MeloManiac

What brand and model is this?

A little update. During winter, it is pretty cold up in my den, so I decided to move my Leben CS300 and my Heresies downstairs to the living area. They have been there for five or six weeks and this is my primary music system. I listen to it all day, spinning vinyl, CDs and streaming. All this time I have used the Gold Lion tubes, which are not original. They sound fine, of course. But today I decided to do some tube rolling and put the original Sovtek 12AX7A tubes in. At age 52, my hearing is far from perfect, so I find it difficult to A/B. Perhaps the Sovteks give a bit more detail in the high frequencies and a bit more channel separation? Other than that, I can't say I hear much difference. The former owner told me he replaced all the tubes because one channel dropped in volume from time to time. He didn't know what tube was to blame, so he replaced them all. I'll be listening to the Sovteks all afternoon and see what happens when they get really up to temperature. One of the issues I had early on, was noise when I turned the Bass Boost nob. This had improved, just by using the nob moderately. But now with the original Sovtek tubes, the noise is completely gone. My technical knowledge doesn't go far enough to explain this, though. Also, just for testing, I connected the Leben CS300 to my 40 year old two-way, floorstanding Onkyo speakers. They are 4 ohm and sounded amazingly well with the Leben. The Genalex Gold Lion is a fine looking little tube, by the way.

Welcome to the forum! Why not go for the Klipsch RP600M (or the slightly older RP160M)? They can be found new at greatly reduced prices and they sound amazing with a tube amplifier. Take note that these are bookshelf speakers. You really need to consider the placement when you buy speakers. You could buy speaker stands for them, or you must invest in floorstanding speakers.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/chase-burton-vibrating-suit-spc-intl/index.html Vibrating suit allows deaf people to 'feel' music

I didn't know (or I forgot) you have a Puffin! How much do you like it as a preamp? Do you use some of the advanced settings also? It's digital. Doesn't that bother you?

And... It can be played with a lightweight tone arm and pickup too!!!! Good to know!

From time to time I like to provoque my American friends with European socialist trash. Here's Billy Bragg with Workers' Playtime, 1988. Capitalism is killing music! 😄😄😄😄😄😄

I wish I had some of these Riverside recordings on vinyl... They are on cd now, of course, but the tactile experience of vinyl and that TD24 must be quite something!

Blue Note always has these amazing cover design... they are a piece of art on themselves... Love your Thorens TD124, looks like a barebones original, right?

Glad you're back! Was a bit worried.

Thank you for this follow up. I'm sure it's going to be of great help for some owners. I couldn't help thinking... What a great room this would be for a nice set of Heresy speakers! Move your ficus to another room and put the Heresies in each corner. 😉

We love picture here!

Yes, this is Dutch alright! Welkom op het forum! Klipsch Heresy bestaat nog altijd, men is ondertussen aan Mark 4 gekomen. Het zijn fantastische luidsprekers die nieuw tussen de 3 en 4000 euro kosten. De Heresy Industrial is ruiger afgewerkt (robuster) en heeft ook professionele aansluiting, ze zijn ook iets krachtiger dan het huiskamer model. Ze zijn natuurlijk niet nieuw, en de prijs varieert enorm naargelang de staat waarin ze zijn. Ze kunnen rond 1000 euro waard zijn, in goede staat. https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=klipsch+industrial Translation Klipsch Heresy is still around, in fact, Mark 4 is currently being sold. They are amazing speakers and cost between 3000 and 4000 euro. However, the Heresy Industrial is more robust and comes with professional connections, and is also a bit more powerful than the standard model. They are not new, of course, and prices vary depending on the state they are in. In good condition, they can be valued at 1000 euro. https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=klipsch+industrial

No, not familiar with that. A heavy metal fan attacked him?

After discovering that the 'guru' on 'No Guru, No Method, No Teacher' is 'Melancholy Man', I think I finally understand... And it is right there in front of me and always has been... Van Morrison actually has many songs about sadness, depression, melancholia. On 'Days like this' there is even a song titled 'Melancholia'. In many of his lyrics he sings about a 'you' (God?) that can take away his sadness. So the picture on the album 'No Guru...' really is about Melancholy Man, and not about some 'guru' after all... And... when you take all this into account, his hit single 'Have I told you lately', which also happened to be the opening song on my marriage, is really about... melancholia! Just listen to the words below. The video clip below starts with an opening shot of the moon, also symbolic of melancholia... My excuses to all of you for rambling about this. I'm kind of obsessive, sometimes...

I need your help. I've been doing research about this Van Morrison album dating back to 1986: No Guru, no method, no teacher. Van Morrison has explained in some interviews (and as noted on Wikipedia) that at the time he really was into meditation, and the music on this album must be seen in that light as well, as some kind of 'guided meditation'. Wikipedia: The album title is evocative of a 1966 quotation by Jiddu Krishnamurti: "...there is no teacher, no pupil; there is no leader; there is no guru; there is no Master, no Saviour. You yourself are the teacher and the pupil; you are the Master; you are the guru; you are the leader; you are everything."[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Guru,_No_Method,_No_Teacher The picture on the cover is from photographer Nobby Clark, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobby_Clark_(photographer), who was still very young in 1986 but became quite famous and is still active. I always thought that this picture was a 'composite' bringing two pictures together, one of Van Morrion, the other of the 'guru' statue. But now I think I'm wrong, and Van is actually posing next to the statue. I would love to find out where this picture was taken and what 'guru' it represents. EDIT: SOLVED (KIND OF) https://www.justanswer.com/entertainment/2xd3g-statue-album-cover-no-guru-no-method.html This is ironic! I remember when this record originally came out back in '86. I was at a party one night talking to a buddy of mine who was a music junky. We never could figure out what the statue was, but he mentioned that Van Morrison lived in the Holland Park area in London and supposedly, the statue was from there. I tried to look up some info. I did find this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20832624@N00/2664523236 -Hugh https://www.facebook.com/HollandParkLondon/community On Facebook: The cover photo of Van's 1986 album 'No Guru, No Method, No Teacher' was taken in Holland Parkin Kensington. Van is photographed next to a statue called Melancholy Man. The statue stands in the old brick wall which runs the length of the Dutch Garden, half hidden by ivy and shrubs. His feet are buried in the ground and his back is attached to the wall. Very little is known about this statue except that it possibly dates from the 16th century and is made of limestone. He is wearing a long robe covered by a cloak and a round hat. The Ancient Melancholy Man // Holland Park, Formal Garden Sculptor: unknown 16th century It is probable that this statue has stood here since the Formal Garden was created in 1812 by Serafino Bonaiuti, librarian and factotum to the Hollands. In November 1812 the 3rd Lord Holland described his new garden, “There is a fountain, with old marble columns in the middle, and black borders and green fingers, and all sorts of gimcracks.” It is possible that the melancholy man was one of the gimcracks, used to ornament and beautify the garden. Over the centuries the garden was known as the Portuguese, Dutch and Italian Garden. The statute of the melancholy man stands in the old brick wall which runs the length of the Formal Garden, half hidden by ivy and shrubs. His feet are buried in the ground and his back is attached to the wall. Very little is known about this statue except that it possibly dates from the 16th century and is made of limestone. The male figure stands about 1.7 metres high with his left leg slightly behind the right. He is wearing a long robe covered by a cloak and a round hat. He has long hair and beard and holds a small pot in his right hand. 17th century bricks from Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland’s stables were used to build the wall.

Reminds me of this Mike Oldfield best of album

This is a seriously thick cork mat. Of course, with your specially designed arm, it does not affect the zenith/azymuth or whatever of the stylus, right? Very clever...

I like them a lot, they look very nice. The smallest one uses the same tubes as the China-made TubeCube 7, which is not a kit, of course (see: tubedepot.com). I like their looks more than the Japanese Elekit kits, which are not point to point.

Listening right now

They are actually hard to find, except on discogs, where they are not cheap...

Thanks for the advice. It's nice I still have new music to explore.

I hope everyone is picking up my irony / sarcasm here. I like nice design, but I respect raw industrial or diy as well!

You are right about that, it is not the 'boring' grey or black. I would even add this: there is a direct link to an amplifier's color richness and its price: the more expensive, the more color is used. Check this link out: https://www.whathifi.com/features/10-worlds-most-expensive-stereo-amplifiers . The proof is in the pudding!

Nice indeed, but not so unique. Shindo Labs uses the same color scheme. And so does Leben. Must be a Japanese/Asian thing, I guess, with all due respect. I love cheap psychology, always willing to help you out! 😉