Voltron

Double double with animal fries and a coke. It's early for lunch but the last chance for in n out before Tahoe. Tasty brunch.

Thanks for the co-dependent encouragement, everybody! Well, this evening I had a haircut appointment and the Giants game (undefeated in the second half!) so all I was able to accomplish was unboxing the Ayre duo and putting them on shelves. Could not even plug them in, and will not be able to do it until Monday because we are camping this weekend. A little more waiting. The KX-R packaging was truly sick and very slick. The last layer is a fitted micro-fiber sleeve for the preamp, but it contained foam bumpers and cardboard cover for the face of the unit. That was inside a plastic bag wrapper, then in a custom 3-part foam support, and then double boxes. Nicely done and even the remote had its own box and was shrink-wrapped to cardboard inside anyway. The unit is gleaming and flawless, and I used the provided cloth gloves to keep it that way. Swanky. Sad part is that the only camera I had was my iPhone so the pics suck. I will do better next week. I am itching to hear it all...

Shaping up to be a BAD: Big Audio Day! 1. Craig shipped me back the Transcription Amplifier phono stage I bought from JP that arrived a little worse for the wear from shipping. Simple fix and a 6-day turnaround by Mr. Uthus -- meaning I shipped it last Friday and received it back today! Wow, that is good stuff. 2. Even better stuff from Craig: the glorious and extremely rare Moth DAC! I mentioned that I would love to have the DAC in my all-Uthus Moth/Eddie Current setup in Mayberry and he offered to sell it to me. It arrived for a "demo" but looking at it again made me send him the cash instantly. Here are a couple Asr pics snagged from the Florida CanJam '08 thread (damn, that was a fun meet and reading the thread made me sentimental). What you cannot see is the large Moth Audio logo engraved into the top plate. Gorgeous already, but I need to replace the selector knob with the original, which Craig says is still available. 3. Not really audio-related, but close enough because it stems from an HF/HC connection. I received an unexpected package from Gene containing 2 Cigar City Brewing Co. and 1 DogFishHead beer glasses. My whiny post about my dog breaking my last beer glass from Strong Beer Month triggered this [latest] generosity from my Main Man. Thanks Gene! 4. As if that wasn't enough, I got a call from Music Lovers Audio that my Ayre KX-R has arrived! It actually made me kind of weak in the knees and convinced me to go pick it up and take the afternoon off to check it out. Pics later, but damn this is exciting....

Blue LED or it's shit (not Schiit)!

Just get the Gallo 3.1s and don't bother with mid-fi audio events. I am curious to hear the new 3.5s and the smaller Strada setup (monitors plus sub) but the 3.1 is one of the major audio deals around. Not picky about amplification, etc.

Confession time? We all know you listen to crappy bubblegum music on expensive gear, so what's the point of saying it over and over?

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's -- Dust of Retreat

And some related promotional material:

Heh, that's the first time I've seen you use the phrase "just a few inches." Probably the last, too.

I think I will stick with Pro bias.

Nice get on the iPad, Bigguy Slim! Nate, I know several Bay Area folks who will be at that same Sox game, oddly enough. Wish I could join you all.

I am getting quite anxious for my solid chunk of aluminum from Ayre to show up. Should be soon. Are you fellas doing both Pro bias or one of each on your T2s?

Good news.

Speaking of what you did today, how is the dogsbody business?

Oh, you mean John Grado speakers

Awesome! I wish I had put in an order earlier.

And don't forget the most important thing: the "music."

It makes complete sense and seems like the absolutely right thing to do, robot bro. Now, if you happen to make a set with burled walnut with ebony accents and gold-leafed supports, with Ethiopian sheep skin padding, and get it done within the next two weeks, that would be excellent!

Jenny Owen Youngs -- Transmitter Failure

Good reminder. Listening now.

Oooh, 13s. Are you smile testing right now?

Maybe you would get some traction if you did a jingle called "SPOW Dan[ny] B" to the tune of "Sloop John B"

Bummer? Really? Mike Lupica of the NY Daily News had the best line: "Classic Steinbrenner, upstaging the All-Star Game."