dodger Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Greetings: Yesterday (Saturday) my wife and I went to Baltimore to pick up a long overdue deal on Cornwall IIs. We first stopped at GaryMD's house and met his very lovely wife Catherine. Gary led the way to Imtiaz's where I heard them on some very nice equipment.Load up time and back to Gary's. We also met his daughter Kelly. He and his wife should be very proud of the job they have done, and are doing as Parents. We all sat chatting for a while, Catherine is very intelligent and is versed in a number of sublects, besides being an Attorney. Then it was time to listen to his Audio System. First, I have to say his zebrawood Cornwalls are absolutely BEAUTIFUL. But the test is sound not looks. Well they sound every bit as good as they look. The soundstage and imaging rate within the top six (6) systems I have ever heard. You would swear his center channel speaker was on. It was not. We listened to a range of music and instruments. The sonic clarity and speed was extremely detailed and amazing. Wire wound bass guitar strings were recreated to the point to where I knew where the bassist was playing on the strings and which pickup was being used (on a two (2) pickup Bass Guitar.) Acoustic guitar rang like a bell, clear, crisp clean. There was no blurring of the notes or the chords. There was no Intermodualtion distortion as I have heard on some of the Original Cornwalls. Electric Guitar was also as clear as it should be, as a lamb when that was the desired effect, a lion when called. On one recording, there was an upright bass with the notes as separate an one unique picking of the string that was as good as if you were playing yourself. With saxaphone you could hear the reed vibrate and the air expelling from the musician. All of this was using CDs with quite nicely sounding cymbals. The full splash was there and on one recording brushes on the snare in a circular pattern were able to be heard as the brush came closer to the recording microphone then away. I will leave it to Gary to post the recordings, I was engrossed in critical listening. Piano and Hammond B - 3 also very natural. To note, this was through Gary's NOSValves rebuilt 299 and a Technics CD player which obviously was one of the CD units Technics purchased and did not manufacture themselves. A demonstration of the Cave scene from Lord Of The Rings completed a great sonic experience. I had brought some tubes to try in Gary's McIntosh units but time did not allow for us to do so. My wife felt that a return to Rochester that night was best so that the Cornwall IIs would not be in the truck overnight nor would we have to move them into a motel room for the night. Gary's wife had work that beckoned strongly with deadline so Gary, my wife Betsy and I went to a restaraunt for a Maryland Crabcake dinner. I also had Crab chowder, creamy. To die for. We lingered almost a couple of hours engrossed in grat food and great conversation. I was thinking that Gary and I look exactly like our avatars. After a great dinner and conversation, Rochester called and we had to leave. I feel as if I have a friend, not just an acquaintance and I heard the brilliance that Craig builds into an amplifier. The ride home was uneventful, arrival 02:22 hours, Sunday and an unloading of the truck. Whupped puppies today, but a Birthday Party for my Brother-In-Law to attend and a meeting of the neighbors regarding the gasoline spill problem. I did manage to wash and wax my wife's car. Thank goodness for leafblowers (edited) - that's how I dry a car, with hearing protection of course. So to Gary and your family, my highest degree og appreciation for your help, hospitality, hearing one of Craig's works of art and for a new found friendship. I only hope this post does all justice. Thanks Again Win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Crab Shanty on Rt. 40? MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! One of my favorite places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 7, 2003 Author Share Posted September 7, 2003 ---------------- On 9/7/2003 11:31:12 PM Klipschfoot wrote: Crab Shanty on Rt. 40? MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! One of my favorite places. ---------------- Greetings: I think it was called Grubbings? Gary? I'm spoiled for Alaskan King Crab legs now. Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Gunnings. Great place also. You don't know Maryland until you can eat a soft shell crab. mmmmmmmmmm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 "I did manage to wash and wax my wife's car. Thank goodness for leafblowers - that's how I dry a car, with hearing protection of course." Win, I do believe you have won the official "Life on Neptune Quote of the Month!" Covet thy award! It's filled with beauty. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 8, 2003 Author Share Posted September 8, 2003 ---------------- On 9/8/2003 6:35:25 AM mobile homeless wrote: "I did manage to wash and wax my wife's car. Thank goodness for leafblowes - that's how I dry a car, with hearing protection of course." Win, I do believe you have won the official "Life on Neptune Quote of the Month!" Covet thy award! It's filled with beauty. kh ---------------- Greetings: I knew I was tired. I use an electric leafblowER to dry the car off. It will all be in my next book, but when using an electric leafblowER, where hearing protection. Boy, did I mess that one up. Thanks for noticing it, (I was going to say catching it, but thought better LOL.) Good Morning everyone. Have Fun, Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Win, Great write up and sounds like you had a great time ! Kelly, You need to take trip to Gary's I think you would freak at what a nice 299 can really sound like ! Everytime I get one done and fire it up I tell myself why did I venture into the seperates world ! Only one solid answer more chest pounding bragging rights power. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Good morning to you. Wow. Thanks for that review. I know of your experience in the audio business and I'm flattered. We had a really great visit. Betsy is just wonderful. Please tell her I said that. I can't say enough about the 2 of you. Just great people. I could have sat in Gunnings talking all night to the 2 of you but it was getting dark and you had a long journey ahead. Glad you enjoyed the cream of crab soup and the crabcakes. You should have seen their faces watching folks eating hard shell crabs. Unless you've done it before or seen it before it looks pretty disgusting to say the least. Actually it's one our states greatest treasures and we've been doing it our whole lives so it seems normal to us. On to music. Thanks again for the rave review (and thanks to Craig). We started with a couple songs from James Taylor. "Something in the Way She Moves" and "You've Got a Friend." BTW, "The Best Of James Taylor" is one of the best recorded cds I own (done in 2003). We then listened to my standard "show off the system" songs. Garcia & Grisman "The Thrill is Gone" and the soundtrack to "Grateful Dawg." Chris Rhea's "Texas" on The Road to Hell album. Win is one of the few who has actually heard this before. I loved it when Win would get out of his seat, walk up to the speakers, back and forth, and tell me what equipment was used in recording and what make and model of instruments were being played, how it was recorded. He's very well versed in all things audio. Well, I think we finished with "Autumn Leaves" from Cannonball Adderly's "Something Else" which is a great '58 recording with Miles Davis. After that, just a scene from LOTR as it was already getting late and we were starving. I sure hope we can do that again sometime. Next time we'll go out for some real crab eating (or white hotdogs depending who gets where first). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 JT is the man for those quieter more relaxed times. I played it three times over the weekend. But my JT greatest is a older version where can I score this new one ? Gary I have been enjoying that Deadhead CD by the way thanks ! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Craig, It's called "the best of james taylor." Lower case on the CD. It's got a picture of him in a white t-shirt on the cover with a sleeve over the CD. Got it at Target. First time I borrowed it from the library and I knew I had to own it. I have a lot of JT but not quite like this one. Glad you're enjoying Mars Hotel. Interesting CD. Lots to listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 8, 2003 Author Share Posted September 8, 2003 Greetings: I was definitely tired when I wrote what I did which is why I left the play list to you. I wanted to concentrate on the system. On the Miles Davis cut - as well known, Miles had a tenedency to play pointing down. One of the opening notes was obviously with horn aimed up and very crisp, thought it could have been Dizzy G. On the James Taylor, you could close your eyes and the acoustic Guitar was right in front of you. As I said, the soundstage was so accurate, I did check to see if Gary has his Academy on. He did not. Betsy truly enjoyed the company and the equipment. She was also very pleased with the decor - a compliment when she speaks of it. Green is her favorite colour. What Craig did with the 299 is nothing short of magic. I never thought it could sound so lifelike. The Cornwalls do ALL that is requested of them without the dullness or ringing that some owners feels plagues them. The lack of blur was noteworthy. "Outsiders" think we on the Forum are crazy to drive ten (10) to fourteen (14) hours to pick up a pair of speakers. A listen to a pair properly set up, with excellent Amplification shows our sonic sanity. A great day, drive, company, music and food. What more could one request of this life? Wolfram, though you are in Germany, you were with us in spirit. And Gary, I extend my thanks for everything again. Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 One of the most interesting parts of a visit like ours was actually seeing someone who you've been talking to for months over the phone. I don't think either of us pictured the other accurately and it was damn hard getting used to Win's voice coming out of a face I pictured entirely different. Thanks again for the visit. I wish we lived closer. I've always wanted to see Niagra Falls so you never know when we might pop in. Let us know how those cornwalls sound! They are real beauts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 What a great review Win, I can't wait for my turn! Gary, what's your schedule look like during the two weeks after Thanksgiving? I hope to be able to spend a few hours visiting during that time. I've got a lot happening those two weeks, NYC trip, Florida, Football, and picking up my Belle. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Win, What Craig did with the 299 is nothing short of magic. I never thought it could sound so lifelike. Thanks for this great compliment. But really most of the credit should go to HH Scott for designing a amp that takes so well to some top notch parts and a nice blueprint job of a great circuit . These amps sound nothing like when they arrive but I bet they sound very similar to what they sounded like originally with maybe better detailed soundfield and imaging. The 40 year old parts just do them no justice ! Something to think about with you MC users is they use the same type coupling caps as Scott much to be gained by getting them out of there ! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 ---------------- On 9/8/2003 10:28:58 AM greg928s4 wrote: What a great review Win, I can't wait for my turn! Gary, what's your schedule look like during the two weeks after Thanksgiving? I hope to be able to spend a few hours visiting during that time. I've got a lot happening those two weeks, NYC trip, Florida, Football, and picking up my Belle. Greg ---------------- No plans as of now Greg. Let me know your schedule as soon as you can so I can make sure we don't make other plans. I'll be looking forward to your visit and my wife will be looking forward to getting rid of the belle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 When I hear people talk of James Taylor I have to chuckle at my fortune. I grew up right down the street in Chapel Hill from the Taylor clan and James and Livingston were best friends with my older brothers. The entire Taylor family was talented musically with Alex and Kate weighing in as well (Alex died quite a while back). They had a neat old shack down near Morgan's Creek where they would all jam and the neighborhood freaks would wander over and get into trouble in that little dump. Alex and James were in several psychedelic paisely shirt bands in the late 60s that were classic but hard to find on record. One compilation, Tobacco A GO-Go, has some great stuff from these 60s garage bands out of NC. It's a rarity on Blue Mold Records. I saw James' brother Hugh several years ago but havent seen James or Livingston in ages. It was quite a neighborhood... kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Win and Gary, sounds like fun indeed. Oh it's really hard sometimes to live in Europe........wish I could have been there too. Craig, interesting statement. So why do you think most those vintage Macs are still using the old parts? Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Because there owners think there is magic in them and also the fact that they are worth more in there original state. If I owned one and was going to keep it every coupling cap would be out of there pronto. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 8, 2003 Author Share Posted September 8, 2003 ---------------- On 9/8/2003 10:36:27 AM NOSValves wrote: Win, What Craig did with the 299 is nothing short of magic. I never thought it could sound so lifelike. Thanks for this great compliment. But really most of the credit should go to HH Scott for designing a amp that takes so well to some top notch parts and a nice blueprint job of a great circuit . These amps sound nothing like when they arrive but I bet they sound very similar to what they sounded like originally with maybe better detailed soundfield and imaging. The 40 year old parts just do them no justice ! Something to think about with you MC users is they use the same type coupling caps as Scott much to be gained by getting them out of there ! Craig ---------------- Greetings: Greg, Gary: anytime. I can always make time for good people. Craif, I'll state this, perhaps, Kelly and Dean will agree. They say the human brain's memory and retention for sound is short and limited. I disagree. I can remember tonal and sonic qualities of equipment I heard or used decades ago. Taking the same piece and altering a portion of it will be noticed. I do not think enough credit is given to the brain. I remember Scott connected to Klipsch and it was not the sonic experience I was treated to on Saturday. Upgrades in the quality of today's parts and their installation bring the equipment made years ago achieve the quality and reliability and surpass that which we heard "way back when." Take credit for the magic and the parts used, Craig. Designs can usually be improved upon. Things made good, can be improved. Take a sunny day in winter with outside temperature of minus ten (-10). Some will look at the blue sky, the sunshine and will love it, it is a thing of beauty. Now take the same day, put the temperature at seventy (70) degrees with a blue sky, sunshine, green grass and leaves on the trees. To me a good design made much better, even if I do have allergies. I also give my apologies to those that love the winter. Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Craig, when did you so totally change you tune on the vintage parts idea? I think we used to agree on this for quite a while that part of the good quality and personality of these amps WAS the use of the vintage parts within (and to try to leave alone if you can). You posted many a post to this affect a while back. Many of the Japanese and mod craze guys search out the vintage parts for their soncics, ditto with the guitar amp guys as well. I for one believe that some of the goodness comes from keeping what parts you CAN keep in there. Indeed, some of the best new stuff is attempting to imitate this sound as well. Granted, some of those resistors tend to drift. And the caps in the PS WILL eventually go bad but to say these old parts arent part of what make these vintage integrateds sing is not entirely correct. I dont think one should automatcially replace all this stuff. My buddy that did this to several of his vintage pieces with metal resistors and orange drops actually replaced it all with vintage parts all over again. While it's not the best for business it surely doesnt have to be the worst for sound. I do agree that some upgrades can improve the sound. In fact, I used to advise people to get ALL the caps out of those amps too. It was not until I started hearing samples that were totally rebuilt that I started to realize that ALL WAS NOT GOOD. The metal resistors and orange drops were making them sound WORSE to me. Ditto with the replacing of the PS caps with stock electrolytics. It's a tough time finding the right parts to replace here and I dont know if you always have a better sounding amp with modern parts. Now I know Craig and I have been around the block on this one but we started seeing more eye to eye after he was in this a few months. There was more focus on carbon resistors and vintage oils instead of the blanket metal resistor orange drop approach. In the amp/off with the totally rebuild Scott 222C and EICO HF-81 against my mostly stock HF-81, my amp sounded the most musical and natural. My guitar amp whiz buddy heard the same thing, which got him to question the parts as well (he was a parts is parts guy). I tell you, it's not always as simple as replacing parts; although I DO KNOW that Craig has put a lot of time in trying out all sorts of options from Russian oils to Auricaps etc. Craig, what are you currently replacing the caps with on your rebuilds? How about the PS caps on the EICO? JEffus and I have been talking this one and he firmly believes the ATOMs are a step down. I am scared to touch my original EICO since the damn thing sounds so natural and great, bettering any of the HF-81 I have heard, despite STILL using those damn ****ty caps. Jeff has his still in place too but needs a fix. I have amps in-house with mega parts galore but refuse to touch this first EICO (my second EICO is another story). kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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