Short Notice

[MillerLiteScott]

Last night Mrs. MLS suggested that I could have some guys over Saturday April 9th for a small get together to listen to some tunes.

I will have an evolution of the set ups I had the last time and I feel confident we will not get snow.

Basement rig
Musical Fidelity A308-Technics SL-5 linear tracking TT-SqueezeBox Touch-Jolida FX Glass Tubed DAC-SDA 2BTL's-MIT S3 cables

If someone has a decent cd player to connect to this system that would be great because I am not enthralled with the Touch & Jolida DAC sound yet.

Living room temp rig
I will start with a Nikko NA 590 integrated amp-one of the few 90's cd players I have-and some DIY Nano Neo's I built. I have a few pairs sub $100 speakers to play with and a Maverick D1 pre-amp/Tubed DAC.

Last time we rolled equipment in this rig and it was cool to hear the different gear. Please feel free to bring some cool gear, cables and easily transportable speakers for this rig. I think some DIY stuff would be cool for this rig.

My grill is toast so we will probably have to order some stuff in like pizza or subs. We will also have some beverages but if you prefer a special beverage feel free to bring what you like.

Now I got to get started putting all my girls Barbie, 750 piece puzzle in the middle of the living room floor and American Girl stuff away to make room the temporary rig.

Scott

[Vette C6.r]

I'm there.

What do you need me to bring Scott ????

[Vette C6.r]

I can bring the Rotel RCD1072 CD player if you would like.

What food do you need me to bring ???

[MillerLiteScott]

Rotel sounds like a plan. Bring your S3 if it is not any trouble that way we can have an exact comparison between sources.

What ever you would like to bring Tony. At this point it is just you and me.:biggrin:

We can also have the F1 race from last week on and the qualifying from next week on in the kitchen or basement

Scott

[F1nut]

Is Mrs. MLS making her crab dip stuff?

[Vette C6.r]

Is that a yes Jesse ????

Scott the P3 is at my brothers since we did the Mac swap. I may go up there tomorrow. If I do go I will bring it.

Looking forward to it.

[F1nut]

What's a P3?

[Vette C6.r]

The Parasound pre-amp.

[F1nut]

Doh!

[MillerLiteScott]

Tony I meant your Shotgun S3's.

Oh and I went for a spirited ride in a GT2 tonight.

[Vette C6.r]

Ok. Shotguns are no problem at all.

Scott did you drive the GT2 ??? I did 130MPH in the City in a GT3. Have to tell you about that one offline. Needless to say the street was closed because.................well you know.

[MillerLiteScott]

I did not drive it. The guy was begging me to drive it. He handed me the keys and said take it for a spin but with my luck something would happen. So he took me for quick spin. To much traffic but it is pretty impressive. We managed @ 110 in third before we ran out of room. Come to think of it we never actually made it to fourth gear the whole time. He is an instructor. He just got the GT2 and gave his race prepped Caymen to his wife.

[MillerLiteScott]

I think my DAC has turned the corner in the break in process. It is sounding much better tonight after being on for @ a week+.

Scott

[Vette C6.r]

OK. Scott. I got the Parasound gear from Greg. I still have the Mac hooked up so it is no problem at all to bring the A21 and the P3. I will already bring the Shotguns and the Rotel CD player.

Let me know Sir.

[MillerLiteScott]

Tony,

We probably wont need your Parasound gear because it looks like it is just you and Jesse coming and maybe a friend and or one of my neighbors.

If any other local guys would like to come, chime in so we know what we need or could have on hand for your listening pleasure. Last year a pair pf LSi 9'd sounded pretty good in the living room rig.

Scott

[Vette C6.r]

I told Ed about it. Hopefully he can come.

Ed ?????

[chargerman426]

I'm in. I'll bring my DAC for some caparisons with the Jolida

[MillerLiteScott]

So Far we have

Tony/Vette C6.r
Jesse/F1nut
Paul N./Greybeard
Brandon/Chargerman426

And maybe a friend or neighbor may stop over.

Guys you are going to have to help me out on the food deal because I am just not a food guy. I actually eat cheerios for breakfast a peanut butter and jelly for lunch and pasta for dinner everyday.

Scott

[mdaudioguy]

I told Ed about it. Hopefully he can come.

Ed ?????
It's my weekend with my kids... so, I need to see what they'll be up to first. It's a possibility; just not a definite possibility... I'd really like to join you guys.

[chargerman426]

I thought i heard the word crab dip could just be wishful thinking... :)

[MillerLiteScott]

Unfortunately crab dip is not in the budget for this one. The one my wife makes is a pricey dish.

Sorry.

[chargerman426]

its good to. Give some more of a heads up I would have donated to the crab dip fund.

[strider]

I'm working that day, what time do you think you'll go to Scott?

[MillerLiteScott]

We will go pretty late I would imagine. Last time it seemed like we ran out of time before we could sample all the gear, not to mention the accumulating snow proved to make a difficult drive home.

Guys if you are planning on bringing something food or drink wise, post what you are thinking of bringing so we can coordinate. I will try to fill in the grey areas between what everyone is planning on bringing.

Also if someone has some good sounding yet fairly portable speakers they would be a good addition for the second rig in the living room. I have my DIY Nano Neo's, Modified Best Buy Insignia NS-B2111, Dayton B652's and a pair of RTA 8TL's. So if we want to raise the bar we can run what you brung.

Scott

[MillerLiteScott]

Update


So Far we have

Tony/Vette C6.r
Jesse/F1nut
Paul N./Greybeard
Brandon/Chargerman426
Ken Swagger
Ed/mdaudioguy ( may come depending on what his kids are doing Saturday night)
Ben/ Strider (May come after work)

And maybe a friend or neighbor may stop over.
.

Scott

[strider]

Cool. I'll get out at 9, should be there by 9:30 or so. I'll bring beers, if you think we'll have time it's real easy to bring the Fonkens.

Anybody coming have a tube tester? I've got some pulls I'd like to check if it's not too much to ask.

Ben

[MillerLiteScott]

Ben If you would like to bring the Fonkens that would be great.

I have a Tube tester so bring your pulls and anyone else is welcome to bring their tubes for testing.

Scott

Ken, Sorry I spelled your last name incorrectly.

[MillerLiteScott]

Here is a place that I was thinking we could order from and they deliver.

seasonspizza.com

Take a look and see if anything is of interest.

Scott

[Vette C6.r]

I'll bring some Guinness. mmmmmmm

Seasons works for me Scott.

[Kenneth Swauger]

No problem...I'll bring some beer. Natty Bo okay?

[Vette C6.r]

Jesse is bringing beer too.........of the root variety.

[greybeard]

I will gladly chip in for Seasons pizza. I can bring some Monitor 7s with Peerless if it helps in any way. Nothing special. Most of my other stuff is too large and heavy to move. I can also bring an older McIntosh MC 7200 power amp, if there is any interest. Since it doesn't have autoformers, it's semi-moveable. My other amps are hernia inflictors. Oh yeah, and some CDs and SACDs.

[MillerLiteScott]

Paul,

Monitor 7's would be nice for the living room rig.

Ken,

Natty Bo is fine.

Tony,

Guinness works.

[chargerman426]

Scott its up to you i could bring some chips or since it looks like I'm the only one under 21 I could bring like a 2 liter of coke or something.

[mdaudioguy]

I'm getting closer to "in" on this, at least for a couple hours. What time will you be getting started, Scott?

Would there be any interest in Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands?

I see what I can convince my wife to make... probably some sort of dip.

[MillerLiteScott]

Brandon please bring whatever you would like. And bring your power cord because mine may not be long enough for whee I want to put the DACs to make it easier to change them out.

Ed by all means I would love to hear the Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands if it is not any trouble.


Scott

[Vette C6.r]

Did I miss it ??

When is start time ???

[MillerLiteScott]

We will start @ 4-5 so we have the time to get things together and order dinner.

Scott

[PolkClyde]

You guys, Vintage Polk fans, have so much fun...wish I was a part of it.... Enjoy yourselves.

[F1nut]

Ken is attending....cool.

So what are we eating, pizza? Is it wood fired?

Should I bring dessert..maybe some pie?

[Vette C6.r]

Pie is playing leftfield for the O's on saturday Jess.

[mdaudioguy]

Pie is playing leftfield for the O's on saturday Jess.
Speaking of the O's, won't they be on the tube Saturday night? A recorded F1 race? You guys are killing me!

[strider]

Speaking of the O's, won't they be on the tube Saturday night? A recorded F1 race? You guys are killing me!

I know, right? A night with the only three F1 fans south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

I may have another trick up my sleeve in terms of gear. It's burning in right now, but only has about 6 hours on total so far. Takes about an hour for it to reach operating temp as well, may not be the most ideal night for it, but I still might throw it in the car.

[chargerman426]

Scott I can bring my power cord but it is short as well about a meter. Do you still want me to bring it?

[MillerLiteScott]

Ben,

Is it an amp?

Brandon,

Bring it it may just be enough.

Scott

[strider]

Ben,

Is it an amp?


Scott

:biggrin:

[Vette C6.r]

Scott Jesse talked me into the bring the Parasound gear. No worries if we get to it or not.

I'm going to get some Bateman's wings on the way to your house.

[MillerLiteScott]

Tony,

You are awesome. +1 on the gear and who doesn't love Bateman's wings.

Guys for some reason my phono input is real noisy (it has always been real noise free) so I have pulled the turntable out of the rig.

Looking forward to a good night.

Scott

[strider]

We are tailgating in the street in front of Scott's house if anyone is interested. His wife didn't seem to thrilled for some reason.

Bloody marys are going down quick, the keg's iced down and the amps are warming up. See everybody soon!

[Vette C6.r]

That's why Scott was asking for an extension cord. For the blender.

It all makes sense now.

[greybeard]

We are tailgating in the street in front of Scott's house if anyone is interested. His wife didn't seem to thrilled for some reason.

Bloody marys are going down quick, the keg's iced down and the amps are warming up. See everybody soon!

----------------------------------------

So why did I, a noobie, ever volunteer to serve as the decoy for the gendarmes to lure them away from the tailgate party at Scott's?

I am currently leading them astray on my restored 1963 Vespa. It's a slow chase, especially on uphill runs. At least I have the twin, flush-mounted subwoofers to keep the SQ up. I find that I can apparenly go semi-fast or have thumping bass, but not both. Need more power-and an RDO tweeter. -greybeard

[Vette C6.r]

probably be a tad later then I thought Scott. More around 6ish

[F1nut]

We didn't take any pics, so it didn't happen.

[strider]

Yeah, it would have been good seeing you guys again. It would have also been nice to get a chance to hang out with Paul, Brandon, and Ken and hear what they had to say about audio and life in general....

Really enjoyed hearing Scott's DIY speakers, the bank breakers. Pretty impressive amount of bass from a small driver. Ed's Vienna Acoustics were really singing in the living room rig, was quite a double edged sword throwing my single drivers on the stands directly after. Nice to have a comparison between something you've built and a quality commerical product; sometimes I worry about having rose colored glasses on in regards to my efforts. Certainly not the case any longer, now I want to build new speakers.

Thanks again for having us over Scott!

[Kenneth Swauger]

Thanks for throwing a great get together, Scott! Good friends, good food, good music, great audio gear! Some tube testing, some speaker listening, some impressive DIY gear and a chance to hear the excellent Parasound amp/preamp. Some superb SDA classics and Monitor 7a, timeless sound!
You guys need to hear some reel to reel tapes! Maybe next time?
Cheers, Ken

[mdaudioguy]

Simply put, I had a great time!

Two rigs going at the same time on two different floors - my attention was truly divided. However, it was the upstairs rig that was intended to allow for easy swapping of gear, and there was plenty to try out. The source for the evening, which was never changed out was Tony's Sony SACD player (model # had a lot of 5's in it). When I arrived, Scott had it hooked to his Nikko integrated, which was punching his DIY Nano Neo speakers - very impressive, considering the amount this little project cost him - I believe he said about $85, which included a few cans of spray paint! I think I caught more than one person walk into this room and casually look around, trying to find the subwoofer that just had to be supplementing these tiny speakers...

Next up, decided to give the Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands a try, along with Ben's home-built First Watt F5 clone - which was cleverly hidden inside an old oscilloscope enclosure! Of course, his matching pre was also in a similar o-scope box - very cool gear, Ben! Oh yeah, the SACD output was also now being sent via coax to another creation of Ben's - a DAC in some kind of case without a faceplate. What would this all sound like? Absolutely incredible! I've never heard the Haydn's sound so lush and full. I could have listened to this rig for hours or forever, with no fatigue whatsoever. We listened pretty much all the way through a CD Ben had just picked up - Rodrigo y Gabriela's (Ben was kind enough to translate that for us as Rodrigo and Gabriela) Live in Japan. Very dynamic, acoustic guitars - busy, complex tunes - cool stuff. :cool:

We then switched in Ben's home-built, single-driver Fonken speakers - pretty eclectic! The Beatles' Rubber Soul remaster was perfect for these. It's amazing what a relatively small, single driver can accomplish. I was staring at these tings the whole time, trying to figure out how they do what they do. A unique cabinet design, I must say. Ben says these speakers are perfect for his situation, since they don't have a booming low end, but I have to say, they performed well within the range that they do have.

Next up, we were in for a real treat, as Paul carried in his 1977 Polk Monitor 7A's, and they were paired up with Tony's awesome new Parasound amp and pre. What? These are 34-year-old speakers?? :confused: Paul says they are all un-modded original, too. Played some more Beatles through these. Wow. Paul said he has only used these as surrounds in his SDA-driven HT - I think even he was impressed with how good they sounded.

Jesse had missed my Haydn Grands earlier (he was downstairs soaking in some SDA love with Ken and Brandon), so he easily convinced be to pull them out again. Personally, I was excited to get to hear them with Tony's Parasound gear! The result was not quite as I had expected. Dull, flat, almost lifeless. Tony was perplexed. Something wasn't right - he started playing with tone controls... Then we decided it must be the CD - The Counting Crows' August and Everything After. Track 1 was blah, but track 2, Omaha definitely sounded better. Jesse (he of few words...) simply said one word - synergy (or a lack thereof). Great - I've avoided tubes this long, only to find out that perhaps what really makes these speakers sing are some tubes. Oh well, guess I'd have to start down that path eventually... Tony salvaged the listening experience by introducing me to Keb' Mo's Slow Down. Some well-recorded and performed blues that I'd never heard before that could probably make any rig sound better. Oh, and did it! Seemed to put Jesse in a trance-like state, too. :tongue:

Finally, I made my way downstairs to pay homage to Scott's incredible Squeezebox Touch -> Jolida tube DAC -> Musical Fidelity amp -> SDA 2B TL rig. Whoa! Listened to some Steely Dan and Cowboy Junkies, and then was privileged enough to get to sit in the sweet spot and pick out a couple of tunes from one of my favorite albums - Wilco's Sky Blue Sky. Fabulous! Like I've never heard it before. Thanks Scott, and thanks Mrs. MLS, for hosting us! One day, I hope to be able to return the favor, but I've still got a little ways to go. Ok, maybe a lot! :smile:

Thanks,
Ed

[mdaudioguy]

We didn't take any pics, so it didn't happen.

Oh yeah, never mind. Nothing happened.

[greybeard]

he he he... I have a picture from the event, so it DID happen.

My picture shows our host "sniffing" some sort of Jolida device, apparently determining its sonic character through olfactory analysis. This technique is new to me, and arcane.

I learned several things at this gathering:
1) There exists some type of electronic device known as "tooobs". These can best be described as cylindrical glass objects with a number of metal pins or legs protruding from one end. "Tooobs" can have different numbers of legs, but I believe the ones with eight legs are fastest. “Tooobs” produce light, heat, and sometimes sound. Transistors, limited to only three legs and lacking the ability to provide light and heat with the occasional brief and violent exception, are notably inferior to these "tooobs".

2) It is possible to host a social gathering in Maryland requiring food, without having crabs present. I did not know this. I refer here to crabs as aquatic decapod crustaceans, not surly people, of whom there were none present.

3) Cables matter. This became most clear when swapping out components in the living room system, and basking in the eerie silence of the latest components for a brief time, before realizing that the speakers and amplifier were separated by an air gap, unbridged by any electrical conductor. When the cables were connected, things sounded better. Thus, cables matter.

4) It is possible to produce lots of sound and high quality from small boxes. Please do not let this secret slip out or I will lose my battle to retain the larger SDAs in my shared house.

I had a great time, and got to meet some super people. Thanks to all for the warm welcome.

-greybeard

[shack]

2) It is possible to host a social gathering in Maryland requiring food, without having crabs present. I did not know this. I refer here to crabs as aquatic decapod crustaceans, not surly people, of whom there were none present.

I thought Jesse was there....:confused:

[Hawkeye]

I'd have been there had I not been in DC at a show. Several guys I'd like to meet in person where there.

There may never be another MD gtg if there were no crabs present!! I didn't think it possible!

Sounds like you guys had a blast.

Gordon

[chargerman426]

Defiantly a great time last night. Was really glad to compare my PS audio DAC with the little Jolida with some different tubes in it. I was really shocked how much of a difference the tube made in that DAC as they are only buffers. Had good food and good tunes so can't complain about that. Thanks again Scott for having us over, and let me know when you get an itch to try some more tubes.

[MillerLiteScott]

Great time last night.

A lot of cool gear, Speakers, Tooobs and a bunch of cool guys.

I was very impressed with our local Mad Scientist (Ben's) DIY gear and the cool cases he built his gear in. Ben also brought a box of a lot of tubes that Brandon ran through my little tube tester. I bought a pair of Amperex tubes that sounded reallllllly sweet in my DAC. Thanks Ben

I also really liked Ed's Vienna Acoustics. They are a very cool looking monitor with a clear driver and port vents on either side of the tweeter. Sounded great and are very impressive.

Thanks to Paul for bringing his Monitor 7's. I have always wanted to hear a pair, and to get to hear a pair in my house was a bonus. They sounded great as I would have expected.

It was cool to finally meet Ken. Like many of us I spoke to him on the phone many times but never got a chance to meet.

Tony also brought some cool gear and we had it running in both the upstairs and downstairs rig. Thanks for bringing the wings. Love Bateman's wings.

Brandon brought his PS Audio DAC to run some A/B testing. That PS Audio DAC sounds real nice and has a bigger soundstage than my DAC. It also had a bit more defined bass than my DAC. Brandon also knows way to much about tubes for such a young guy, he was still googling different tubes on the computer up until 3 in the morning.

Jesse brought a nice Carrot Cake that everybody dug into and an apple pie that we never got to. Pretty sure I will have some tonight an I will report on it latter.

Thanks to everyone for coming over and bringing all the different gear. That is what these GTG are all about.

I vote Ed to be the official Md GTG secretary.:biggrin:

Scott

[F1nut]

I vote Ed to be the official Md GTG secretary.

I second the motion.

[mdaudioguy]

I vote Ed to be the official Md GTG secretary.:biggrin:

I second the motion.
Sure! Hey... I had a good time! I remembered a bunch of stuff I forgot to include, but I think the combined efforts of all pretty much covered everything. Btw, Scott's basement rig transitions nicely from 2-channel to HT - gotta get me one of those remotes. :smile:
Good thing the ride home wasn't much longer... I was tired.

[Vette C6.r]

Great times guys.

Scott, as always, thanks for having all of us over.

Great food. Great people.

Scott - The DAC was very intersting. Good to see some alternative ways of enjoying music. Hopefully the new tubes you put in serve you well. Love the Cowboy Junkie jams. Seems as though I was downstairs for your demo of your DIY speakers. I'll have to check them out.

Jesse - Good seeing ya again. Seems you are making a habit of volunteering to tweek new gear. Still a bit before I'll bite on the power cords.

Ben - Very intersting gear. Definatly a different approuch. Loved the matching tool box as well. Great picking your brain about the digital stuff.

Ed - The Vienna Acoustics sounded great on Ben's gear. Love the look and the front porting. Good pickup.

Paul - Nice meeting you. Thanks for bringing the 7's. I loved the sound with the Parasound. Hope the ride wasn't too long.

Ken - Nice meeting you as well. I would of liked to hear some of the Polk factory stories but between stuffing my face and listening to two rigs I didn't get the time to ask.

Excellent evening guys. Great that you can go to one place and hear 4-5 different rigs and setups.

Looking forward to the next one.

Tony

[Vette C6.r]

Woops. Nice meeting you too Brandon. Sorry about that.

[greybeard]

Who can tell me the model numbers/names of the Parasound preamp and amp we listened to in the living room? I am considering purchase of a new preamp and would like to explore possibilities of Parasound units. -- greybeard

[F1nut]

Parasound Halo A21 amp and P3 pre amp.

[MillerLiteScott]

Look at Paul trying to rack up his post count.:biggrin:

[Vette C6.r]

Look at Paul trying to rack up his post count.:biggrin:

I think F1 is too.

[greybeard]

I think F1 is too.

Guys:

I have low aspirations. I plan to stay at or below 1/10000 of Jesse's post count at all times.

I'm still annoyed that I missed the carrot cake.

Jesse: Thanks for the ID on the Parasound gear. I will research it.

-greybeard