The Mule

Thanks, satoshi - will check them out!

I've been using a pair of KRK K-Roks as my main listening speakers, but I've just moved and am setting up my listening area in a slightly smaller space, so I'd like to find some more compact speakers (it's a tighter space and the K-Roks stick out pretty far into the room when mounted on their brackets) to mount on the wall. I do have a subwoofer I can use to aid with low end, so I imagine that could help. So I'd like to find a pair of small passive speakers that sound wonderful, clear and tight, even up at higher volumes (not ear-splitting volumes). Obviously words like "wonderful" are subjective, but I do like the K-Roks if that helps. And the lighter and smaller the better. Budget is flexible, but maybe up to $500 for the pair.

Beautiful. Thank you!

Could anyone tell me a good source for replacement album jackets? Not the paper sleeves, but the cardboard-ish covers/jackets. Multiple colors would be good, but black would be good too. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, Mike. Funny you mentioned the Technics 1200 series. I actually picked up an SL-1500C shortly after posting this a little over a month ago. And for the record, I didn't say the Music Hall sounded that bad. It just had to be fiddled with every so often to get it to behave. I will say now that the Technics does indeed kick its ass though. I have both turntables side by side at the moment - my girlfriend didn't want to get rid of the MH because I got it as a gift for her. I of course never use it though. Cheers!

Hello everyone. I have a Music Hall MMF 2.2 that I bought a few years back. I got it as a gift for my girlfriend, but I've been the one that has used it much more. I like it ok, but I don't love it. I've had problems with the cartridge dragging on the record and causing audible clunking sounds. Recalibrating the tonearm and resetting the tracking force fixes this but it's annoying to have to do that repeatedly. I also hate the mechanism for opening the plastic cover - it is very poorly constructed and I've had to rig it and attempt repairs on it several times. I'd also ideally like to have a turntable with automatic features, so I don't have to get up and lift the stylus off the record at the end of each side. And switching between 33 & 45 rpm is annoying - it involves lifting the platter off the plinth and moving the belt manually. So I'm curious to check out a better turntable that improves on the features as mentioned above, and might even offer better and more glorious analog sound. Obviously this is in large part a matter of personal opinion, but could anyone recommend a turntable that would represent a substantial upgrade from the MMF 2.2? Something with automatic capabilities, a nicer default cartridge and better reliability in terms of tonearm balance and a cover that doesn't fall off the hinges if you look at it funny. I'm open to eventually adding a nice tube preamp, but wouldn't be able to afford that immediately. Maybe I'd be better off just sticking with what we have for now, but I'm curious to know if an upgrade would really make my smile even bigger after dropping the needle on my favorite records. Let me know your thoughts. Any suggestions, recommendations, advice, etc., will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, bigdz - I'll take a look at that one too.

Thanks - will do.

Interesting - that definitely would be more cost effective than the way I'm doing it! Thanks - may just order a bottle and try it out.

I've been using Audio Intelligent products to clean my records for about a year now. I use the #15 and #6 in succession for really dirty records and just the #6 by itself for new records and lightly soiled records. The machine I have is the Okki Nokki cleaner. This system works well, but wow, it gets expensive to keep buying these bottles of AI solution... Is there another - more affordable - product you folks would recommend? It would be nice to save some money. I've seen recipes for DIY solutions too, which I suppose I'd be open to. But it would be great to find a single product that is affordable and effective, and that I won't have to mix up myself... Open to any and all suggestions!

I'm having an issue with a ProJect Phono Box MM. I have been using it to run my Music Hall turntable into my Onkyo TX-1080. The issue I'm having occurs only when using headphones. I noticed the other day when I plugged in my headphones to listen to some records that the left channel had dropped out. I checked the back of the preamp to see if the cables for the left channels in/out might be loose. None of the cables were loose. However, I noticed when my hand bumped the power cable that the left channel came back. I fiddled with the power cable - it wasn't loose, but when I wiggled it, the left channel would come in and out (with a lot of noise). Anyhow, I went to listen to a record just now, and again the left channel has dropped out. Tried wiggling the power cable, but this time was unable to get the left channel to come back. So it seems there is some issue with the box. Funny thing - stereo output does go through my speakers without the headphones cable plugged in. Headphones work in stereo for all other inputs - TV, iPod, etc. I've got an email in to the place where I buy my equipment, so I'll probably hear back from them in the morning tomorrow, but was hoping to sit back tonight and listen to some new LPs I picked up today...

Just this past weekend my system was hit with an accidental burst of stupendously loud audio, blowing out the woofer in one of my beloved old KRK K-Rok monitors. I've had these speakers for 20 years, and have been playing vinyl through them since I got back into vinyl collecting... Finding a replacement driver for this KRK might be a challenge, so I'm considering new speakers. My first thought was to go the studio monitor route again and get new KRK speakers, but the new KRKs get poor reviews and are supposedly nowhere near as nice as the old K-Roks from the '90s. Could anyone here recommend some nice audiophile speakers for me to check out? I'd say a 6" or an 8" woofer would be ideal. The room is 20' x 12'. These would be used both for music and for movies/tv/netflix. I like to be able to go loud. Good bass response is important. Budget wouldn't be huge. I wasn't counting on having to replace these speakers. Maybe up to $800 for the pair?

Ordered that Los Coronas album (love it) off Discogs. Most of the other stuff was only available on CD, unfortunately (at least from what I could tell).

I like some of the Sandy Pussy stuff (yeah that name is pretty ridiculous). Maybe a little too much of the metal flavor in the Secret Chiefs stuff for my liking, though I can certainly appreciate the coolness of it. Any other suggestions?

Great stuff. I do know the Paris, Texas soundtrack and love it. Great movie, great music. And those are some great clips, BuzzersonKillwell. Just what I'm looking for! Thanks.

I love Ennio Morricone soundtracks, Dick Dale, Calexico, Link Wray's "Apache"... Looking for some great albums on vinyl that I might not already have heard. I like the "For A Few Guitars More" compilation, but I believe it's only available on CD. Love trumpet and surf guitar together (as on Dick Dale's "Misirlou")... I think that gives a pretty good idea what I'm looking for... Anyone got some cool suggestions for me?

You're right - I just realized it's like a record a day, practically! There was a lot of stuff I wanted and had to get! Slowed down considerably now though.

Cool - thanks! Will check those out.

Ahhhh. I believe mine are the hazy type... Will cancel that order and keep looking for some that are clear and non resealable.... If anyone wants to recommend a particular brand, please feel free.

Thanks for the replies, everyone... I just ordered some of the 3 mil sleeves off Amazon. I didn't like the idea of the ones with the flap - seems like just one step too many for simply getting a record out of its sleeve and onto the turntable. Are the 3 mil ones clear though? I read somewhere (after ordering) that they tend to be sort of hazy, which would be a drag... As for printed inner sleeves, I simply put them back in the cover, next to the record in its new poly lined sleeve. If the fit is too snug, I store the printed inners in a box I have from an old box set. Holds them nicely. I rarely look at the printed inner sleeves more than once or twice anyway so it's not a big deal to not have them with the record.

I began collecting vinyl again about 6 months ago, and have a collection of about 175 records at this point. I've replaced all the inner sleeves with poly-lined sleeves, but to date have not bothered to use the protective outer sleeves. This afternoon, on a rainy, muggy, humid day in NYC, I walked into the room where my records are kept and noticed that many, especially those towards the front (I store a big portion of them record store style, allowing me to flip through them), had that sort of wavy look along the edge where the record slides out. I immediately turned the AC on to help dehumidify the room, but was wondering if perhaps keeping records in the outer sleeves would help protect them from the humidity in the future... Thoughts?

It worked really well. Especially if you can use some sort of magnifying glass.

Toothpick does the trick! Thanks again.

Cool, thanks to both of you! I'll try the toothpick first, and if that doesn't work, might try the wood glue.

Just got a nice copy of a record that was on my want list. Sounds great except on side two, track one there's a spot that looks like it may be paint spatter or something similar. At first glance I thought it was just a big piece of dust or paper from the original sleeve. But once I began cleaning the record on my Okki Nokki, I found that this spot did not come off. The record sounds fantastic, but at that one spot, this glob of whatever it is causes 4 or 5 super LOUD pops right in the middle of the song. Ugh. Can anyone recommend any methods by which I might safely remove something like this from the surface of the record? I'd be fine with simply reducing the volume of the "pops" but I really can't stand listening to it the way it is... I can snap a pic of the spot tomorrow if that would help... Ideas?