Sunday, December 11, 2016

Re: Thanks for contacting us.

to: AppleSupport@email.apple.com
I’ve been on hold for than 10 minutes. I’m having trouble playing your exclusive 808 movie…it’s not playing. In 5 minutes I’m going to cancel…update…5 minutes later I got to technical support, told my problem, and was told I’d been routed to the wrong department…I don’t have another 15. I’m cancelling….Tidal sounds way better.
If you’re paying attention, I’d love to hear from you, explaining why I’d be making a mistake.

Best Regards

Friday, December 2, 2016

I'm not dreaming.

UPDATED:
 Blue & Lonesome IS on Tidal, and as expected, sounds MUCH better on the hifi stream than on apple music)
  This is the first Stones album I've wanted to own since Some Girls. I've only heard half (on Apple Music, it's not on Tidal today), but it sounds loud, greasy and dirty. Not a cash grab, not a museum piece (like much of Eric Clapton's recent blues output), this is big fun.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Recently arrived: Clements Little D


These rare Canadian speakers, the bottom of Clements' ribbon/compression line, were in rough shape when I got them. They sounded great for about an hour, then the woofer in the right speaker started to distort at a specific frequency (it's in the bass line of Dire Straits' Six Blade Knife). The foams, which looked fine were starting to deteriorate. Now refoamed, with new sound absorbent front baffle treatment (the original foam turned to dust years ago), they sound beautiful. Their bass is truly impressive for their size, and the ribbon tweeter covers a wide frequency range seamlessly, with awesome musicality and great detail, without brightness. I'm loving these!




Saturday, June 25, 2016

I'm listening to this wonderful album on a Cyrus 3 integrated amp driving a pair of Mission 770 mkIIs. I've had a number of detours on my way to getting the Altec 14s in here for a long stretch with tubes. The Cyrus has been a cool one. It's been great with the 770s, The IMFs, and the Clements Little D (a two way 'compression line' system with a 5" ribbon tweeter and 5.5" woofer that I'm restoring now).

Friday, April 22, 2016

I just wrote this to a friend.


If he'd only played guitar like that, only wrote like that, only danced like that, only played very other instrument in a band like that, only sang, only produced…he’d be a huge star.

Thursday, April 21, 2016


Prince is one of my all time favourites. I was hooked from the first drum kick of Dirty Mind in 1980 . His music has given me decades of joy, and will never stop.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Saturday, April 9, 2016

I pulled these out after a very long absence. They were pulled from a studio. One woofer is the original JBL 116-A, the other a 116-H, the difference being the magnet (alnico in the A, ferrite in the H), and dust cap shape. They are wonderful speakers, classic JBL, and a tonic to me after a long period of listening to some really big speakers in my space.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Just arrived!

I've been looking one of these for years. England circa 1985. Flat earth pace and rhythm, sane  fairy dust to performance ratio. More than enough power for the Altec 14s. Stunning phono section. More to come.

Friday, January 22, 2016


This band sounds amazing on the Altecs, which are back after months of the IMFs. I've got 2 of the best speaker systems I've ever had at the same time. I'm sure that I'm getting more out of the IMFs in my small room, but they're both FULL range, efficient, dynamic and extremely musical. They make you keep putting on more music, which is what it's all about.