My wife and friends never buy audio stuff for me; I should have married an audiophile. |
Oh I also forgot to mention that the new TT & tuner were paid for via my recent selloff of quite a bit of midfi equipment here on the Gon. As usual I lost some $ on the turnaround but still made enough to pay for the new goodies. |
Sean you're gonna have to give me a ride in that Vette now that you've spilled the beans regarding that trick.
The VPI just arrived this afternoon, but isn't even unboxed yet. Now I need to rearrange the rig in order to fit it in.
Just to make clear, although she received a nice assortment of Christmas goodies this year her favorite gift is that table radio. That thing sounds good! And very sensitive; we were even listening to the Martian broadcasting network on it this morning (actually that was the emergency weather-alert-network feature being tested; wow it really gets your attention!). |
Yep! The great little Tivoli Audio radio designed by Henry Kloss. Have it in my office where for the first time I can actually get a listenable KANU, the U.of Kansas NPR outlet which plays mostly classical music for much of the day. My son bought it for me in Minneapolis for less than half the MSRP, because it was being sold as part of an inventory liquidation in the aftermath of a fire at a Sound Advice store in Florida! Apparently they were also selling some Krell & Conrad-Johnson stuff at comparable reductions. |
One of the nicest people I know got me a pair of Rockport Antares :) My lovely Ex, via the kids got me a pair of long underwear. I'm working on the Jungian/Freudian significance of that. I've subsequently put a large note on the Rockport crates that reads 'From your loving wife". I walk out into the freezing garage in my new long underwear just to read it, over and over and over..........:) |
slingshot, you definitely got the best present on *this* list! enjoy the music! :>) doug s., i tink my 6-yr old & 10-yr old are finally done knocking over my speakers, & they *love* the toons! :>) |
hey david99 - someone up & *gave* ya a tuna? pretty cool. i've also received a *lot* of nice vinyl gratis, from an a-phile & a-gon member - ain't the internet grand? :>) that gft1-a is a real sleeper - it will take a big step to significantly better it, & no, an md-101 won't do the trick... the micropurl should definitely be a worthwhile improvement over the typical cheap rat-shack-type cabling - hell, it's probably more expensive than the tuna itself! :>) doug s. |
hi sean, yup, the p-car is lotsa fun. my car-buying habits compare a *lot* to my stereo-buying habits - champagne taste, beer budget! :>) the pantera is the only mid-engined italian exotic i'll likely ever be able to afford. that pedestrian cleveland works, tho, when ya step on the gas. and, for the price of a toon-up on an entry-level v8 ferrari, i will have a built, 475hp cleveland installed, w/the original 300hp stocker as a back-up. :>) it's an early '72, w/all original styling cues intact, & that's how i like it. the *regular* cars chez-sedon - three alfas - also attest to my exotic taste/plebean budget. yust *one* new m-series bmw, for example, would cost more than i paid for *all* my rides, including the '78 ducati darmah, the '88 craftsman garden tractor, & the '95 buell s2... ;~) and, still leave someting for cheapskate audio deals! :>) i hope that plastic-fantastic wonder of yers keeps a smile on yer face - it definitely is a looker (63-67 vintage, right?) but i like the pantera cuz it still rides & handles like a modern sports-car. puts a smile on my face everytime i drive it. & the wife likes to drive it, too, yust like she enjoys the audio rig! :>) ok, now for the required audio content: there's an in-dash tape deck & 6-cd changer in the trunk, that came w/the pantera when i bought it, & i dunno how to work it! and, no one in pantera-dom will trade me a radio blank-off plate & uncut inside door panels w/o speaker holes, for the system... ;~) regards, doug s. |
I recieved a Marigo Ultra Series 2 power cord the day after Christmas. I ordered it for my digital source and it souds fabulous. Happy Holidays. |
I just exchanged my Yamaha micro system ( see post above) for the Denon 'reference' personal system D-F100. (uses Mission 771 series bookshelf speakers) Of course I had to pay little more for the upgrade. I know this time I got it right. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought the Yamaha. While Yamaha is much better than vast amont of choces of boom boxes, it is no match for the Denon reference system. Now I need a good small subwoofer..... |
Sheesh Bob, you must've been an even better boy than i was this year. Between the new Accuphase amp, the VPI TT and Magnum, i think that Santa went broke buying for you. Glad to see that he still had enough pocket change to help your wife out with that table radio though... : )
Doug, i didn't know you had a Pantera. What year is it ? I almost bought an "oldy" ( think it was a '71 ) a few years ago but missed out on it. Instead, i ended up going through about a half dozen WELL massaged "muscle cars" and kept my Stingray. Probably one of my worst moves even though it does look sharp. Oh well, live and learn ( i hope.... ) Sean
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santa got me a new msd electronic ignition for the de tomaso pantera... oops - sorry, wrong kind of music! ;~) seriously, we also got about ten new cd's w/great sounds to throw at the art di/o dac that has totally transformed my digital world. doug s. |
A Yamaha Micro piano craft system MCR-E150 With matching 100 Watt subwoofer. I am amazed at how good the system sounds. Very small and elegant look to boot. High endish sounding without the high end price. Of course this is for bedroom where space is very limited. It is funny the I way I got the green light to buy it. I was looking for a boom box for my daughter (my idea) so that I can browse away.... We did for , oh about five to six diffrent places and I kept going back to this system, on a way passing the well reviwed Denon systems. To me Yamaha was the clear winner. Any way, my wife gave me a green light to buy as a christmas gift and I DID!.
Had great plans for bedroom to build a Tube based system, but for now I (we) will enjoy this christmas gift. |
Sarah I also received the remastered "All Things Must Pass" which is a real treat! And the new VPI HW19Mk4 turntable should be here any day now. Also orderd a Magnum Dynalab MD102 in gold face. She wanted a better kitchen-grade radio so she received a high-sensitivity Marconi table radio with am fm-stereo tv & weather-alert bands. For just a 5" speakered table radio this little thing sounds very nice indeed, even has adjustable bass & treble. Oh & she also got me a new cell phone battery. |
I am having a Supratek Syrah tube preamp built for me by Mick Maloney, but I will not recieve it until after New Year's. I can't wait to get it, this thing is beautiful! If you have never seen one go to cantech.net.au on the web to check it out. |
After purchasing a new Plinius SA250MKIV for my birthday in September, it only seemed fitting to upgrade my Audio Research Reference One to a Reference Two MKII for the holiday season. Helllloo midrange! Also got new dive gear: BC, regulator, computer and bio-fins. Hey, any audiophile gear for diving? Happy 2002 everyone.
Ross |
My wife was kind enough to get me a Graham IC-70 phono cable (still being made as we speak) to replace my IC-30. And a good bit of software too (including those albums I got from you, Sdcampbell). And I got her a boombox (hope no audiophile saw me getting it, I could be drummed out of the club!), because she likes her tunes in whatever room she's in at the time. Congrats, Slingshot, that is the best gift you could ever get! |
I think that slingshot has us all beat by a longshot !!! Congratulatons !!! Let's hope that she's a "quiet one" and a sound sleeper. You can worry about what Convent you enroll her in later : ) Sean
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In late November, I bought myself a pair of used Vandersteen 2Wq subs as early Xmas gifts -- one from my local Vandy dealer, and the other from a very nice seller on A-gon. HUGE improvement to the system, and a great combination with the Vandy 3A Sig's. Richard Vandersteen told me that the 3A Sig's with a pair of 2Wq's gets you about 75-80% of the performance of the Model 5, at less than half the cost. (Boy, do I have some subterranean bass on good organ recordings! I've heard an expression that the lowest octave on the organ is actually the voice of God speaking, and I'm nearly prepared to believe it.)
I figured that the subs would be the only A/V gear I "received" for Christmas, but my wife surprised me with a "Santa Claus" gift -- a Panasonic PV-HS2000 hard disk video recorder with Replay TV. She got a great buy on it thru Ubid.com: MSRP was $600, but with the Ubid price, and the $100 rebate offered on this unit, she paid just over $200. Should be fun to experiment with it, even though she is the inveterate late-night TV watcher and will probably get most of the use from the unit.
We also gave each other some DVD's, including the "Platinum Collection" version of "Snow White & The Seven Dwarves". The Disney organization has done an absolutely stunning job of color restoration on this disk, and the new 5.1 Dolby soundtrack is a wonderful addition. If you have not seen this new version of "Snow White", and are interested in film animation, you MUST add this DVD to your collection. If the great transfer job wasn't enough, the disk also has over 3 hours of material on the creation of "Snow White", including a lengthy narration by Walt Disney himself.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas, and has a very happy New Year.
Scott C- |
Apparently we can count things we bought for ourselves, so here goes: a retro Christmas for me! I sent my McIntosh MR-78 tuner out east for a mod and finally located a matching McIntosh scope, a sweet-tooth item I've wanted since I was in high school. For software: the Ella Fitzgerald Gershwin Songbook LP reissue from Speakers Corner. My eyes and ears have been feasting! Happy holidays to all! |
First and foremost, congradulations 3728slingshot!
I have been dropping the hint that I would love to get some CD's for Christmas for over 15 years! I once again created a wish list of CD's I'd like to get and once again got none! A lump of coal I could at least put into the woodstove. |
I've got a beautifully finished plexiglass platform for my Michell TT from my catholic friend. |
Well I didn't know we could count stuff we bought a week prior and for our selves. In that case I also bought my own christmas present an Accuphase DC-300 digital preamp, like others here, I have been sitting home enjoying it through out the holiday! |
My daughter was born on Friday morning and came home on Christmas eve ... her falling asleep to the music in my main room is the best gift I could have ever asked for. |
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Nakamichi 682ZX deck,Tara Labs interconnects.The bloody thing sounds better than my $1800.00 CD player.Happy New Year. |
After paying for my sons driver training course (yes he is nearly 16 now) and his new Microsoft X Box console and software, I only had enough left over for a small stack of new LP's.
It was worth it to see his face. |
I buy stuff for myself all year so decided to get a CD player for my mom. I ordered some CD's for her & told her to go to the store & play a CD & pick out the one she likes & I'll buy it (she's 1100 miles away). I'm trying to make up for recording over her 8 tracks years ago! (hahaha-BOC sounds pretty cool w/Glenn Miller in the background)
Other than that I got my usual box of Godiva's & a box of cereal (family tradition/joke) and a new pair of slippers to wear while I sit & listen to the stereo. Can you call slippers software? |
If "gifts" count as items you've bought for yourself within a week or two of Christmas, count me in : )
Snagged a new DVD/CD player along with a new VCR for the bedroom system ( much to my girlfriends delight ), a DAC for the computer room system, some interconnects and a Pre / Processor for the HT system, new crossover components for two sets of speakers that i've been working on, bought about two dozen new discs and all of the hardware that i needed for the racks that i'm building. On top of that, ( not audio related ), i just bought a new computer and was going to start "dialing it in" for installation tomorrow. The new radar detector goes in sometime this week too, but have to do some "mods" to it first.
BOY, i MUSTA been a REAL good boy this year... Sean
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Actually, with a little help from a friend of mine (me), I recieved yesterday from Fed Ex and Jonathan Tinn, who is an audiogon member, my new audio aero capitole 24/192 cd player.. like a boy in a candy store, and salivating at that, i scurried to my listening room, hooked it up and let her spin... ahhhh....it aint broke in yet, but its magic... i love christmas... |
Senheisser HD600 headphones with an Antique Sound Labs MG tube headamp and lots of CD's. |
I gave myself a Christmas gift.I don't trust a "non-audiophile" to buy for me.I bought a 1m RCA Alpha-Core Micro Purl I.C. for my Adcom GFT 1A tuner.The tuner was a gift a few months back from a true audiophile friend who frequents this site now and then.
I gave as gifts many CD's.Music aways makes great gifts. |
I got and gave lots of software. We got my brother in law an entry level DVD. I've been treating myself to lots of hardware over the last few months and my wife is intimidated about getting me anything. OTOH, she got me an awesome 4.1 mp Sony digital camera which will swap batteries and memory with the Sony Mini-dv camera we got this summer. And my son is plugged in to his new Game Cube (purchased by his doting Mom). You've probably seen the guy going back three times into the electronic store (I forget which one); that was us. Trying single-handedly to revive the consumer economy. Now if one of you wants to give me a deal on the VAndy 3Asigs I've been looking for, I will continue to put more $ into circulation. |
i bought my own "major" christmas gift: a boulder 1012 pre/dac, as i've indicated on a prior thread. it's pretty well broken in now and sounds FANTASTIC. i'm putting together a mini review for all you folks. my audio dealer is loaning me accuphase dp-75v and 85v players for comparison, so i'll be able to give some personal impressions of redbook vs. sacd for some discs done in both formats, using the boulder linestage and/or dac. i'm also trying to wrangle a burmester transport from another friend so that i can compare 16 and 24 bit digital output and st optical to aes/ebu and coax digital connectors. sounds like fun, eh? so, dekay, if you run outta stuff to occupy yourself, come to denver and lend a hand. BTW, was harry's movie on dvd? -kelly |
Software and gift certificates for more software. We bought the daughter a dvd player so after dinner I get to dive into the rat's nest of wires she lives with and do the installation. |
Yes, my wife purchased me 100 ft. of XLO 26 gage solid core copper six 9's Teflon cable, from Michael Percy, to keep me sane while I am otherwise downgrading the living room system. Other than slowly refurbishing an old Thorens TT I had run out of things to "play" with for the time being. She in return received a cute little "figural" Mandarin orange juice squeezer. The highlight of Christmas eve was watching "The Point" on video. |
I bought myself some interconnects for an "extra" system in the guest room, plus a power cord for a backup CD player. All very cheap! Then family and a friend gave me a big gift certificate for Borders, a bigger one for Amazon, and the remastered CD of George's All Things Must Pass. I can't wait to browse the music listings at the online and actual stores. I hope I wait a month or two to use them so I'll have a good wish list by then.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Sarah |
Not for me, but I bought one of my sister's family their first DVD player and some movies. |
SOFTWARE!! lots and lots of it! no one is crazy enough to buy audio stuff for me in my family, schucks-snapping finger with disappointment. I even put the Burmester 969 transport on my christmas list but I didn't get it, no one cares! |
