The times they are a-changin'.....

beardog03

Just plug some tubes into the highway and your golden !!

"If you larry had a little lamb"

wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Texas42

I had two remote tours to Korea, with the last being at Osan. Actually, not a bad assignment (as far as remotes go). MUCH better than Kunsan AB. They would 'vacation' to Osan on weekends and look so sad on the buses going back on Sunday afternoon. Count your blessings as it could be MUCh worse. As everyone is in the same boat, you can actually make it enjoyable. I didn't have a choice as I was a First Sergeant and was responsible for making sure people didn't go nuts...

Best of luck and hope you enjoy your tour!

Regards,

Dave

TroyD

Will do, thanks Dave!

Yeah, it was always funny to see the guys come off the 'Wolfpack Wheels' like gangbusters and then Sunday afternoon it was like the walkng dead.

BDT

Yashu

Have you thought about a good studio monitoring setup? You seem to want the most full and transparent sound possible, but also in a more rugged package. It doesn't get more transparent than studio monitors, in fact, 99% of your record collection have been mastered this way.

Mackie, Genelec, even NHT make wonderful monitors that are going to sound about as transparent as it gets... yet can take the abuse of being moved around a lot... they were designed for this. They are active, so there is even one less thing to worry about. All you need is a good pre and a source and you are good to go.

If there is anywhere you know that can demo a few such models before you ship out, I would consider doing it. Prices aren't even that bad compared to audiophile stuff. I am surprised studio stuff hasn't already been suggested.

TroyD

Thanks but that is about as far away from being a possibility as you can get.

BDT

Yashu

Weird... but ok, fair enough. Good luck anyhow...

TroyD

It's not wierd. All I'm saying is that I am leary of shipping a turntable and a pair of ESL's?

I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel.

BDT

Yashu

The turntable won't be as bad as it seems. The sensitive parts can all be removed, like the arm, and packed more carefully in it's own box, then double boxed. I don't see why it would be a problem packed seperately.

The quads... well you said you wanted to switch them out with newer quads or possibly other brands, like the maggies, so I just threw the studio stuff out there as an alternitive that are built like tanks and still sound transparent. The problem with them is they can be too transparent sometimes, even more than planars. If the source material has any defect, you are going to hear it. If I had to choose between a new set of quads and a set of genelecs, I would probably take the quads, only because it sucks to have to pay for the ineptitude of recording engineers. I don't have to move around a lot though. Anyway, it really depends on what you listen to... some types of music are generally mastered better than others just because there are engineers out there that don't care. A lot of classical music and jazz are recorded with a lot more care than, say, some rock music.

TroyD

I certainly don't agree that studio monitors are more transparent than planars but different strokes for left handed people.

Again, thank you for the suggestion and the time you spent putting together your ideas. It's not something that frankly interests me in the least.

I have a pretty extensive library of LP's/CD's and SACD's as well as a few direct copies from master tapes. In my own mind, I can tell what is well recorded and what isn't...but thank you for the lesson anyway.

BDT

Yashu

I am going to assume that your thanks are genuine. You are welcome.

Basically every album you own was mastered on a studio setup, but I digress. Not many audiophiles these days are truly after the "real thing", which is ok... the real thing sucks sometimes. That is a hard pill to swallow for some people, but when you have a fantastic setup at home, the live experience can be a let down. Some call mastering equipment "lifeless". I tend to agree that they can be sometimes, but then again, it is hard to make a lively recording in an artificially laid out and miced studio. Dave Wilson purposefully colors the sound of their consumer products like the Watt/puppy, MAXX2, even the Alexandria... Actually, you won't find hardly *any* audiophile speaker with a flat response. It is the illusion of musicality that sells equipment these days. Maybe Holt was right afterall.

The Quads are good speakers for sure, but yeah, I would go ahead and get the new ones. From what I understand, their build quality has been greatly improved... nowhere near as fragile.

treitz3

Yashu wrote: »

.....but when you have a fantastic setup at home, the live experience can be a let down.

What? Did I hear this right? Live music is a letdown to reproduced music?

nms

treitz3 wrote: »

What? Did I hear this right? Live music is a letdown to reproduced music?

A rock or pop concert maybe, but live classical or organ will always trump the reproduction.

lightman1

nms wrote: »

A rock or pop concert maybe, but live classical or organ will always trump the reproduction.

+10 Nothing like "feeling" the low pipes shakin' your gizzard. I'll take a live organ set over a recorded one.

hearingimpared

Yashu wrote: »

... Actually, you won't find hardly *any* audiophile speaker with a flat response. It is the illusion of musicality that sells equipment these days. Maybe Holt was right afterall.

That flat response business is a bunch of doo doo in my book and I'll tell you why.

Back in the 80s when I had my own business, I took the time set up several speakers of various brands (SDA/SRS included) to output a flat response of all frequencies using a 120 band equalizer and several different microphones.

Every time I did this no matter what material I played, classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, R & B etc it sounded awful!!! I mean each and every time I though I blew tweeters or output amps. I understand why a speaker company would say, "so & so tweets put out a flater response to this and that frequencies" but that I feel it is another one of those meaningless specs.

As far as the "illusion of musicality," your perception as well as mine is totally different in every way so that illusion of musicality you speak of may be exactly what I am looking for in my home reproduction of music. Holt is right when it comes to what he likes but is dead wrong when it comes to mine.

Just my opinion and experience here.

TroyD

Again, I know what I like and I know what I don't like.

Listening in an anechoic chamber to ruler flat response is not it.

BDT

Yashu

I am not disagreeing with you. I was speaking of the typical audiophile "ethos" of total transparency and flat response. It looks good on paper, but it doesn't sound as good in practice.

If more audiophiles actually heard a true studio setup they would probably appreciate their own little world even more, even after learning that it is slightly fabricated. Your experiments only confirm this... "musicality" is more art than science. It makes sense, in a way, because these devices are reproducing the sounds of musical instruments, so they should be built as if they are instruments themselves.

TroyD

I wasn't responding to you...I was responding to hearingimpared.

BDT

F1nut

I always appreciate my own little world even when I'm zipping around in my fast car, listening to my fast music. Does that mean I have a small **** too!?!

TroyD

Have you ever ridden in it with him? It qualifies.

The less I know about F1's ****, trust me, the happier I am.

BDT

F1nut

Just buzzing towers here tonight folks, buzzing towers.

Yashu

Stop giving that guy a hard time, will ya? You already got banned for it once.

I wasn't responding to you...I was responding to hearingimpared.

I was as well, responding to him. We posted at the same time.

F1nut

You sir, are clueless. Sal is a good friend of mine, so mind your own business.

HiPerf360

Ouch, that's going to leave a mark.



LOL

TroyD

Foot? meet Balls.

BDT

shack

Buzz him again...Buzz him again...

reeltrouble1

Once again the village has called looking for their idiot. Last seen wandering aimlessly blowing on their Yazoo.

RT1

Yashu

I knew what you guys were talking about. You quoted two separate messages of mine though... replying to two separate and unrelated things.

How do I type out the sound of what a Yazoo makes?
That's how.

treitz3

TroyD wrote: »

Well, it's been a kick in the **** this week.....got a e-mail yesterday that, MSgt(select) Dion....as the Air Force's lowest ranking MSgt, you are the lucky recipient of a one year vacation in lovely Osan, Korea. WTF? I guess it could be worse, a buddy (who is also putting on MSgt) got a one year gig in Afghanistan...so at least I got booze and golf and TLW can come visit...

So, anyway...I'm thinking about this. Obviously, I'm going to have a rig in my room, I actually get a two room suite...a living room and a bedroom. So this is what I'm thinking.....the Melos pre/Dodd phono stage are good to go. Easily packed to withstand an atomic blast. The Heathkit monos aren't a problem either, really. The Sony 555ES, I've got the original box for that and can be double boxed. What I'm leary of is the Quads and the VPI turntable.

The Quads just aren't durable goods. I don't have the boxes for them. The VPI, the plinth and so forth, not as much of an issue but the arm/cart? Nope, those are guaranteed to be FUBAR. Plus, these are vintage items so being reimbursed for them is a dicking looking for a place to happen.

So, what I'm thinking is....selling the Quad's and the VPI....and getting a pair of Maggie MMG's and a VPI Scoutmaster table. At least brand new, in box, if they dick them up....hey, they are brand new...here is the receipt.

Now, I know that the MMG's aint the Quads....and when I get back, my present to myself will be, hopefully, a newer pair of Quads (988/989)...and in the time being, from what I've read and what you guys that have had them have said, they aren't anything to sneeze at.

I dunno....just spitballing at this point. What do you guys think? (and thinking about audio is better than thinking of another gov't funded f**king vacation)

BDT

Can we stick to the topic?

TroyD

<<swerving back on to the road>>

This is where it stands now.

I'm taking a pair of Vandy 2ci's / Sony SCD-555ES (modded) / BDT tube phono stage

I'm still up in the air on the pre/amp and table.

I'm about 90% sure I'm going to offer up the Quad-63's for sale in anticipation of a newer version in about a year and a half.

I have a couple of STELLAR amp/pre options due to the generous nature of the forum brethren....so, I'm undecided about that.

What I'm really perplexed about is the table.

BDT

BDT

Yashu

Vandersteens, alright... now we are talking the same language, great choice.