Recent content by Robin L

I remember that flyback transformer sound. Then I went to a Neil Young concert. Didn't hear it any more.

I had an original L30. It didn't have a problem (and likely wouldn't as I live in a part of the country that consistently has high humidity) but they replaced it anyway. Have been using it for close to four years without any problems.

Best: Infinity Primus 2 - way towers, bought at a thrift store for $30 the pair. Very sweet in the midrange. Not a ton of bass but what's there is tight and not boomy. Use them every day. Worst: an antique pair of Schoeps 221B tube microphones from the 1950s, about $2000. Limited dynamic range...

For playing CDs they will work fine. I've got an older Sony Blu Ray that's SACD capable. It's got both optical and coax digital outputs. Use it mostly for playing CDs through an outboard DAC. As it can also play DVDs it can play DVD-A discs, but a monitor would be necessary to navigate the menu...

I've never owned a LP player that I found totally satisfying, though some (a Merril Mod AR XA with a Grace 707 arm, a Thorens, a Linn Sondek LP 12/Ittok arm) were superior compared to most. Interesting how close a standard AR XA got to ideal, though they were so cheaply made it was just a matter...

My wife is crazy for Mark Knopfler's music, bought One Deep River as soon as it was announced. We've got an I Pod plus a cd player in the SUV, transferred the CD to the I Pod as soon as we got it, Gail slipped the CD into the car's player. Naturally I've heard all of Knopfler's commercial...

I've got a Stereophile test CD, includes test tones from 20 hz to 20 khz. Am 69, found that my AKG K371 headphones were fully audible up to 13 khz. Every now and then have tinnitus symptoms, but they disappear quickly. Do not listen to music at loud volumes, am not worried about hearing loss for...

"One tendency, above all others, should have been the reddest of red flags. That is, she had a “party trick” of falling off bar stools or falling down flights of stairs, presumably as a humorous pratfall in the manner of Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau character. However, when combined with...

Mozart died of a disease that was common at the time. There are legends surrounding this, amplified by Amadeus the play and movie, but Mozart died as did so many others of his time, of a disease that doctors did not know how to cure. Schubert suffered a worse fate, dying penniless of syphilis...

I've got a cassette recorder, has two transports so tape to tape dubbing is possible, and about 200 cassettes, never use it. Don't really want to, as I have limited space for audio gear and don't like the sound of cassettes anyway. Note that cassette decks are old tech and repair is difficult as...

One would think that miking a piano in stereo in a good room would involve some sort of ORTF or XY pattern with cardioids, but the cardioids greatly reduce the bass output and the pattern results in unnatural imaging. Having a pair of omnis spaced by about 20", 3' to 6' back and aimed into the...

I only have a little experience, but suspect that spaced omnis + ORTF would work better. The spaced omnis would provide more bass and more sense of space, the ORTF would be more specific about the location of specific pipes. Of course, most seats in a cathedral would have vague imaging, so...

Recording keyboards, including harpsichords, clavichords and pipe organs, will not produce a sound like the sound in the room. Getting a good sound out of any of these keyboards (including pianos) requires some experience. ORTF or crossed XY microphones with pianos usually isn't enough...

This WaPo article has a lot of interesting information and great visuals concerning the manufacture of LPs: https://wapo.st/4cXQ83s

This probably won't change your mind but thought I should share it anyway. I'm hearing some nuance here that's often lacking in his music: