AndyKubicki

I've been baffled as to what I'm hearing when I play my DVDs. I have a Pioneer DV 434. It does not have DVDa capability. There are digital outputs for Dolby Digital, DTS and MPEG. I don't use those as I don't have a decoder. But the player does have a function that converts the Dolby Digital and MPEG to PCM allowing it to be output to the 2 channel audio outputs. As I understand (or misunderstand) this, it means any DD or MPEG material in 5.1 gets mixed down into stereo and converted to Red Book standard, is this correct? If so, then the better sound quality I hear in DVDs is attributable to the mix. Have I got this right?

That's it...Though I prefer Laughlin to Vegas... If I really like the VRD and Peach combo we'll go to Laughlin to the Black Jack tables...maybe I could win enough loot to get my own VRD/Peach combo... but then again, what if I loose...hmmmm.... Tom, that's right...JPL is right there too, eh? You live in an interesting area...

Greetings! On Sunday, Feb 20 at 1:00 PM Tom will bring over his Peach and VRD mono blocks for a listen on my K-Horns. Anyone in So. Cal Orange County area who wants to attend please email me directly. Unfortunately, I need to keep the size of the group down to 4-6 people as my place is small as is the sweet spot. Please email me at KubickiAndy@Adelphia.net or Andyyyy@aol.com .

Ah yes, I read this and forgot about it. Thanks for digging that up. BTW, are we supposed to be in suit and tie while working on or listening to our KHorns? I suppose there were things Klipsch has adjusted as they changed drivers. Bruce was suggesting going back to the EV driver and widening the throat opening. He has apparently done this on two sets of K-Horns and says the owners were very happy with the mod. He also said after widening the throat on the KHorn he put back the original (newer) driver and it sounded like crap. Andy, I work in Long Beach so I drive by you TWICE a work day Not if you're on the 91...you're crawling by!

D-Man, you're right about the opening to the throat cavity. That was one things Bruce mentioned doing, at the same time replacing the LF driver. Do you know what year Klipsch changed that opening size? I have not read Dr. Edgar's publications, but his comments were light-hearted and directed somewhat at me...I took it that way and was playful about it myself. But he strikes ma as a scientist. He will listen to something (I think he was convinced that vinyl sounds better than digital by listening and changed his position). I will one day take my K-Horns over there and ask to have an A/B with his horns. It's possible that some will prefer the K-Horns and others may prefer the Edgarhorns, after all, there are even some who prefer Bose! I just hope I keep my preferrence after such a comparison. Cal Blacksmith..I'm in Yorba Linda, not too far from Riverside myself...

Double or nothing post, first it was nothing, now it's double!

Hi Craig, I hope you saw that I did the Paypal thing earlier...

Craig, Thanks for your generosity. I have put together a double CD set with various artists last summer and have some idea of the production costs. This is not a cheap endeavor...

It's funny we were talking about these guys and I got the newsletter about Camel with this in the second part: Coming soon from Magna Carta Terry Bozzio/Prime Cuts ....CD $14.99 Terry Bozzio is recognized as one of the world's premier drummers. His career has been spent working with some of the most respected names in the music business. From Frank Zappa to Jeff Beck to Tony Levin, Terry has built a body of recorded work that is unparalleled. Terry Bozzio has been awarded the highest respect by fans and fellow musicians because of his amazing abilities as well as his musical integrity. This compilation also features a brand new solo track and a previously unreleased track. Bonus Video: 15 minute Interview with Terry Bozzio included as Computer Interactive Section of this CD, discussing his start as a drummer, his audition with Frank Zappa and beyond.

No. But if they are into 5(or more)/4 or better yet polyrhythms, I'm interested. BTW, just got this from www.artist-shop.com : Before we get into the newsletter, I want to make special mention of the Camel Productions catalog . Currently Andy Latimer and Camel Productions is based in California. However, Andy is planning on relocating back to his native England. This will have certain advantages for the band on the recording and touring front, so likely fans of the band will see more activities in these areas. The one drawback is that with Camel Productions based in the UK, then due to the current exchange rate and high overseas shipping costs, prices on the catalog may have to go up. So if any of you were thinking of buying anything from the Camel Productions catalog, you might want to do so now before the relocation happens. Camel/Camel ....CD $13.99 Camel/Coming of Age ....double CD $22.99 Camel/Dust and Dreams ....CD $13.99 Camel/Gods of Light Live 73-75 ....CD $11.99 Camel/Harbour of Tears ....CD $13.99 Camel/Never Let Go ....double CD $22.99 Camel/A Nod and a Wink ....CD $13.99 Camel/On the Road 1972 ....CD $10.99 Camel/On the Road 1981 ....CD $12.99 Camel/The Paris Collection (2000) ....CD $12.99 Camel/Rajaz ....CD $13.99 Camel/Stationary Traveller ....CD $14.99 Camel/Camel Footage ....DVD $19.99 Camel/Coming of Age ....DVD (NTSC format) $22.99 Camel/Coming of Age ....VHS (NTSC format) $25.99 Camel/Coming of Age ....VHS (PAL format) $25.99 Camel/Curriculum Vitae ....DVD-NTSC $23.99 Camel/Pressure Points ....DVD $19.99

---------------- On 1/31/2005 11:37:00 PM Tom Mobley wrote: ...Every year about this time the guys go berserk, I think cabin fever is the right term. It's mostly the guys that live in the Northern parts of the country that freak out. Are you trying to start another Civil War?

This will be my next Holdworth purchase: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jensjoh2 BTW, Craig, are you familiar with CDBaby.com? First of all, I love their samples! They are long enough to really get the idea of a tune...not a 30 second sample that may or may not give you the idea of the piece. It's a great place to check out music AND to distribute your music. You pay $35 per CD and they set up a page like the one above and sell the CDs for you. You set the price, they keep $4.00 per CD regardless of your price. You still need to market your music. BTW, since this is all 2 channel music, we are on topic here right? Here's another interesting rhythmic composer...ever hear of Don Ellis? He and Brubeck were the pioneers in non 4/4 jazz. What's funny is the rejection by the rest of the mainstream jazz world to the idea of non 4/4 rhythms. They said that if it's not 4/4, it can't swing. Well, needless to say, Ellis and Brubeck proved them wrong! Ellis really got into the odd rhythms and because at that time there were not many who could play in those time sigs, he had three drummer and three bass players, in case one got sick!

Well Erik, you know I feel the same as you about Bruf. He has a very unique style. I don't enjoy Yes as much without him. I'll have to check out more of Brand X. I have only one LP by them and it's not sticking in my memory. Sometimes it takes a few plays to start registering. Collins is a class act. I have a drummer who lives on my street and he told me that Phil was asked to participate in a tribute to Buddy Rich and phil was reluctant because he felt he was not good enough. I think he said Phil was eventually persuaded to do this and did quite well. I have yet to get the GEnesis LP where da Bruf plays. Camel rings a bell for me but only because I heard about them recently and bought Echoes, a 2 CD set of material from various LPs and I like that very much. Craig, I heard of Roxy Music but never in depth and I had no idea Jobson played with them. This will require a closer look, thanks for this tip! You also mentioned Holdsworth, and he definately added a dimension to any album he played on, UK, Bruford (with Jeff Berlin), Jean Luc-Ponte, and so on...each of the albums with these guys and Holdworth just went into hyper drive! I recently heard Ponte play a piece off the Holdsworth -era album and it was SO missing the guitar of Holdsworth...

I took what Bruce said as humerous. I have a lot of admiration for the man and what he does. I appreciate the opportunity to go to his meetings and talk with and learn from the others there like retired engineers, working ones and serious horn building hobbyists. I go there because I like him and I can learn from most people there. WHat he said did not affect my ability to come home and put on some music and fully enjoy listening to my KHorns. We were talking about some mods to the KHorns, and one did involve a saw, but now you got me thinking should I trust him? He didn't say chain saw, hee hee. But he was talking about replacing the bass horn with an EV and widening the throat to the original size of way back when. Any mods would involve me taking the KHorns there and that would allow us to do a comparison to his horns...that would be interesting! I am pretty open to almost any Saturday or Sunday...just gotta get the joint cleaned up a bit ...I do appreciate your willingness to bring the equipment as well. That's the best way to preview what my own pair can sound like!

I've given this example before, but it also illustrates the importance of the quality or lack of it in mastering. I have thought for years that my Yes LP Fragile was a bad pressing. It just plain distorted! I was dumbfounded when I bought the CD version to hear the same distortion! It was in the mix! Now that the DVDa version came out in a REMIXED version, it is phenominal! All of what I perceived to be mistracking is gone! And the LF content on Wakeman's keyboards is great! I am to this day surprized at how the original recording ever made it to press! BTW, I don't have a DVDa player, so I must be listening to a stereo mix layer, so it's really the remixing that improved it.

---------------- On 1/30/2005 9:27:17 PM garymd wrote: Certain CDs/SACDs (newer ones in particular) are just better recordings then the original LPs. The Who's "Who's Next" for example is horrible on lp but the new "best of" Who CD is a very good recording and has many of those songs on it. Same with the new Elton John SACDs. They're just better then the old vinyl, even on a great TT. It's nice to be able to enjoy both but if I had to pick one, it would be no contest. Vinyl, hands down. Luckily I don't have to pick. ---------------- Actually Gary, at the horn meeting yesterday someone brounght in a new 200 gram pressing of Who's Next and it sounded very nice to my ears...

Hmmm, I liked the article. She's taken the analytical approach and there's no arguing facts when facts are correct. I have no emotional ties either way. My wish is for better sounding Seedies due to easier handling. But in the case where the LP sounds better, I will hassle with the handling of the LP when doing more serious listening. Thanks for the info A-Man.

Yup, you are right! But I already covered that I love EVERYTHING that da Bruf touched. UK was a definate favorite, even the second album. That's the only place I'd heard of Jobsen though, so I'll have to check out what you just mentioned. I have a theory about Bruf and many that played with him. I would like to hear Jobson's playing style before UK to hear if Bruf altered his style like he did many others', like Tony Levin and so on. Some of the Bruf's quirky rhythmic styles are present in Danger Money, and it seems to me to be the Bruford influence, even though he is not present on that one. One of Bruf's neat tricks is to play a riff then to repeat the riff with an extra beat or three and alternate...that's a very cool effect. Sure beats 4/4! Looks like he'll finally have a web page! http://www.eddiejobson.com/

Yes, take a look and join that forum. I think it would be a good thing for us to get together to hear different speaker/amp/preamp/whatever combos. Tom's been teasing me with his VRD and Juicy Peach for several months . We can have a get together at my house sometime, though my livingroom layout is not good for too big a crowd...only one small sweet spot . Nonetheless, it is doable. Let me also add that Craig will soon be doing a Scott 233 I just picked up, so some time in the future, we'll have another amp to check out. I've always been curious of the differences between the 222D with the 7189 output tubes and the 233 with the 7591. As to the So Cal Hornhead meetings at Dr. Edgar's place, I usually miss the invites to them because he posts them on audio asylum. I was trying to research something and found the invite for yesterday's meeting just in time, though Bruce did join the newly created Yahoo forum, so maybe he'll post there also. As long as he refrains from Klipsch criticism .

What's he playing nowadays? I sure loved the UK days with Jobsen and Wetton..

I would not want to be Bozzio's roadie!

I have a 4002 that I just got back into service about a year ago. Do your own A/B testing and I think you'll find that it depends on the recording. The earlier CDs were mastered too bright, while some were done quite well. Some comparisons I found: Listening to Emerson Lake and Palmer on CD is hopeless. On vinyl, it's beuatiful...smooth as silk. Gentle Giant is just about the same on vinyl as digital, so CD wins there due to lack of surface noise. Stravinsky's Firebird produces similar results. But a lot of Direct to Disk records sound great. Overall: CDs downfall is lack of resolution (not so with SACD and DVDa) CDs provide superior dynamic range and there is no surface noise. Record suffer from surface noise and a loss of high frequency response as you get to the inner part of the groove. But the resolution is analog and superior to Red Book CD. The above are just IMHO. Flame me as you wish!

Yup! You are sure right about that! The time needed for practice to be a good musician is not compatible with a job, at least not my job! I try though because I do get a lot of enjoyment from creating something. Then there's MIDI which can compensate for the lackk of practice .

I wish I could have been there! Instead, I had to take Klipsch abuse from Dr. Edgar yesterday about how much better his horns are (it was all in good fun, though). My dream once was that when I get older I would make my own recording studio. Well, I got older. I only have a very crude studio (yeah, the computer and a good soundcard). Craig, thanks for your offer! I will Paypal you sometime this week!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23786&item=3777522079&rd=1 I wonder if he'll autograph them...