J Larsen

Hi, Is anyone else still waiting for their set? I preordered ordered back in July and am still waiting. Thanks. Edit: In case it was unclear, I was asking about the Eternal Myth set. Thanks.

Did you go last night? How was Parker/Shipp? Really wanted to catch that set, but between the rain and an early meeting today, it seemed like a bad idea.

Not so simple for us working folk... Really looking forward to David S Ware tonight, even if I do have to sit up in the 110 degree bleachers again.

There was some great music last night, but goddamn it was hot in there (especially up in the balcony; easily 110 degrees up there). I'm a little on the fence for tonight. One the one hand, it is always fun to see Kid Jordan play, and the Shipp/Parker set should be incredible. On the other hand, that is a long walk home through a forecasted thunderstorm. Definitely going tomorrow night for David S. Ware. Does anyone know why there is such a long break in the schedule between Kid Jordan and Shipp/Parker tonight?

Thanks - I got will call tix and hope to be there for the start of the 7PM set.

I saw it Monday and enjoyed it. The Hemingway character is great! I can't say the film really affected me, but it was a pleasant way to pass a couple hours on a hot summer night.

I'll be there tonight unless work intervenes. I assume tickets are still available?

I have been dealing with eustachian tube dysfunction for about 4 years, and it isn't fun. (Frequently feel like my head is going to implode, occasional bouts with very loud tinnitus, etc.). Nothing works all the time for anyone, but here are a couple things that work sometimes for some people: 1) Exhaling moderately forcefully through your nasal passages while pinching your nose hard. This can cause a little pain in the eardrums, but often solves the problem (at least temporarily). 2) Med pack, which is a graduated dose of prednisone as Jim R suggested. Needless to say, this is prescription only. It can hurt your stomach a little, but is the most effective pharmaceutical I've found for this problem. 3) Nasonex, which is a rather powerful prescription-only antihistamine that you spray up your nose. If you are lucky, a few droplets will find their way into the eustachian tube, and provide at least temporary relief. It sounds like you are basically dealing with a temporary case of ETD, so it is worth discussing these options with your doctor (option 1 can be safely attempted without calling a doctor first).

Japan's nuclear agency has conceded that a meltdown may have occurred at Fukushima: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.quake.nuclear.failure/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1 I dearly hope this is not the case.

Glad you are okay, Dave! We were thinking about you today. Trang has a lot of family in Japan right now; thankfully they are all okay too. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

The FMP box has been rocking my world for the last couple days. I expected it to be really good, and my expectations have been wildly exceeded.

Another vote for Etymotics. BTW, they make great custom-fit musicians' earplugs, as well.

Thanks! I can use EL34s, though the manual says I'll lose a little power. (Given that my amp is loud enough for the neighbors to complain with the dial at 10 o'clock, I'm not too worried about that, though.) What do you think of the Winged C KT88s? http://www.upscaleaudio.com/tubes/kt88/sed-kt88.html Thanks, Porcy. I'm bidding on a pair of Telefunkens on ebay right now, but they seller has 100% positive feedback from nearly 1000 reviews (including lots of tubes), and they come with the original boxes, so hopefully they are legit. I'm of the impression that NOS isn't as important for preamp tubes, because they draw so little power to start with so they have much longer lives. Do you agree with that? I definitely plan on trying lots of different types, but I want to pace myself. I am, after all, standing at the top of a long, steep, slippery slope!

I'd like to try some new tubes in my integrated stereo amp. I've picked up a few ideas from some of the dedicated audio forums, but thought I'd solicit opinions here as well. My amp takes 4 KT88s for the power section and 2 12AX7s and 2 12AU7s for the pre section. For the KT88s, I just tried the Gold Lion reissues from Russia, but am not happy with the bass definition (compared to the Prima Luna tubes I had in before). I really have no idea what to try next. For the 12AX7s, I'm thinking about used Telefunkens or NOS Tungsrams. For the 12AU7s, I'm thinking about used Telefunkens or NOS Mullards or Radiotechnique. Any thoughts would be appreciated - also vendor recommendations would be great. Thanks.

Not sure if he's been mentioned yet, but I'm a big fan of Bambino (sometimes "Bombino" on records). His output is pretty diverse; here are a few samples:

To get the image you have to coat the surface in an extremely thin layer of gold, so some of the surface irregularities may be due to that rather than the vinyl itself. But I'm sure the grooves themselves aren't perfect... nothing is, especially when you look close enough.

Thought you guys might enjoy this: http://www.synthgear.com/2010/audio-gear/record-grooves-electron-microscope/

How much space do you guys give your tube gear on your racks? My Prologue has about 3 inches, and the shelf is pretty toasty. It would be extremely difficult for me to rearrange things, though...

Amp finally arrived. It sounds great! Gets really hot though... Thanks for the advice.

In the past I've given away electronics as I've upgraded. This time I'm being greedy. When the Rotel comes back from the repair shop (on Rotel's dime, as it is still under warranty), it is going in the closet as a backup. I'm seriously going out of my mind without a stereo. Music over the laptop isn't cutting it.

This PrimaLuna amp needs to hurry up and get here. One week into stereolessness, I'm getting a little agitated.

One day I'll avail myself of the 30 day return policy, try them it out, and sell the PrimaLuna if I like the Decware. For right now, I needed a sure bet. I'm studying for a big exam that happens in five weeks, so unfortunately I really don't have a lot of time to commit to searching and product trials at this point. And I my girlfriend and I were both totally blown away by the PrimaLuna today, so as long as wattage matching with the speakers in a non-issue, we at least have something that I know we will really enjoy and that completely blows away the Rotel we were using before.

Thanks a lot- this is encouraging to hear. I was getting a little depressed there! I demoed the ProLogue 2 with DeVore Gibbon 8s. Never heard of them before, but they are a very nice speaker. You can see them here: http://www.inlivingstereo.com/loudspeakers.html They are only a little smaller than my 704s, but according to the shop's website, they are particularly well suited to low power amps.

So I went with the ProLogue 2 because I loved the sound and it was available just a few blocks away. It will arrive in about a week. I have one concern now: the ProLogue is only 40W. I just realized my B&W 704s are rated for 50W to 150W. Is this going to be a problem?

OK, just got back from In Living Stereo and was unexpectedly blown away by some tube gear. I would be perfectly happy with one of these two: http://www.primaluna-usa.com/index.php?opt...8&Itemid=53 http://www.primaluna-usa.com/index.php?opt...1&Itemid=60 Any idea how these compare with Decware? BTW, I did an A/B of these with a Rega solid state and it just wasn't even close. The PrimaLuna units were in a completely different league in terms of clarity, separation and liveliness.