Yukon Jackass

I'd like to have a list of audio manufacturers who have their wares made in China. Any takers?

Here are some classics: Stegmaier Black Label Schlitz Schmidt's The Beast Golden Anniversary Keystone Natural Ice Hamm's Gennesee Busch Meister Brau Lowenbrau Crazy Horse Gibbons Dundee's Honey Brown (a better cheap beer) Red Dog Red Wolf Piel's Oh, the memories. Oh, the horror!

You consider Grolsch cheap?

While I am not new to computers, I am relatively new to MP3s, iPods, ITunes, FLAC, WAV, Apple Lossless, etc. I don't know whether to buy a new CD player, a DAC and Wadia dock combo with the iPod, or even a refurbished laptop as my digital source. Anyway, I have a question about buying music through iTunes. Let's say I wanted to buy an album digitally through iTunes. Is what I am buying uncompressed? Is it considered MP3, or other? Can I burn this download to a CD? Are there better alternatives to iTunes? If so, are they compatible with the iPod? What about a Zune (don't laugh, I am serious)? I have no idea about the differences between WAV, FLAC, Apple Lossless, or any other jargon. It's all alien to me. I am just interested in the best sounding of the bunch for when or IF I decide to jump into the iTunes world. Crazy me, I was perfectly happy with CDs. Gotta keep up with the Jonses, you know? Yup, gotta buy more plastic crap that's designed to be obsolete in a few years! How sturdy are iPods? What happens when the internal battery dies? Someone told me you cannot replace it yourself. The iPod is basically what, a cheap little hard drive that will sooner than later will die on you? Should I just get a Jolida tube CD player? Convenience vs. sound quality? This is why I am going back to vinyl - but I have a lot of CDs and I must do something.

Some guidelines: USA (lower 48, to be exact), and when I say "cheap," I mean the mainstream stuff like Bud and MGD, and all stuff priced in that range and under. Yuengling Lager is a PA beer, and costs the same as Miller does in PA, etc. However, in Vermont - where I attended college - it's not very common and was priced in the same range as Sam Adams and Pete's Wicked (R.I.P.), or at least it was a decade or so ago.

Good thread. I am also sick of buying CDs. I am anti-MP3, and I will not buy an iPod or download iTunes. I want to keep the computer as far away - literally and figuratively - from my listening room as possible. In fact, I keep my laptop at work, and will not bring it home. At work, I listen to public radio through a Tivoli. However, I own something like 500 CDs. I can't just start over with vinyl. Too expensive and time consuming. I was thinking about buying that Yamaha CD recorder with the hard drive to "store" all my CDs in a lossless format. Then, someone told me Yamaha stopped making it. Now, what the hell am I going to do, other than find one used? A toast to the future: horns, tubes, and vinyl! BTW, all the digital crap being made, all the cool plastic junk you own - it's doomed for obsolescence. Your laptops, iPods, digital cameras, flat screen TVs, HTIBs, smart phones, Play Stations, home theater processors, all that overpriced stuff you find at Best Buy will soon find a home in a land fill somewhere in New Jersey. Their shelf lives are only a few years. On the other hand, Macintosh amps will outlive you. My dad's old Nikon SLR still takes great pictures after about thirty years of ownership (I hope they still develop film in the future. If not, I'll have to learn to do it myself). Our old tubed Sony TV my family had when I was a kid lasted for close to twenty years! Maybe it's time to just say no. Stop being a super consumer. Stop keeping up with the Joneses. Live simply.

Mash Catch 22 The Dirty Dozen

The Band - The Last Waltz

I was a big metal fan "back in the day," and Anvil never got the props they deserved. I heard the album with "Metal on Metal (?)" on it, and it's OK, at best. Crappy production, etc. Live, they're supposed to be great. That's all I know about these guys. I saw the documentary, and I hope they finally cash in. They've hung around long enough to deserve the respect of the metal community, and I hope you all go out and buy yourselves a copy of this very well made documentary. BTW, the drummer is great.

Let me start this off: Yuengling Lager.

What's the Japanese stereotype for its gear? Let's see: Well made. Good value. Long lasting. ????? You can have all the NAD stuff you want, I'll take the Almarro integrated amp, Yamaha CD recorder, Nakamichi tape deck, and Technics Sl1200 turntable. Damn throw in a pair of Klipsch speakers, and that's one HELL of a badass system.

Too bad there's not a college football playoff. I would love to see Boise State knock off an overrated program like Texas. They've already humbled mighty programs like Oklahoma (remember the Statue of Liberty play?) and more recently, Oregon, in a blowout. Why isn't there a playoff? Money, that's why. Next year, when Boise State returns ALL but one player, they may go undefeated again. Of course, they will get screwed again. Anyway, I see Alabama over Texas. Big.

You have some highly regarded speakers! You could find an Antique Sound Labs KT88 integrated new for about $1,000. I forget the model name. I would look on Audiogon for a used Fisher 500, then ship it to Craig to restore / hot rod it. I'm kinda in a similar situation, as I've ordered a pair of Heresy IIIs, and will worry about getting a new amp when my Onkyo receiver finally dies.

Does anyone think that I will need to modify the H3s in any way, any time soon? I have no idea of the crossover, the mid, or the woofer. I just want to put them in the corners for the next twenty or so years and enjoy them, just like I did my last pair of Klipsch speakers, my kg 2.2s.

I don't like the idea of subwoofers. Wouldn't you need two of them? My little listening room can't fit one, much less two. Anyone here have Heresies and DO NOT use a sub? Happy with what you have? I will be using an older Onkyo receiver until I save up for an integrated tube amp - probably a Jolida 102 with EL 84 tubes, unless I can find a used Scott or, best case scenario, a Fisher 500! It's finally happening - new Klipsch speakers! Damn, I deserve it.