bjorn

Do yourself a favor and pick up a pair of these. https://smile.amazon.com/KZ-ZS3-Cancelling-Earphone-Comfort/dp/B01KUGWNC6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1495215103&sr=8-3&keywords=kz+zs3 They are absurdly cheap at $15, but they are the best-sounding in-ear headphones I've ever heard. Granted, I haven't broken the $100 threshold with in-ears... I've used sets from HIFIman, Thinksound, Klipsch, Panasonic, Creative Labs, RHA, and a handful of others; I like these KZ's better than any of those. They're comfy, isolate well, and have a nicely balanced sound signature with a really spacious sound stage. They sound a touch dark at first, especially plugged straight into my iphone, but adding a Firefly DAC/amp helped a ton. I listen to them for hours and don't get tired of them, and they sound good at quiet or louder levels. They sound almost as good as my AKG k551's, but are way more comfortable. I don't think anyone can go wrong here, highly recommended.

If you're referring to the Alabama show then yes! I'd totally do that. Just message me and we can figure something out!

Got some Blink gigposters out if anyone is interested, including a handful of super limited foil prints! http://bjornbauerart.storenvy.com/products/19792286-blink-182-w-the-naked-and-famous-wavves

Last year I bought a copy of the most recent pressing of the Smashing Pumpkins MCIS 4xLP box and most of the sides had significant scuffing. I returned them and got a relatively pristine copy. That's the most egregious example I can think of, but I expect to see some light scuffing along with some dust/paper bits on the majority of new records I buy. It's definitely an issue, but probably could be isolated to certain pressing plants that are rushing the process to keep up with demand.

Could be the pressing. Most new records you buy these days have at least some surface noise, or other defects that may cause poor tracking. That being said, a better cartridge will defintely help you get the most out of your records, just don't expect a better cartridge to fix every issue you may have.

I agree 100%, I see great deals for amps on CL all the time. I grabbed an older Sony for $50 bucks, and while it's not replacing my Rotel any time soon, it's great for my basement setup.

I'm of the opinion that any well made cable designed for your application will sound just as good as the high end stuff. I'm sure someone else can comment on XLR connections, I've never tried them. But if you stick with standard RCA, Emotiva makes nice interconnects that are high quality, but very reasonably priced. Blue Jeans Cables are nice too, but in my case they were so stiff and heavy that they were a bit tough to connect with my preamp and position it the way I wanted. Either way, I would definitely want to put more of my money into records or better components rather than spend crazy amounts on cables. Just my two cents.

Then there's the fact that my wife still thinks I'm insane for dropping $1100 on my 7.1, I know better then to even think about upgrading. It's fun to see what's out there, I'm with you there. I just moved to upstate New York, so I need to see if there are any dealers around... would be fun to hear something like this.

As nice as these look, I bet they sound no more than .05% better than my current table. These things are overkill.

I did most of those upgrades when I had my Pro-Ject table. The speedbox is pricey for what it is, but I don't think you will regret it. I can't say it made my turntable sound much different. The acrylic platter is nice to have, but again, I wouldn't expect a significant change in the sound. A cork platter mat might be be just as effective, and much cheaper. As for the cart, maybe try a Denon DL 110? I went from an AT 440mla to the 110 and liked it a whole lot more. It was a tad quieter, but it reduced hum and surface noise and smoothed out the treble. I didn't notice any loss in detail, and I think it tracked just as well as the AT.

Yep, I figured that out. If I do I'll just run a USB from my laptop. Kind of doubt I'll ever get around to it though. And yes, Airplay is a great feature. I have an iMac hosting my files in another room, but I just use the remote app on my phone to control it. Works and sounds great.

I finally added a DAC to my system. I found a marked down Cambridge DACmagic 100 and grabbed a used Apple TV off ebay to stream my digital library. I'm really happy with the results so far... sure beats the hell out of bluetooth. I'm also running my Denon DVD player through it for CD's and did some a/b testing, and the DAC definitely added some weight to the sound. I wasn't really expecting it to sound any different, but there was a clear improvement. I don't have any audio files higher than CD quality, but at least now I can try it out to see what the fuss is about.

Thanks for the feedback!

I had the honor of making a screen printed poster for mwY last month. Being a longtime fan I wanted to make sure the design would really appeal to other fans. The objects in the nest are all collected from their lyrics, particularly from the Pale Horses records. They sold really well at the show and the band took a bunch with them, so I have only a handful left to sell. I'm also about to pack up my studio for a move, so if you want a copy, now's the time! They are 18"x24" four color posters, signed and numbers, limited to 80. You can grab one here if you're interested.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I have 5 copies left... I definitely will spend some quality time with Sorceress today. Their merch guy gave me an autographed 2xCD which I was stoked about, though I would have bought an LP if they'd had any with them. I might still track one down if it really grows on me.

Thank you! Yeah I haven't had a chance to dig into the new songs yet, but they came off really well live. I wasn't into Pale Communion at first but I really enjoyed playing it while drawing the poster. Ghost Reveries has held up really well too and getting into it more now than when it first came out. They played Ghost of Perdition last night and it was crazy good. That being said, nothing touches Blackwater Park for me. That is probably my favorite metal album.

I had the honor of illustrating and printing a poster for Opeth's show in OKC last night. They were of course incredible, they are one of my all time favorite bands to see live. I have a few copies leftover from last night, you can grab one here if you're interested.

Do you have your old cart? Try putting it back on and ditching the magnets. That might isolate the issue to your 2M Red.

Cool! What kind of DAC/amp are you using?

I'm very happy with my deluxe. Gorgeous art book, I like the bonus tracks, and the records sound fantastic. I really love the art that was created for this album, and I love how the book elevates the record as a musical and visual statement. Great job Radiohead.

Yeah! I think some kind of DIY kit would be awesome. I think I would use it enough to make it worthwhile. My wife and kids don't really get my music, so I don't end up playing records as much as I'd like. Headphones kind of solve that problem. You may be right... though detail resolution is outstanding, the AKG's are really good in that department. I meant more that they are efficient enough to be driven without a dedicated headphone amp. It's just the tonal balance seems off coming from the Rotel. I'm thinking of grabbing some Sennheiser HD 600/650's at some point, curious if they'll have the same issue.

Hmmm... definitely not normal. Have you checked the connections on your cart? I've had issues with that before. I bought a used Pro-ject a while back and the connections on the cartridge clips were pretty bad from getting manhandled by the previous owner. I re-soldered them and put some heat shrink tubing over them which helped. I also found that switching to a Denon MC cart took care of any remaining hum. Some MM carts are more prone to buzzing, the AT-440 carts I had were particularly problematic.

I mostly listen to records through my speakers, but for those times when that's not practical I've been using my AKG K551's through the headphone output on my Rotel integrated. The sound is OK, but definitely very bright, so much so that I can't listen very long. Some albums are pretty much ruined. Just to rule out the turntable/cart, I compared an album that I also had on CD, and that was just as bad, if not worse. Any thoughts? Seems weird that an amp that retailed at nearly $1200 (RA 1070) would have a poorly balanced headphone output. The headphones could be part of the problem, but they don't sound particularly bright when I use them with my phone or laptop. The AKG's are designed more for mobile use, could it be that the amp's output is geared toward more power hungry cans? Thoughts would be appreciated.

Not sure how good the phono pre in that receiver is; might be worth upgrading. Also, I agree with adjusting the placement of your speakers.

Ordered the new Petrels! Oliver's work is always a no-brainer for me, dude is a genius.