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unclemeat

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  1. That's all well and good except there's almost nothing as far as DVD crap to listen to. And I'd shoot myself before listening to a tuner. I've heard enough Clearasil commercials for one lifetime. I've got Alan Parson's quadrophonic mix of Dark Side Of The Moon. Outside of that which has never been released, what else is there? I don't want some cash-in DVD, I want to be able to listen to the music I love in relatively decent fidelity. That hasn't existed since the mid Eighties. Who would have ever thought that time period would be the final hurrah in music history? Of course you'll have idiots lining up to tell you how much better CD's are. Really? Number one problem is the time limit. It is WAAAAAY too long for the product released today. Hell, even the prog-rock bands rarely released double LP's. Now it's the standard for Britney and all the other dregs of the music business like U2. Sorry, none of them have that kind of song writing talent. Roman
  2. Apparently, no one is looking in this section. Well, as usual it was another rant written using the Irish Method. That's right, get drunk then write. Anyway, I don't have a turn table right now unfortunately. And I'm not sure about a "community" of vinyl transferers but it might exist. I mentioned Isohunt which is just a Bittorrent search engine. And yes, I understand there is some good music slipping through unfortunately. That will be stopped. Just not soon enough. So drop some Soma and fagetaboutit. Roman
  3. Hi Guys, Yes it's been a while since I've posted. I had many nice responses to my original. This won't garner so many especially if anyone on this forum was born after 1980. Or bought a compact disc after 1990. Oh well. I like to make friends but not at the cost of my self respect. So this post will piss off anyone who thinks Fiddy Cent is the be-all and end-all of music. It'll piss off those that believe a click track IS music. And it will piss off anyone that thinks CD's "rock". Outside the classical realm of course. There never was a market for 45's of Beethoven's Fifth. Let's face it, the digital revolution has let us down HARD. Anyone still buying CD's, the 8 track of the twenty-first century? Do you like spending hundreds or thousands on equipment just so you can REALLY hear music made for MP3? If you've bought a compact disc in the past 15 years, that's what you're getting. Remember 45's? That's what radio stations played, not albums. They were specifically mastered for radio. Which meant they were COMPRESSED. On top of the compression of the radio signal. But it made them sound better on the radio. At least to the record company twits. Well at least they sounded 'louder'. The problem now is that they've eliminated 45's. So if you want a hit song, it comes on a CD compressed to the same level because you can't just master the 'hit' that way, it won't match the rest of the 'album'. Radio stations play Top 40 and nothing else. Pick your format. Pop, rap, country, even the sainted classical stations only play what's on that almighty playlist. Maybe a couple albums sneak through the mastering mess. But they don't get airplay so who cares? Think I'm kidding? Google Metallica's lastest opus. Even their dead-ear fans are asking for a remaster. No offense to our Met-heads, but 'loud' doesn't equal 'good'. And in heavy metal, loud DOES equal good. And if a band as big as Metallica is having a problem with their discs imagine what's happening with crappy low-level bands like The Stones and The Beatles. Search isohunt and see how many vinyl transfers there are. And these aren't transfers of Alanis Morissette. I'm talking classic albums. Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's, Fragile, the entire Zeppelin catalogue. Why is that? Well for starters it's the 'remastering' craze. Every album is remastered every five years for a cash cow reissue. The original sounded ok so what do you do? You compress it to sound 'louder'. That's right, those sweet 'remastered' editions? Lay on the compression we missed in the original release. Fancy new packaging too so people will shell out for a CD they just bought 5 years ago. Does your 'remaster' sound different? Louder maybe? Now you know why. And let's not even get into the remixes. Look what happened with The Allman Brothers At Fillmore East. They're on their third edition of that because they screwed it up by removing the mixes that we all grew up with on the second edition. And I've just seen the final sign of the apocalypse. And trust me, the fourth horseman drives a Lexus. Now you can buy a tube amp for your iPod. For the low, low price of $1000. Another sign that we'll buy anything if it costs enough. Rebadge a Toyota, double the price and the lemmings are lining up at the showroom door. Make an amplifier to make music that's monstrously over-compressed sound almost like real music and people are shelling out the sheckles. I've got nothing against MP3 players. I've got one myself. They're handy, nothing else. There is nothing 'audiophile' about these things. And if you're stupid enough to actually buy one of Big Brother's products, well I've got a bridge in New York super cheap. Would you buy a pair of Klipsch if they said you can only use them if you gave them a credit card number first? Welcome to the wonderful world of Apple. Bill Gates is grinning from ear to ear. What? You don't think he's got a big piece of that pie? Sheesh, maybe I can sell you an iPhone at original price then. Before they dropped the price by a couple hundred for no particular reason. I just listened to a vinyl transfer of The Yes Album and was blown away. Why wasn't I that impressed with the CD I paid for of the same album? And this was downsampled from DVD-Audio quality to burn it to CDR. If you think it's just me, go download one of these transfers. They're done lovingly by fans who are sick of throwing money away on horrendous masters or worse, 'remasters' of their favorite albums. So am I alone? Does anyone else feel fed up with CD's? Does anybody else think that music was not meant to be heard on a crappy cellphone? Hell, does anybody remember laughter? Roman
  4. The oak plywood is a huge mistake. You want veneer. Also, you may find something better than oak. Unless it's quarter or rift-sawn it's about as attractive as CDX plywood. Make a cut list, what size your finished MDF panels will be. This will give you a total square footage of veneer needed. Allow an inch extra in both width & length per panel for cutting the veneer flush. If you have a local hardwood supplier (not a lumberyard) they probably carry veneers too. Definitely the first place to look. Though you will probably have to buy a full sheet. Or search for veneers in Google. You may be able to buy less than a full sheet of veneer which can be expensive. You can build your MDF box, make sure all surfaces and joints are flush and smooth. Get rid of the Liquid Nails, buy good carpenter's glue from Home Depot or Lowe's or even your local hardware store. When gluing MDF edges it's a good idea to use a very thin coat of glue first and allow that to dry just to seal them. They soak glue up pretty quickly and you definitely want a good bond. Pre-drill the screwholes. MDF edges do not hold screws very well at all and you may end up splitting them. Countersink your screw heads and fill with Bondo. Yes auto body filler, carpenter's secret. You can find a small tube of it at an automotive store which is all you'll need. Fill any other gaps as well & sand it flat & smooth. At this point you're ready to apply the veneer. Just keep in mind how you'll be looking at the finished box. Unless you veneer the MDF panels first and then miter all meeting edges (possible but a nightmare which is why you only see it on the highest-end speakers) you'll have exposed edges on the veneers. Of course that edge is only about 1/64"-1/32" thick. So you want to veneer the bottom first. Then the back (though I would suggest just painting it flat black), then the sides, then the top and finally the face. This will overlap exposed edges as best you can. Use contact adhesive. Water based definitely has less VOC's but if you and Pop want a cheap high go with the solvent based. The face of MDF is not very absorbent but the back of the veneer may be. Two thin coats won't hurt, just allow the first to dry then do your second coat and the MDF. Placing the veneer can be tricky, you only get one shot. This is why you cut the veneers larger, you'll never fit them perfectly. And orient the grain with the longest edge. It'll look much better than across the shorter dimension. The excess can be trimmed off with a router or laminate trimmer if you have one and a bottom bearing flush trim bit. Make sure to lightly sand the trimmed edges flush afterwards Once the veneering is done, you're ready to make all your cutouts. You won't be able to round off the corners without going through the veneers of course. But then again, you couldn't round off the ply either. Exposed plywood edges are almost as ugly as flatsawn oak. And remember, you can't polish a turd. You're already spending over $300 on the innards so you might as well make it look good. Roman An example of my work, click on it.
  5. This is one of the scariest posts I've ever seen. Not your wife, the fact that your married and these are the sum total of your points of reference. Well it is the south, I guess they still allow 12 year old's to get married down there. Live Long and Prosper, Roman
  6. Hey kevinmi, we seem like kindred spirits as far as the equipment is concerned. I'm in no rush to buy but I do want all the recommendations I can get. And I'm definitely going the tube route. Whn I'm done my system will be a bus age wonder. seti: I have copies of Uncle Meat & We're OnlyIn It For The Money demo acetates. Nice to here the progressions but I'm not huge on that type of thing. Especially in this day & age with the innumerable alternate takes added as bonus tracks on some albums. Sometimes there's a reason why they released the version they did. I'll check out Thebes recommendation thread though. IndyKlipschFan: Must be something in the water out there. The original owner was from Indiana and he's the one who put it in. And this thing is NOT like a truck horn. It is LOUD. Our mechanics love it. Thank god someone finally got the joke. That stupid thing took me half the afternoon to do for you guys. Roman
  7. Brac, Uncle Meat is a reference to a Frank Zappa album. You'll notice no-one else's twisted little minds went straight down the gutter like yours. This is Roman's wife: Is anyone willing to give us this to try out for say, forever?
  8. Ummm, nobody got the joke? I really expected a little more attention to detail from you's mugs. LIke I said, click the pic and view it full size. Harry, my wife howled at your last post. Now I'll never get her to eat mushrooms again. And Brac, she snarfed water through her nose when I told her your name. Seriously. And this coming from a woman named Ioanna. Roman
  9. Hey Harry, My wife Ioanna (pronounced you-new-la, yeah I know) will love that one. Speaking of the wife, here's a pic of her vehicle that we brought the Forte's home in. Would be handy if we ever make the pilgrimage. Could easily fit a couple pairs of Khorns. This is when it was new in 2000. The guy we got it from last year did some upgrades. The bully bar & brush guards are gone but it's still got the 2" lift kit and mudders. Gotta love that V10 too. Of course she ain't no sipper and that 42 gallon tank takes about $130 to fill now. Still when you plant your foot, it MOVES! And speaking of horns, Freightliner airhorn installed. Makes those Civics scatter willy-nilly. You'll definitely want to click on it and see it full size. Who knew Ford made one of these? Roman
  10. I'm BAAAAAACCCKK!!! Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. HarryO- Glad to hear the Cornwalls are safe. Oh, and sorry about the wife, I guess. IndyKlipschFan- Why can't they make the event over Memorial Day weekend. Kill two birds with one plane ticket. seti- I've been to audiogon & audioclassics. Gives me a good idea what's in my price range for tubes. Arky- Where's the bar? I'm thirsty. dtel- I've seen a bit about the pilgrimages. I'll definitely have to read more about that. Now if it coincides with Talledega, sweet. And if I was looking to save money I never would have come here. Groomlakearea51- A friend of mine had a Technics back in the day. Not sure what model, direct drive though. I borrowed it for awhile and it was pretty nice. But I guess opinions differ on belt or direct drive. colterphoto1- The grins are getting bigger, not fading. One of the nice things about getting into speakers and such is the folks you meet who share you're taste in music. Like I said, we spent an hour auditioning these and I was impressed with the variety of good stuff Aaron played for us. Just another 11,998 posts and I guess I'll be moving to Arkansas. Brac- I like the way you think. I sent you a reply. Get me address and I'll get that Dark Side out to you this weekend. billybob- Thanks for the welcome. Still haven't gotten around to the KC on these pups yet. That will be sweet. colterphoto1- You may be Aaron's long lost brother too. He had 3 sets of speakers in the living room and another in process down in the basement. The Forte's, Polk Monitor 7's (which is what he probably hooked up after we left) & a pair of Allison's also in need of repair. aab3rd- Nice story. Good to see Paul had zip cord too. I read that online at Aperian Audio's website. They have a section called Aperian University that is a nice resource. No nonsense advice and info with a sense of humor. Seems most of you fellas would enjoy perusing their courses. And get those Forte's out of storage. New house? Isn't the stereo the first thing you move in? Of course it is. And the reasoning is twofold. First, you'll never hear it like that again. Soon your house will be full of tchotchkes and your wife's amarathine collection of Mexican knock-off ****** Babies. Secondly, while you carefully hook up every piece of equipment, your knuckleknob buddies are moving your lignum vitae living room suite in. Chumps. Like my Dad said when it comes to moving, you want guys with a strong back and a weak mind. Just don't do what my sister does and go buy the beer after you've moved all their crap. Stereo, beer, pizza. Never move house without 'em. seti- I don't scare too easily. And my wife would never chop my hands off. I cook. So we've been enjoying the Forte's. Every night is movie night now. Kill Bill Vol. I & The Incredibles last night. Seeing that now, it seems a rather odd pairing. Oh well. And yesterday I cranked Public Enemy's Fear Of A Black Planet through them. I bet Paul never saw that coming when they designed these. But man, pumping bass. And the clarity is amazing. I need to spend some time on the couch with some old faves and just see what's there I never heard before. But the detail is spectacular. I can definitely see wiring the house for sound. I'm thinking Khorns in the powder room. Overkill? Well, I won't be buying any other equipment for a while. This slow period at work is killing my sound budget. But if anyone has more recommendations, they would definitely be appreciated. I still want a Mac tube amp regardless. But I will need to replace that Yamaha receiver at some point. Which brings me to another point. Obviously the Mac is stereo (or monoblock if I hit the lottery and bought two), but as I mentioned before, these are my main speakers, music and home theater. So how would I hook that up? Some sorta Bi-wiring? Thanks again fellas, and my wife has enjoyed your responses as much as me. Especially you HarryO. Roman
  11. Hi all, This is easily one of the best forums I've seen on any subject. Seems to be a real caring community. With that in mind, for my first post I'm going to put a little effort into it and grammar be damned! Don't expect to see this level of endeavor again. Here's a little background on me: "My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi." No, wait that's not right. Me? I'm 41, very happily married (this is key and I'd like to keep it that way) and never really had more than two nickels to rub together. And one was usually a slug. But I can still remember going into the "nice room" at Sound Studio (R.I.P.) here in Wilmington, DE as a lad and seeing a pair of Klipsch refigerators hooked up to a McIntosh command center. It looked like Bela Lugosi's home stereo. Or what NASA used to power a Saturn 5. Impressive to say the least. I never did get to hear it though. I'll wait while you wipe away that tear. But the image of those enormous Klipsch speakers and that Mcintosh array was permanently imprinted on my psyche. In the limited price range that I could afford I was looking at a pair of less than impressive Yamaha's. The guy at Sound Studio did do me one great favor though. He taught me to steer clear of Japanese speakers, buy American he said. He played a pair of Boston Acoustics CR7's for me. Much smaller but nicer bass with the BA's whereas it was nonexistent in the Yamaha's. The BA's were/are fantastic little bookshelves for me that I bought new somewhere before 1990. Not enormous bass but surprising for their size. This has been verified for me by a friend of mine who is in a band and also by his brother in his recording studio which I helped build who worked as a producer for an R&B artist by the name of Mario. So eventually I had the Boston Acoustics CR7's as my mains and was given a pair of free white van "Acoustic Monitors" as my surrounds. (Pause for laughter) I had all of last week off from work so I spent it surfing the internet for porn. At least that's how my wife described it when I showed her pic after pic of Klipschorns, La Scala's and Forte's. Maybe she's right, I might have touched myself a few times. Does that make me some kind of war criminal? Who here hasn't? However, I digress. I did bid on a pair of Forte II's on Ebay but lost. Shame because the guy from PA was really nice. We sent many emails back and forth and he was happy to have me come up and audition the speakers if I won. Even offered a vintage Sherwood tube amp to go with them. At least I drove the price up to $700 for him. I also bid on a pair of BA T1030's that my wife liked better purely from an aesthetic point of view. You'll have to forgive her, she's South African so she's used to only the finest thatch-cone speakers a chicken can buy you. Anyway, yesterday I bought a pair of Forte's off craigslist. Serial number 8736835 on one, other is missing it's tag. So I guess these are from 1987. I was hoping to get a pair of Forte II's but you take what is closest sometimes. A big thank you to Aaron from Baltimore who sold these to me. He said he's had them for about 5 years so I imagine I'm probably the third owner. Great condition and $550. We spent an hour at his house listening to them. He popped my horn cherry so to speak. I brought Zappa's Hot Rats, he played Brian Wilson's Smile (for the vocals, a great showcase for those horns), the new David Gilmour and The Police's Synchronicity (on vinyl) for me. At one point during the audition I was so impressed with the bass I asked how much was just coming from the subwoofer. It wasn't hooked up. Both me and my wife are thrilled with these. Yes, I said my wife. We brought them home and set them up. By set them up, I mean rearranged the entire living room to give these puppies some room to breath. Or roar as it were. I put in Alan Parson's original quad mix of Dark Side Of The Moon and it was stunning (more than willing to make copies for those that haven't heard this lost classic since it cannot be bought anywhere). Then she wanted the battle scene from The Return Of The King DVD. The house shook. So the Forte's are now my mains and the BA's are my surrounds. I also have a cheap Polk from Circuit City for center. The Forte's really make me regret buying that Polk. Now I understand what someone meant by timbre-matching. All this driven by an old 190w Yamaha receiver. Which is now exhibiting some form of electronic Alzheimer's. Press VCR on the front panel and the Tape Monitor turns on, press CD and the Video comes up. Remote works fine though. So what next? Well, I want to live out my po' boy version of that young lad's dream. I want a Mac Now unlike what I glean from many high-end audio sites, I don't have one "system" strictly to listen to pristine copies of Vivaldi pressed on virgin Madagascarian free-range vinyl and another dedicated to my collection of Bolivian bird-call chanters. I live in the real world. With a VERY real budget. Yes, I love my wife, and she loves her new Klipschesessesses's. But she's not going to go for me blowing her next 20 car payments on a vintage 240. But I would appreciate some realistic advice. And my heart tells me to get a vintage Mac. Maybe it won't be the best they have to offer but I will most certainly be happy with it. Obviously, I'm a simple man. This narrative stands as irrefutable proof of that. I listen to Mozart. I listen to Stravinsky. I listen to Mahler. I also listen to Miles, acoustic and the godforsaken electric. I listen to Jimi, Neil Young, Trane, Zappa, the Dead (bootlegs, actually bootlegs of most bands), Stones, Genesis, King Crimson, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dylan (again, acoustic and godforsaken electric), Blind Lemon Jefferson, Albert King, Public Enemy, David Allan Coe & Pantera, Type O Negative, Yes, Caravan, Ella Fitzgerald, Bonnie Riatt, Hole, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, Zeppelin, the Who & Johnny Cash. We also watch movies with these speakers: The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, A Night At The Opera, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, any Clint, any Kubrick, Spinal Tap, Woodstock, Led Zeppelin, John Wayne, ANYTHING with Lauren Bacall, NO Stars Wars crap. So can these speakers handle that? Or are they just for esoteric douchebags? From what I've heard, they can. From what I've read, maybe not. Out here on the fringes, we have no use for less than multifunctional speakers. I hope some others will agree. So I want a Mac. Maybe not top of the line, but a decent vintage. Maybe a 6100. I would also like to bring what's left of my vinyl out of the basement. Good turntable anyone? With my receiver slowly giving up the ghost, I'll need a new one of those. Of course it'll have to be a surround. What about a pre-amp? Should I keep the amping all in the family? All Mac? My knowledge is obviously very limited. So don't worry about offending me. Talk to me like a child. What does a pre-amp actually do? Why do I need one? I'm a knucklehead who's just joining the lofty ranks of the intitiated so tell it to me straight. Where do I find what I need? Website? Auction site? Classifieds? I'm depending on you knuckleheads who've already done the legwork to teach me. Any and all opinions, advice, criticism are welcome. Of course if you only have criticism to offer, well, I have a piss-poor public high school education, but trust me I can hold my own. Yours Insouciantly, Roman
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