Kevin Bresnahan

The Cincinnati Bengals just re-upped Marvin Lewis. From what I've read on some of their fans' message boards, this is not going over well.

I just listened to a bit of this here: The echoes from the venue walls is pretty noticeable. I guess this is an audience recording and not taken from the soundboard?

Thanks - After listening to a few samples, I ordered this for next year. I almost ordered the vinyl but it's missing 3 tracks that are on the CD.

Do you like this date? I didn't like it at all. The main reason I still own it is that I got Jones to autograph it.

Yes, it's a "with strings" Christmas CD and it's what makes it a late night favorite in my house.

I have several Blue Jean Cables products. I use their speaker wires on both of my systems and I have a couple of pairs of their RCA audio cables. I use several pairs of Monoprice RCA audio cables as well. Go with whatever you like. I know a lot of people who swear by Audioquest and if they look good to you, go for them. That Pangea is a nice looking shelf for $99. Those thin shelves might, just might, be an issue for the turntable on top. If you have issues with mechanical feedback (rumble, skipping, etc), you can always go with an inexpensive wall shelf later. I have two wall shelves that I had made for me. I bought wall brackets from Home Depot for about $20 and had a friend who runs a woodworking shop make me a 1 & 1/2 inch thick piece of butcher block maple. That was about $35. Total $55. The nice thing about a wall shelf is that you can use studs.

They most certainly do! The real question is whether you like this effect or not. BTW, there are days when I miss my tube setup as well.

I am not surprised at the difference you're hearing. From a pure electronic standpoint, the phono preamplifier steps up the signal from the cartridge to the amplifier. The Conrad Johnson likely had ~50 dB of gain, whereas the NAD is probably closer to 35-40 dB. This 10-15 dB difference in gain can mean a lot to the resulting sound. Most likely the differences you're hearing is because the cartridge you are using is matched differently to the NAD phono preamp than it was to your old Conrad Johnson phono preamp. When it comes to matching a tricky phono cartridge to your amplifier, particularly a moving coil cartridge with unusual output impedance or very low output voltage, you might need a phono preamplifier with adjustable settings. I just bought one last year, the Pro-Ject Phono Box DS, that has several rough adjustments that can be made from the front panel. I bought it because I'm thinking about going to moving coil (using Ortofon 3M Black MM now). There are models out there that allow for more adjustment than this but for me (and my aging ears) this worked fine. Your mileage may vary.

My family is big into Christmas music. We're still playing it today. I have several Jazz-tinged Christmas discs that have gotten playtime in the past few weeks. Top 5: Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas Scott Hamilton - Christmas Love Song (also found under the title "Late Night Christmas Eve") Various Artists - An Uptown Christmas Paolo Fresu - Jazzy Christmas Bobby Timmons - Holiday Soul (needle drop) And then there's always my personal favorite that's not really Jazz: Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song

I highly doubt that Pro-Ject's entry-level phono pre-amplifier's circuitry will be much different from the built-in phono pre-amplifier in your Onkyo receiver. Again, the phono pre-amp only needs to boost up an audio signal by ~45 dB for a MM cartridge and apply the RIAA equilization. This can be done with very little circuitry (which is why that Pro-Ject box is so small). The basic circuit only needs about 14-20 circuit elements per channel. High-end pre-amps take this basic schematic and add bias control circuitry, additional noise filtration and other things to improve the clarity of the signal. I doubt that this little Pro-Ject box has much of that. Although I generally recommend Monoprice audio cables, it seems like you want a step up. My preferred "step up" audio cable is Blue Jean Cable. Their 3 foot long BJC LC-1 stereo (pair) is $35.75. I've never used Pangea cables but I have several Blue Jean cables in my systems. They also make excellent speaker wire for the money.

Regarding the phono preamp - depending on the make/model of your receiver, you could already have a very good phono preamp built in. In fact, schematically, you could have an identical phono preamp to a free-standing phono preamp on the market. There are limited ways to boost up a phono signal and add the RIAA equalization (again, schematically). If you hook it up and it sounds good to your ears, why worry? As an example, I once owned a McIntosh MX110 tube preamp that had a built-in tube phono pre-amp. That built-in phono pre-amp was wired up using several tubes that are used in many high end tube phono pre-amps. Most are wired up in the exact same way (schematically). Sure, the quality of the construction could come into play, but the audio amplification should be pretty much the same. I never felt the need to use an external phono pre-amp with that preamplifier. You may find yourself in the same situation with your current system.

Sad news. He will be missed. It looks like he died on December 15th at home. He was only 59 - far too young. Cancer sucks. No full obituary yet, but here's his death notice: http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/obituaries/5857496-151/obits-dec-20-2017

That probably depends on the receiver and how well it matches your cartridge. Are you already using it? If you are using it, are you happy with the sound? If you are, why worry?

If looks are important to you, I think that these guys make some beautiful audio racks: http://www.timbernation.com/ Look at this rig!

I believe that you should buy whatever rack fits your budget and matches your decor. I am not a believer that your audio equipment's mechanical isolation has anything to do with the sound. At all.

I have this music as part of this two-fer: https://www.discogs.com/Junior-Cook-QuartetGeorge-Coleman-Octet-Stablemates/release/10148851

It appears that Rudd was another man who lost the battle with prostate cancer: http://downbeat.com/news/detail/roswell-rudd-feted-at-82nd-birthday-bash To all the men over 45 reading this, make sure to get a baseline PSA and don't fear the finger. It could prolong your life.

He was such an interesting player when I got a chance to see him live. He will be missed.

Let me guess - at the NRA gift shop?

So disc 2 is simply two 45 rpm singles? What's that like 20 minutes? Why didn't they just make disc 1 be the original LP and disc 2 be the additional material? It makes more sense to do it that way than the way they've done it.

As I said, everybody has a bad night. Last year at the Regattabar was one of them. Now that I think about it, my friend Bob told me that the set started out weird, with Lee realizing that he left his neck strap up in his room. So while the trio banged out a few tunes, he went back up to his room to get his strap. It was after he came back that he didn't really want to play much. Maybe he wasn't feeling well? Who knows. Maybe it was because I wasn't there.

Just be aware that during his visit to the Regattabar last year, he didn't play much. My friend went and said that Lee sat & watched the trio play for most of the night. They had to coax him up to the mic to play. He just wanted to sit in the back and watch. At first, my friend thought it was a joke but as it continued through the set, it stopped being funny. My friend won't be going to this show. I might. Everyone has a bad night.

I saw him last year and while he needed assistance to get to the piano, once he sat down, he played powerfully. I don't think he likes playing any other way.

Yeah, McCoy's skills are definitely fading. He is looking very frail these days - hardly walking much. My last concert experience was a bit sad as well. The music was great, but his physical condition was not... but then again, he is 79.

Listen to the samples on this one: https://lionsharecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-life-in-a-day "It’s hard to imagine a more poignant recording. Given the background of this album and its sheer musical force it’s impossible not to be profoundly moved by it. This may well qualify as the jazz album of the year." ***** John McBeath, The Australian Nov 21st 2015 "Ades writes songs that have this infectious, buoyant vibe at the center. This disc is superbly recorded and well balanced so that all four members are integral to the group sound. Mr. Ades has also written a handful of convincing melodies that stay with you long after the disc ends." Bruce Lee Gallanter, DowntownMusicGallery NY Jan 15th 2016 "It was a superhuman effort: David Ades was dying of lung cancer when he recorded this album. He knew it would be his last and he made it his best. Ades’ illness could not knock the extraordinary singing vitality out of his playing." ***** John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald Jan 18th 2016 "It is all strong, bright, passionate and, particularly when Malaby moves from tenor to soprano sax, uplifting as the overall pitch lifts and the two high voices sing." John Clare, The Music Trust Feb 1st 2016 "A Life In A Day is a testament to the transformative power of music. Ades frequently swoops upwards to the higher registers, but he never abandons his warm, expressive tone. Taken with Malaby’s sonorous, more languid lines, the resulting image of these two players... more credits released November 1, 2015 David Ades - alto saxophone Tony Malaby - soprano and tenor saxophone Mark Helias - bass Gerald Cleaver - drums All music published by Radio Legs Music/BMI, Chubasco Music/SESAC, Gerald Cleaver Music Recorded September 18th 2013 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn NY Recording Engineer: Michael Brorby Mix Engineer: Mark Helias Mastering Engineer: Jim Hemmingway at JCH Audio Produced by David Ades and Mark Helias Cover photo by Roger Mitchell Designed by Luke Fraser/Ahr+