Ok...for wierdness the (same company that made the cartrides and a
couple of turntables)Empire speakers that were shaped like end tables
with a big round marble top and had a six-sided cylindrical body. It
had an 8" down firing woofer, and a mid/tweet combo behind a small
grille section on one of the sides...also came in a bigger model with
larger drivers...truly strange but fun..

For sound quality, while there are many faves I remember in each
category, I'll go with the JBL Paragon (tri-amped and with a Crown EQ
correctly utilized, if anyone remembers that piece), the Rogers LS/35A
speakers...I know that's like saying your two fave dates were Pamela
Anderson & Alannis Morrisette...and for electronics, ARC's SP3-A with
the mods that followed...and to not go on forever...the first
Electrocompaniet 25 watt class A amp (can't remmember the model #)

OK..now for records...and I'm going to leave out classical recordings
cuz there's too many...The Casino Royale Jame Bond double disc on
London Phase Four (I know)...Ry Cooder's "Jazz"...Sheffield's "King
James" (absolutley mindblowing on the Paragon system even after
decades of "evolution" with high-end gear and still playing the
redord/cd)...Pete Townsend & Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix"...Mac's
"Rumours" (sorry) and Bing Crosby's...dammit I can't remember the
title, but it was later in his life and had "There's Nothing That I
Haven't Sung About" and "As Time Goes By" on it. It was stolen from my
collection awhile back so maybe someone will help me with the title.

One of my fave older CD's was that Telarc disc "Roundup" with all the
cowboy movie/tv themes..it was so damn fun and dynamic with great
arrangements. Oh, well, once again...hopefully this isn't too boring.
God knows I could on about this stuff.

densteel wrote:


Ok...for wierdness the (same company that made the cartrides and a
couple of turntables)Empire speakers that were shaped like end tables
with a big round marble top and had a six-sided cylindrical body. It
had an 8" down firing woofer, and a mid/tweet combo behind a small
grille section on one of the sides...also came in a bigger model with
larger drivers...truly strange but fun..


I remember seeing pictures of those models, but my first personal audition with
a mind-blowing pair of speakers was walking to a hi-fi store and hearing a pair
of Magnepan Tympanis driven by Audio Research amplifiers. Unfortunately, being
rather young, I couldn't afford them. So I consolded myself with my first
serious audio rig, a pair of AR 2a's which I drove with a H.H. Scott Integrated
amplifier - 36 watts/channel (LK-72, I think). It took me an entire summer to
build the amplifier which came as a kit, since I had never used a soldering
iron before and of course, everything was point-to-point wiring (hadda love all
those tube sockets ). Later I added a Scott FM-tuner with an FM Yagi
antenna on the roof. Oh - and a Garrard turntable. Later I graduated to Quad
ESL 57's crossed over to an M&K subwoofer through a passive matrix. It was
called "The Bottom End" and was specifically designed for Quads (they made
another model for Tympanis - and these were among the first products made by
M&K). After many years, I finally traded them in for my present set of
planars, a set of Martin Logan full-range CLS IIs. For my tastes, once you've
heard planars, there is no going back.

Reminiscences are fun at times, and certainly preferable to the political
garbage currently poilluting RAO at the hands of a few hatemongers.


..






For sound quality, while there are many faves I remember in each
category, I'll go with the JBL Paragon (tri-amped and with a Crown EQ
correctly utilized, if anyone remembers that piece), the Rogers LS/35A
speakers...I know that's like saying your two fave dates were Pamela
Anderson & Alannis Morrisette...and for electronics, ARC's SP3-A with
the mods that followed...and to not go on forever...the first
Electrocompaniet 25 watt class A amp (can't remmember the model #)

OK..now for records...and I'm going to leave out classical recordings
cuz there's too many...The Casino Royale Jame Bond double disc on
London Phase Four (I know)...Ry Cooder's "Jazz"...Sheffield's "King
James" (absolutley mindblowing on the Paragon system even after
decades of "evolution" with high-end gear and still playing the
redord/cd)...Pete Townsend & Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix"...Mac's
"Rumours" (sorry) and Bing Crosby's...dammit I can't remember the
title, but it was later in his life and had "There's Nothing That I
Haven't Sung About" and "As Time Goes By" on it. It was stolen from my
collection awhile back so maybe someone will help me with the title.

One of my fave older CD's was that Telarc disc "Roundup" with all the
cowboy movie/tv themes..it was so damn fun and dynamic with great
arrangements. Oh, well, once again...hopefully this isn't too boring.
God knows I could on about this stuff.









Bruce J. Richman

My first really good system:
Rectilinear III's, driven by a Hafler DH-200 amp, a DH-110 preamp, and the
so-cool looking DH-330 tuner.

Prior to that, a Heath AR-1500 and an AR turntable, driving the above.

Lionel wrote:


dansteel - - vendredi 30
Avril 2004 08:57 wrote:

Ok...for wierdness the (same company that made the cartrides and a
couple of turntables)Empire speakers that were shaped like end tables
with a big round marble top and had a six-sided cylindrical body. It
had an 8" down firing woofer, and a mid/tweet combo behind a small
grille section on one of the sides...also came in a bigger model with
larger drivers...truly strange but fun..

For sound quality, while there are many faves I remember in each
category, I'll go with the JBL Paragon (tri-amped and with a Crown EQ
correctly utilized, if anyone remembers that piece), the Rogers LS/35A
speakers...I know that's like saying your two fave dates were Pamela
Anderson & Alannis Morrisette...and for electronics, ARC's SP3-A with
the mods that followed...and to not go on forever...the first
Electrocompaniet 25 watt class A amp (can't remmember the model #)

OK..now for records...and I'm going to leave out classical recordings
cuz there's too many...The Casino Royale Jame Bond double disc on
London Phase Four (I know)...Ry Cooder's "Jazz"...Sheffield's "King
James" (absolutley mindblowing on the Paragon system even after
decades of "evolution" with high-end gear and still playing the
redord/cd)...Pete Townsend & Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix"...Mac's
"Rumours" (sorry) and Bing Crosby's...dammit I can't remember the
title, but it was later in his life and had "There's Nothing That I
Haven't Sung About" and "As Time Goes By" on it. It was stolen from my
collection awhile back so maybe someone will help me with the title.

One of my fave older CD's was that Telarc disc "Roundup" with all the
cowboy movie/tv themes..it was so damn fun and dynamic with great
arrangements. Oh, well, once again...hopefully this isn't too boring.
God knows I could on about this stuff.

There are only few recordings that I prefer on vinyl rather than on CD,
don't worry it's not an other flame... ;-)
*But* I must recognize that I have been very desapointed hearing "modern"
recording (mixing ?) of some of my favourite 60s & 70s LPs.
My worst experiences / typical cases are :
- Hendrix : "Electric Ladyland"
- Stooges : "Fun house"
- Dr Feelgood : "Down by the jetty" - "Stupidity"
- Eddie Cochran & Gene Vincent "BBC sessions" (mono recording)
- Fela : "Black president"
- Serge Gainsbourg : "Melody Nelson"

Nostalgy..................................... ;-)








Despite my general preference for vinyl, I'll be the first to admit that I've
encountered, as I guess, you have, many examples of poorly done vinyl
productions. Ironically, many, IME, of the *older* vinyl recordings, often
done with analogue recorders and/or tubed electronics, often sound better to my
ears at least than some of the more *modern* vinyl productions. Here's a
glaring example of what I mean. I have a 6 LP set of Eric Clapton's earlier
recordings entitled "Crossroads". According to the box set information, the
recordings were digitally remastered. I also have a 4-CD set of Clapton's live
concert performances entitled "Crossroads 2". For perhaps a number of reasons,
the CD set sounds significantly better than the LP set. Note that I'm not
saying that the digital remasterin is responsible, but it could certainly be
one of the variables involved. I also have a number of CDs made from original
analogue recordings (according to the SPARS code at least) that sound quite
nice. For example, and I recommend this one, a CD called 'Neck and Neck",
featuring Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler.

Since you like jazz, let me second Mr. Steel's recommendation of the "King
James" album on Sheffield - a direct-to-disc frecording. Harry James actually
made 3 Sheffield Labs direct-to-disc recordings for Sheffield (the other 2 are
"Comin' From A Good Place" and "Still Harry After All These Years". All 3 are
well worth hearing and owning. Also, copies can be found frequently on eBay
for reasonable cost. Unless you've heard some of the Sheffield, or Crystal
Clear direct-to-disc jazz recordings, you haven't really heard the ultimate
vinyl recordings! The King James Version album is really quite staggering, as
Mr. Steel mentions, in its dynamic impact. I have a large collection of
Sheffields, and they are great for demoing one's system. The famous Thelma
Houston album (Whitney's aunt) - "I Got the Music In Me" is their most popular
title. Note that most of the Sheffield albums are also available on CD, if you
need to go that route.

Many of the older classic jazz titles, such as Dave Brubeck's Time Out (one of
my favorites), have also been reissued on 180 gram vinyl by Classic Records and
others, usually with excellent results.

One of the best popular vinyl recordings I've heard, if you can find a copy, is
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged". This was originally issued on German vinyl and
sounds great.


Bruce J. Richman

Robert Morein wrote:


My first really good system:
Rectilinear III's, driven by a Hafler DH-200 amp, a DH-110 preamp, and the
so-cool looking DH-330 tuner.


The Rectilinear III's were very nice speakers in their day. I used to have a
Dynaco "Quadaptor", based on Hafler's quasi-quadrophonic sound (out-of-phase
rear speaker information) early approach to 4-channel sound. I still have a
test record from Vanguard specifically designed to compare 2-channel and
4-channel sound through the Dynaco 4-channel system.


Prior to that, a Heath AR-1500 and an AR turntable, driving the above.











Bruce J. Richman

The classics reissue of Electric Ladyland is quite amazing. It is much better
than I thought possible for this recording. The APO Top 25 Jazz reissue series
has set the bar for excellence for reissues of classic Jazz recordings IMO but
they are pricey. I think the classics reissues of the Blue Notes are
competative with the original pressings. But again you are choosing between
expensive and ridiculously expensive. Buying original Blue Notes is tricky
business too. The Shefield Harry James records are great sounding records but
that is big band stuff. Nothing wrong with that but it's a horse of a different
color. There is some great nostalgic recordings being reissued by Cisco and S&P
records. S&P has done a couple Peggy Lee reissues that are pretty amazing and
they have a Roy Orbison compilation that should be out any day now. Cisco did
some really nice reissues with Ian and Sylvia, Doc Watson, Joan Baez and June
Christy. Actually, I think, as audiophiles, we are now living with the greatest
wealth of choices of quality recordings in the history of hifi.

"Robert Morein" wrote in message ...
My first really good system:
Rectilinear III's, driven by a Hafler DH-200 amp, a DH-110 preamp, and the
so-cool looking DH-330 tuner.

Prior to that, a Heath AR-1500 and an AR turntable, driving the above.

I envy you your "early" system.

When I ended up purchasing the Bose 901's I had gone in seeking the
Rectilinear III's which the dealer had in stock. They had the Bose set
up favorably and the III's...well let's just say not well set-up...I
was only 18 or so, and I was given (with all due and sincere respect
to the man) Julian Hirsch's "five-star" review on the Bose to read.
Partly because of the sound, due to biased speaker positioning and the
demo material as I was later to understand, along with the "expert
engineering" POV's that I read, I succumbed to buying the Bose. To
give credit to the dealer, when I returned them later they gave full $
trade-in.

At one time I owned the same Hafler products you mentioned, as well as
some later incarnations, and I regard them all as offering excellent
value. I never have had an AR, darn the luck, and broke my teeth on
Garrards and Duals before moving on. I never had a Heath product but
an ealry audio mentor was all over DIY stuff in those days and I came
to appreciate of it's legendary position.

From: Lionel il
Date: 4/30/2004 3:58 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

S888Wheel - - vendredi 30
Avril 2004 21:42 wrote:

The classics reissue of Electric Ladyland is quite amazing. I

What is a "classic reissue" of Electric Ladyland ?


My duh. I was thinking of Band of Gypsies. Classics is a reissue label that
does agreat job most of the time with LP and CD reissues of classic titles from
jazz, rock and classical music. They did not do Electric Ladyland. The best
version of Electric Ladyland that I have heard is the UK Track issue. But it is
not miraculous. It is hard to find in good shape for a good price. The best CD
version I have heard was a UK Polydor issue. That should be pretty easy to
find.

Lionel wrote:


Bruce J. Richman - - vendredi
30 Avril 2004 19:22 wrote:

[snip]

Message saved. ;-)
Thank you for your kind advices.

One of the best popular vinyl recordings I've heard, if you can find a
copy, is
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged". This was originally issued on German vinyl
and sounds great.

I heard this one. I'm not a great Clapton's fan but I must recognize that
this recording sounds very good, this guitar "gently weeps"... ;-)

Now let me please recommend you THE cd which has "definitively" ;-)
converted me to digital music :

Tom Waits : "Big time".

I understand that it could be an "unfair" choice. )








Bruce J. Richman - - vendredi
30 Avril 2004 19:22 wrote:

[snip]

Message saved. ;-)
Thank you for your kind advices.

One of the best popular vinyl recordings I've heard, if you can find a
copy, is
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged". This was originally issued on German vinyl
and sounds great.

I heard this one. I'm not a great Clapton's fan but I must recognize that
this recording sounds very good, this guitar "gently weeps"... ;-)


In general, I prefer acoustic recordings to electric recordings. I also have a
fairly strong affinity for classical music, which may help- to explain my
preference for tubes and electrostatics .


Now let me please recommend you THE cd which has "definitively" ;-)
converted me to digital music :

Tom Waits : "Big time".

I understand that it could be an "unfair" choice. )








I have to confess that I'm not familiar with his music. Do you like the CD
because of the performance, the outstanding recording quality, or both?



Bruce J. Richman

(S888Wheel) wrote in message ...
The classics reissue of Electric Ladyland is quite amazing. It is much better
than I thought possible for this recording. The APO Top 25 Jazz reissue series
has set the bar for excellence for reissues of classic Jazz recordings IMO but
they are pricey. I think the classics reissues of the Blue Notes are
competative with the original pressings. But again you are choosing between
expensive and ridiculously expensive. Buying original Blue Notes is tricky
business too. The Shefield Harry James records are great sounding records but
that is big band stuff. Nothing wrong with that but it's a horse of a different
color. There is some great nostalgic recordings being reissued by Cisco and S&P
records. S&P has done a couple Peggy Lee reissues that are pretty amazing and
they have a Roy Orbison compilation that should be out any day now. Cisco did
some really nice reissues with Ian and Sylvia, Doc Watson, Joan Baez and June
Christy. Actually, I think, as audiophiles, we are now living with the greatest
wealth of choices of quality recordings in the history of hifi.

I couldn't agree more Wheelman...regardless of the "delivery system"
(I still use my Nakamichi ZX-7 at times)we have better sounding (IMV)
CD, Vinyl, MP3, etc. than ever before. I won't repeat it, but I've
read the other posts here am find it interesting that most of us have
such simlar agreements on gear/recordings/artists which can be such a
personal thing. BTW...Being a big Ry Cooder fan, one album of his that
gets little mention is "Borderline." Check it out you guys, especially
the cuts "Speedo" and "Trouble, You Can't Fool Me."

One of my favorite old records from the early 60's was the original "Peter
Gunn" LP. Played back, at that time, on a Garard tt & cartridge, EICO tubed
HF-30 (30 W mono-built from kit) and (Gordon Holt would hate this) Karlson
speaker enclosure containing the best available 12" combo Ratshack speaker
(again home-built from kit form). Total cost? About $200 at the time. It
took a lot of leaf-raking, lawn-mowing, and paper-delivering to pay for it
as a tenth grader. But it was worth it. It lasted decades (with just a few
tube changes and "pot" cleanings) and got me "started" :0).

Dan Steel wrote:


(S888Wheel) wrote in message
...
The classics reissue of Electric Ladyland is quite amazing. It is much
better
than I thought possible for this recording. The APO Top 25 Jazz reissue
series
has set the bar for excellence for reissues of classic Jazz recordings IMO
but
they are pricey. I think the classics reissues of the Blue Notes are
competative with the original pressings. But again you are choosing between
expensive and ridiculously expensive. Buying original Blue Notes is tricky
business too. The Shefield Harry James records are great sounding records
but
that is big band stuff. Nothing wrong with that but it's a horse of a
different
color. There is some great nostalgic recordings being reissued by Cisco and
S&P
records. S&P has done a couple Peggy Lee reissues that are pretty amazing
and
they have a Roy Orbison compilation that should be out any day now. Cisco
did
some really nice reissues with Ian and Sylvia, Doc Watson, Joan Baez and
June
Christy. Actually, I think, as audiophiles, we are now living with the
greatest
wealth of choices of quality recordings in the history of hifi.

I couldn't agree more Wheelman...regardless of the "delivery system"
(I still use my Nakamichi ZX-7 at times)we have better sounding (IMV)
CD, Vinyl, MP3, etc. than ever before. I won't repeat it, but I've
read the other posts here am find it interesting that most of us have
such simlar agreements on gear/recordings/artists which can be such a
personal thing. BTW...Being a big Ry Cooder fan, one album of his that
gets little mention is "Borderline." Check it out you guys, especially
the cuts "Speedo" and "Trouble, You Can't Fool Me."








I first got introduced to Ry Cooder's music after reading a review of one of
his albums in Stereophile's "Records To Die For" listing. (As an aside, John
Atkinson and the folks at Stereophile should be thanked for making this listing
of favorite recordings available on its website for every year - many
worthwhile recommendaitons there for both vinyl and CD enthusiasts). One
listen to "Chicken Skin Music" made me a Ry Cooder enthusiast. I have most of
his LPs, and would highly recommend Chicken Skin Music, Jazz, and also Paradise
and Lunch - in addition to Borderline. And for a really stunning (sonically)
soundtrack, "Crossroads", which was arranged by Cooder. Ry Cooder is extremely
creative IMHO, and embraces a wide range of musical styles.
For something completely different, of course, there is his grammy-winning
efforts in the justly well-reviewed Buena Vista Social Club - now available on
both vinyl and CD.

Another album I'd highly recommend for those that like movie soundtracks is the
soundtrack to Cat People - (Georgio Moroder composer). This is one of the
albums I always bring along when evaluating audio equipment. One listen to
David Bowie belting out "Putting Out the Fire With Gasoline", as well as the
heavily synthesized instrumentals with their suitably mysterious tone (for
those that have seen the movie with Natassia Kinski - yum, yum). Great sonics
and performances.




Bruce J. Richman

Jim Sanders wrote:


One of my favorite old records from the early 60's was the original "Peter
Gunn" LP. Played back, at that time, on a Garard tt & cartridge, EICO tubed
HF-30 (30 W mono-built from kit) and (Gordon Holt would hate this) Karlson
speaker enclosure containing the best available 12" combo Ratshack speaker
(again home-built from kit form). Total cost? About $200 at the time. It
took a lot of leaf-raking, lawn-mowing, and paper-delivering to pay for it
as a tenth grader. But it was worth it. It lasted decades (with just a few
tube changes and "pot" cleanings) and got me "started" :0).










I've got both the Peter Gunn, and also "More Music from Peter Gun" albums in my
collection. These are "Living Stereo" LPs with excellent sound. The
arrangements are by Henry Mancini, so they are first rate. I'm currently in the
hunt for nice copies (vinyl, of course) of The Pink Panther and Hatari.

One of my better "scores:" on eBay a few years ago was a large collection of
"audiophile" LPs sold by a dealer who had an overstock. It contained mostly
classical RCA Living Stereo, Mercury Living Presence, and London Blue Back
recordings, but among the popular gems included were the Peter Gunn albums.
It's my understanding that a lot of the albums from that era used simpler
microphone placements, with much less multi-miking employed, and consequently
sound more natural in many cases.


Bruce J. Richman

"Bruce J. Richman" wrote:

I've got both the Peter Gunn, and also "More Music from Peter Gun" albums
in my
collection.

So do I! :-)

These are "Living Stereo" LPs with excellent sound.

Righto! They always sounded fantastic (even on my early -60's mono system),
and the music was intoxicating.

The arrangements are by Henry Mancini, so they are first rate. I'm
currently in the
hunt for nice copies (vinyl, of course) of The Pink Panther and Hatari.

Mancini was the right man at the right time for the genre.

One of my better "scores:" on eBay a few years ago was a large collection
of
"audiophile" LPs sold by a dealer who had an overstock. It contained
mostly
classical RCA Living Stereo, Mercury Living Presence, and London Blue Back
recordings, but among the popular gems included were the Peter Gunn
albums.
It's my understanding that a lot of the albums from that era used simpler
microphone placements, with much less multi-miking employed, and
consequently
sound more natural in many cases.

The miking was of course very important, but the RCA Living Stereo and
Mercury Living Presence, as I recall, were the best recordings available at
the time - I am not familiar with London Blue Back recordings.

As usual, Dr. Richman, you impress with your taste and insight.

Glad to hear others are aware of/enjoying those Mancini classics.

Seabiscuit :0)

"Seabiscuit" wrote in message .. .
One of my favorite old records from the early 60's was the original "Peter
Gunn" LP. Played back, at that time, on a Garard tt & cartridge, EICO tubed
HF-30 (30 W mono-built from kit) and (Gordon Holt would hate this) Karlson
speaker enclosure containing the best available 12" combo Ratshack speaker
(again home-built from kit form). Total cost? About $200 at the time. It
took a lot of leaf-raking, lawn-mowing, and paper-delivering to pay for it
as a tenth grader. But it was worth it. It lasted decades (with just a few
tube changes and "pot" cleanings) and got me "started" :0).

I had that album : ) At one time I had that weird Garrad Zero-100,
with that articulated tonearm that included a "groove-tracing
governer" with a V-15 II. And very cool about the Karlson & Eico stuff
(it did last forever it seemed).

Jim Sanders wrote:


"Bruce J. Richman" wrote:

I've got both the Peter Gunn, and also "More Music from Peter Gun" albums
in my
collection.

So do I! :-)

These are "Living Stereo" LPs with excellent sound.

Righto! They always sounded fantastic (even on my early -60's mono system),
and the music was intoxicating.

The arrangements are by Henry Mancini, so they are first rate. I'm
currently in the
hunt for nice copies (vinyl, of course) of The Pink Panther and Hatari.

Mancini was the right man at the right time for the genre.

One of my better "scores:" on eBay a few years ago was a large collection
of
"audiophile" LPs sold by a dealer who had an overstock. It contained
mostly
classical RCA Living Stereo, Mercury Living Presence, and London Blue Back
recordings, but among the popular gems included were the Peter Gunn
albums.
It's my understanding that a lot of the albums from that era used simpler
microphone placements, with much less multi-miking employed, and
consequently
sound more natural in many cases.

The miking was of course very important, but the RCA Living Stereo and
Mercury Living Presence, as I recall, were the best recordings available at
the time - I am not familiar with London Blue Back recordings.


Absolutely! London Blue Backs, primarily classical, are in about the same
sonic league as the Living Stereos and Mercury Living Presences.

Speaking of Mercury Living Presences, my prize possession is, believe it or
not, one of the most collectible and valuable because of its unbelievable
sonics. Don't laugh but it's called "Dueling Balalaikas" and is performed by a
massed balalais orchestra - the Osipov State Orchestra. It was reportedly the
first recording done on 35mm tape in the USSR. If you ever get a chance to hear
it, you will understand why mint copies go for big bucks . Truly staggering
sonics.



As usual, Dr. Richman, you impress with your taste and insight.


Thank you very much. Your taste is excellent also.


Glad to hear others are aware of/enjoying those Mancini classics.

Seabiscuit :0)











Bruce J. Richman

On Sat, 01 May 2004 02:35:25 +0200, Lionel
wrote:

Bruce J. Richman - - vendredi
30 Avril 2004 19:22 wrote:

[snip]

Message saved. ;-)
Thank you for your kind advices.

One of the best popular vinyl recordings I've heard, if you can find a
copy, is
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged". This was originally issued on German vinyl
and sounds great.

I heard this one. I'm not a great Clapton's fan but I must recognize that
this recording sounds very good, this guitar "gently weeps"... ;-)

Speaking of great "unplugged" recordings, check out The Isle of View
by the Pretenders. *Extremely* well-recorded. Definitely a reference
worthy disc.