garymd

They sure look like mahogany to me.

No tye-dye Mark but I had perfect taper seats - last row of center orchestra. I do not believe they allow tapers at classical shows however I did see a group of guys in tuxedos swapping CDs in the parking lot after the show. I overheard one say "You gotta hear this version of Beethoven's 7th, Reiner, Chicago '58. 2nd violin was on fire!"

Sorry for the late arrival. Terrific evening as usual for the annual Larry-fest (t-shirts will be available next year). I agree with the assessment thus far. My favorite part of the evening's performance by far was the beautiful 1st movement of Brahms Fourth Symphony. I had Larry to my right helping me pick out the development and recapitulation (hope I got that right), reminding me of the music sessions we used to have during my lunch hour back when I worked around the corner from his place. This might have been my first time going to a concert without knowing the music at all. It was also great seeing the usual suspects (Marty & Steve) and we missed Chuck and Mr. Lindsey who usually attends these events. I hope to see all of you at the next show, whether it be The Planets or something else. Thanks again Larry for all your hard work putting this together!

Always wanted to try one of these. 1,550 calories........

Hi Gary,Not to disagree with you but, I find the SP from the UK BB to sound awesome not bright at all!!! That might be the only version I haven't heard. I'll take your word for it, Jay. I've seen the blue box (can't remember who's house I was at, maybe Joe Sportster's) but we didn't listen to SP. I'll be happy to listen after you send the set for me to review.[]

I have owned many, many pressings of Sgt P and all seem to be on the bright side. I had the regular MFSL, the UHQR MFSL (which I sold for close to $400), a couple originals and some special editions. Maybe the CD is the way to go with this one although I haven't heard the new release. BTW - My kids bought me the new version of Rubber Soul for Christmas and I had no issues with scratches, noise or warping. I still prefer the MFSL but it's pretty close, especially considering the difference in price!

I've seen that posting a number of times. The few prices shown always seem to be on the high side.

Welcome to the forum. I'm a Cornwall fan also. That would be my suggestion from your list of choices, although there are many here who prefer the Forte and Chorus (they all have hearing problems[]). Also, you already have heresys and if you decide to integrate all into a HT, the Corns would mate better than the other choices. Good luck.

Yep, you built em. Looks like Steve did help you that day also "J" must have helped. Look on the other side for builder's/sander's initials. Those initials are "USA" (not JSA) meaning, built in the...... They are on every pair.

Larry has always commented that cellos aren't as forward on my system as his - or something like that - on particular recordings. I asked him to listen for any instruments that seemed out of character (so to speak) because I honestly can't tell. I love my ALK Jrs! I think we just have very different sounding systems and mine might not be as well suited to classical music as his. I think my highs are satisfactorily linear

Almost wish I had kept it. As nice as the Classic reissue sounds, there's something about those old Columbia 2 and 6 eye pressings that can't be recreated. MOFI has a 45rpm box set coming out soon. I've already placed my order.

I sold a NM 6-eye stereo 1st pressing KOB for $350 on ebay a couple years ago. Bought it for $15. Nice score!

You're going to love it, Mike. We might even make you an honorary member of the Gear Vetting Subcommittee of the DC Heritage Society. Call me sometime and I'll tell you about the annual dues.

Have you ever heard your Khorns with something other than the Denon? I've never had any luck with HT receivers for 2-channel listening.

Another classic jazz Christmas album....

I think we've done this before......

Martha My Dear > I'm So Tired > Etc. - My favorite side of all my Beatles MFSLs. Gotta love the tuba.

Here's what mine looks like.

There was more info but I'd rather leave that up to Craig and his customers.

These aren't my pics but are from an email Craig sent out to a few of his customers. He also sent some info with the pics: Hi! I am glad to report that my NBS preamp with phono project is at long last in its final phases and ready for pre-orders. The time frame quoted to me for the chassis to be fabricated is 8 to 9 weeks from the date I order. I am now giving a window of opportunity to customers interested in the pre-order discount: You have from now until January 6, 2013 to get the down payment to me. I would like to place my order on January 7, which places the building of the preamps to commence by mid March. I will build them in order of the date that the deposit is received: The first person to send me his deposit will be the first one to have his preamp built, etc. I anticipate that each preamp will take me about 3 days to build and then a few more days to allow me to run it through its paces and burn it in to ensure proper operation. My best estimate for completion is one and half weeks, tops, but I think it is more likely to take one week. Attached you will find a few pictures to get an idea about what you will receive and any changes noted from the final prototype build. Of course feel free to ask any questions or make special requests within reason. No, I cannot make any layout changes. But some customizing will be available, like main coupling cap upgrades, upgraded volume controls (Alps blue velvet standard) or source selector switch. Of course extra costs will be involved in customization (basically whatever the extra part costs, less the cost of the standard part).

Our pal Craig has designed a truly amazing preamp and I'm here letting the cat out of the bag because I know he won't. Also, I'm probably the only person on the forum who's had the pleasure of hearing it. I replaced my BBX (which is no slouch as you all know) about 3 months ago with the 1st prototype and it is without question the most significant improvement to my system since I purchased my VRDs many years ago. The stereo mags will never hire me as a reviewer so I'll tell you in layman's terms.....This is one seriously kick-a$$ piece of gear. The phono section is almost dead quiet, quiet as any I've heard. I'm back to playing all my LPs over again for the first time and hearing detail I never knew existed while actually adding the additional warmth and texture you usually give up for that extra detail. As soon as I get a chance, I'll try to attach a few pics. Mine is just a prototype with only the basics but I know a really nice version is on the way that will match the VRDs looks. And no, Craig didn't ask me to post this. I put it off way too long as I'm in week 3 of a new job but I know he's offering the usual forum member and pre-order discounts for those of you with leftover Christmas money.[G]

The one I'm playing right now (45rpm version):

So happy for you and your family, Bob. What a nice early Christmas gift!

Great thread, Andy. My '80 Zebrawood Cornwalls (that you built) have 4 initials down the back side edge on each: M M K A I assume the "A" is Andy and "K" is the sander from a conversation we had many years ago when I first joined the forum (however I can hardly remember yesterday let alone 2003). Do you remember "MM" and is it unusual to have the extra initials? They were sent to Myer Emco in MD to be used as floor models before I intercepted them as they were being unpacked.