909

i think the dynamite (digipete's) is one of the best solid states i've heard, if not the best. i suppose so much depends on parts and implementation/build quality. and i've heard a handful off that polling list too.

tj's white chicken & roasted beet salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette

gasoline tax chart

as of 7/2008 California had the highest gasoline tax in the nation and likely still does. i hate having to think about it.

in Los Angeles it's easily averaging over $4 a gallon. highest i've seen is $4.20, but most are charging around $4.09. next fill up i am costco bound where it's slightly under $4 or the chevron station on jefferson that charges the same. i also need to stop driving like a race car driver...

fresh cut Hawaiian pineapple

Congratulations! APL has a glowing reputation for his modifications. Did you consider other sources? What are you comparing it against? Can't wait to read more impressions! I am eager to hear one.

Kanye West, Glow In The Dark Tour

i hate you! HATE YOU! i didn't have success with my first vinyl rig--scout plus about $2K in accessories and whatnot. well it turns out my cart wasn't dialed in right. the denon overhang gauge didn't jive with my sony headshell (as my tt didn't come with the original overhang). we used a digital caliper and found the stylus to be a little more than 3 mm off. after a slight lengthening adjustment that highs recessed just a bit (more normal and tame) and the bottom appeared. i think that issue is put to rest, fingers crossed. now i need to work at making my vinyl quieter (cheap cleaning or something) and my first few hours with the 640p hasn't been too good--i'll probably be looking for another phono stage, though, i am giving the 640 a few weeks and going to leave the thing on to see if that makes any improvement plus switching back and forth between the MM and MC inputs. right now i am borrowing a friend's tube phono because the 640p initially made me grit my teeth.

ok, after comparing my ps-x800 against the HK st-7 my table still sounds bright in the upper register and lite in the bottom, but overall substantially better than before. i am pulling my hair out over this thing and it's making me more nuts than usual. there are a few possible variables as i see it--the dl-110, installation/set-up, the turntable, or something is amiss with this particular table. i am so ready to swap in the M97xE. but before i go through with it, i need to compare my table against another with the same cart, a sumiko blue point special, since this might resolve whether it's the cart or table.

apparently, the 4 op-amps aren't covered with black goop. a very knowledgeable fellow that actually looked at the reimyo guts with a magnifying glass said they are custom made op-amps--not off the shelf stuff.

dreamcomposer pay for two zds plus a little extra, i believe, for the modification and customized volume control.

i suppose if one really wanted a balanced zd, it would require purchasing two zds and possibly arriving at the same solution craig and joe (aka dreamcomposer) worked out on the volume control.

don't really know, but doubtful as he seems more likely to release either the HD2 or the BA or both.

wrong! that's the DM-2 the balanced ZD is two ZD running together.

When I went to this meet I didn

green shirt: craig (aka: eddie, eddie current) long sleeve gray shirt: john (aka: jp#s, jp11801) red shirt: joe (aka: dreamcomposer) short sleeve gray shirt: min (aka: foo_me) black shirt: me not pictured: steve (aka: zippy2001, camera man)

based off the pics and what a good friend said i think you're referencing the OPA627AP, the other 4 op-amps which are probably the I/V conversion look like they're covered by black stuff.

got this off audiokarma, Most inexpensive steam cleaners run steam that barely exceeds 212 degrees Fahrenheit (the boiling point of water). By comparison, the lowest "flow" temperatures of most vinyl compounds are in the 300+ degree range. Firmer compounds probably have flow temperatures above 325 degrees. In fact, it usually takes temperature excursions at or above 400 degrees to cause any fundamental chemical degradation of the vinyl. So steam alone shouldn't cause any problems at all, since the vinyl acts as a heat sink, and the effective temperature of the vinyl never gets to 200 degrees. The only way problems might occur is if you were able to heat a large area of vinyl, and then put some sort of abnormal stress upon the album.

yes, it has an external sync-in (for the clock) and digital output--my friend is a composer and he's looking to buy one after hearing most of the big hitters and mentioned that the cdp777 transport could be linked up (big ben i believe) to used in his studio system.

Steve, I read this post on Audiogon and thought about your query. I just bought the Perfection steam cleaner at Walgreens. Since I was impatient, I tried it with filtered water on some records I didn't care about. Just blasted them with the steam and wiped with a nice thick microfiber auto detailing cloth from Target. Quick, simple, and more effective than my Nitty Gritty. Highly recommended. One thing that bothered me was the nasty burning plastic chemical smell from the steam. We are all so worried about having the purest water, but in the end contamination from the plastic leaching nasty stuff into the steam is probably a bigger problem. The records sounded great, however.

there's no optical outputs on the player so optical is likely feeding the dacs (or some sort of combo of things unseen at that vantage-point) at least that's what we thought, but we also assumed there's more going on underneath on the board's bottom side. if it's wrong, wrong never sounded so right

QFT i like the pretty different colored wires. in fact, in certain locations it's like little wire rainbow arrangements.

yeah vinyl can be a fickle little bitch especially while attempting to please finicky ears. the PS-X800 came with a p-mount Ortofon cart, which sounded better on the sellers system than my own. i had originally intended to purchase the denon dl-180, but got sidetrack after speaking with Brooks' son Brian. They both highly suggested I get the Benz MC20E2 and it was even more appealing because they had old stock pricing ($200 vs. $250). Yet that cart was sibilant and hot, hot, though, otherwise not bad sounding. When I told Brooks my woes, he said he made the recommendation and would take care of me. Upon my return, Brooks thought the Grado Gold would be a good alternate choice. In his shop, we also did some listening and comparing with a Sumiko Blue Point special, which not only was more than I was willing to spend, but didn't tickle me right upon first listen. After spending a few hours with the Gold in the comfort of my own home, I thought it wasn't as hot as the Benz, but still it got too bright and a bit harsh at times in the top. further, it just wasn't a very coherent cart and veiled to boot. I had to make a third trip back, but he kindly refunded my money. Now I am sitting pretty and my ears are happy with the DL-110 and looking at this sealed Shure M97xE box, both I ordered from Amazon and wondering how the latter would fare.