jazzbo

Verily: Yay Heavy and a bottle of bread!

Hey covers are right there, just need to be resized a little, they come out well on a halfway decent printer. . . . I wish liner notes were available too. But as I read less and less of these as time goes by that's less and less a big deal to me!

Bill, my disc player has been modified to completely bypass the stock output stage and has a powerful tubed output stage coming right off the DAC. It feeds directly two "single-ended" monoblock tubed amplifiers using EL34 tubes that are hand-built, star-grounded, only have one resistor and one capacitor in the signal path (the resistor is tied to a volume pot that allows you to use this without any preamp stage, thereby bypassing a whole lot of other parts and wire). My speakers are an unusual type with an inverted horizontal driver that disperses sound in a 360* radial pattern. The disc player, the amps and the speaker are all by the same designer and builder. All are designed to "get out of the way" of the music, and though that is an impossible task, they try hard. . . . Some time ago when I quit playing in bands I began to focus on musical playback in my home and trying to recreate music as realistically and musically as I could, and this has been an interesting journey. . . . A mixed blessing, but with some really marvelous listening along the way. Owning a vintage fifties stereo tube integrated opened my ears to tubes and their musical potential, and I became interested in "single-ended amplifiers" which were mostly too expensive for me to buy until I found Decware. I've also settled on Mapleshade Records brass cones, maple platforms and system rack, and power conditioning and interconnects and speaker cables by PS Audio, and the system really satisfies ME. It may not satisfy others. If interested, here is a link to the Decware catalog page: Decware Amps, Speakers and more

Hi Brad, yes, I've made a change because of the sonic change in my system. Not unusual really. I'm more interested in live recordings that were broadcast, new material I've never heard before, etc. than upgrading to "better sounding" discs because discs I've had sound really good now. . . ! Most SACD hybrids I've heard that can be listened to on a cd player have new remastering that sounds awful good on the cd layer. If you were going to pick up some hybrid SACDs I'd suggest grabbing the "Sonny Clark Trio" and the "Tommy Turrentine" on Audiophile Records (I think) which I have heard will not be available much longer. . . .

MANY MORE HAPPY RETURNS MR. HARRIS!

I like them both. . . I would just flip a coin.

Some new ones since I last looked! Going to have to get a way to download and burn eventually. . . . Looks like a good program.

I have about fifteen. My new tube-output SACD player makes my regular cds sound so flipping good that SACD doesn't seem like the big deal that I thought it would, and though I really like SACD I haven't been buying many. . . as there currently aren't many I don't already have in cd or other form that I want to buy. . . and I'm less interested in duplicating titles than ever.

THAT'S RIGHT NONE OF US DESERVE TO POST ON THIS THREAD! WE PROBABLY DON'T EVEN THINK YES WAS THE GREATEST! HELL YEAH

Yes, I saw that. I will get those at a later date. Probably through BMG. I'm not really buying many SACDs right now. Still have lots of titles new to me to corrall first.

Now wait a minute. .. that should be "Hell yeah!"---Aric Effron Credit due where credit is due. Coincedence? Hell Yeah!

Sorry I'm glad you like it but I don't think it would change my mind in any way. I'm just not a surround sound fan. And if I NEVER heard Dark Side of the Moon again in my life I'd be happy! Heard way too many times in the seventies and eighties . . . . Don't listen to Elton John either. Haven't even been curious to hear KOB in multichannel. Just doesn't interest me. I've heard some pretty impressive systems but still sounds gimmicky to ME. It's just me. I'm too much a purist for my own good.

Well, I don't mean to give the impression that I was not leaving room for anyone else. I'm just recommending from my experience as you are recommending from yours. I personally DO hear differences in wire, and in isolation components and stands, and power conditioning components and the lack of thereof as well. This happened along my tube journey. It's a bit maddening, but it is also thrilling; I'm glad to have this experience and the quest. But I fully believe that anyone should find their own journey in audio. If I were into multichannel I would probably also not go the Decware route, but multichannel just doesn't do it for me. I've never heard a setup that didn't sound processed to me outside of rare rare occurrences in a movie theater. I get an enveloping two channel set up with my speakers that has outshined home theaters I've heard so I'm only shooting for two channels. . . . I'm not one to watch many movies at home, so I don't have the need for more than two channels.

And I personally think that most of the players suffer from having output stages that just don't cut it for me. My amps and speakers reveal their failings. After hearing better implemented power supplies and tubed output stages everything seems more musical to me and I'll not buy a stock machine from Pioneer or Sony unless it's their flagships that are ridiculously expensive or to have it modified by someone who really knows what they are doing. If I hadn't heard a few great machines that have fantastic output sections (where the machine in my opinion is made or broken) I would feel diffferently. Of course I've also over the last decade moved fully into the tubed camp rather than solid state; for me there is no going back, and if there's a machine with a tube as a source compared to an IC or transistors I'm going to gravitate there. This machine, with its design that allows one to use either a 12AT7, 12AU7 or 12AX7 tube type really allows you to tailor the sound wonderfully to your room and tastes. I go back and forth between a Telefunken 12AT7 and a Mullard 12AX7 and am so glad I can.

I love Teddy Wilson's playing, it's got such an inner strength and a driving calm to it. . . . I need music like that in my life.

Not sure about dirt cheap! Dirt cheap in comparison to highend machines, sure. And I think great bang for the buck. It's the best machine I've ever had, but I haven't had megadollar machines. It does make cds sound wonderful though. The designer really knows his stuff, and he overbuilds power supplies which has great sonic benefits in the long run but does mean a long break in time. . . . Still, I'm very happy with this machine. I guess there's a chance that it is because it is a part of a system all built by this designer; system synergy is possibly a big factor. In fact I view my system as a triple one: I have all Decware source, amps and speakers; I have all Mapleshade isolation components (Samson rack, Isoblocks and maple platforms and Triplepoint brass "Cones") and I have all PS Audio cables (power, interconnect and speaker) and a PS Audio Power Plant. It's really shining lately; I'm enjoying the heck out of music! There are lots of other options I guess. . . .I just haven't heard that many SACD machines, and I really am sold on this builder after seven years of living with his products. One limiting factor is that SACD is not available in a DAC (yet?). If it were then there would be many transport and DAC combinations possible.

I never thoutht I would be listening to dvds on the stereo either, but since I can I find I have been. . . . The new Mingus at Montreux is nice to have and be able to listen in the very best sound on my main system. The Decware player took a long time to break in and shine, but I'm very happy to have it. . . .CDs sound as good as SACDs to me on this machine!

Why are you against having DVD capability? (Just curious, I have a universal player from Sony that has been modified by Decware to have a tubed output stage coming right off the DAC that I LOVE. It can play dvd and that is nice because sometimes I listen (don't watch) to dvds that I have from Tabla Beat Science, Mingus, Flip Phillips, etc.) It may be more than you want to spend, but it's the best machine I've had. DEC 685 pages

Interesting Scott, because for me probably the best part of the series was the attention given to Louis!

Think again!

I agree with Tony, and do a lot of looking about and listening if you can. I went from some pretty nice solid state gear to vintage EICO tube gear and finally found the best system I've ever had, and where I'm stopping for some time to come in a system from Decware, a sort of cottage industry tube equipment place run by designer/drummer Steve Deckert. I have their tubed output SACD/DVD/CD player, a pair of their EL34 Monoblock amps, and their Radial RL2 speakers. I've had amps of theirs since 1997 without any problem, with lots of great sound and enjoyment. Here below is their online bulletin board where you can get some interesting advice and view and also their online catalog page. Decware bulletin board Decware Online catalog

This just in: Generalissimo Sinatra is still . . . having birthdays?

Cool. Just checking.

Many more happy returns!