opalchip

Responses from opalchip

Best sounding LP nobody else has ever heard of...
A couple more here - Brian Auger & the Trinity - "Befour" (1970) Title was a pun on the fact that Julie Driscoll had just left the band and there were only four members left. I wouldn't put in the super-audio stratosphere but it's really good ... 
Best sounding LP nobody else has ever heard of...
Also agree on Solid Air, especially love "May You Never" on that one. Great sonics and great songwriting. (Trivia- title track written for/about Nick Drakes' mental issues at the time) 
Best sounding LP nobody else has ever heard of...
re: Rushton - I have a sealed copy of the "Italian Violin Music" which I haven't gotten around to opening yet. (I have a strange dysfunctional aversion to unsealing lp's). I guess I'll take a deep breath and slice the shrinkwrap when I get home.Al... 
Best sounding LP nobody else has ever heard of...
Here's a couple more:The Falla Guitar Trio - "Music for 3 Guitars", Concord 1986 - Excellent realistic recording of 3 acoustic guitars with a live presence, perfect imaging, and fantastic material performed flawlessly. Similar to the Liv Glaser, i... 
Best sounding LP nobody else has ever heard of...
Hi - Thanks for the responses so far. Here's a few I recall right off the bat. I'll also try to stick to titles that can actually be found with a little searching. Here's a few to start:Harold Gomberg w/ Seiji Ozawa - "The Baroque Oboe" - Even if ... 
Spare change on a speaker cabinet
You have to use special Audiophile pennies (called AuraPennies), which are actually made in China - though they ARE designed in the U.S. Depending on the room size, you need between 6 and 12 pairs.They list for $34.56 per pair (regular), while the... 
Technics SL-1200MKII and AT-440MLa, very good
Perfectionist - No matter what, you really need a better cartridge before you can make any other equipment decisions. As others have said, the M97 is "ok" for $60, which just means it doesn't outright suck. That's about it - all the music is there... 
recommendations - exquiste chamber music on lp
There are many, but here's one that's probably up your alley if you liked the Starker. It'll cost ya though (around $40-50 when it shows up on Ebay):BIBER: Mystery Sonatas. Eduard Melkus, violin; Huguette Dreyfus, harpsichord; Lionel Rogg, organ; ... 
best classical LP labels
My cents re: Columbia and DGI find most Columbia 6 eyes and many 2 eyes to be enjoyable recordings and performances. Even the Eugene Ormandy/Phil Orch. which has little collector value can be great listening.Then there are the Bruno Walter, Glenn ... 
best classical LP labels
Depends what you mean by "best", but if you're basically asking what would we pick as a ONE "desert island" label - I would have to agree (and expand) Sean's pick by saying Decca/London. Their catalog is huge and varied, and the sonics are almost ... 
Running for Dummest question EVER
Obviously, you cannot cut a Direct Disc at half speed if it's going to played back at full speed. In fact, just the opposite is desirable - the best DD's are cut at 45 rpm. And 78rpm would be even better.I personally find Direct Disc recording to ... 
Misterio: Water Lily Acoustics vs. Audioquest
I have an Audioquest copy, and I seriously doubt they would have remastered an existing, highly praised, digital file. Don't know about the Waterlily version, but I find my CD rather underwhelming sonically given the hype - nothing terrible, but ... 
Should I sell my Thorens?
I'm no fan of older lower-end Thorens' (compared to a VPI) but the problems you describe sound more like arm/cartridge issues. A 160, properly set up with a decent cartridge, won't have the issues that you're describing. If it was a used cart. and... 
Rudy Van Gelder: Genius or just lucky?
You really have to judge an RVG recording or mastering by the original vinyl, not by CD reissues of 50 year old master tapes. IMO - what distinguishes much of RVG's work is not an "audiophile" wow factor, and by no means a sonic accuracy - but rat... 
Dahlquist DQ-20 Fan club Rant
For anybody who's interested - someone just posted a very nice pair of 20i's for sale here on Audiogon. They'll likely need new foam on the woofers very soon, if not immediately - but worth the trouble (about a 4 hour diy job).