that amp might transform some of them for you. It loves nice sources, especially vinyl. It's also fabulous into vintage tube power amps!

[Me and my Zana Deux (+ pics)...]

Though I don't completely discount the idea of complimentary synergy, I too tend towards what I once read Jahn call "additive" synergy. My 840C > 840A > Quad 12L is a great example of this, with a super clean sound from top to bottom, and a cool but liquid midrange with good treble extension in all three components.

Also, the way you organize your records looks kind of like the way I organize mine in the extra bedroom, which has become the "throw all your audio crap in here" room.

Indeed, a record shelving set is long overdue here, but I'm trying to holding off until I move. I am sooo looking forward to moving, hopefully later this month (please, no more delays), where I'll finally have ample room to consolidate both rigs, and no residential neighbors in sight so I can run the speakers loud as hell all night, at least in theory Vastly cheaper rent will mean more gear funds. I get all that and that and a vintage big fat metal main entrance door - will post pics when I move in. That thing is a work of art, so cool

Speaking of cool, clean mids - the hp2 and Qualia are the rare cans I love that lack a warm coloration to the mids. The hp2 perfectly exemplifies "clean, cool, but liquid", though perhaps then even there "cool" is too strong a word. I love my Tannoy TD10 mains so much because mids are even a bit cleaner, but then freedom from room effects is why I still love headphones.

[Me and my Zana Deux (+ pics)...]

Beautiful pic, Elepahs. I'm glad I lucked out with the shiny face plate, but admit I'm jealous of the nice new logo plates on top. Also jealous of you guys with your fancy winged-C 6c33's! Where do I find those? Also have yet to hear the PS1, which reports indicate should be up my sonic alley

I'm interested in the story behind the newer diode tubes, but the 6DT4 tubes in mine are cheap so no major complaints there