Have you been naughty or nice?

[topspeed]

OK, guys and gals, what are you asking for from Santa? New universal player? Multi-channel amp? ABBA's Greatest hits on SACD?

C'mon, fess up! Don't worry, he can squeeze that 80" plasma down your chimney.

Me, I'd be more than happy with Synchronicity, Holst's The Planets, DSOTM, and Peter Gabriel Live all in hi-rez.

Happy Holidays!

[PAT.P]

OK, guys and gals, what are you asking for from Santa? New universal player? Multi-channel amp? ABBA's Greatest hits on SACD?

C'mon, fess up! Don't worry, he can squeeze that 80" plasma down your chimney.

Me, I'd be more than happy with Synchronicity, Holst's The Planets, DSOTM, and Peter Gabriel Live all in hi-rez.

Happy Holidays!

I put a Yamaha DVDC750 on layaway for Xmas.Its a 5disc plays SACD and most other format.Already have ABBA 's greatest hits on dvd .I pre Xmas shop for a 31 band stereo EQ for my basement .Im going to buy a small Energy sub for my 8 year old son also for his HT room.Happy Holiday!

[kexodusc]

And I'm not sorry to say it has nothing to do with anything audio...

Since moving to Canada as an adult, it's been hard finding stuff to do when the temperature gets below freezing (mid October - May). Lucky for me, Canada has this cool thing called snow, and lots of it here...The tag on this one says:

To: Kex
From: Kex

Merry F'n Christmas

[Feanor]

OK, guys and gals, what are you asking for from Santa? New universal player? Multi-channel amp? ABBA's Greatest hits on SACD? ...
Happy Holidays!

A Behringer TUBE ULTRA-Q T1951 parametric equalizer ...

http://www.behringer.com/T1951/index.cfm?lang=ENG

Should be fun This will let me fool with tubes and an equalizer all at once -- and for fairly cheap.

My gut feeling is that you can get a big chunk of what tubes can do by putting a simple, zero or low-gain device any where the chain, and this one is about as cheap as they get -- hey, only $129.99 at Markertek, (and cheap is good).

I did give some consideration Musical Fidelity's X-10v3 Tube Output Buffer, ($400), and Decware's ZBOX, (also $400), but why pay more? and besides I liked the look of all those retro-looking knobs and meters.

The equalizer will be fun too. Measured from my listening chair with my Radio Shack SPL meter and the Rives Test Disk 2, my system has an appalling number of peaks and valleys and I'd like to know what it sounds like without some of them.

[Woochifer]

I already gave myself an early present when I bought that Sony ES SACD player a couple of weeks ago at the Good Guys going-out-of-business sale (don't know if it's over, but the stores closest to where I live are now closed).

For this Christmas, the only things on my wish list are the 30th Anniversary boxed set of Born to Run, a couple of the Columbia Miles Davis boxed sets, the Twilight Zone Definitive Edition season sets, and the remastered all-region DVD sets of Jackie Chan's Police Story and Armour of God series (with the original soundtracks intact and none of the editing that was done prior to their U.S. release).

A flat panel HDTV is on the horizon, just not yet for this holiday season (probably going to get a TV cabinet first for media storage and eventually for use as a flat panel stand). For my wife, I originally thought about getting her an iPod Nano, but I'm now leaning more towards giving her a spa treatment from a local resort.

P.S. the Synchronicity SACD's sound quality is a mixed bag (only have the LP version for comparison and have never listened to a CD version). Some songs sound notably better than others ("Every Breath You Take" in particular sounds wonderful, while "Synchronicity" sounds harsh and muddy), but in general, I prefer how my vinyl copy sounds (and with most of other LP comparisons, I have preferred the high res versions, whether SACD or 96/24 PCM). DSOTM is a must-buy -- the two-channel SACD layer sounds great, while the multichannel layer also has stellar sound quality (whether the mix works for you is another story).

[Worf101]

I gave myself the following presents. It's pretty obscure stuff in that most folks here probably don't know that I fly flight simulators on line. I'm part of 99th Pursuit Squadron, the same one depicted in "The Tuskegee Airmen" film from HBO about 8 years ago. With modern technology I have a full HOTAS (Hands on Throttle and Stick) set up along with rudder pedals and something called "Track IR" that allows the screen to move with movement of my head. It's as close to "virtual reality" as you can currently get short of building my own cockpit in the basement (believe me some guys do).

Well to make this experience better I bought about $400.00 worth of upgrades to my throttle and Joystick, they're now smooth as silk... My gift to me. Any one wanting to know more about the Redtails, just PM me.

2 Lt. Worf101 of the 99th Pursuit Squadron Virtual Tuskegee Airmen. "Straighten Up and Fly Right!!!"

[Feanor]

A Behringer TUBE ULTRA-Q T1951 parametric equalizer ....

I love the retro look! The knobs, the analog meters, the glowing tubes
Here's a picture of this device ...

[GMichael]

And I'm not sorry to say it has nothing to do with anything audio...

Since moving to Canada as an adult, it's been hard finding stuff to do when the temperature gets below freezing (mid October - May). Lucky for me, Canada has this cool thing called snow, and lots of it here...The tag on this one says:

To: Kex
From: Kex

Merry F'n Christmas

Nice ride. Is that you on it?

[GMichael]

The new house that won't be built until next year is my biggest gift to me. But I did get me a few more thangs.

The Trans-Siberian Orchastra 3 CD set with DVD. (very good by the way)
Star Wars III DVD
War of the Worlds DVD (not opened yet, never saw the movie)
Polar Express DVD

[GMichael]

No, just a stock picture used without permission...the one I'm getting has a bit more red on it. Couldn't find a better pic.
3 weeks off in January..can't wait.

Wonder if I could rig a small stereo up in my helmet...

They make them. I've seen two way radios with FM built in.

[kexodusc]

No, just a stock picture used without permission...the one I'm getting has a bit more red on it. Couldn't find a better pic.
3 weeks off in January..can't wait.

Wonder if I could rig a small stereo up in my helmet...

[Tons of Fun]

[Geoffcin]

OK, guys and gals, what are you asking for from Santa? New universal player? Multi-channel amp? ABBA's Greatest hits on SACD?

C'mon, fess up! Don't worry, he can squeeze that 80" plasma down your chimney.

Me, I'd be more than happy with Synchronicity, Holst's The Planets, DSOTM, and Peter Gabriel Live all in hi-rez.

Happy Holidays!

[PAT.P]

I love the retro look! The knobs, the analog meters, the glowing tubes
Here's a picture of this device ...

Nice looking ,I bought their 31 band stereo and love it .This was my pre Xmas toy

[Bernd]

Hi Guy's,

I think I have been very good all year. What with getting my Transfiguration Temper V and having a new stove installed on Thursday in the Listening Room. That room ( which I finished in the summer) was so cold as it had no heating at all apart from the Tubes.
So last night I fired it up and had a great session. Hope all of you are well and are turning off your lighters before you put them in your pocket.

Wishing you all a peaceful and merry Christmas

Bernd

[Florian]

I have been a mix of good and bad. I was nice to many and helped many and expressed my opinions freely and surely pissed some off. But overall i helped many people with problems and have been a very good friend. I have no wished exept for that 60m2 room to place the giant speakers.

Merry Christmas to the world!

PS: There is one wish for next year tough. The new handmade Apogee DIVA passive crossovers from Audio Consulting from Switzerland. Its about 4 Grand, so i gotta start saving.

• Three way: bass, medium, high
  
• Silver wire coils
  
• Oil capacitors
  
• Battery driven active devices
  
• WBT Nextgen silver RCA connectors
  
• Silver wiring
  

[Feanor]

Nice looking ,I bought their 31 band stereo and love it .This was my pre Xmas toy

Might have been the more practical choice, too. I gather this is an analog unit, not digital??

How is the resolution? All lot of people are distainful of EQs, insisting there has to be some significant loss with more stuff in the signal path.(Many are especially distainful of Behringer because of the reasonable cost -- not much snob appeal.)

However I when for the T1951 because it also has the tube circuit and I wanted to experiment with that too; kind of let me kill two birds with one stone.

[PAT.P]

Might have been the more practical choice, too. I gather this is an analog unit, not digital??

How is the resolution? All lot of people are distainful of EQs, insisting there has to be some significant loss with more stuff in the signal path.(Many are especially distainful of Behringer because of the reasonable cost -- not much snob appeal.)

However I when for the T1951 because it also has the tube circuit and I wanted to experiment with that too; kind of let me kill two birds with one stone.

I find the Behringer a great built unit.Yes it is Analog Unit ,and Im using it for my older receivers.I have the CD player output to the EQ input and from there the output of EQ to the aux of the receiver(Im using 2 receiver at the same time).I am setting the music to what I want to hear.The most imaging to my taste.Ever since I set the frequencies I've never touch it again .BTW Im using El Cheapo speakers and what comes out of them sound great.I dont really care what people think of EQ ,Im a believer and used them for more 20 + years.

[Feanor]

I find the Behringer a great built unit.Yes it is Analog Unit ,and Im using it for my older receivers.I have the CD player output to the EQ input and from there the output of EQ to the aux of the receiver(Im using 2 receiver at the same time).I am setting the music to what I want to hear.The most imaging to my taste.Ever since I set the frequencies I've never touch it again .BTW Im using El Cheapo speakers and what comes out of them sound great.I dont really care what people think of EQ ,Im a believer and used them for more 20 + years.

Researchers, notably Floyd Toole, have established the frequency response is the most critical determinent of speaker quality for all types of listeners -- most critical, but not the only one, mind you.

If it works, I will use it. My amp has excellent resolution and transparency and my speakers aren't bad either. I will be able to tell to my own satisfaction whether this particular Behringer provides the accepable set of trade-offs, for me at least.

Personally I am amused by the ultra-purist types. You know: those who advocate a SET OTL matched with single, super-high efficiency driver speakers. These system are notorious for their limited and uneven response. They might have some agreeable qualities but they really don't meet a reasonable definition of high-fidelity.

Where tubes are concerned, as I understand it they do at least one thing better than transistors which is voltage amplification. Consequently I would like to give them a try. I suspect that the principal benefit is some sort of "spike" limiting, viz. they smooth shape response peaks in manner that makes for better sound, especially with less than perfect recordings. But my theory is that you don't need tubes everywhere in the circuit to do this, only somewhere close to the source. I intend to put the Behringer in my tape loop; that way I can easily A-B the sound.

[topspeed]

Santa's sled is going to be riding low this year!

Hey Kex, anything with an internal combustion engine in it earns two big thumbs up from me !

It seems like a lot of us are pretty satisfied with our rigs right now, aside from a few tweaks here and there. Maybe it will be a peaceful holiday season after all.

Merry Christmas to all!

[dean_martin]

OK, guys and gals, what are you asking for from Santa? New universal player? Multi-channel amp? ABBA's Greatest hits on SACD?

C'mon, fess up! Don't worry, he can squeeze that 80" plasma down your chimney.

Me, I'd be more than happy with Synchronicity, Holst's The Planets, DSOTM, and Peter Gabriel Live all in hi-rez.

Happy Holidays!

After being swamped at work and then battling the flu, I'm getting ready for the holidays. I got off to a good start re-working my 2-ch music-only system. I swapped out a Parasound preamp, Acurus power amp and AMC cdp for a Jolida 202 tube integrated and a Cambirdge Audio D500SE cdp (finding these new ain't easy, but if you find one it's quite a bargain). I thought about tweaking my vinyl rig first or going with new speakers first, but my main problem with my old system was cd sound - it just didn't reel me in and in some instances it was quite irritating. The CA seems to fill in spaces that were dead or missing with the AMC and the tube amp - well, I can't say enough about it. I'm finally getting the presentation that I've been looking/listening for. I'm still using the Parasound pre for its phono section and running it into the Jolida. Ironically, its much quieter - no noise at all. My vinyl even sounds better.

Step 2 is to upgrade my cart and get an outboard phono section. Step 2A is a new pair of speakers.

As for Christmas, my wife got my Amazon and Music Direct wishlists, so I think I'm getting From Elvis In Memphis, Death Cab for Cutie - Plans and Spoon - Gimme Fiction on vinyl. DVDs - Office Space, Rushmore and probably a couple of surprises.

Happy Holidays to all!

[westcott]

OK, guys and gals, what are you asking for from Santa? New universal player? Multi-channel amp? ABBA's Greatest hits on SACD?

C'mon, fess up! Don't worry, he can squeeze that 80" plasma down your chimney.

Me, I'd be more than happy with Synchronicity, Holst's The Planets, DSOTM, and Peter Gabriel Live all in hi-rez.

Happy Holidays!

Santa said he was way to busy this year so he came by our house early!

We have already opened our presents for the Holidays!

I hope everyone gets what they want from Mr. Claus this holiday season.

Seasons Greetings to all!