Archive through September 25, 2004

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 672
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 05:55 pm:

Jan,

"for when the MG didn't start"

They must have sent the lemons to Texas, mine never failed me in the two years I had it and it had already had over a 'ton' of mileage. They were not fast, nor did they give gut wrenching acceleration, but they were 'kool' and always induced a nod and a friendly wave from fellow owners. A far cry from the bumper sticker "Honk if you have an Uzi on board" that's popular in Texas - or is that Miami?

"Show him your cross" Terrific LOL!

Oh, and all that 40, 30, and 20 year old stuff y'all are using - you're doing nothing for the Chinese employment situation you know!

Yes Kegger - where are you? I hope you didn't get your wires crossed!

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 674
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 07:59 pm:

Okay, because you are the people here that I have come to know, love, honour and respect :-)

and because I don't wish to get into the great cable debate on other threads, and because I don't want to go and spend good money only to find it was for no good reason, I ask for your sage advice as I have little experience in this area.

Although very happy with DVD-A and SACD sound, the big question is:

Would this "Old Dog learn a new (worthwhile) trick" by using better cables between the 6 analogue connections from the universal DVD player to the receiver. The existing cables in use I believe are the equivalent to those (coaxial) from Radio Shack in the US.

If the answer is yes - I'd be interested in your recommendations - excluding stupidly priced exotic cables.

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 478
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 08:11 pm:

Rantz,

Thank you for the kind words, and likewise, my friend. The answer to your question is YES! The name of the game is transparency or neutrality. Let me ask: What is it you think you are hearing that you don't like-or-not hearing that you think you would like to hear?

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 675
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 08:56 pm:

Rick

Well, my friend, those are the questions for which I have no real answer. The fact is that I do like what I hear and don't really know if there is anything I'm not hearing. Duh - you say :-)

The problem here is that there is no audio shop from where I can borrow cables. I suppose I will get some grief for asking this question being that I do like what I hear now.

With our arrangement I believe the highs are clear, crisp and very well defined but not overly as to be aggrevating over long listening periods. Bass is out there and is as punchy - more or less - as I want/need it to be. And I can't complain about the mids though it would most likely be in this range where some improvement in detail could be applicable, but having no real reference it's really difficult to tell.

I'm probably just being a typical audio enthusiast trying to wring out that last drop of sound quality from what I have in place. Monster, Audioquest, Acoustic Research etc seem to be the mid-price range but with 6 cables (minimum) I'm looking at somewhere between $350 and $500, which I think is a heck of a lot of money for wire, but that depends on how much is to be gained - doesn't it?

SACDude

Unregistered guest

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:22 pm:

My Rantz and friends - I don't think you have to spend anywhere near $350 on cables! When I went to hook up the Philips to the Nad receiver, I looked around, and read a lot. I finally chose cables from a company whose ads appear often to the right of this forum - Blue Jeans Cables. I've found them to be very good - and if I remember correctly, I paid about $70 for them. However, as I do not have a center speaker, I only ordered five 3-foot cables.
You might check our their web site, but I know several people who use their product - and happily so! Yes, I read on some of your forums where people get angry when discussing cables. It is not my intent to preach - only to say that, in my case, the Blue Jeans cables appear to be very good - this after using them for about a year. As I remember, they also have some good articles about cables on their web pages.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:35 pm:

From "Enjoy the Music"

The Lure of Vintage HiFi

Whatever people say about classic Vincent motorcycles and many have waxed poetic:

Said Red Molly to James that's a fine motorbike,
A girl could feel special on any such like
Said James to Red Molly, well my hat's off to you
It's a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952
And I've seen you at the corners and cafes it seems
Red hair and black leather, my favorite colour scheme
And he pulled her on behind
And down to Boxhill they did ride
-- Richard Thompson

No one suggests that a '52 Vincent Black Lightning will outperform a 2002 Kawasaki ZX-12R.

The same can not, however, be said about NOS (a great oxymoron that continues to bring smiles) Western Electric 300B from the same period as compared to a modern mere 'replica' or, gasp, transistor. And aficionado's (or should we say nutters) of vintage hi fi do not limit themselves to old bottles either. There are those out there who swear until to they are blue note in the face that no modern bit of kit will touch will touch their Marantz 8b, their McIntosh MR71 Tuner, their Western Electric Amp, or Quad ESL 57 (a speaker that appears to be resting on broom sticks) for sheer listening pleasure.

And you know what, I am liable to agree:

Modern amplifiers may have more wallop, spec out better, and run cooler and more reliably, but the nutters who exchange Western Electric monoblocks on Ebay for the price of a decent used car will not have it any other way-other than price. For them, there is no better. There can be no better. And while I will admit to the possibility of their being 'better,' I would gladly light up Western Electrics every evening of the week to listen to Opera through RCA LC1As... if I had them.

That said, there is (of course) great hi-fi out there today. To completely bury your head in the sand of the past is also to miss out. It is different for admirers of old bikes. A Vincent Black Lightning might be great engineering for 1952, and something great to be seen on at the caf�, but you will not find many used as daily drivers unless you are a Jay Leno. By contrast, Tannoy Golds are playing day in, night out, and thousands of Leaks, Quads and Dynaco's keep audiophiles heating bills down in the winter.

Why is it that a reasonable priced Nissan 350Z will out run an early sixties exotic such as a Ferrari 250, but people believe that the ESL57 has not been bettered. Nostalgia? It's certainly a part. Nostalgia for simpler times and simpler technology where you could build an amplifier with your dad from a design in a wireless rag in an era where there was nothing so mysterious as an integrated circuit. (Editor's Note: The Ferrari is much more alluring visually and, as we are indeed "music" lovers here at Enjoy the Music.com�, the Ferrari will sound better too. If one drove both the Ferrari 250 and the Nissan 350Z, i would estimate that 90% of enthusiasts looking for true driving pleasure would give the nod to the Ferrari. Motoring in not necessarily about ultimate speed in a straight line or just getting there. There is much more to the equation. Also note my first job was working for Heathkit... and i have an intimate knowledge of Ferrari sports cars.)

Moreover, the Tannoys, the Heathkits, the Klipschs and even Garrards of the sixties actively encouraged hobbyists to build and take part in the process by supplying cabinet designs, kits and help for their products. It could not have been a cynical marketing exercise if you imagine the customer support nightmares that such a business model would have had to entail. (Editor's Note: i grew up enjoying Dynakits, Marantz, Garrard and 1969 Tannoy 12-inch dual-concentric Gold monitors in custom cabinets. As much as i have tried, my dad will not sell nor trade the Tannoy loudspeakers to me. They still sing sweet melodies to this day.)

In truth, it must have had more to do with accommodating fellow travelers on the road to musical nirvana than milking the experimenter for their very penny. It was also for the reason that the great designers did not understand themselves as very much different from you and me and that there was a market for it. Those at Bottlehead and Pass Labs keep the tradition alive.

But Nostalgia is not the whole story, but it is of course the easy answer. Some are convinced (without ever really listening) that those who listen to tubes or vinyl or what's probably worse vinyl through tubes are luddites of the highest order. This can not really be true insofar as some of the greatest development and revival in tube technology is directly because of the internet. And for people who like dragging rocks through vinyl furrows, we are a surprisingly well acquainted with the modern PC.

Moreover, the great hi-fi pieces develop through time a historical aura all their own that new products cannot hope to match, though they sometimes attempt to in the way that the triode amplfiier manufacturers look to pre-thirties, pre-hi fi designs for their inspiration and marketing. Why not go then after the real thing?

Many collectors admit to buying now what they lusted after when they were young and penniless. Now that they have the pennies, they spend them on what they would have then. Make of it what you will, but there are far more dangerous ways of living in the past. And where familiarity breeds contempt, rarities like Tannoy Backs breeds reverence. And where there is reverence magic is bestowed. Who cares how they sound? It's not the point.

Quality? There's that. Much, but not all, of the stuff then was built, both in terms of design and execution, like, well, you know the term that involves, bricks, houses and what bears do in the woods. If you flip a Leak amplifier over, there is much to admire in the neatness of the wiring looms, the solidity of the chassis, and the weight of the transformers. One thing they are not, however, is beautiful. But an EMT turntable will spin well into the next century, long after its designers have ceased spinning in their graves about MP3s.

And the stuff certainly was not cheap at the time and as such attracted the best designers of the time such as Saul Marantz, Peter Walker, Guy R. Fountain, et al. Had these greats started their careers twenty years ago, they would probably be out of work in the valley today.

Jorges Luis Borges wrote that anything remembered was of value. He did not mean that what was valuable could not be forgotten. Only that if it was remembered, it must be worthy of being remembered and that is as much the case with classical poetry as it is with push pull amplifiers.

But what I think it comes to down to is variety, listenability, value and because it brings the impecunious hobbyist back into the fold. During the golden age, various parishioners were pursuing different routes to Hi Fi. Some with push pull, others triode, different cartridges, horns, electrostatics, reel to reel and even Quadraphonic sound. Everything sounded a bit different and this difference in sound is to some people's taste.

Now it is more, but not exclusively, about 'neutrality,' but people do not always want neutrality and this lack of neutrality appeals. Too much Hi Fi today, except at the extremes, is all too similar and because of its newness does not invite the user to enjoy differences in execution and design hi fi as does vintage equipment for much less money.

And I do not know how we can judge without a time machine, but I think as with wine, much of the equipment has mellowed in time, making it even more listenable. And who really cares anyway? As we have said before, and as we will say again, Enjoy The Music, Enjoy the Hobby, Enjoy Chinese New Year.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:38 pm:

Rantz - Give this a read:

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/cabrese.html

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2096
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:38 pm:

Jan,

Unfortunately I am with you on British cars. By the late 70s pretty well the whole industry had massive quality issues, and people just stopped buying them. It has been cured now, but they are all foreign-owned; the badges had been bought. Same for motorcycles, I think. It quickly gets very political. I had second-hand 1967 Triumph Spitfire Mk III once. The front suspension collapsed at 70 mph. That is an anecdote. Yes, Jaguars were much better off under Ford. They are still not profitable, which is why they closed the Coventry plant last week. I rented a Peugeot 306 diesel in UK. Great little car. Terrible sound system, though. Peugeot (French) is the last car maker left in Coventry, once the British Detroit.

MR,

We could start "Jaguar: to be or not to be" but I am afraid the statistics are probably there to support the case that would not stand with NAD. In 1969 an MGB was probably a still a well-made car. Ten years later the gearbox leaked oil on the drive away from the showroom and was quite likely to sieze up before the first service.

I disagree with Rick on interconnects. But you could try some. I paid about equiv US$30 for a big, thick, well-made and grounded bundle of six, the "hi-end" from the local equivalent of Radio Shack. I think it was overkill. I also have three "out of the box" stereo pairs. One day will see if there is a difference. I personally think spending $350 to $500 on interconnects is crazy. You could get a superb turntable, complete with arm and cartridge, for that....!

"Only six Brandeburg Concertos but six thousand recordings to choose from. "

I think I now have five. That is four down on SACDude. Two general compass points. Original instruments. Really. There were no pianos, then, nor Boehm flutes, nor valved trumpets. Then, analogue is usually better than digital.

SACDude,

Great stuff. I also return to chamber music, especially string quartets. I have five complete Beethoven sets, including Quartetto Italiano on both LP and CD. Plus some extra sets of the middle and late. Prompted by J. Vigne amongst others I recently bought great Shostakovich String Qt. CD set. I was surprised by how accessible they are. Great music, really.

Kegger,

Hi there!. Thanks for the welcome back!

Rick,

The same.

Best wishes.

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2097
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:52 pm:

Sorry that last one of mine refers back to previous posts. Will post back in reply to Jan. I try not to indulge in nostalia. Newer things are sometimes better, sometimes not. Cars and motorcycles have improved, there is little doubt. It has been said before, but "nostalgia ain't what it used to be"...

I still think surround sound has something to offer, for music, the original point of disputation, for newcomers, here.

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2098
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 11:19 pm:

I have now read Jan Monday, September 20, 2004 - 10:35 pm and it is wonderful. I can think of nothing more to say. Sorry to interrupt with that last post!

MR,

And the link re intereconnects/cables is right on, too. There just have to be similar suppliers in Aus.

Yes, I would definitely go here:

http://www.rsaustralia.com/

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 677
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 12:35 am:

Y'all!

Funny isn't it? A US website (http://www.kb-electronics.com/i400mkii-2m.html) sells Monster Interlink 400 Mk11 a pair for $US37.00. In Aus the same product is $AU159.00 per pair. So we are being ripped off to the tune of about $AU105.00. So for the required 3 pair, these robbers would be getting away with quite a haul.

I appreciate all your feedback guys and thanks for the great links and info. Maybe I'll be singing Que Sera Sera for a while and put the money to more DVD-A's and SACD's.

AS I said, the sound is great so I suppose - if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Not unless there's a darn, good, cheap reason :-)

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 678
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 12:45 am:

BTW

My memory is going fast. There musn't be much time left. I now seem to recall our MGB was actually a 1967 model (not a '69), British Racing Green and the first, I think, with the electric overdrive. I know you'll all feel very relieved now that you know!

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 479
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 12:55 am:

Rantz,

I went through all this wire/interconnect stuff many years ago. I know of $80 a pair interconnects that sound amazing, and $2000 a pair interconnects that sound like crap. While I don't believe you have to spend "silly" amounts of money on wire, they are components just as crucial as amps and speakers. That said, I think a good entry cable such as Kimber or ELO will sound dramatically better than what you are using now. Cheers!

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 480
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 12:59 am:

Jan,

Great post. Thank you!

KEGGER

Gold Member

Username: Kegger

MICHIGAN

Post Number: 1520
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 01:29 am:

mr. rantz. sorry for not seeing your post.

i'm pretty much in agreeance with john a.

I believe once you have good quality cabling that
their is no need to seek further.

I use acoustic research. i find them to be inexpensive
quality cabling.

from others who feel like i do have found "blue jeans cabe"
and partsexpress.com house brand cable to be good.

do i think you may experience an audable upgrade
with better cable then you have now? maybe! but
I won't spend a ton on cabling, i say snake oil!

..............................................

jan: in complete agreeance with your postings earlier.

many feel you have to have old equipment that new
isn't any good. what just give up on technology?

then you have others that feel if it's old it's junk.
to me those are the uneducated. either by not reading
or not listening.

really good audio is somewhere in the middle. old
ways of doing things "quality,tubes, or other"
with new tech to bring out the best in the old.

just recently i've been turned onto using old paper in oil
capacitors in my newly modded amps to bring out
the luciousness. "output stage"
then theirs new tube companies trying to use new
tech to build better tubes.

it's like what john said before don't throw away
what is good about the past just because it's old.
keep what is good and build upon it. we can rebuild
it make it better then it was before. that is my feeling
if it's good but old their should be some new tech
we can use to improve it.

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 679
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 03:04 am:

Rick

Thanks, what you say makes sense to me. I'm just not willing to spend 'stupid money' on cables - let alone try and explain it to Mrs Rantz. I will certainly investigate your input, for I too, am sure I could do better than these 'Radio Shack' types.

Kegger

Yes, thanks. I think I'll take away a bit from all you guys and end up with something reasonable, effective and relatively inexpensive.

Cheers guys.

Marc C

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 03:08 am:

J.Vigne,

Have a look at this...

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1100397229

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 01:50 pm:

Marc - Thanks for the link. I hate to see a pair of Angelus go for that small an amount of money. It hurts the image (and resale) of the speakers. There is a small cult, if you will, devoted to the Spica sound as Kegger knows. The seller is right about most of his assessment of the speaker. The only thing I would add, and I wouldn't expect this in an ad for the speakers, is they, like most speakers that can completely disappear from the room, need some careful set up to get the absolute maximum from the speaker. They are very much like Quads in this respect, while not huge they aren't a speaker that visually disppears in a room and their necessary placement can make them an item you decorate the room around or sacrifice what the Spica's can achieve. The room mine have been in for the past ten years has been a dedicated music room where the speakers got priority of placement and they sat well out into the room and in front of a pair of sliding doors that opened into the living room. By changing how much I opened the doors I could adjust the soundstage the speakers created and for big pieces of music I had a stage that could be twenty feet deep with a good recording. Electronic music and so forth had sounds that appeared to be outside the boundaries of the rooms, it was very impressive at times. I have changed my home around and as soon as I get the woodwork refinished in the back room my system will be set up again for two channel sources with the HT in a different room. At that point I will find out whether the Angelus is going to work in this new space. If it doesn't I will resort (poor me) to the LS3/5a's as my main speakers in that system. At that point I don't know what will happen with the Angelus. It is too good a speaker to just let sit and it definitely doesn't work as a HT speaker. But, as the seller in the ad said, they are very difficult to ship without the box that was specially made for them and my boxes were destroyed in the last move to this house. (John, make a note, when the movers tell you they are the fastest movers in town - move on.
You don't want fast, you want careful.)

I hope I have not given the impression that all things old are wonderful. My opinion has always been there are terrific pieces of audio gear that go without so much as a look by most people who want to improve their systems just because we have been told the next years model is new and improved. Like the pieces that dominate this forum (you know, the questions about how do I make this piece of crud I just spent money on sound good) the old world of audio had quite a few items that didn't sound good new and never will sound good other than as a nostalgic piece of interest. My opinion is that the audio world has been going further from the real sound of music as it has moved further away from a hobbyist market into trying to put as many channels of "sound" in every home with a big (or for that matter, any size) screen TV. Where a TR4 (which gave me one of the most terrifying rides I have ever experienced when, in a car badly in need of restoration and lacking a convertible top that could be raised, we climbed to around 100 M.P.H. as we crested a hill and the highway rushed past through the largely nonexistent floorboards, the bonnet began to shake and the driver reached under his seat to get out his bottle of Scotch for another swig.) represented, like the muscle cars of my youth, a thrill to drive to the corner store today's cars are safe while largely uninspiring. But what was so great about a '69 Chevy Nova six cylinder? (Yes, Kegger, I know you could rip out the six and weld new motor mounts for a 396, then change the tranny and rear end and so on but then it's not what it was.) My sister had one and there is little to be nostalgic about with that vehicle. So it is the same with many products be they audio or automotive.

So, Kegger, you've become a part of the paper in oil caps, eh? Interesting development there. Be careful when they start telling you the only way to "hear" your amps is with an expensive cloth wrapped power cable.

Rantz - I offered the link as a way for you to experiment with some inexpensive cables to get an idea what was available in terms of changing/improving your system. As a salesperson I seldom suggested that someone move away from a system they were happy with but I know the desire to find out if there is something better at not much expense is with most audiophiles. Cables largely are a matter of synergy with your system. They work or don't work by altering the physical properties within the interface of components. Change the capacitance between a pre and power amp and you alter the sound. (Change the capacitance of the interface between your power amp and speakers and you might just blow up the amp!) When you have a system that is working well it is often a matter of what an individual is looking for that will determine what they choose as a cable. As has been suggested you have to have a bit of an idea what you are looking for before you know whether you have found it. (I've posted it here before, but one of my favorite quotes from Henry Kloss is, "It ain't research if you know the answer.") Well, in this case you do have to know the answer to be successful. Most any change in cables will affect the system someway (are you out there, Gregory?) but whether it is an improvement or just a change is often up for debate. Changing for the sake of change, as we all know, is a futile adventure. Improving is your goal and most often you find it is done in small incremental steps when you are discussing cables. And what is good for one person, in their system, may not work well for others. (As an aside, I did try a Home Depot extension cord for my speakers in the HT and I am sticking with it as I find the sound quite enjoyable, not better than the Kimber mid priced I removed but equally listenable. The cord cost $6.59 to try. But, I had an extra extension cord from another source that I tried first and it lasted about twenty minutes in the system as it imparted a sense of timing that was as if everyone was playing in a different room with no monitor speakers.) I think you can improve your system with better cables but I would give a few cheapies a try just to get your feet wet as to what is possible. (No cable in my HT system cost more than $49 a meter unless it was a spare from my stereo system.)
And what I suggested to all my clients, before they spent money on a cable, was spend some money and some time cleaning every connection in your system. Owning tube amps that has become a yearly housekeeping measure that most people ignore, particularly with solid state gear. I can't promise anyone anything but I would suggest the best thing you can do for your system right now is to get some Cramolin or similar cleaner and a handful of Q-tips and go at every connector in your system. Make everything nice and shiny again and make certain it makes a good secure connection. (This is especially helpful for low level signals like phono.) Put everything back together paying attention to cable routing, install shorting plugs in unused inputs (not outputs), put a good surge suppressor on the system (one that makes a difference in the background noise of your system is the key) and listen to a favorite piece of music. It could save you enough for a few more discs.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 01:54 pm:

Rick - I saw somone signed onto the forum as "George W. Bush". Can I hope he doesn't try to bring democracy to the forum?

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 481
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 02:53 pm:

Jan,

I'm sorry....... I thought he could help find the NUN. (LOL!)

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2100
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:00 pm:

Jan.

An erudite, awesome post yet again. Thank you for the concern. I have the original packaging for everything, including the Planar 3. I even have the piece of strong cardboard you put between the platter and plinth, to protect the main bearing. Not bad after 25 years. However, various cats have had litters in various speaker boxes. I wonder if there are any truly contented audiophiles who have families, and pets. We shall have to take the removals in stages. The LP collection is far from the greatest of our problems. In the worst case, one could always nip back to the home town of Martin Luther, and re-stock.

My current disaster is the refusal of my NAD T533 to play the EMI Mahler 5 (Rattle/Berlin Phil) DVD-A bought in Christminster. The DVD-V interview with the charming, talented and unassuming Rattle had me lining up with 2c and John S over the tragedy of Alma and the the heroism of Gus. Then the wretched DVD-A will not play.

There is something rotten in the state of Denmark.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:20 pm:

Rick - Having G. W. B. here to help find The Nun is rather like having him find Osama ... well, let's not discuss that. No one else is.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:27 pm:

John - Have you tried cleaning the disc thoroughly? Years ago it was suggested that you clean the disc with dish washing liquid and then follow with a VERY thin wipe of WD40. Lots of people swore by it and claimed better sound quality after treatment. Lots of people, as people are wont to do, wrecked their CD collection by using many times too much WD40 and on some discs it would migrate between the layers and render the disc useless. Try it at your own risk. And, of course, if you do try it use a very soft cloth that won't scratch the disc surface and wipe straight out from the center to the edge of the disc, never in a circular pattern.

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 482
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:32 pm:

TOUCHE my friend! (LOL!)

The current score is: Jan 1 - Rick 0

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2101
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:41 pm:

Google does not have it. It will, soon. This is for Old Dogs who once drove Porches, MGBs, TR4s, and perhaps wonder if novelty has ever been all it's cracked up to be. Something in J. Vigne's post reminded me.

Kingsley Amis.

INSTEAD OF AN EPILOGUE.

To H.

I

In 1932 when I was ten
In my grandmother's garden in Camberwell
I saw a Camberwell Beauty butterfly
Sitting on clump of Michaelmas daisies.
I recognised it because I'd seen a picture
Showing its brownish wings with creamy edges
In a boy's paper or on a cigarette-card
Earlier that week. And I remember thinking,
What else would you expect? Everyone knows
Camberwell Beauties come from Camberwell;
That's why they're called that. Yes, I was ten.

II

in 1940 when I was eighteen
In Marlborough, going out one winter's morning
To walk to school, I saw that every twig,
Every leaf in the vicars's privet hedge
And every stalk and stem was covered in
A thin layer of ice as clear as glass
Because the rain had frozen as it landed.
The sun shone and the trees and shrubs shone back
Like pale flames with orange and green sparkles.
Freak weather conditions, people said,
And one was always hearing about them.

III

In '46 when I was twenty-four
I met someone harmless, someone defenceless,
But till then whole, unadapted within;
Awkward, gentle, healthy, straight-backed,
Who spoke to say something, laughed when amused;
If things went wrong, feared she might be at fault,
Whose eye I could have met for ever then,
Oh yes, and who was also beautiful.
Well, that was much as women were meant to be,
I thought, and set about looking further.
How can we tell, with nothing to compare?

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2102
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:52 pm:

Jan,

Thanks, but I took the disc out of its box, and the box out of its cellophane wrapper, only seconds before. All shiny and clean. It is a software incompatibility if I am not mistaken. I will track it down. Someone's published format is not what they actually decided to go with. When NAD refuses to play EMI then we have a problem.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 05:26 pm:

John - Loved the poem. Are you sure your score is correct on the Political Compass?

Kegger - Please weigh in on this thread:

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/1/94490.html

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 05:35 pm:

"Rick - Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 07:17 pm:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you John and Kegger.

Again, special thanks to Jan for pointing me in the right direction."

I'm holding on to that for at least a 0.25 points in case this gets thrown into the Supreme Court again.

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 483
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 05:56 pm:

Jan,

No problem sir, YOU can always count on me!

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 680
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 06:22 pm:

John A

This could put an end to your DVD player blues:
http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-bin/shownews.php?id=6897

Sorry to hear you're still having problems with certain discs. Personally, I'd take the thing back and demand a refund. One problem disc in a few hundred could be excusable, anything less is not good enough.

You could try freezing your discs too - I heard that does wonders. Maybe microwave them :-)

Jan,

Yes, thanks. I got a lot from reading that thread. I'll see what's available and inexpensive here in due course. But as you say, I'm not looking for a change unless it's an improvement. Cleaning connections will be part of the equation also.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 09:08 pm:

Rantz - Remember, always change one thing at a time.

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 682
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 10:56 pm:

Jan

Okay, gotcha, Thanks!

Gold Member

Username: John_a

Post Number: 2103
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 02:25 am:

Jan,

"Loved the poem." I am glad. "Are you sure your score is correct on the Political Compass?" No, not at all. I don't mind drifting left or right as long as I stay libertarian. Kinsley Amis drifted right. He went from angry young man to grumpy old cynic, but never even dreamed he knew what was good for other people.

Mr Rantz,

Thanks. That Marantz looks good. I have no time right now, but will first pursue this NAD player business as far as it leads. The DVD-A sound is wonderful, but the "no-play" score is now 2 out of 18, I think. EMI make things to the book. It is a serious black mark for someone. SACD will not have this problem, I am sure.

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 686
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 02:50 am:

No problems John - er, that's a Denon by the way and may be better than my HIGHER BL*$DY PRICED 2900!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Marc C

Unregistered guest

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 03:27 am:

J.Vigne,

Welp, fine cult audio doesn't need a high price tag. I'm just trying to stop crying because I was $350 and 75 miles away from what sounds like an amazing speaker... Oh well, ho hum, least he spoke well of the Europas. It keeps me curious about them.

As for doing 100mph over a mountain in a TR4 with a whiskey-swilling pilot - I can only imagine. Funny thing that old steel. No matter what car I get in my life, none will match my first love - a 1970 Ford LTD Station Wagon with a 400ci. engine and simulated wood paneling. Love is a many spendored thing...

Meantime, I'll try to get over the Spicas and salivate over the Celestion Ditton 66's on ebay right now.

Such a problem is desire...

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 12:52 pm:

John - Jerry Rubin went from "Steal This Book" to, "Buy mutual funds from me." But he was always certain he knew what was good for others. Ah, youth; tis a shame it's wasted ...

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 12:54 pm:

Marc - There will no doubt be more Spicas for sale as they get pushed out of stereo systems to make way for the Home Theater Extravaganza Megolith. But that was a great deal.

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 484
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 02:44 pm:

Jan and all "OD's",

I must start by stating that this post is NOT a joke. I have just seen one of the most frightening things in my 54 years on earth. I just saw a nun, yes Jan, a nun on cable tv hawking religious figurines and such on the "Best of EWTN Religious Catalogue" program.

I'm sorry, I have to go sit down now for a spell. Maybe I'll go sharpen some wooden stakes first.

J. Vigne

Unregistered guest

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 06:10 pm:

Rick - I bet the really scary part was when she told you how much time you had left.

Silver Member

Username: Rick_b

New York
USA

Post Number: 485
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 07:00 pm:

Jan-The really scary part was she was using a wooden ruler to show the size and scale of the figurines..................A WOODEN RULER..........THE HORROR!

Silver Member

Username: Myrantz

Post Number: 687
Registered: Aug-04

Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 07:58 pm:

Rick

Do you think the President was just helping her out as a favour?