Dusty Chalk

That's easy -- ULN-2. Especially if you interpret as "Flavor of This Month".

Weakest component == most important. No, seriously, the cartridge/phono pre are probably the most important, because you're starting out with such a low voltage, that it's very easy to introduce (and amplify) non-signal-related noise into the sound.

Yeah, there are basically two schools of thought -- one is Team Over-engineering, in which you run the tubes well within spec, and use more of them if you need more; the other is Team Tubes Are Cheap, in which they run them "hot", because they think they sound better that way.

Jesus, what are you doing, building the house?

But do you actually listen to it? That was my point. And yes, of course there are people who actually listen to it -- the players and producers themselves obviously listen to their own recordings. And yes, smooth jazz is perfect for porn -- you don't exactly watch porn for the soundtrack, do you?

I do think high res/SACD sound more like analog -- certainly close enough that I don't think I could tell the difference, even if we found a way to DBT "fatigue". The problem with describing it is that it's subliminal -- honestly, you're getting so close that really the only difference is fatigue, which I can't hear until I listen for several minutes, perhaps an entire disc. Okay, here's word for you: "grunge". And I don't mean full-on distortion, I mean a really subtle grunge that you barely notice. It goes where I said "veil" did not. It's easiest to hear when you go back and forth between SACD and CD on the same player (as I've been doing all week). CD is still perfectly listenable, but there's a relief when listening to SACD that just isn't there with CD.

So...what? You're going to hit every cantina that has live music until you find the droids you're looking for?

That lower right corner of Fantastic Family Circus is especially awesome.

Just wow. I have expressed a similar sentiment, but not so eloquently spoken.

I'm not sure I can put it into words. I just know that something goes away -- and no, it's not a veil -- when I listen to high-res PCM (24/96), SACD, or analog.

First of all, quit calling them "electro" -- I'm thinking music, took me a sentence or two before I understood you were talking about "electrostatics". If you're going to shorten the name, at least use the same contraction that everyone else uses: "stats". Oh, and smooth jazz sucks, you should stop listening to it. Jazz is awesome, and some of the best is some of the smoothest, but "smooth jazz" is a different genre entirely -- music for people who don't really like music.

Good, I'm glad the sound is adequate.

You don't think "Shakespeare" would shake out as the popular choice, given a large enough statistical sample?

Ooh, nekkid.

Why the hell would black be "distracting"? I think you just wanted something to put in the "con" column, I don't think there really is any cons to black. Other than it gets dirty fairly easily too. Not as easily as white, but easier than say, paisley or marble or camo or anything else that already looks "splotchy". Especially shiny solid black (e.g. piano black, or in your case, "black smooth").

How about just putting a navel on them. That way you look like you're really an orange with a human costume on.

That's just stupid -- there are some really great costumes designed for one person, but made to look like it's really two entities. E.G.: Or, conversely, he should just get a child to play C3PO.

My dad: "If you can't tell...who cares?"

?

Wow, she won an internal lottery or something? Or was that some sort of reward for a job well done? Or does everyone at that company get to do that?

x2! Feel good story of the ...er... week. Or something.

That was one of my favorite moments in the movie. On paper, you would think that it would totally derail the emotional momentum -- it's a totally random, comedic moment at a rather crucial moment in the film -- and yet it totally works. It's like the anticlimax before a big climax on a really good Trevor Horn 12" remix.

Pffft.

I say an abstraction of a Gordian knot.

That is a thing of beauty.