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  #11  
Old 08-23-2014, 03:02 PM
Pider Pider is offline
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Originally Posted by hificrossfit View Post
my end goal is to depart from thinking about my gear at all and spend all my energy collecting and listening to music.
yes!
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  #12  
Old 08-23-2014, 03:36 PM
bigblue bigblue is offline
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I am also a curious soul. I allow my self to try products I am interested in, to see if it fits my system and taste. If not I return them and tick the box - not for me.
Otherwise I would have 10 "dream products" in each category .
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  #13  
Old 08-23-2014, 07:26 PM
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prepress prepress is offline
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Originally Posted by 427 View Post
I look at it this way reviews and such are done to sell things be it audio or not, I don't let them decide for me what to get. In fact the reviews I read is to learn about something I have or plan on getting.
I tend to gravate to the tried and true components and not the latest rage so I'm not a target for "New Sales"


Some components actually hold value better than others and can be better than a new component at a cheaper used cost. McIntosh amps and 2 channel Preamps would be high on my list with this in mind. Depending on the time you use and take care of a used Mac piece you can maybe get your money back on a resale.

Turntables was one component that I used to buy all the time it's mechanical and I like things like that. But I finally found one I like and would be hard to beat even though it's 30 years old in design. With TT it has a lot more to do with all it's various components, setup and delivery to the preamp. I love the SOTA Star Sapphires and ended up buying three of them. Again you can still get these new or a lot cheaper used and are in demand on the used market.
Some turntables elevate in cost more for their artistic build and statement they make more than any function and sound quality they produce.


Now the biggie you can run around chasing the newest best components available to man and still not be happy.

Ask yourself this when you're out and about though the day, week, month where is the best sounding music you hear?

Do you have a dedicated room built around your system? I'm not talking about a room in your house that you use as a listening space. A room built purely to optimize the sound of an audio system with optimal dimensions and sound treatment.

My room sucks and my system sounds better than most any I hear on a regular occurrence.
I also know I have reached the point of limited returns in dollars to sound quality with the limitations of my environment. It's all about what you do with the equipment not that you own it. Most of us would be far better off building a room better suited to SQ than chasing cables, IC, amp and speaker swaps.
I just finished my notes for church tomorrow. In the background is Traditions in Swing on WKCR, Columbia University's radio station. Right now, as of this moment, all the angst is down to the tuner and the power cord on the preamp. There is enough curiosity to drive a move on those two. But the arrival of a new antenna may help.

I don't have a dedicated room (living in a 1BR apartment), and the only acoustic treatments are a rug on the floor and the couch. Not a lot of setup options here. Still, other than live music the best sound I hear is in my living room. Nothing here is state of the art, but it's good stuff. That's brought out even more when someone comes over and I play DJ and VJ for them.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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  #14  
Old 08-23-2014, 07:33 PM
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prepress prepress is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigblue View Post
I am also a curious soul. I allow my self to try products I am interested in, to see if it fits my system and taste. If not I return them and tick the box - not for me.
Otherwise I would have 10 "dream products" in each category .
Ten? That's too many! I keep a short list, like you. Actually, I don't have a list until I get into a mess like the one I have now.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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  #15  
Old 08-23-2014, 08:52 PM
427 427 is offline
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Originally Posted by prepress View Post
I just finished my notes for church tomorrow. In the background is Traditions in Swing on WKCR, Columbia University's radio station. Right now, as of this moment, all the angst is down to the tuner and the power cord on the preamp. There is enough curiosity to drive a move on those two. But the arrival of a new antenna may help.

I don't have a dedicated room (living in a 1BR apartment), and the only acoustic treatments are a rug on the floor and the couch. Not a lot of setup options here. Still, other than live music the best sound I hear is in my living room. Nothing here is state of the art, but it's good stuff. That's brought out even more when someone comes over and I play DJ and VJ for them.
There you go you can be happy and I like the part when "Friends Come Over"
I can DJ also with SOTA's it's great having more than one because of disc change is slow with a vacuum platter.



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  #16  
Old 08-24-2014, 06:15 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 427 View Post
There you go you can be happy and I like the part when "Friends Come Over"
I can DJ also with SOTA's it's great having more than one because of disc change is slow with a vacuum platter.



I like that photo. Maybe a little too much, right now. Give me time, I'll get over it!

I haven't had company since October last year. It would mean a massive clean-up, which I need to do anyway. But the time of year when I like that sort of thing is coming around soon.

The excitement and angst of making changes to the main setup comes and goes. This AM I thought, maybe keep the MD 90 as a backup and go after the MR88, or just leave it alone. Related to that, I've long had ideas of augmenting a small second system in the (also small) bedroom and if I can get rid of the HK receiver in there gracefully (a good receiver, by the way) I would get a Marantz MM7025 power amp and combine it with the B&K preamp, Denon TU-800 and Marantz DV8400 universal player doing nothing currently. That idea's been around for over a year.

This will all die down at some point, but the ideas continue to swirl.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks

Last edited by prepress; 08-26-2014 at 05:15 AM.
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  #17  
Old 08-24-2014, 06:17 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yamaki View Post
Read and be calmed, then move to Wyoming...



Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, "Desiderata"
Peace, the final frontier. Peace of mind, particularly, in my case right now.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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  #18  
Old 08-24-2014, 11:38 AM
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I have done a potentially bad thing, but have also mitigated it, I hope.

At church, I invited a friend to the NY Audio Show. She is a self-described "gadget girl" and seemed excited about going. I have now, assuming she is pleased by the show's website, committed to going. She said she was all in already, but I wanted her to look at the site to confirm. I told her that her job will be to act as my wife and tell me I can't have whatever I might look at a bit too hard. Fortunately, most of the brands there are unfamiliar and I may tend to not go to those rooms.

I also note that Audio Classics will be there, selling Legacy and Vintage McIntosh. I hope that means nothing too recent (MR88, anyone?).

UPDATE 8/26: She's changed her mind and will not be going, having decided her computer audio search can be done another time. Now I have to decide if I'm still going to go. Audio Classics has the MR85 available, a potential enticement. I wonder.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks

Last edited by prepress; 08-26-2014 at 05:11 AM.
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  #19  
Old 08-29-2014, 07:04 AM
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prepress prepress is offline
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It's a few days later, and my attitude has shifted slightly, as has my perspective. Whether it stays this way is less obvious. But it's important to consider the long term, not just the immediate interests or urges. Ten years isn't as long as it seems, and there is being mindful of my desired retirement at that point.

I notice I'm in no hurry to make any of the moves outlined in the first post. Curiosity is strong enough to create some mind-wringing, it seems, but not enough to make me do anything yet. If any of the moves have a chance of happening anytime soon (or at all), it's probably the preamp power cord, maybe the tuner. But then, the tuner exploration was never about sound quality; it started because my MD 90 sees some stations it can't bring in. The blue LED lights up, indicating a stereo signal, but I get nothing. I still don't have the MD SR-100 antenna I ordered, so maybe I'll try experimenting with the one I have before making any tuner moves.

We'll see what the attitude is in a few days. The kid-in-a-candy-store mentality is strong, but not invincible.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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  #20  
Old 08-29-2014, 07:48 AM
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By the way PrePress, Semi Hobbyist,

I seem to recall that I traded in my Mirage speakers to Nicholson's in Nashville . . . You didn't buy a "barely used" pair from them did you? (This would be funny!)
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I have a record player and a cd player and some other stuff that sounds pretty good.


MAIN SYSTEM: . . . Audio Physic Caldera III Loudspeakers, Spectral DMC 30SL Preamp, Spectral DMA 250 Amp, Spectral/MIT interconnects and speaker cable, Basis Debut V Vacuum turntable, Walker Precision Speed Controller, Graham tonearm, [B]Koetsu Rosewood or Grado Statement 1 Cartridges, PASS - X-ono Phono Stage, Esoteric K03 CD/SACD Player, Lexicon RT-20 Universal Player, Exact Power EP-15A & SP-15A power regeneration and conditioning devices. Symposium Acoustics Svelte pads & RollerBlock Jr's under speakers. ASC Tube Traps, Arcici Suspense Rack System, OPPO and Cambridge Streaming Devices.


DOWNSTAIRS SYSTEM: . . . Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento Speakers, JL Audio F112 Sub, McIntosh MA7000 Integrated Amp, McIntosh MVP871 Universal Disc Player, OPPO BDP-105 Blu-Ray Player, VPI Scoutmaster with periphery ring clamp, VPI SDS Motor Drive, Koetsu Pro IV, or Clearaudio Discovery Cartridges, Mark Levinson No. 25s phono stage, Wadia 170i Transport with a Meridian Bitstream 203 DAC, VPI HW-17 Pro Record Cleaning Machine, Five Richard Gray RGPC 400 devices scattered around the two systems, Arcici Suspense Rack System, Discovery Essence and Essential Cables, 14,000 ± LPs .
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