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Over the past two years I have managed to pick up two XM/Sirius radios from Goodwill both with service on them which has yet to run out. I found this to be odd, although with a little investigating I found out why these radios continue to have service. Apparently in order for the service to be...

I am sure there are a few of you that are familiar with Harvey Mandel's 1968 debut on Philips titled "Christo Redentor". I have owned several versions of this album, the first being the 1989 EG Records reissue (which featured unique album art), the original Philips release, the Australian Raven...

Last weekend I was driving around and it was a beautiful spring day. I had the top down and my Smart Phone piped through my car stereo playing KX Classics from the Netherlands which is a classic rock and oldies station that peppers their selection with some very, very deep cuts. I was quite...

I'll get the ball rolling here: Trident Studios Most of the albums from Trident are usually bass heavy, muddy or both. Later recordings (like Queen) were better, but albums like The Man Who Sold The World by David Bowie, Transformer by Lou Reed and Nice by The Nice to name a few, could have...

I know for a brief period they flirted with making 45 rpm LP records in the late 70's and early 80's for better fidelity. Having heard a few examples of the 45 rpm long player format, I did not notice a huge difference. I have heard some 12 inch singles as well as side four of Chuck Mangione's...

Recently I had to switch out the Pioneer SX-650 receiver I was using at my camera shop because it was starting to show signs of needing a serious overhaul (it was starting to crackle at a volume independent of the volume setting). I went over to the storage facility where I have a small hoard of...

My fiancee Stephanie and I met with some friends at a coffee shop in nearby Staunton, VA and as we were all about to leave, I spotted this sitting in the sidewalk near the service door: Stephanie was worried that it might belong to someone who had just set it down when my friend Chris suggested...

Over the years I have amassed quite a "classical" collection (the bottom two shelves). I have music ranging from the Medieval period up to avant garde modern works and I am considering categorizing separately by period (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20Th Century, Modern...

Our local NPR affiliate, WVTF boasts that it broadcasts in digital. This digital broadcast sounds muddy, flangy and will occasionally have some odd digital hiccup in the form of a very brief, but painful volume spike (especially when listening in the car). There is also a "classic rock"...

I work in a camera shop and occasionally someone will bring in a camera that they have royally screwed up. To give you an example, someone came in with a digital SLR camera that stopped functioning properly. While it would take a picture, most of the other buttons were not responding. It turns...

Bob Dylan's infamous 1970 album Self Portrait received it's fair share of scathing reviews when it was released, although it seems that nowadays Dylan fans are looking at this album in a different light. While it is definitely not Bring It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited or Blonde on Blonde...

I was in a haggle shop and there was this rather hyper woman, probably in her mid 40's, digging through a box trying to get a land line telephone. She was having the owners of the store hook each one up to see if they were functioning when she said out loud "I don't want a Radio Shack phone...

At the Goodwill in Orange, VA there were some nice goodies for $2.99 each. Some of it was junk, but there were a few gems (well sort of): Montgomery Ward (aka Monkey Ward) Model 250 Receiver I was not sure what to expect of this unit. Most components with the name Montgomery Ward that I have...

I have a few questions related to a copy of Can's "Future Days" that is meant to replicate the original US United Artists pressing. Some claim that these "reissues" are just mastered from CDs, although I am wondering if they could have come from old UA masters. 1) "Future Days" on the German...

I am going through and listening to many of my classical albums and some sound fantastic out right out of the sleeve while others it's a crackle fest and little of it has to do with the condition of the record and much to do with what label they are on. I am finding that my RCA Red Seal and...

I am in the process of transferring a very mint, shaded dog Red Seal (second pressing, probably around 1958 or 59) of Beethoven's nine symphonies performed by the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. The performances are fantastic, although given these recordings are...

I found these at the thrift for 55 cents each: If I remember correctly, those were pretty rare back in the 1980's. I had one I bought in 1986 or 1987 when I was in a record store in Virginia Beach (Lynnhaven Mall, to be exact) when I was picking up a copy of ELO's Time album, although that...

I happened upon a minty Sansui 661 receiver which is going to be the replacement, or more correctly antidote for the boombox we have at the camera shop. I was trying to figure out which of my receivers to take over, and this became the obvious answer. The Salvation Army in Charlottesville was...

This was something I had forgotten about until I found both versions at a thrift recently. I remember dealing with this and ending up quite frustrated back in the 80's when I had to replace my older copy. The top one is the original issue distributed by United Artists Records in 1976, the...

A friend sent me this link and while I can see buying something like this, although I usually don't wear watches. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EUATB8/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_mV4Snb1P72WS3

I was my local Goodwill and spotted a pair of Bose 301 Series II marked $2.95 each with perfect tweeters and perfect foam with the only defect is the posts for the plastic grill between the woofer grill and tweeter grill had the post broken off on both pairs (I permanently glued them into...

The early heavy metal band Attila consisting of drummer Jonathan Small and organist Billy Joel will finally get a proper reissue. The master tapes have recently been found and have been instrumental in creating two CD "Deluxe Edition" release complete with studio outtakes, an aborted 1970 single...

In Charlottesville there is a store known as the SPCA Rummage Shop. Apart from having you run of the mill used stuff, they also have a boutique and collectible section. In this section there was a sealed copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller for $250.00. While I have nothing against the king of...

I have a Denon DR-M44 which is starting to have some issues. For some reason it is recording with the right channel slightly lower than the left and it is introducing line level noise and more hiss than normal. Any idea of what the problem may be? I don't think it is a demag issue as I...

A few years ago I was playing a copy of "The Nice Greatest Hits" compilation released on NEMS/Immediate and manufactured by PYE records in 1977. In most light, this record appears to be black, but if you happen to hold it up to a light source this record is actually a translucent, very dark...