jp11801

ok where to begin this was to be the year of no new gear that resulted in a fabulous FAIL within 60 days (not sure of the exact date ) Well I dove into stats picking up the lambda pros X2, had sig for a short while, picked up Koss 950s, stax srx mksll, sigmas, an SRM 1 mkll amp and an srd mkll pro energizer. Only the 950s (currently at Koss), the SRX and the Pros remain powered by the SRD7 pro. Sold the Eddie Current HD2, man that was a tough one but I can only have so much gear and the Stacker ll was on order and I have moved to mostly speakers. Sold the HP-2s to Ken and the RS-1s (brown leather red mesh screen) to Ken and Al I will miss both of these but they did not get the listen time that I needed to justufy ownership. I bought the AD2000s, these are my favorite full sized headphones. I also picked up a really nice pair of 2002s (thanks Gene). I also re-entered the domain of the 650 and will probably just keep my pair this time. Sources were a wild ride this year, sold the wavelength cosecant,traded it for a VPI super scoutmaster then sold the VPI, had the Kora Hermes dac for a while (nice dac but not detailed enough), picked up a modded Sonic Frontiers Trans Dac (thanks Filburt) and it is now my go to dac and also picked up the duet (really nice and a no brainer for the price and the ADCs). I also picked up 2 sony direct drive turntables (ps-x7 and a ps-x500) and sold my CJ Walker turntable. Parted out the lonn but still have the plinth and may resurrect it in 09. Traded Mike for the Berendsen IPA-80 nice intergrated amp that has served me well as a speaker amp, headphone amp, and powers the k1000s and SRD7 pro nicely. Bought a McCormack DNA1 rev a power amp and am in heaven best tied for best buy with the trans dac. Sold the JLTI phono pre and picked up the Mod Squad phono drive. I am sure I left some stuff out

bloated sounding mid range nice for some recordings but may not serve your total collection as well as other amps would

in this economy cash is king I'd offer 3500 while these are great headphones prices north of 3000 pass my personal threshold for their value to me. I know other disagree and feel their value is higher, look out folks deflation is on the horizon. Also sometimes even with a good size fit headshape may be off as well I've seen people do odd things to get a good seal with these. The SP headband while ridiculous in price (IMHO) fixes most fit issues.

buy it compare against the current amp of choice then sell the loser

you misunderstand calling someone out for BS as hatred. Just because HA is called out for his statements doesn't mean he is hated. If I am out at the pub and I say something inane and my friends call me on it, it does not mean they hate me it just means they expect better of me and it also means they shouldn't have to stand idle by while I spout inane crap. Same holds true here or for that matter anywhere else. Truth sometimes hurts

Or maybe I'd take a moment to be introspective and examine how my posts could be interpreted rather than act like a 5 year old.

Ok with duet running while recording 24/96 aiff needledrops my macmini hits a fan speed of 2650 with a CPU temp of 180f so it seems ok

another plus is the ADC in the duet nice for needle drops or digitizing analog tapes as well

forgive the computer ignorance where are getting the fan and temp readings from I am recording 24/96 needle drop samples atm with the duet and would love to see if I am stressing the mac mini

I have no doubt that face to face or one on one Larry is a good guy. Most people I thought were tools from their posts were decent enough without the cover of the web. He does however come across as the Pied Piper of the uninitiated and leaves at least me with the impression that he thrives on the attention. His dialog style meet impressions are so annoying I wanted to stick an ice pick in my eyes and temples while reading them. His love for the nufarce icon for example as a top notch amp for stax transformers is an example of why I have zero trust in this guy. He either has not heard a good quality amp drive a transformer box or lacks the ability to differentiate levels of enjoyment/quality.

I am thinking of picking up belles to head to head with the dna, makes me wish I was not such a gear whore as my finances are temporarily in the shitter Not a fan of the D-class stuff I have heard to far but I am limited in my exposure, just the RWA stuff and some of the NuForce amps. Nice and warm but gives up detail and soundstage. Not ready for prime time yet but they seem to be getting closer with each revision. In no way were they bad just not as good as the better tube or mosfet/jfet/transistor designs I have heard.

I do not notice any change in self noise with the mac mini but I do not monitor fan speeds

could this be the fact that the duet is powered from the firewire port and the macbook has to kick it up a notch to power itself and the firewire device?

I would have to say that designing and building an amp with a power cord umbilical that could be hooked up in a fashion that could melt down the amp is an unmitigated design flaw. Maybe I am wrong here but should a good design for a separate power supply contain umbilicals that could only be connected one way (the correct way) and not in a fashion that could blow the freaking thing up? While I understand some people's leniency towards SP, take any of these situations and apply them to a car mechanic and then tell me would you still be forgiving. If you heard a story a person dropping a car off to a local mechanic for repair and the mechanic was 2 months late in the repair, did not offer an estimate, did unauthorized repairs, used parts from other cars for your repairs and the car had to go back multiple times for repair you might be livid.

that may win the douchiest comment of 2008 award

the morbid curiosity in me wants to see the amp but I have no doubt the amp is fucked up as Tom has not made off base claims in the past and has supported SP during his wait.

did I misunderstand Towert's post or is he calling out Tom on his claim of a fucked up amp?

actually in this range of table with the rega I'd probably go Sumiko Pearl great cart for the money and since it is MM no loading or output issues to contend with. These are far easier to set up and get right and it is the best sub $100 cart I have heard. Not the last word in resolution but super musical and a great toe tapper. The rega 250/300 is a no brainer just try and find one on Audiogon on the cheap. The hageman phono is good as is the bellari for the money. Neither is a destination nor is the Sumiko but you will get a low fuss easy to set up rig. Factor in a digital scale and a set up protractor of some sort. I like the MoFi one but there are lots of good ones and some free ones out there.

the apogee is a great unit or a modded transdac is killer as well. We just did a quick and dirty shoot out of the modded transdac, parasound 1600 (?), assemblage 3.1 and the eastsound black signature edition and the modded transdac came out on top. Now modding the assemblage or parasound should cause them to leapfrog over the transdac. I continue to be amazed at this little dac and the natural sound it produces. So if you want something quick that sounds great then the Duet is the ticket. If you are willing to go an a bit of a hunt and then track down he mods for the Sonic Frontiers units that is a great way to go as well.

this beer did a great job managing sweetness, the DFH 120 is a tough drink as it is syrupy sweet to me with a thick mouthfeel. This has an normal mouthfeel with a sweetness in line with Russion Imperials. The challenge with high ABV beers is most yeast strains die at higher ABVs. You have to engage is different methods to or find stronger than death yeast to brew beers at higher ABVs.

this was a standout beer for me, Al and I enjoyed this the other night at the Trappist in Oakland. Wonder burnt grain flavor mixed with coffee and hint of licorice. I thought it hid it's 14% well and this could be a dangerous beer, drink with caution. I had this after a few Belgian Grand Cru beers and paid the price the following day. If you like Russian Imperial Stouts and can find a bottle I highly recommend it. I may pick up a few to lay down for a year.

My guess would be $5K for starters, I've heard wildly varying quotes as to the cost of the duality amp. Blackie and the owner both have quoted different prices on that amp.

yes!!!!

At this end of the market I would go KAB modded technics 1200, unless you wanted to try a fixer upper linn lp12

Just for kicks I hooked up my k1000s to my McCormack DNA1 and wow detailed and smooth at the same time. Now there is alot of power (185 watts) so the volume does not go above 9-10 o'clock with my passive volume. This is clearly better than the RWA sig 30 that I owned and right up there with the First Watt but less aggresive.