Questhate

So I ordered for in store pickup. Does anyone know if I am supposed to pick up from the Oakland or SF store? And can I just go when they open or do I need to wait for a confirmation that it's ready?

Super bummed. Went to the three stores around me and couldn't get my hands on a National which is the one that I really wanted. If anyone sees an extra copy and can snag me one for a reasonable price, I'd be forever in your debt.

Is this a bootleg or a legit copy? I only know this site from the European bootlegs sold on there.

Good looking out. I just used this code too.

Running an ortho load with an OTL amp (Valhalla)? Yikes. No wonder the Burson sounded better with them. Try an HD800 on a Valhalla and you may get different results with respect to the Burson.

Have not received anything yet (ordered super deluxe version, no bundle). As far as the album goes -- I like it a lot. Not quite as good as the first one, as some of the slower, atmospheric songs with long choruses that just drag on, seem out of place on here. RTJ are at their best doing headbanger type songs. The beat for Close Your Eyes gets my SO FUCKING AMPED every time though.

I have to respectfully disagree with xxmartinxx here. Although it's a bit ridiculous to compare a $249 Asgard 2 to a $599 Burson Soloist SL, I'll take an Asgard 2 any day regardless of price. I didn't like the original Asgard, because it was overly smooth and hazy sounding (pairs well with Grados, but not much else), I don't find that to be the case in the Asgard 2. The Soloist, on the other hand, is bright and analytical which gives a sense of "apparent detail" but definitely not a pleasant experience (strange the Soloist sounds like the complete opposite of the 160). EDIT: actually I heard the Burson Soloist, not the Soloist SL (which I assume sounds similar) so grain of salt obviously.

BTW - Product page went up for this: http://schiit.com/products/mani-phono-stage I may get one to swap into my system. Given that Schiit always provides excellent sounding products at their price points, I'd expect this to sound better than the built-in phono stage on my preamp. Who knows though. I've heard the entire Schiit line and have owned most of their products at one point or another. Value for money, you cannot beat Schiit. They've even managed to take the value proposition out of DIY. It's to the point that I'm ordering a Ragnarok and Yggdrasil blind without hearing them first (although all of the RMAF impressions have been spectacular).

I'd urge you to at least give one of the 33 1/3 releases a shot. You may just change your mind. Personally, I'd rather get one $35 Music Matters every other month, than to get a $20 75 series every month. For the 75 series, it's the same mastering as the CD / download, so you may as well save your money and get it in digital format. With jazz recordings from the 50's-60's, especially Blue Notes done by RVG, you're stripping away so much of that magic that an all-analog vinyl gets you. Isn't that warm sound quality advantage of vinyl one of the main draws? Even if your chain doesn't fully realize the difference yet, you'll be glad later down the road when you do upgrade your gear. Plus the Music Matters will hold its value over time (see out of print 45 series issues like Out to Lunch or Matador going for $100+), whereas the 75 series will not. Anyway -- I'm not hating on your choices at all. We all collect/listen to vinyl for different reasons. Just trying to sway you to take a chance on (what I believe to be) one of the great labels doing vinyl right. EDIT: Just noticed you are the original person that recommended the Music Matters, so disregard.

THIS. I'm a subscriber to the series and all of the 33 1/3 releases have been so much win so far. All of them are essential albums musically, and they all sound incredible. It's a bit pricey at $35 a piece, but they are on nice thick 180g vinyl, heavyweight gatefold jackets and sound leagues better than the digitally-sourced Blue Note 75 releases. I have cherry picked about 75 of the AP/MM 45 series, and the 33 1/3 series is just as good.

Oh no! Don't buy that Wax Time stuff!

I'm a huge Wilco fan, and haven't been able to get into this much. I've only given it a couple of spins, so hopefully it grows on me. My pressing is really noisy so far though. Lots of pops and clicks throughout, even after a cleaning on my Nitty Gritty.

It doesn't come out for another month and a half.

Not happy about dropping $95-ish for the deluxe 4LP but like a lot of you guys, I did it anyway.

Need this badly. The first was one of the best hip-hop albums to come out in years. Actually got a Fool's Gold copy, and then had to buy the UK press for the extra Q-Bert track and remixes. Saw them most recently at Outside Lands and they brought out Q-Bert to do a song. Even my non-hip-hop friends with me could not deny how awesome they were.

Oh, you listen to these things?

Agreed. I thought the vinyl would be glow-in-the-dark, otherwise I would've saved my money for the cheaper white version.

Got mine today in the mail too unexpectedly. Was hoping they'd include the 10" that the people who pre-ordered in-store got, but was disappointed. That aside though, the pressing is great. Nice quiet vinyl, and it sounds great with good dynamics. Oh, and the music fucking rocks as well. Spoon is one of those bands that can't put out a bad album. Will be spinning this all weekend.

Oh snap, I didn't even realize No ID was doing most of the production on this. Common's best period (IMHO) is Resurrection --> One Day It'll All Make Sense (followed closely by the Be --> Finding Forever period). He was on another level lyrically back then.

How much you looking to get for the whole shebang?

The MoFi Weezer records sound fantastic. Actually, MoFi has been on a roll in the last few years with their releases.

That's a bit pricey on the 2238 especially one that has issues, but then again vintage receivers aren't the bargains they used to be. The SX-950 is a great receiver, and I actually prefer them to Marantz's in general. If you got a vintage receiver, what speakers are you looking into? For a really decent set, you should see if Dennis Murphy has anymore of his Affordable Accuracy Speaker in stock. I think they're 150/pair at philharmonicaudio.com Personally, for a nice budget system that's based around an active speaker, I'd probably go turntable --> Schiit Mani --> (Schiit SYS preamp if you want that function) --> Emotiva Airmotiv 4s/5s/6s (depending on budget).

Honestly, I was hoping they didn't so I could keep the Maggies, but after comparing all weekend I prefer the Phils so far. Much better low-end, greatly focused imaging, better center image, smoother and more even FR, and much better off-axis. The only aspects that I prefer on the Maggies is slightly cleaner sounding in the mid-bass (mostly because they don't dig as low) and a bigger soundstage (although imaging is a bit too diffuse). I've never had an issue with excessive brightness or stridency with the Mags, but the Phils are even more laid back in the treble. I may prefer the slight bit more bite that the Mags have especially since I mostly listen to rock. Other than that, gonna compare over a couple of weeks to shake this "new toy" halo effect. The girlfriend definitely hates the size/looks of the Phils though. She won't be a happy camper if I do end up deciding to keep the Phils.

Got new speakers over the weekend! Pair of Philharmonic 3's. My poor Maggies sitting in the background neglected. Will probably sell the Maggies off as they're too big to keep as a second system.

Yeah, they really are marketing that thing toward idiots.