westermac

If you don't get a massive step up going from headphones to speakers, spesker guys will tell you it's a massive failure.

I hate to be that guy, but, if it doesn't play castanets properly, you're fucked either way.

I keep a pair of castanets in my drawer; the only device capable of faithfully reproducing castanets is castanets.

@briskly, Thanks: so I can cancel my trip to the patent office, then.

But at lest it did turn out to be a real idea!

edit: Bouncing off the hammock idea. A solid bridge would be needed for the equipment, but how about a strenched-canvas worktop. Should be taught enough for keyboard, etc.

(Now my mouse is demanding a trampoline!)

@Thad E Ginathom sure, pretty sure I've seen skeletonized desks before. Best make it from a tube frame.

Personally I like having acres of stuff to put all my shit down on till it fossilizes. When I want to sit back and listen to speakers I pull them to the edge of the desk.

Me too. What's that geological name for rocks like slate, that form in layers... ah... sedimentary. That's my desk.

I live a sedentary life at my sedimentary desk!

With the exception or "RAM." That albums works sober and when you have something decent to drink. At least a good merlot...

JRiver isn’t bad, but IIRC it’s expensive.

Just about anything can play ALAC. I've been using VLC lately, but that's a stopgap.

I looked at JRiver a long time ago, but found it slow and hideous (written in Java Swing, I think? definitely wasn't a native app). Don't think it worked with Apple keyboard media keys, either. Deleted it immediately. Maybe it improved since then.

Been there, done that, still have the stained T-shirt. Though that was a long time ago now.

Just leave the stain and call it abstract art.

Thats funny right there and I feel your pain.

You might like this guy https://youtu.be/tfAUofSSgC0

For audio alone
https://referencerecordings.com/recording/organ-sensation-felix-hell/

Heard this awhile ago, was blown away. Usually players rush it a bit, he gives it time to breathe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNLdHe8uxY

I vote for cheap whiskey and cheaper vinyl.

Experiment and find the inflection point at which whiskey(qual)=vinyl(qual)...

This may be of interest: It's a book about pairing vinyl with cocktails.

https://boozeandvinyl.com/media/

I have their earlier cocktail book and just picked this up as well.

Most LDPs make GREAT CD transports with SPDIF out.

I wasn't actually looking for an excuse to buy more stuff, but thanks a lot, Marv.

That Stanton is a DJ cart so you could probably do better, but I don't know what carts are usually recommended for the 1200. Ask in the Phono Cartridges thread and the vinyl wizards will doubtless emerge...

Well, it's a DJ cart with an elliptical stylus. But yes, it does not take much to best that old Stanton. It is based on the 500 II which was the most common of common of Stanton carts.

Spoke too soon - 'entry level for playback' says the mfr website. But yeah, you'll do better.

I haven't touched one in 25 years, but its a fun table. The audiophiles with say its not audiophile, because of all the auto stuff. But so what, if the direct drive is fine, I say grab it for fun. Not much audio fun out there for $80...

LOL. Thanks for nothing!

"young Leonard Cohen" --- music to slash your wrists to. Dreadful stuff.

Way back then, it was an unspoken house rule that nobody played the Leonard Cohen album in the pile. One day somebody did --- so the rest of us ritually destroyed it. With the agreement and participation of the person who actually owned it.

PS... making an LP unplayable is horribly simple, and all too easily done by accident. But actually destroying vinyl? Very difficult!

I buy a lot of CD's and FLAC downloads. I rip the CD's to FLAC. My lifestyle is not conducive to maintaining a physical CD collection and I'm happy with the setup. Oh and I also use Apple Music for discovery and for family.

and in case you haven't, check your local library for CD's. mine has been a treasure trove for music discovery since acquiring a cheap but solid Onkyo transport to feed the Gungnir Multibit.

Try Spotify premium I use it daily for 90% of my listening and I rarely found it compressed sounding. If a recording sounds bad, I figure it’s the master. CD rips or lossless or even better feeding your dac with quality cd transport ford give your music a more smooth analog experience, but personally, for me that is, I don’t find Spotify completely unlistenable like most people here.

https://youtu.be/ciR7Fq2tqJ0

"This whiskey is often cited as the HD6X0 of whiskeys." @JK47: https://bit.ly/2CbB0Aw

Caol Ila is a great choice and I might add Ardbeg 10 if you like smoky and Bowmore 15 for slightly less smoke.

I have an even better one but I'm keeping it a secret...

oh, they are going to snicker, alright! ;-)

I think it's a Monoprice thing...I got them with a replacement cable I just got.

I got mine melted flat from international post. Thankfully they do not leak out of their wrappers and still taste fine. American peanut butter flavour is oddly sweet; but the Spark is sweeter :p

We make-uh very excitement with the black vidar!

Ha thanks @zonto. I do like Cardas for the HD6x0 but have a hard time paying for for the cable than the headphone. For interconnects I'm plenty happy with Mogami/Canare

The Vidar I bought wouldn’t even get past protection when using Golden Ref speaker and interconnect. I’ve since moved to Rag and sold the Cardas cables in favor of Mogami as well. ;)