Allan Songer

Wow.

I like soft, dark and lush. Not for everyone, but it sure as heck floats my boat . . .

If you want try tubes, look for a used 1980's Conrad-Johnson pre. The old ones are full-function (balance controls, mono switch, phono section, etc.), are nicely made, look good and are pretty much warhorses. You can pick up a PV-3 or PV-6 for $300 or so and for a couple of hundred more a PV-5 or PV-7, both of which are REALLY nice and have yourself a ball. I own or have owned a handful of them and they're really a bargain in the used market . . .

Pretty much anything you find on Atlas Records is worth your time and money.

Jack Sheldon's Angel Wings on Atlas Records from the early 1980's. This is really more of an Art Pepper date than a Jack Sheldon date, but there's some fierce blowing here and the sonics are amazing. Gary's quote: "It sure was nice of Art to let Jack solo a couple of times on his own record." http://cgi.ebay.com/ATLAS-JAPAN-JACK-SHELDON-w-ART-PEPPER-ANGEL-WINGS-MINT_W0QQitemZ320110241193QQihZ011QQcategoryZ306QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Or one of the new NOS Valves Stereo amps running 350B tubes! SWEEEEET!

I used smooth-plate Telefunkens for many years in my C22 preamp. About 8 years ago I bought 20 of the Mullard CV4004 box plates--early 1980's production and Aussie Navy Surplus. I picked these up along with 16 NOS clear bottle GEC KT-66 of the same early 1980's vintage from the same seller. Maybe my best tube deal ever. I sold one quad of the KT-66 a couple of years ago for more than the entire lot cost me back in 1998! I still have 8 of the KT-66 and about 4-5 of the CV4004. THe CV4004 is actually very similar to the Telefunkens--a bit "warmer" and perhaps not quite as much detail, but the midrange--especially vocals--are really something else with the Mullards. I really haven't rolled much else through the C22--I did try some vintage Tung-Sols which were OK and some Sovteks which were pretty nice too (a real shock to me). I don't think the C22 is as sensitive as other preamps, perhaps.

They're just super selected, tested and rebranded Brimars (and sometimes Mullards). VERY nice tubes. VERY overpriced. I had one pair that I sold on ebay about 2-3 years ago.

Why not Genalex B759s? http://cgi.ebay.com/Genelex-12AX7-Vintage-Tubes-Matched-Pair-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ150116598531QQihZ005QQcategoryZ64629QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

How about one of each?

Happens all the time. Just check out those Scorpio vinyl reissues!!

Removing all of the "noise" will also kill the music. I tried some similar software about 3 years ago with my freind Joel trying to burn copies of some impossibly rare and totally effed up Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor records and the result was lacking to say the least. You'd be better off just burning raw tranfers--unless you're talking about really beat records that you simply cannot find decent copies to either download or buy. The cleaned up digital transfers I made were OK for the car, but the beat vinyl still stomped all over the scrubbed digital in my main system.

Maybe in Dallas? I am sure you won't find much in Oklahoma . . .

I use both--a MM in my office systen (linn Adikt) and the Ortofon SPU range at home. All I can tell you is that the SPU is my all time favorite cartridge--I don't care if it's "accurate"--it SOUNDS accurate--piano, horn, bass all sound "real" to me. The information you posted is odd--the Moving Coil cartridge has been around as long as the LP--the Orotfon MC was introduced in 1948, so I can't see the introduction as being in response to ANYTHING.

A jazz pal of mine in NYC just sent be a brief email. He says last night's sets were incredible, that Spualding and Chambers were on fire, Cables was great and that Feddie's lip was in great shape and the he was blowing up a storm. DAMN!

I don't really "get" the whole Home Theater thing--I've sat and listened and watched to some pretty incredible set-ups and can't imagine for a minute spending any money or time putting one together. Don't get me wrong, I'm no anti-TV snob and I make my living in the TV/Film industry, but it all seems sorta pointless to me. I mean, how much more would I enjoy Keith Olberman or The Sopranos with hi-fi sound and a big-*** HD picture? Not much. And that's MY limitation perhaps. And concert DVDs tend to bore the living crap out of me--even ones where the music is good. I don't really watch very many movies at home--maybe 2 or 3 a month--I really like seeing them in the theater if possible, but once in a while we do watch a movie at home. I am totally happy with my 27" 10 year old CRT television. And think of all the money I have left for RECORDS by being such a cheapskate when it comes to TV!!!

Transformers with gold plated bells. VRDs for the Sultan of Brunei?

Sure wish I could be there for these shows . . . Iridium Jazz Club presents Freddie Hubbard and Friends Freddie Hubbard- Trumpet James Spaulding- Alto Sax Javon Jackson- Tenor Sax (April 26 and 27) Craig Handy- Tenor Sax (April 28 and 29) Slide Hampton- Trombone (April 26) Curtis Fuller (April 27) Kiane Zawadi- Trombone (April 28) Steve Davis- Trombone (April 29) David Weiss- Trumpet Ronnie Matthews- Piano (April 26 and 27) George Cables- Piano (April 28 and 29) Christian McBride- Bass (April 26 and April 29) Dwayne Burno- Bass (April 27 and 28) Louis Hayes- Drums (April 26 and 27) Joe Chambers- Drums (April 28 and 29) plus many other special guests Thursday- Sunday April 26-29 Sets at 8:30 and 10:30 pm Iridium Jazz Club 1650 Broadway (at 51st Street) (212) 582-2121 http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/

I sold my Marantz 9s in the early 1980's becasue I needed to put a new transmission in my truck and I didn't want to use my credit card. DOH!

Never heard of nor have I seen a Harmon Kardon SR1000. I have a little HK 6V6 integrated--nice little 10 watt amp. Nothing to write home about. $175 seems like a lot of money for this one. You should buy something already "done"-- NOS Valves rebuilt Scott 299s seem to turn up around here ready to go in the $500 range all the time.

Nice! http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-WOODEN-SHELF-FOR-TD-124-TUBE-MARANTZ-SYSTEM_W0QQitemZ170105825413QQihZ007QQcategoryZ48649QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Reminds me of the console I picked up in Palm Desert back in the early 90's--the one I found had a McIntosh C22, MI-3 Scope, MR-71 and MC-2105 amp. I still use that same preamp, scope and tuner in my current system!

Some info on Columbia matrix numbers. I am even more confused: http://www.recordcollectorsguild.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=32129&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=columbia+matrix&start=10

Yeah--they ran a new service from the pole in the alley behind my house into new 2" conduit that runs down the side of the house from the second story to the new breaker box. I did this upgrade as part of a complete kitchen remodel that ended up at about 90 grand for the whole project ( a horrible 7 months!), so I don't remember EXACTLY what the electrical work cost me (rewire entire downstairs and one cirucuit upstairs, new 200 amp service), but I think is was something like 6 grand all in. This was 6-7 years ago.

Well, I have. I bought a house in 1982 that was built in 1907. The ENTIRE house was wired in 10-guage some time in the 60's or 70's by the previous owner. I have to tell you it was a PAIN IN THE BUTT to change out ANYTHING in that house. The guy who rewired the house also ran ALL of the wire in conduit! He stripped the house down to the studs on the interior, ran 10 guage in conduit and then replastered the walls using metal lath!!! I had to remove the siding from the outside of the house in order to remove a dishwasher because he had HARD-WIRED the damn thing in place and then built the cabinets around it.

Do you know what the size is of your exisiting service? I don't have A/C and STILL I need 200 amps--the pair of ovens we put in a few years ago need one 20A circuit for EACH oven! You can chew through 200 amps in a heartbeat with modern appliances! I have two 15A circuits for my hi-fi--one powers the amps the the other the rest of the gear. I didn't NEED two circuits, but I had the room and said "what the hell!" Replacing your fusebox with circuit breakers won't really do anything for you--other than being more reliable and safer! Do you still have ungrounded plugs in your house? You might have 3-prong outlets, but that doesn't mean anything! You really should consider a new service, a new curcuit breaker box and new wiring as needed. You could run new wiring to your A/V gear only from the new service and not bother with the rest of the house--I have original 1927 wiring throughout the entire second floor of my home with the exception of the circuit that powers my treadmill.