gtp

I have the all-ett nylon inside-id wallet. It's the slimmest wallet I've had. Durable too. I'm very happy with it and would buy another/recommend.

Excellent choice. Sapphire or acrylic? Looks like acrylic but not sure...

Great choice. Perhaps the 2nd most iconic watch ever. I'm wearing my Moon Watch that I hope, someday, to give to one of my children.

Have the same. Amazing little camera. Near-DSLR quality, but not speed.

HEY! I just bought a Marantz 2238B from Craigslist for $100. Only one bulb out, otherwise it is perfect. I am a happy camper. I ordered PSB Image B5 to go with it. Hopefully it'll be a nice living room rig. For replacement lamps, I found: Marantz Lamp Kits and Marantz Lamps

Not as heavy as the same thing in leather, but definitely heavier than it looks. To me, that just means the canvas is thick and sturdy, and it lends to a feeling of quality. It's a decent daily bag and a great travel bag. I cut out one of the inner dividers - it took 10 minutes with a sharp knife (thick stitching!) but I'm happy with the result. Got mine from Crane's Country Store - best prices and great service.

I use a Filson 257. It's built like a tank and gets better with age. A year later, it's still not close to broken-in. I don't mind that it actually looks like an oversized purse, though it looks more rugged and masculine in real life.

That's what we use our Squeezebox Radio for...we love it.

Looking for guidance on a budget system: I inherited a Technics SL-QD33. It has a Audio Technica 1001 cartridge. Seems to work OK, but I'm unsure of the cartridge history and figured I'd start from scratch. So, being a TT beginner, I'm looking for guidance. Are there significant step-functions in performance versus price? Would I be fine with a $30 AT or Shure cartridge? Is it worth the extra cash for a <$100 Grado or Ortofon or AT? Money is not strictly an issue but I'm sensitive to diminishing returns. The rest of the system is still being procured: Leading contenders are PSB Image B5 (good cost/performance/form-factor) and HK3490 (phono+DAC+sub-outs for future expansion, all for $300). Thanks for any and all advice.

Interesting stuff! I grew up with Bialettis and still like mine well enough...never knew anything else so I guess I've never been indoctrinated with the artisanal stuff??? Hmmm, now I have to decide: should I live in ignorance or get an education...

How about good, old-fashioned stove-top Bialetti @ around $30. Machines always break down. I've had my stove-top espresso maker for at least 12 years and it's still going strong. The only thing that can fail is the gasket, and they are less than $10 to replace.

PX100-II, new version. $50 headphones have no business sounding this good.

IE8 ER4P MS-1 Portapro~PX100 SE115 HD201

I am sorry for your loss, Ken.

Yep, back to looking for the perfect IEM. Every IEM has had some fatal flaw for me. With the new generation (IE8, Westone3, etc.), I figured I'd investigate. Life is going well. If you want to meet up for lunch in IV or elsewhere, let me know. I should have the IE8 on 4/27 if you want to try them out.

Senn IE8

3.0 apparently not available til summer...bummer.

One note about PE: I'm pretty sure the beats and music were all produced by the Bomb Squad - the Shocklee brothers and some other guys who I can't remember. They were the ones who brought the wall-of-noise aspects to rap. I think Terminator X just did scratching and theatrics. Agree with you about Chuck D - my favorite MC of all time. These days, the DJs/producers are becoming rappers themselves because with commercialization of the art, the rapping skills don't matter much...e.g. Kanye. Lastly, this thread won't be complete without mentioning Grandmaster Flash, one of the the originals of the genre.

Nope, I am irreplaceable...there's always cloning I guess...

Man, I wish. I think all my weekends are booked between now and 2013.

Great! But I'm still going to mod it anyway .

Creek OBH-11 with WM080 Elpac for $80. I have no idea how it sounds stock, but it should be fun to mod the hell out of this thing until Tangent finishes the PimetaV2 board.

Hey Ken, congrats on the job!

On CD: Steven Wilson - Insurgentes Hugh Masekela - Still Grazing Ry Cooder - The UFO Has Landed Talking Heads - Sand in the Vaseline

I really liked my SE530, but I just sold them since I cannot use IEMs with my newish job. Amazing mids and lows, and decent high-end... By far my favorite tips are Klipsch oval bi-flanges. They area a bit smaller than tri-flanges and the oval shape is great for reducing pressure on the inner ear. The seal is great, they sound great, and they feel good. Klipsch did a really great job with these, though they don't seem to sell them individually. I'm also curious about Ety's smaller, softer tri-flanges...