Recent content by DLudington

  1. DLudington

    What Record Are You Hearing Now?

    Picked up the self titled "The Mars Volta" a day early. Just like their other represses I have, the treble is a bit repressed but the dynamics are awesome. It's going to take me a while to process this new release. Very different from their other records but I love it so far.
  2. DLudington

    HiFi Heaven Falls Church, VA Permanently Closed

    That's a shame. I stopped into Hifi Heaven a few times before the pandemic and Brett was nothing but helpful and reasonable, especially as I was a younger parent of 3 without a lot of extra spending money. I was on the hunt for an old Lenco L75 and stopped in to ask Brett if he had one for...
  3. DLudington

    Remote Control with Raspberry PI?

    I have a Volumio RPi 4 setup, installed in an Argon One V2 enclosure. This enclosure has an IR sensor built into it, using GPIO pin 23. The only strange thing about the actual enclosure I bought was that the IR diode was soldered in backwards, so I had to desolder it and reinstall it correctly...
  4. DLudington

    Amazon seems to be eliminating 3.5mm audio output from all new Echos

    This is incorrect. I just ordered some Echo Dots (4th gen) for my kids and they still have the 3.5mm jack. The Google Nest/Speaker devices are the smart speakers that don't have the 3.5mm line out.
  5. DLudington

    Buying A New TV. Anyone Have Soundbar Recommendations?

    One other thing I forgot to mention - I don't have the cash to purchase Sonos' obscenely proces subwoofer, but I did end up buying 2 of the Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf speakers and stands to act as rear satellites. I think the total cost of my entire Sonos setup was $1k and it works seamlessly. But...
  6. DLudington

    Buying A New TV. Anyone Have Soundbar Recommendations?

    100% agreed. I've had one for about a year and it's remarkably good for a soundbar. I got the SL version from Costco that has the microphones omitted. I can attest it plays nicely with the LG OLEDs, I have a 77C1 and it works seamlessly. Sounds good for music too - especially the Atmos mixed...
  7. DLudington

    Silver Note tonearms

    It sounds good to my ears, but I don't know much better regarding true high end analog setups. For the $300 I spent a few years ago, it's hard to beat. Not to mention it dropped right into the Lenco I have. Nothing else in this price range. The whole arm is not flimsy. It's very well built. the...
  8. DLudington

    Silver Note tonearms

    I have one that drops into my Lenco L75. It's the 512 model with a carbon fiber armtube. Excellent construction and it sounds great to my ear. Not to mention the price was a fraction of any comparable arm. I've been very pleased with my purchase! My experience is limited with other tonearms or...
  9. DLudington

    Ares II paired with vintage tube amps.

    My dad ordered one the other week. It was delivered amazingly fast, coming direct from China - ordered on a Wednesday, shipped on a Thursday, delivered to NY on the following Monday.
  10. DLudington

    Shown up by a 20-year old Marantz AVR...

    So the plot thickens! I connected the Scott back up to make sure I wasn't going crazy. At lower volumes, the Marantz has a clear advantage over the tubed Scott. But at higher volumes (and more power) the Scott opens the Paradigm speakers wide open. At those high volumes the Scott is the clear...
  11. DLudington

    Shown up by a 20-year old Marantz AVR...

    I've been quite satisfied with my cobbled together stereo for the last 15+ years - a nice HH Scott tube integrated and some Paradigm Studio 20 (v1) speakers. I knew the Paradigms weren't super efficient, but I was able to drive them pretty well with the 22wpc tube integrated amp in a smaller...
  12. DLudington

    Sealed "Used" Record - to open or not to open?

    Good point. I’m finicky enough with my music tastes I have most of the relatively inexpensive records I would want. Now I’m looking for rare or OOP pressings that take time to hunt down. This is one of the kind of records I’m hunting for, so it was worth opening and enjoying.
  13. DLudington

    Sealed "Used" Record - to open or not to open?

    That's AWFUL! The part where JPJ comes in after the first riff gives me goosebumps every time. My copy has a little crackling on the lead in but is otherwise silent.
  14. DLudington

    Sealed "Used" Record - to open or not to open?

    It has some superficial scuffing but plays silently. The sleeve smells like musty basement so it must have been kept away for quite a while. My problem is that I don't care too much what it's worth now, since under no circumstances will I sell my collection. Well, most circumstances...
  15. DLudington

    Sealed "Used" Record - to open or not to open?

    I guess they're more popular outside of the US, thus prices are high. I ordered their latest anniversary pressing of "Traveling Without Moving" and it had to be shipped from England. But record prices in general have gotten crazy in the last 18 months! I bought an VG+ copy of the "RL" pressing...
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