xxmartinxx

Can someone explain to me why the cost for shipping is $7.99 for two records and then taxes (and I don't live in MA) are calculated on the total of the records plus the shipping? What kind of jerks are these?

180g vinyl doesn't make enough, if any, difference to the sound to care. It's a marketing ploy.

I'm torn on this myself. I REALLY want that record, but do I want to fight people to pay through the nose for a boxset of other records I already own when there's a good possibility it will be released by itself at some point?

I have the 3D cover and I decided that after I posted this that I should just buy it since it will sell out and I'll be annoyed I didn't grab it.

I don't know who decided that adding holographic sleeves to all of the hip hop reissues would be a good idea, but they're an asshole.

I'm not entirely sold on this, but I figured some people might be interested: http://getondown.com/album.php?id=18150

The snow storm from two weeks ago? Really? Come on.

Thanks!

I think that "Tiny Cities" was the pinnacle of his career, even though it was just Modest Mouse covers. It was brilliant.

If you keep checking eBay, you should be able to find a real copy with a BIN for around $50.

Sad I missed this.

My tube amp wasn't very "midrange-heavy". Neither ARC nor KT88's are known for their midrange forward sound. EL34 based amps, sure, but just because it's a tube amp doesn't immediately mean lots of midrange. At this point, my problem with the Marantz is more about it's dependability rather than it's sonic characteristics. For an amp that cost nearly one tenth of the price of the ARC when new, it was fine. Regarding D&M, I'm not sure of the relationship they have/had with either Marantz and McIntosh, but McIntosh has been owned by Fine Sounds (or whatever it's called now) for like four years. Ironically, they also own ARC.

I still haven't gotten a response about the Marantz, so I just bought a Rogue Cronus Magnum II. Don't tell my wife.

I'm using KEF R300's, which are 8 ohm. Nothing too low. It seemed right to me, but the user manual only mentioned it going into standby mode.

The warranty center emailed me today and said that it's working fine on the tech's bench. This, to me, is the worst case scenario. It means I will likely get the unit back untouched and it will probably stop working again. For those who have a PM6005, or the like, what happens when you power it on? Mine (when it worked), would turn on, the light by the power switch would flash a few times, make some audible clicks, would go to blue (I THINK it would go blue, other blue lights would turn on), and the rest of the lights would turn on. This this the expected behavior?

Just another vinyl bandwagon fad product.

To someone new to vinyl, anything you can't buy at Target is probably high end. To the answer the person's question; vintage gear can be rewarding if you have time and money to put into it. The idea that you're going to save money is almost never the case. Like people said, buy a U-Turn.

For obvious reason, I don't feel inclined to double down on Marantz.

It was a refurb from accessories4less.com. I figured that was safer than buying a used one. Apparently, not really. Back to tubes I go.

Fuck. This thing just died. It's had less than 10 hours of use. FML.

On your recommendation, I messed with the EQ in and out and listened to J Mascis "Tied To A Star" and then Mantronix "The Album". With the folky J Mascis record, it sounded way less muddy with the EQ out. On the clean production of the classic hip hop Mantronix LP, this was a little more tricky. The sound is more open, but also less smooth. The highs are still a little harsh to my ear. I don't know about break in on electronics, but it does sound less horrible than it did originally. Regarding the ARC. Honestly, I think it's less about price and more about tubes. If you've never heard a good tube preamp/power amp stereo, it could ruin you forever. There is, for lack of a better term, magic to the sound. It sounds more living and breathing. It's hard to explain until you've heard it.

Nah, I'm using a Rogue Audio Triton phono preamp. I can't use the onboard phono section since I'm using an MC cart (Denon DL-301 MKII).

I used to have a Bewitch 6550 that I bought used a few years ago and it sounded pretty great. I replaced the coupling caps with Jantzen Z-Superior caps. It wasn't as neutral sounding like the ARC, but there was magic there. I think I sold it for a whopping $400 after shipping and PayPal costs.

What is better about the PM8004?

The ARC sold quickly for more than I paid for it. The Marantz sounds okay and I think I'm okay with that, but I still look for lower priced 6550/KT88 based integrated tube amps.