[Tube Preamp Woes- Need your help!]

Sorry you are having this kind of trouble. Might as well see it through and then get it working and sell it. The Jolida is Chinese made but the company is here in Maryland and has good service.

[Are These People For Real?]

A friend has forwarded me a link from a site known as Better Records. They have records for sale that they refer to as "Hot Stampers," which is a ridiculous sounding name in the first place. Only they are trying to sell a copy of Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" for $224.99, which is beyond insane. Is this whole site a joke, or what?

--- Hot Stampers: Guaranteed High Fidelity If you've been waiting for a great sounding Little Feat record, today is your lucky day. Folks, for the first time ever, we are featuring Hot Stamper copies of one of the all-time great live albums: Waiting For Columbus. This shootout took YEARS to get off the ground, but we finally found the kind of sound we had hoped for. Also appearing in Hot Stamper form for the very first time are Elvis Costello's Spike and Joni Mitchell's The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. Both of them are available below at relatively low prices, so take one home and give it a spin! Of course, there's much more: Hot Stamper copies of Zep I, Tupelo Honey, Santana 3, Nevermind, and Abbey Roads for starters. You'll find sealed copies of nice out-of-print titles and some audiophile goodies near the bottom. Happy Shopping! Check out our eBay store for deals on equipment, CDs, heavy vinyl and more! Don't forget: all of our used LPs, including Hot Stampers, are 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you don't love one of your Better Records, return it to us within 30 days for full credit! White Hot Stamper! Little Feat This German import pressing of Waiting for Columbus is DRAMATICALLY BETTER SOUNDING than the typical Mastering Lab-mastered copy. This copy came from my own personal collection, accidentally discovered way back in the early '80s as I recall. A+++ for side one and A++ for the rest. Our Price: $449.99 Super Hot Stamper! Little Feat Side three here earned a grade of A Double Plus, close to the best we heard. Sides one and two both earned an A Plus, quite a step up from the typical domestic pressing you might run into. This is a BEAUTIFULLY recorded concert, and many of the versions they do of their old material are KILLER. Our Price: $249.99 Hot Stamper! Little Feat Side two here earned a grade of A++ to A+++, neck and neck with the best sound we have ever heard for this album! Side one was also very good; since the first two sides are the two best in my opinion, this one gets a firm recommendation for those who love Little Feat, one of the greats. Our Price: $174.99 Hot Stamper! Led Zeppelin Most copies that hit our table don't sound NEARLY as good as this British reissue pressing, which really knocked our socks off with A+ - A++ sound and mostly Mint Minus vinyl on both sides. Folks, if you're ready to rock out with a great copy of Zeppelin's killer debut, you are not going to want to miss out on this record! Our Price: $299.99 Semi-Hot Stamper! Led Zeppelin Good sound on side one, great sound on side two, and unusually quiet vinyl throughout! This German Import pressing ain't perfect, but it's certainly better than most copies out there and will easily beat the Classic Records pressing. Side two earned an A+ grade -- tonally correct, hi-rez, lots of echo... Our Price: $99.99 Bad Advice Thanks Mapleshade! A sonic suggestion in the Spring '09 Mapleshade catalog struck Tom so strange that he had to read it through a couple of times to be sure he wasn't hallucinating. Follow this link for the single worst piece of audio advice he's ever read, and of course, Tom's thoughts on the matter. White Hot Stamper! Elvis Costello This White Hot Stamper showed us a Spike we never knew existed -- so much energy and presence to the sound, it came jumping out of the speakers and simply refused to mind its manners. Elvis should be proud. Why don't more records sound like this? Our Price: $249.99 Super Hot Stamper! Elvis Costello Nearly White Hot Stampers for side one of Elvis Costello's Last Really Good Album and no, they're not British, the British ones were a joke. The album was mixed at Ocean Way (and elsewhere) with plenty of that big bold sound they know how to get. Our Price: $149.99 Hot Stamper! Elvis Costello On the best copies these songs COME TO LIFE here in a very big way. Since this is one of the best batches of songs Elvis (and his buddy Paul McCartney) ever wrote, the combination of such good sound and such good music makes this the last of the great Elvis records from an audiophile perspective. Our Price: $74.99 Super Hot Stamper! Joni Mitchell EXCELLENT A++ SOUND ON BOTH SIDES! We just finished a big shootout for this album and here's a wonderful copy that's consistently good from the first song to the last. Both sides have the kind of presence and immediacy that put a living, breathing Joni Mitchell right between your speakers, really belting it out! Our Price: $149.99 Hot Stamper! Joni Mitchell LOVELY SOUND ON BOTH SIDES AT A BARGAIN PRICE! Both sides are very open and transparent with lots of breath to Joni's voice. Side one has wonderful presence and energy while side two is incredibly clean and clear. This album goes further into the smooth jazz-fusion sound explored on Court and Spark. Our Price: $99.99 Hot Stamper! Joni Mitchell TWO GOOD SIDES, certainly not in a league with the very best pressings, but still strong enough to decimate the typical copy! We played a big stack of these and this one was solid enough to rate above solid A on both sides. The sound is clean, clear, transparent and very natural. Our Price: $64.99 White Hot Stamper! Van Morrison AMAZING MASTER TAPE SOUND on side two backed with an excellent side one. I'll bet just about anything that you've never heard Van Morrison sound as good as he does on side two here in your entire life. We played a massive stack of copies recently and felt incredibly lucky to find one that sounded like this. Our Price: $449.99 Super Hot Stamper! Santana SUPERB SOUND ON SIDE ONE -- you've got to hear it to believe it! 'No One To Depend On' is OFF THE CHARTS on this copy, Demo Quality for sure. The sound is amazing -- warm and sweet with plenty of big bass. The presence and energy are stunning and the sound of the organ is Right On The Money Our Price: $249.99 White Hot Stamper! Nirvana DEMO DISC QUALITY A+++ SOUND on side two! It's got the big, uber-punchy, hard rockin' attitude we demand from a Nevermind Hot Stamper. You will find the sound so rich and full-bodied that at times you'd swear it was tube mastered! Side one is pretty darn good as well, rating an A+. Our Price: $199.99 Super Hot Stamper! The Beatles AMAZING SOUND ON SIDE TWO, one of our favorite sides of any Beatle album! You don't hear too many copies with a huge bottom like this. It's much tougher to find great copies of Abbey Road than it is for, say, Help or Hard Day's Night. Most of the copies we've played aren't good enough to put on the site! Our Price: $249.99 Hot Stamper! Fleetwood Mac Let me tell you, when Rumours sounds this good, it's very easy to understand why this is one of the best- selling pop music albums of all time. Just about everyone knows how great these songs are, but I bet you didn't know they could sound like this! Our Price: $224.99 Super Hot Stamper! James Taylor UNBELIEVABLY GOOD SOUND on side two of this Apple British Import LP. We played a big stack of nothing but British Original pressings, and this one has one of the best side twos we've ever heard. There might be a better sounding side two out there somewhere, but I doubt you can find one! Our Price: $174.99 Super Hot Stamper! Ella Fitzgerald This Super Hot Stamper Verve Mono LP has an EXCELLENT SIDE TWO backed by a pretty darn good side one. Both sides are super smooth, sweet and tubey magical with Ella's vocals sounding wonderful. Our Price: $99.99 Super Hot Stamper! Ella & Basie This Verve Super Hot Stamper LP has an AMAZING SIDE TWO! The sound is lively and dynamic and Ella's vocals are very present in the mix. It's richer and fuller than side one and the soundstage really fills the room. Our Price: $74.99 Factory Sealed Thelma Houston This is a BEAUTIFUL Factory Sealed Sheffield Direct to Disc LP. Worth it for one track alone, the exquisite "Don't Misunderstand". The cover is in beautiful condition inside the loose shrink. Our Price: $99.99 On Sale Now! Ed Graham This is an IMMACULATE M&K Realtime Direct-to-Disc 45 RPM LP, a longtime member of the TAS Superdisc List, and a true DEMO DISC for dynamic, punchy, full- range reproduction of a real drum kit. Sale Price: $99.99 Direct to Disc Earl "Fatha" Hines This IMMACULATE looking M&K Direct-to-Disc LP is one of the better Direct Discs on M&K. It's especially good jazz piano music; Earl Hines plays up a storm on this album. Check out the track Birdland. Our Price: $99.99 Direct to Disc Tower of Power This Factory Sealed Sheffield Lab Flower Label 180g Direct-to-Disc LP was always one of my favorite Sheffields. The original pressings of this record tended to be noisy and slightly warped. Our Price: $99.99 Factory Sealed Stevie Wonder This is a Factory Sealed Motown cutout 3 LP set of some of the best Motown pop-soul ever recorded. The originals may sound better, but good luck trying to find them in clean condition. Never released on CD! Our Price: $49.99 Factory Sealed Simon & Garfunkel Factory Sealed Warner Brothers Double LP with a Promo hole and Track Listing sticker. I've heard this album sound very good before. It's nice to hear Garfunkel singing backup on Simon's solo material. Our Price: $39.99 Factory Sealed Dire Straits This is a Factory Sealed Warner Brothers cutout LP. We have found cutout copies of this record that sounded amazing, so don't let the little saw mark scare you away. Our Price: $34.99 CCR This is a surprisingly GOOD SOUNDING Mobile Fidelity LP. With the exception of a little extra top end, the sound is Right On The Money. I would say there aren't more than ten MOFI LPs that have the tonal correctness that this album has. Our Price: $74.99 Huey Lewis This IMMACULATE looking Mobile Fidelity LP with Virtually No Sign Of Play is a surprisingly hard to find MOFI these days. It's the first one we've had in quite a while. AMG calls the craftsmanship here "pretty infectious". Our Price: $59.99 Zubin Mehta This is a Minty looking Mobile Fidelity LP with Very Little Sign Of Play, containing the music of Star Wars and Close Encounters. This MOFI pressing is far more TRANSPARENT than the London pressings we have of the same music. Our Price: $39.99 Visit the Hot Stamper section to find our best sounding LPs 100% guaranteed above 99% satisfaction rate! New to the site? Read more about Hot Stampers.

[Are These People For Real?]

A friend has forwarded me a link from a site known as Better Records. They have records for sale that they refer to as "Hot Stampers," which is a ridiculous sounding name in the first place. Only they are trying to sell a copy of Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" for $224.99, which is beyond insane. Is this whole site a joke, or what?

--- Hot Stampers: Guaranteed High Fidelity If you've been waiting for a great sounding Little Feat record, today is your lucky day. Folks, for the first time ever, we are featuring Hot Stamper copies of one of the all-time great live albums: Waiting For Columbus. This shootout took YEARS to get off the ground, but we finally found the kind of sound we had hoped for. Also appearing in Hot Stamper form for the very first time are Elvis Costello's Spike and Joni Mitchell's The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. Both of them are available below at relatively low prices, so take one home and give it a spin! Of course, there's much more: Hot Stamper copies of Zep I, Tupelo Honey, Santana 3, Nevermind, and Abbey Roads for starters. You'll find sealed copies of nice out-of-print titles and some audiophile goodies near the bottom. Happy Shopping! Check out our eBay store for deals on equipment, CDs, heavy vinyl and more! Don't forget: all of our used LPs, including Hot Stampers, are 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you don't love one of your Better Records, return it to us within 30 days for full credit! White Hot Stamper! Little Feat This German import pressing of Waiting for Columbus is DRAMATICALLY BETTER SOUNDING than the typical Mastering Lab-mastered copy. This copy came from my own personal collection, accidentally discovered way back in the early '80s as I recall. A+++ for side one and A++ for the rest. Our Price: $449.99 Super Hot Stamper! Little Feat Side three here earned a grade of A Double Plus, close to the best we heard. Sides one and two both earned an A Plus, quite a step up from the typical domestic pressing you might run into. This is a BEAUTIFULLY recorded concert, and many of the versions they do of their old material are KILLER. Our Price: $249.99 Hot Stamper! Little Feat Side two here earned a grade of A++ to A+++, neck and neck with the best sound we have ever heard for this album! Side one was also very good; since the first two sides are the two best in my opinion, this one gets a firm recommendation for those who love Little Feat, one of the greats. Our Price: $174.99 Hot Stamper! Led Zeppelin Most copies that hit our table don't sound NEARLY as good as this British reissue pressing, which really knocked our socks off with A+ - A++ sound and mostly Mint Minus vinyl on both sides. Folks, if you're ready to rock out with a great copy of Zeppelin's killer debut, you are not going to want to miss out on this record! Our Price: $299.99 Semi-Hot Stamper! Led Zeppelin Good sound on side one, great sound on side two, and unusually quiet vinyl throughout! This German Import pressing ain't perfect, but it's certainly better than most copies out there and will easily beat the Classic Records pressing. Side two earned an A+ grade -- tonally correct, hi-rez, lots of echo... Our Price: $99.99 Bad Advice Thanks Mapleshade! A sonic suggestion in the Spring '09 Mapleshade catalog struck Tom so strange that he had to read it through a couple of times to be sure he wasn't hallucinating. Follow this link for the single worst piece of audio advice he's ever read, and of course, Tom's thoughts on the matter. White Hot Stamper! Elvis Costello This White Hot Stamper showed us a Spike we never knew existed -- so much energy and presence to the sound, it came jumping out of the speakers and simply refused to mind its manners. Elvis should be proud. Why don't more records sound like this? Our Price: $249.99 Super Hot Stamper! Elvis Costello Nearly White Hot Stampers for side one of Elvis Costello's Last Really Good Album and no, they're not British, the British ones were a joke. The album was mixed at Ocean Way (and elsewhere) with plenty of that big bold sound they know how to get. Our Price: $149.99 Hot Stamper! Elvis Costello On the best copies these songs COME TO LIFE here in a very big way. Since this is one of the best batches of songs Elvis (and his buddy Paul McCartney) ever wrote, the combination of such good sound and such good music makes this the last of the great Elvis records from an audiophile perspective. Our Price: $74.99 Super Hot Stamper! Joni Mitchell EXCELLENT A++ SOUND ON BOTH SIDES! We just finished a big shootout for this album and here's a wonderful copy that's consistently good from the first song to the last. Both sides have the kind of presence and immediacy that put a living, breathing Joni Mitchell right between your speakers, really belting it out! Our Price: $149.99 Hot Stamper! Joni Mitchell LOVELY SOUND ON BOTH SIDES AT A BARGAIN PRICE! Both sides are very open and transparent with lots of breath to Joni's voice. Side one has wonderful presence and energy while side two is incredibly clean and clear. This album goes further into the smooth jazz-fusion sound explored on Court and Spark. Our Price: $99.99 Hot Stamper! Joni Mitchell TWO GOOD SIDES, certainly not in a league with the very best pressings, but still strong enough to decimate the typical copy! We played a big stack of these and this one was solid enough to rate above solid A on both sides. The sound is clean, clear, transparent and very natural. Our Price: $64.99 White Hot Stamper! Van Morrison AMAZING MASTER TAPE SOUND on side two backed with an excellent side one. I'll bet just about anything that you've never heard Van Morrison sound as good as he does on side two here in your entire life. We played a massive stack of copies recently and felt incredibly lucky to find one that sounded like this. Our Price: $449.99 Super Hot Stamper! Santana SUPERB SOUND ON SIDE ONE -- you've got to hear it to believe it! 'No One To Depend On' is OFF THE CHARTS on this copy, Demo Quality for sure. The sound is amazing -- warm and sweet with plenty of big bass. The presence and energy are stunning and the sound of the organ is Right On The Money Our Price: $249.99 White Hot Stamper! Nirvana DEMO DISC QUALITY A+++ SOUND on side two! It's got the big, uber-punchy, hard rockin' attitude we demand from a Nevermind Hot Stamper. You will find the sound so rich and full-bodied that at times you'd swear it was tube mastered! Side one is pretty darn good as well, rating an A+. Our Price: $199.99 Super Hot Stamper! The Beatles AMAZING SOUND ON SIDE TWO, one of our favorite sides of any Beatle album! You don't hear too many copies with a huge bottom like this. It's much tougher to find great copies of Abbey Road than it is for, say, Help or Hard Day's Night. Most of the copies we've played aren't good enough to put on the site! Our Price: $249.99 Hot Stamper! Fleetwood Mac Let me tell you, when Rumours sounds this good, it's very easy to understand why this is one of the best- selling pop music albums of all time. Just about everyone knows how great these songs are, but I bet you didn't know they could sound like this! Our Price: $224.99 Super Hot Stamper! James Taylor UNBELIEVABLY GOOD SOUND on side two of this Apple British Import LP. We played a big stack of nothing but British Original pressings, and this one has one of the best side twos we've ever heard. There might be a better sounding side two out there somewhere, but I doubt you can find one! Our Price: $174.99 Super Hot Stamper! Ella Fitzgerald This Super Hot Stamper Verve Mono LP has an EXCELLENT SIDE TWO backed by a pretty darn good side one. Both sides are super smooth, sweet and tubey magical with Ella's vocals sounding wonderful. Our Price: $99.99 Super Hot Stamper! Ella & Basie This Verve Super Hot Stamper LP has an AMAZING SIDE TWO! The sound is lively and dynamic and Ella's vocals are very present in the mix. It's richer and fuller than side one and the soundstage really fills the room. Our Price: $74.99 Factory Sealed Thelma Houston This is a BEAUTIFUL Factory Sealed Sheffield Direct to Disc LP. Worth it for one track alone, the exquisite "Don't Misunderstand". The cover is in beautiful condition inside the loose shrink. Our Price: $99.99 On Sale Now! Ed Graham This is an IMMACULATE M&K Realtime Direct-to-Disc 45 RPM LP, a longtime member of the TAS Superdisc List, and a true DEMO DISC for dynamic, punchy, full- range reproduction of a real drum kit. Sale Price: $99.99 Direct to Disc Earl "Fatha" Hines This IMMACULATE looking M&K Direct-to-Disc LP is one of the better Direct Discs on M&K. It's especially good jazz piano music; Earl Hines plays up a storm on this album. Check out the track Birdland. Our Price: $99.99 Direct to Disc Tower of Power This Factory Sealed Sheffield Lab Flower Label 180g Direct-to-Disc LP was always one of my favorite Sheffields. The original pressings of this record tended to be noisy and slightly warped. Our Price: $99.99 Factory Sealed Stevie Wonder This is a Factory Sealed Motown cutout 3 LP set of some of the best Motown pop-soul ever recorded. The originals may sound better, but good luck trying to find them in clean condition. Never released on CD! Our Price: $49.99 Factory Sealed Simon & Garfunkel Factory Sealed Warner Brothers Double LP with a Promo hole and Track Listing sticker. I've heard this album sound very good before. It's nice to hear Garfunkel singing backup on Simon's solo material. Our Price: $39.99 Factory Sealed Dire Straits This is a Factory Sealed Warner Brothers cutout LP. We have found cutout copies of this record that sounded amazing, so don't let the little saw mark scare you away. Our Price: $34.99 CCR This is a surprisingly GOOD SOUNDING Mobile Fidelity LP. With the exception of a little extra top end, the sound is Right On The Money. I would say there aren't more than ten MOFI LPs that have the tonal correctness that this album has. Our Price: $74.99 Huey Lewis This IMMACULATE looking Mobile Fidelity LP with Virtually No Sign Of Play is a surprisingly hard to find MOFI these days. It's the first one we've had in quite a while. AMG calls the craftsmanship here "pretty infectious". Our Price: $59.99 Zubin Mehta This is a Minty looking Mobile Fidelity LP with Very Little Sign Of Play, containing the music of Star Wars and Close Encounters. This MOFI pressing is far more TRANSPARENT than the London pressings we have of the same music. Our Price: $39.99 Visit the Hot Stamper section to find our best sounding LPs 100% guaranteed above 99% satisfaction rate! New to the site? Read more about Hot Stampers.

[SET amps.............]

You should take a look at the DECWARE amplifiers.

[regarding jolida tube amps....]

You don't need a 502B; the 302B, which I own is better regarded overall. It uses EL34 power tubes, which are nicer and more refined than the 6550 used in the 502B. I believe that the iron is the same, so much so that there are modifiers out there who will modify a 302 to run on either EL34 or 6550 power tubes.

I had a 202B also, I liked the art deco look of the transformer covers. I began with a 102B also; nice little amp.

[Interesting Article: "The Death of High Fidelity"]

You all really want to get me started. Somebody posted this same article over on DECWARE forums and I flipped out. I am not going to repeat my comments here because it is too painful for me. You all should check out the thread that resulted from my post, as I believe it is a good read.

[RF-82's]

I have a Jolida 302B at the present time. I am considering jumping into an SET amp, probably a DECWARE.

[RF-82's]

I am seeking opinions on how suitable RF-82's these would be for use in a small room for 2 channel stereo only. The room measures 11 by 14 feet. There would be only 3 feet from the back wall and an equal distance from the side walls available as well. Would the speakers be able to image well enough given these limited spaces.

[Will Tube Amps Be Banned Next?]

Never mind that fluorescent light looks like hell

[Tube tester?]

Buy a Hickok and learn to use it. You will be able to judge the true merit of each tube and decide the best tube for whatever position in the amplifier. The tester is better than money in the bank.

[Phono pre-amp - can i use tape out on an amp with a phono stage]

I use a Marantz 2226B for its tuner and phono stage functions, then out through to tape output to my tube amplifier.

[Heritage Prices Up Again?]

Anybody who believes that these crazy prices on ebay auctions establish value is seriously misguided. The prices do establish more or less what they sell for on ebay.

[Magnolia Room at Best Buy - Do They Ever Have a Sale?]

Do you mind stating how much you paid for the '82's?

[Magnolia Room at Best Buy - Do They Ever Have a Sale?]

I don't understand how these people market their Klipsch line. It doesn't seem that they have a sale ever. What is wrong with these people?

[U want Heresy III?]

That's the name of the actor who played Fred on "I Love Lucy."

[An odd ebay message.]

Forward any suspicious email to spoof@ebay.com so they can look into it. If ebay sent it it WILL be on Your Messages on the My Ebay page.

[Fair Price for Pair of Klipsch RF-82's]

Could one of you experienced Klipschers help me on this?

[Fair Price for Pair of Klipsch RF-82's]

Here in the concrete jungle of Southeast Florida Klipsch is sold at Best Buy and a small number of retailers. What would be a fair price be for a pair of Klipsch RF-82's now that they have been introduced and the novelty has worn off of them.

Would going online be adviseable?

[Jolida JD 100 versus Arcam CD 73 or CD 192 Comparisons]

How would a Jolida 100 sound together with a Jolida 302B amplifier and Klipsch RF-82 speakers.

I currently have a Cambridge 640 with the 302B.

[BestBuy doesn't deserve to sell Klispch!]

Luckily I was able to listen to a pair of RF-82's in the Magnolia room at the Best Buy located in Sunrise, Florida. The speakers were spaced apart properly enough to allow a decent audition. The salesman played an Alicia Keys "live" DVD (clearly doctored up, as she was out of synch). We switched over from RF-62's to the RF-82's and back again. Then we popped in an Eagles DVD where they played partially unplugged. Clearly the RF-82 did a better job than the RF-62 or the Definitive Techs, which the salesman preferred, despite their veiled sound.

This location has a horrible setup of the Klipsch Synergy speakers with the push button deals. The F-3's are probably around 12 feet apart but you can't back up more than around 8 feet; the configuration of the display prevents one from hearing what this speaker would do.

[Which Klipsch is best for small listening room?]

My listening room is 12 by 14 feet and presently I am using RB5-II's placed in front of the shorter wall. Bringing them close to the wall enhances the bass but narrows the depth of soundstage. Because of a cabinet along the left wall they can be placed only about 7 or 8 feet apart. The music lacks a "bottom end."

I am tempted to switch to RB-75's and maybe add a subwoofer, but at that point, I might as well go floor standing.

Which floor stander would perform well in a smaller listening room given the limits of placement the room presents. RF-5, RF-7, RF-63, RF-82; RF-83?

[Why Headroom Matters]

What did you say???

[What will happen to the reference line now when the new line comes out]

Klipsch is probably making only the new models now, since they have to recoup their research and development and promotion costs on them.

[I think I'm finally going to make my purchase]

The info about the MSRP of the new bookshelf models is in the website. Frankly the new models smack of being dumbed down in both materials and specifications. Obviously Kklipsch is looking for a lower price point to compete with all the mass market home theater crap on the market.

The tweeter in the RB-81 is smaller than in the RB-75, and the RB-81 has vinyl instead of wood veneer. It is inconceivable with all these cost-cutting measures undertaken that these new References would perform better than the current line.

[Has anybody heard any of the new Reference speakers?]

I read that Klipsch is replacing the current Reference floorstanders and bookshelf models. Has anybody heard any of these?