Voltron

And there aren't any "newer ones."

tyrion will ultimately sell that beauty because he just cannot help himself. Call dibs with him.

What a strip tease this is! Excellent work, my friend, even if it is for the lawyer from the wrong coast. Marc, yours look great as well. The push button seems particularly cool.

It may be awhile.

Thanks vets!

All good choices Jack.

Interesting True Blood last night, but shocking lack of nudity

Hardy har har.

I AM HAVING SOME ARDBEG AT THE MOMENT, BUT THERE IS A MAJOR DEFICIT IN MY BAC.

CLEARLY, BUT NUMBER 2 IS YOUR ABILITY TO HOLD YOUR LIQUOR. *NOTE, I DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS IS IN ALL CAPS AND I CANNOT SEEM TO CHANGE IT.

Well, I don't know about Giza, but the Ayre combo, and preamp especially, is certainly as impressive an achievement as the Lighthouse of Alexandria! I haven't really posted after JP summed up our first listening session because I made an impulsive decision to buy the White Unicorn, aka Nick Doshi's Alaap Purist Phono/Line Preamp. It was brand new, unopened and, I thought initially, sitting right here in SF at a dealer who took it as a trade-in. Turns out that the Doshi was still in Texas, not here, so it was shipped FedEx and arrived last Friday. My joy was great, for about 5 minutes because during the unwrapping it became clear that something was clunking around in the preamp. After calls with the dealer I bought it from in SF, the original dealer in Michigan, and Nick Doshi himself, I opened it up and found that a very heavy tin-filled capacitor had snapped off and a little resistor sliding around for good measure. They were part of the MC phono stage that is mounted sideways on the chassis, and FedEx or somebody must have dropped it pretty good to break it out of the silicone glue holding it and the solder joints. I packed it all back up and shipped it to Doshi who is kindly going to fix, test, and re-ship hopefully with better karma. He is great and is doing a total solid even though I am a second-hand buyer (warranty does transfer but he is still being very cool). The Ayre preamp is so incredible that I miss it even after just an audition. I loved the sound of the Ayre gear, but I was really curious about the Doshi and could get it new for a good discount. If I have to sell I will not lose anything because they rarely come up used. I need to hear the Doshi but in my system, but there is still a chance I may spring for the Ayre amps or even something else. Doshi people are telling me to buy ATC powered speakers because they love that combination. Too many choices... If I love the Doshi phono stage but it doesn't float my boat as a preamp (and assuming I continue my short-sighted, randomly timed spending spree of epic and heretofore unprecedented proportions) then I might even consider getting the Ayre preamp as well and see how they play together. Maybe that is the best (and most expensive) of both worlds, and maybe I only like one or the other. I guess we'll see how this plays out. I also have to factor in that if I upgrade beyond the preamp (the initial idea that led me to this path), then I will need to upgrade the speakers too. In my mind and moreso my heart, are the Wilson Audio offerings, the Harbeth 40.1s, the Magico V3, the ATC, the DeVore Nines or Silverbacks, and others like Thiels that people have recommended. Woosh, that is all mind-boggling expensive and I may just love what the Doshi does with what I have. If it sounds more like the SDS-XLR but with more volume range and finesse and so forth, then that could be the end point [for now ]. More to come when Mr. Doshi resends the White Unicorn, which happens to be black and beautiful by the way. The platform, face plate and top plate are all black Corian-like material. Pics to follow.

I am really curious to hear the SACD versions, but want them to come out with a package deal for vinyl subscribers, dammit! Clarke, you can check out the sound of the 45s at my house when you come over soon. I think you will like it, but if you have the Capuchin Swing SACD I have the vinyl for comparison.

HeadAmp Fan Boy!

Hi Clarke! Welcome to Head-Case and sorry about your thin skin . . . because it could get nicked by your Mercury Merkur HD and cause bleeding. Glad you found your way over here. I thought I did enough of a pitch at the Cecil Taylor show but it took you awhile.

Craig literally shit-canned the Balancing Act he brought to CanJam, seemingly because the TTVJ 307A knocked the snot out of it. Craig took his amp over to Todd's room early Sunday, and he was crestfallen by the comparison. I think he told Todd as much. The fact that Craig then decided to design a 307A version of his amp kinda confirms it.

Not sure what the current Balancing Act sounds like, but the TTVJ/Millett 307A blows away the earlier versions I have heard. I haven't had a chance to look at the impressions from that meet but I expect it was good times.

I hate to be a fan-boy about this, but both series of these albums have not let me down yet. I love the Kenny Drew and think the LD+3 is great as well. If I picked one, it would be KD. Get both!

Time to dispatch Dubya's transportation into the annals of history:

These desktop speaker stands are solid as rocks, baby! Does anybody else find it frightening that all this dirt about Palin was "off the record" until after the campaign? Maybe those who were voting for McCain|Palin would want to know just how stupid and out of touch she really is, or maybe that she was a pain in the ass to her own campaign, or that they couldn't even teach her enough of the basics to get through the few interviews she did. Oh, and once again, FUCK YEAH!

That is correct, sir!

I just read something about that stuff, so I will see if it is around. The Baysht is supposed to be a little less of a peat smack than the 10yo or the Oogie. Should be able to say for sure this evening.

These two came from K&L Wines in SF. They have a website and describe their shipping policy here. I found the Willett Iron Fist 23yo rye online at a DC shop called Ace Beverage. If you want to pick up the Velvet Glove to go with my Iron Fist next week, then check in with The Wine Specialist, which is also in DC, and see if they can ship to Matt or something.

Willett Potstill Single Barrel Estate Reserve Bourbon. 8-10 yrs old, 94 proof, and damn fine tasting. Very much looking forward to the Iron Fist 23yo rye that Dreadhead is picking up for me from DC and bringing to the Tampa meet. 1990 Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist Islay Single Malt Whisky. When I was getting the Willett, I had to check out the Scotch selection and this Ardbeg caught my eye standing next to the Oogie. It was bottled the year I was admitted to the bar, and they only had one bottle so I went with it. Can't wait to try it tonight, but I went with the Willett last night.

Arkansas passed a measure banning unmarried couples living together from serving as adoptive or foster parents with a 57% vote. Not sure if singles can, but it would seem like it given the language. The supporting group, the Arkansas Family Council, said its proposal was a battle against a "gay agenda."