I'm back!!! And back to basics for the moment. (lots of pictures)

[Mr. Lin]

Some people would go to Oxford or Cambridge to read history or literature.

I come here to read music for free! :thmbsp:

I'm with you, since I already did the history degree thing.

 

[princeoftides]

The Chinese, or at least the leading company in China that manufactures tubes, claims to have invented a tube manufacturing machining that provides 100 times the vacuum of the machines formerly used in the West. They use it for special tubes. I saw it in a factory tour from one of the recent audiophile sites. I believe them. Just saying - don't know how that would affect the sound but should make for some extra long life tubes.

 

[poppachubby]

Great thread Mr Lin. I didn't know you were such a big jazz fan. Extra points for you!! I would LOVE to hear that 45 RPM reissue of TomCat. I have the original. What a line up on that one, one of my favorite Morgan LPs.

I have heard the 45 rpm reissue of Coltrane's Giant Steps and it is better than the original IMO. Well worth getting up 33 times during the session to flip. You should drop into the jazz thread in the music forum and share what you are listening to. Those pics will be well appreciated.

As far as tubes go, you have seen my thoughts on the new Shuguangs. This previous sentiment sums it up nicely. My tube tech uses NOS Teles, so I know their sound well. His associated gear is beyond what you and I use in regards to analog, and I can assure you that the Psvanes exceed the Teles.

He doesn't believe me, and is coming over on Tuesday with his EICO HF85, full of Teles. I also have an HF85 so it should be an interesting showdown.

The Chinese, or at least the leading company in China that manufactures tubes, claims to have invented a tube manufacturing machining that provides 100 times the vacuum of the machines formerly used in the West. They use it for special tubes. I saw it in a factory tour from one of the recent audiophile sites. I believe them. Just saying - don't know how that would affect the sound but should make for some extra long life tubes.

I am more into originals than reissues for the most part. Partly for collecting reasons, and partly for sonic reasons. The 45 rpm are smashing all preconceived notions however. But for now they remain expensive and cumbersome during use.

Are you set up for ripping? It's an area in which I have settled into nicely, and now can achieve some excellent sounding rips. Generally I am done buying CDs as I focus my cash into excellent condition LPs and simply rip. Any questions on the subject let me know.

Enjoy!!!!

 

[Mr. Lin]

The Chinese, or at least the leading company in China that manufactures tubes, claims to have invented a tube manufacturing machining that provides 100 times the vacuum of the machines formerly used in the West. They use it for special tubes. I saw it in a factory tour from one of the recent audiophile sites. I believe them. Just saying - don't know how that would affect the sound but should make for some extra long life tubes.

I assume my comment on the Ei tubes and their issues prompted you to tell me about this. Poppachubby mentioned his new Shuguang Psvanes tubes, and I recommend taking a look at his thread about them in the tube forum if this sort of thing interests you. This must be the Chinese company you saw in the video, I don't know who else it could be.

Great thread Mr Lin. I didn't know you were such a big jazz fan. Extra points for you!! I would LOVE to hear that 45 RPM reissue of TomCat. I have the original. What a line up on that one, one of my favorite Morgan LPs.

I have heard the 45 rpm reissue of Coltrane's Giant Steps and it is better than the original IMO. Well worth getting up 33 times during the session to flip. You should drop into the jazz thread in the music forum and share what you are listening to. Those pics will be well appreciated.

Hey it keeps me in shape!

I had never heard TomCat before, but back when I had the budget to occasionally buy one of the 45rpm reissues, the advertising for this one was a little more aggressive than the others, so I went for it. Fortunately for me, they were telling the truth. It does indeed sound fantastic, and of course the music is brilliant too. I'm somewhat new to jazz, only started to seriously get into it a few years ago.

I've been exclusively listening to classical for a long time now, but since I'm back in the record game I'm now listening to everything again. Therefore, once I get over the plague I'll start posting things in the jazz forum for sure. As with the classical play list forum, I'm sure there's a LOT I could learn.

As far as tubes go, you have seen my thoughts on the new Shuguangs. This previous sentiment sums it up nicely. My tube tech uses NOS Teles, so I know their sound well. His associated gear is beyond what you and I use in regards to analog, and I can assure you that the Psvanes exceed the Teles.

He doesn't believe me, and is coming over on Tuesday with his EICO HF85, full of Teles. I also have an HF85 so it should be an interesting showdown.

Well how did that turn out then? I completely believe you about how good the Shuguangs being superior to some NOS tubes, and frankly Chad, I'm relieved to finally hear this. I've been concerned about when, if ever, today's tube manufacturer's would get their acts together and match the performance of some of the great NOS tubes, which can cost a fortune and are eventually going to be all gone. I don't know what the problem has been, but I hope this is the beginning of a trend. I know there are some decent new-production tubes, but I've never been thrilled with any of them. The ubiquitous EH tubes bore me to tears in every form and circuit I've heard them.

And speaking of NOS tubes, I think I've finally (after years) found the perfect combination for my 200C phono preamp, but more on that a little later.

I am more into originals than reissues for the most part. Partly for collecting reasons, and partly for sonic reasons. The 45 rpm are smashing all preconceived notions however. But for now they remain expensive and cumbersome during use.

I think that's because they actually come from the master tapes, and so much effort goes into mastering and quality control. The price is hefty though, making them unavailable to most analog lovers, I think. And that's a shame. I understand why they cost so much, it's not that I feel the price isn't justified or anything, but you're right, expensive and cumbersome.

My favorite, by the way, is Bill Evans How My Heart Sings. I believe that was the second one I purchased, I love it.

Are you set up for ripping? It's an area in which I have settled into nicely, and now can achieve some excellent sounding rips. Generally I am done buying CDs as I focus my cash into excellent condition LPs and simply rip. Any questions on the subject let me know.

Enjoy!!!!

Well, truth be told I've thus far refused to get on the digital file/DAC wagon with the rest of the world. I've purchased one good CD player (Jolida) and two outstanding CD players (Naim and Musical Fidelity) in the last couple years, which have given my large CD collection a new lease on life. I never knew how good CDs could sound.

It's not that I have anything against it, but I do prefer physical media, and I've I got more on my hands than I can even listen to at the moment, so I'm happy with it. If that changes, I'll take you up on the offer of advice, because I'll need it.

You might find this amusing, but I've stockpiled an enormous amount of the best NOS blank cassettes, and I plan to record many of my favorite and/or expensive and rare records to cassette. Why in the world would I do that? You probably already know this, but with a top-notch cassette deck and the right blank tapes it's possible to make incredible recordings with that format. Unfortunately my "good" deck, a Nakamichi DR-1, is in need of repair, but I'll tell you something, even the lowly Nak BX-1 I have makes some damn fine-sounding recordings. This is especially true when vinyl is the source. Then it's kept 100% analog too, depending of course on the lp being recorded.

A couple years ago the CD changer in my girlfriend's car broke. Believe it or not, her car also has a Nakamichi tape deck in it! Weird, huh? Anyway, I've persuaded her to not get the CD player fixed so I can keep making tapes to listen to in the car, and so far it's worked. For example, once I made her a recording of Skinny Puppy's classic industrial album Too Dark Park. I obsessed over every detail of the setup before and during recording so I could get the very best possible out of what I had. I even warmed up the cartridge (Benz Glider) with some tracks on a test record for 40 minutes prior to recording. Then ran the 200C phono preamp directly into the Nak tape deck. I used the best cables, footers, anti-resonance devices, etc, that I have. The result was very satisfying, and my girlfriend, who typically doesn't care much about sound quality, felt it sounded better (played in her car) than any CD ever had. And trust me Chad, she would have been blunt if that hadn't actually been the case.

 

[devoid]

I post and therefore not forget this good thread.

 

[Mr. Lin]

I post and therefore not forget this good thread.

Haha, thank you!

 

[Balifly]

Present and accounted for, on the west coast!!!:yes:

 

[Mr. Lin]

Present and accounted for, on the west coast!!!:yes:

Well I'm glad people are still watching. Unfortunately I'm still getting over being sick, so tonight I'm just taking it easy, listening to music, and commenting here and there. It's likely tomorrow I'll be back with new pictures though.

 

[poppachubby]

Mr. Lin, I use a portable player both on the go and in my car, with a special adaptor. In general, digital for me is what I use when I am too busy to flip an LP, too tired, etc. I have both a CDP/dac combo and Squeezebox. I find value in both mediums, I hope you don;'t feel I was trying to convert you. If I had a Naim CDP, I would listen to CDs alot more.

As you go further along with analog, ripping can be helpful for rare/collectable LPs. I'm not overly anal about playing them in most cases, when I have made big upgrades I usually pull out my sacred P-Funk vinyl. The issue for me is just like when you get into a car...it's a risk. Everytime you pull that LP off the shelf there is the potential for a problem. So, I listen to my rare stuff only occasionally on a deck, and the rest of the time I have the rips available.

Guys used to use reel to reel for this purpose. Load up a reel with a wack of precious LPs. My point is that down the road you may want the ability for reasons other than defying a CDP.

As for cassette, I will not lie to you, yes I am quietly giggling. That said, it's not for me but I am not ignorant to the quality available to cassette. As a storage medium it's awful, but for listening it can be great. One of the guys over at Audioreview bought a special TEAC deck. I forget the model but he was elated. He paid only $100 or so for a deck that was TOTL and retailed for over $1K back in the day. I'm sure with something like that you could get alot done.

You would love my Bozak preamp, totally designed for recording. It's crazy in multi function. Like you can have a source playing through the speakers, have another source taping something different while you cue up yet another source to record next. All 3 can be heard seperately through headphones as well. Obviously i don't use all of that, but it's kind of cool to know I have options if I need them. Would be great for a party.

Tuesday was cancelled as we are still in the midst of the worst snow storm in recorded weather history. We have rescheduled to next Wed/Thurs. believe me i will take some pics and let you know how it goes, and also his reactions.

OK later skater.

 

[Mr. Lin]

Mr. Lin, I use a portable player both on the go and in my car, with a special adaptor. In general, digital for me is what I use when I am too busy to flip an LP, too tired, etc. I have both a CDP/dac combo and Squeezebox. I find value in both mediums, I hope you don;'t feel I was trying to convert you. If I had a Naim CDP, I would listen to CDs alot more.

Oh no, I didn't think you were trying to convert me or anything. Bring me into the 21st century might be more like it.

I'm an "all-mediums" person too, I think we should take advantage of everything whenever feasible and possible, because each has its strengths and weaknesses.

As a classical music fan, what's currently available on CD is almost beyond quantification in terms of variety and number of high-quality recordings. That's something I've giddily discovered in the last couple years; I have hundreds of fairly new classical Cds piled up behind, probably enough to last a lifetime at this point. But not as much as guiller has.

As you go further along with analog, ripping can be helpful for rare/collectable LPs. I'm not overly anal about playing them in most cases, when I have made big upgrades I usually pull out my sacred P-Funk vinyl. The issue for me is just like when you get into a car...it's a risk. Everytime you pull that LP off the shelf there is the potential for a problem. So, I listen to my rare stuff only occasionally on a deck, and the rest of the time I have the rips available.

Guys used to use reel to reel for this purpose. Load up a reel with a wack of precious LPs. My point is that down the road you may want the ability for reasons other than defying a CDP.

Trust me, I'm painfully aware of this. I even mentioned it in this thread regarding the "Midnight Sugar" lp, I'm afraid to play it. That's one I want to make a really good copy of so I can minimize the risk to the lp. Reel to reel is probably the best way to copy lps in terms of high fidelity, but I looked into it, and it's just too much trouble for me. I haven't ruled it out, but I'd need someone's help to show me the ropes.

As for cassette, I will not lie to you, yes I am quietly giggling. That said, it's not for me but I am not ignorant to the quality available to cassette. As a storage medium it's awful, but for listening it can be great. One of the guys over at Audioreview bought a special TEAC deck. I forget the model but he was elated. He paid only $100 or so for a deck that was TOTL and retailed for over $1K back in the day. I'm sure with something like that you could get alot done.

My DR-1 was Nak's top-of-the-line in the early nineties I believe, retailing for about $1000. Haven't been able to try recording with it yet, but for playback (of recordings I've made) it was a stunner.

Tuesday was cancelled as we are still in the midst of the worst snow storm in recorded weather history. We have rescheduled to next Wed/Thurs. believe me i will take some pics and let you know how it goes, and also his reactions.

OK later skater.

Where are you? I haven't been paying any attention to the news at all for a while, so I don't know what's going on, literally. It's freezing here - well freezing to us is the teens. And thanks to that, and a frantic drive to the grocery store 10 minutes before they closed, I think I have aggravated this virus I have, and it just won't go away. So annoying! :sigh:

 

[poppachubby]

Where are you?

London, ON, Canada....eh?

 

[Mr. Lin]

London, ON, Canada....eh?

London and Ontario?

 

[Mr. Lin]

Let's get the party started again:

I've been sick, only posting casually, blah blah. That's why there haven't been new pictures.

But I have a bunch from what I'm listening to tonight, and from the past few nights, when I could muster up the strength to sit up and listen without getting nauseous.

I've really been on a Bonnie Prince Billy kick this week. This one is an old favorite of mine. In fact, it's one lp I that was new and constantly played by me when my Thoren TD125 MKII first arrived, so it's fitting for the thread I suppose. An entirely acoustic affair, highly creative and emotionally involving (for me at least). Strangely, this lo-fi recording has an intimate, organic sound to it, which is something of a paradox. The album is titled Master and Everyone:

Ever rediscover an album you'd previously not cared much for? I have to tell you, listening to the following Bonnie Prince Billy album this week - titled Ease Down The Road - has been a very intense experience for me. Surprising, because the album starts off rather slow, so I'd dismissed it as a mediocre effort in the past. Not a great recording, issues with sibilance (that I think are actually just the way the recording is), but I don't care when I listen to it. My current signature comprises the last lines of the final song on the album:

And finally, a band I haven't listened to in a long time, and originally didn't care for, Belle and Sebastian. The irony is that I couldn't stand this album - intriguingly titled Dear Catastrophe Waitress - when it first came out, as it realized a new direction for the previously somber outfit; something poppy-er, with more instrumental parts on many songs, and even a dash of silliness, or perhaps playfulness. And now, it's my favorite Belle and Sebastian album. This is another cover I love:

More momentarily, including the tube story I alluded to last night.


...

 

[JohnVF]

You know, I have all of those Bonnie Prince Billie albums and haven't given them their proper shot. I keep going back to I See a Darkness or even all the way back to Palace, especially the first album Days in the Wake. That album especially is not what many would consider a well recorded album..but it is a perfectly recorded album for what it is trying to convey. And that loneliness is more tangible on that album. Thanks for reminding me of it..i'm going to dig it out of the stacks. I really like the new Belle and Sebastian so far. I accept both their early melancholy baroque folk/whatever it's called, and their more recent poppy stuff. The new one is more '60s pop influenced and I quite like it.

 

[Mr. Lin]

You know, I have all of those Bonnie Prince Billie albums and haven't given them their proper shot. I keep going back to I See a Darkness or even all the way back to Palace, especially the first album Days in the Wake. That album especially is not what many would consider a well recorded album..but it is a perfectly recorded album for what it is trying to convey. And that loneliness is more tangible on that album. Thanks for reminding me of it..i'm going to dig it out of the stacks. I really like the new Belle and Sebastian so far. I accept both their early melancholy baroque folk/whatever it's called, and their more recent poppy stuff. The new one is more '60s pop influenced and I quite like it.

I got into him after hearing I See A Darkness when it came out. And while that's a great album, and I listen to it all the time, I think he has a lot more to offer in later and earlier albums. As for Palace/Palace Brothers, I have a repress of Vive Last Blues from a few years ago and it sounds so good, so immediate, that I've used it over and over to audition new components for the first time. The first song does the trick.

I don't have the first Palace album you're referring to. Have you heard the new Bonnie Prince Billy? I think it's really good.

I assume the new Belle and Sebastian is similar to their last effort, The Life Pursuit?

 

[Mr. Lin]

A few more...

First, the classic Bowie album, Scary Monsters... And Superfreaks. Some of the songs are a little lean in the lower frequencies, but generally this is a good recording IMO, lots of effects on the vocals. This one is an original of some sort, and I felt it special enough to deserve one of the fancy sleevetown inner sleeves, seen in the second picture:

Switching from pop to jazz, I decided to spin a kind of beat up old Bill Evans record I bought a couple years ago - hey, it was only $5. I'm not usually into best of albums because of potential inconsistency in material and sound quality, and this one isn't changing my mind. It doesn't help that halfway through side one the sound deteriorates into a distorted mess. I don't know if it's the recording or what, I suspect the record is just filthy. Hopefully one day I'll be able to fix it:

Finally, I put on repress of Miles Davis Cookin'. A pretty decent recording, but it demonstrated a weakness of the Grado Silver: with the Benz Glider you really hear that wonderful harmonic texture of the trumpet. With the Grado - how can I put this? - well, you don't. I almost want to say it sounds a little bleached in that regard, like a bunch of micro-detail information is missing. Despite this, it sounded nice and was quite enjoyable. Furthermore, I had increased the VTF to 1.9g while listening to the Bowie album. Here I put it back down to 1.5g. Contrary to what I preferred when I used to have the Silver in a speaker system, with the headphones I prefer the lower VTF, with which there was a restoration of top end "air":

...

 

[Balifly]

I got several Bill Evans a few weeks ago, but no pictures yet.
I recently saw one call Bill Evans...in Paris, can recall the exact title.
It was very expensive, so it got away.

Here is a picture of a recent Miles Davis find!.
Very interesting cover. (-_-)

 

[Mr. Lin]

I got several Bill Evans a few weeks ago, but no pictures yet.
I recently saw one call Bill Evans...in Paris, can recall the exact title.
It was very expensive, so it got away.

Here is a picture of a recent Miles Davis find!.
Very interesting cover. (-_-)

Hey Balifly, great find, that's one I've been looking for and have never heard or found as of yet. How is it?

 

[Balifly]

Very good question!

It was an inexpensive second hand store find.
I have only heard it twice since cleaning it.
I am not knowledgeable enough to offer up an opinion at this point.

 

[Mr. Lin]

Very good question!

It was an inexpensive second hand store find.
I have only heard it twice since cleaning it.
I am not knowledgeable enough to offer up an opinion at this point.

Don't be shy man, I'm an amateur when it comes to jazz. Let me ask you this then: How is the sound quality?