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Thanks to the generous host with the best ribs in town!

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In Reply to: Thanks to all the NE Bots for another outstanding meet posted by Steve Culton on September 13, 2003 at 15:35:27:

We did indeed have a good time if somewhat plagued with insidious distortion problems. I sure wish wo could have discovered the source of this. But inspite of this, we heard some good stuff, with Shane bringing his newest creations; the 76(?) two chassis preamp winning my award for the best of show. Very clear and beautiful sounding. Maybe Dave Cope can couple a more inclusive description of what we heard along with photos.
... and there are no words to describe those ribs, especially dredged through some of that killer hot sauce...!
G.

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Flattery will get you everywhere - Steve Culton 10:34:55 09/15/03 (1)
Perhaps for the next one, we'll try a couple of my award-winning, hickory-smoked, 4-pepper-rubbed beef briskets...
- Re: Flattery will get you everywhere - DRCope 17:10:19 09/15/03 (0)
  Oh man! I just finished supper and now I'm hungry again! ;-)
  Keep your ears and your mind open.
Re: Thanks to the generous host with the best ribs in town! - DRCope 11:13:54 09/14/03 (11)
In a nutshell:
We started with a Rega Planet 2000 through Steve's FP and my WannaGlows into Steve's Str8's. Then listened to Steve's Rega P3/RB300/Rega Elys (Super Elys?) using his Seduction. The switched to a P3/AudioNote Arm 2/IQ2 combo, which everyone clearly preferred. (Both tables were sitting on Daruma 3-II isolation feet.)
We then moved to Tom's (from N.H. - sorry - have spaced last name) scratch-built remote controlled passive pre, and tried to listen to his Billie amps, but the gremlins had arrived, and one channel wouldn't stop humming. Then tried Shanes Goliath scratch built amp (described in one of his posts), but it didn't get along with the passive pre, so the amp baton was passed back to the WannaGlows. Shane's 76 pre w/outboard ps was brought in next, sounding warm and expansive as ever.
We listened to Dave Jacobsen's Fostex fullrangers, which got along famously with the WG's, and sounded very good: wiiiiide open mids in particular. Also heard in the home brew speaker dept were Mark Hardy's RS quarter wavelength folded pipes. As Mark said, "I believe these are the best $5 drivers I've ever heard." No disagreement here.
Mikey P's table w/ a sexy new black platter was up with an SME arm and Shelter 501 cart playing through an Audio Note 33AG step-up and Seduction, sounding quite smooth and sophisiticated, while looking sorta Darth Vader's turntable-ish.
Garland's latest Foreplay iteration with nickel output trannies got its innings, and while sounding very clean, was a bit brighter/leaner than he was hoping for.
Last up were the Audio Note E/Lexus with External xo's, (beer can sized copper foil PIO caps), which sounded fuller and bassier than I'm used to hearing in the shop, which could be the placement/room character or the pairing with the WG's.
A headphone amp - I think it was Mark Hardy's, but I'm not sure - was auditioned in a smoke filled back room (oh sorry - that was the deck!). Someone who heard it needs to chime in. I have no idea how that went.
The ribs were superb, (better than last time), as was the smoked salmon. Nobody died of chili exposure, and there were oceans of beer, so that angle was well-covered.
Also, Steve's next door neighbor must hate him. The C's lawn is bright, deep green and lush, which changes at the border into the next yard to lighter green verging on brownish, thinner, etc. Talk about a line of demarcation! ;-)
I hope you other guys chime in with impressions! This is just a skim the surface, name the bits before I forget completely (tomorrow) exercise.

Keep your ears and your mind open.
- Re: Thanks to the generous host with the best ribs in town! - margaritafred 16:57:33 09/14/03 (2)
  Sounds like you guys had a ball! Couldn't get away from family stuff this weekend and it has been on my mind both days. My new Foreplay is just plain awesome and I was dying to meet all you guys. Your post mentioned a Tom from NH (I live in NH). I'd love to catch up with any Bottleheads up here when time allows. You out there Tom?
  Fred
  - Re: Thanks to the generous host with the best ribs in town! - tom1356 18:12:11 09/14/03 (1)
    That would be me. I'm in Hampton.
    - Re: Thanks to the generous host with the best ribs in town! - margaritafred 10:44:21 09/15/03 (0)
      Hey Tom!
      I'm pretty close to you here in Atkinson. I'd love to get together at some point. The only Bottlehead product I've heard is mine and it would be great to compare. Email me when you get a minute and we can hook up.
      fredandcathy@aol.com
      Thanks,
      Fred
- Impressions 'n' stuff (and thanks to DR Cope) - Steve Culton 15:20:49 09/14/03 (2)
  I was VERY much digging the Rega P3/AN you brought. Killer through the all-Bottlehead setup. Good thing Christmas and my birthday are coming...
  This time, I did not have speaker envy, as I preferred my 8s over all the others we heard. I think you may be onto something with your comments on the AN speakers, because I was not digging them, and I fully expect they could sound better.
  Mark Hardy's hybrid headhpone amp was two thumbs up � got along famously with my FP. Plenty of gain! I potted my FP up halfway, then controlled volume through the hybrid amp. Sweet.
  We forgot to mention Neo's Parabees not liking my FP/Sed/8s. THAT was weird. Dissapointed, because I really wanted to hear them.
  John Lapaire, we missed you, and your copious and detailed notes. But � Cope! You da man! I was thinking afterwards, I hope someone's writing all this down. Thanks again for being "choirmaster" while I'm off in host-land. And, thanks to Jo Ann. She is, as they say, the bomb.
  Now...how am I going do drink all this beer?....
  ;-)
  - Re: Impressions 'n' stuff (and thanks to DR Cope) - mistergroovy 08:59:01 09/15/03 (1)
    I agree that there was something about the straight 8's I preferred over the other speakers and I wish I had heard them with the preamp/amp combo we were using at the end of the day.
    - Re: Impressions 'n' stuff (and thanks to DR Cope) - DRCope 06:09:31 09/16/03 (0)
      Well, the WannaGlows pulled amp duty most of the day, but I try to keep the factory built stuff out of the way (except for CDP's) until the end 'cause it's all about DIY. We can do it that way next time, though.
      I'm determined to dust off and spiff up(read: fix!) my North Dakota-built walnut FP by the next time, so I don't feel so "off the rack" among the wild custom stuff. ;-)
      
      Keep your ears and your mind open.
- That was Andy Newell's headphone amp... - Garland 11:35:09 09/14/03 (4)
  ...but I didn't get to hear it! and my Foreplay was anything but clean sounding.- Muddled is more like it. I've got some work to do on it but for some reason it sounds much better at home but yes, a bit bright. And a I think the room definitely had something to do with the overly warm bass from the AN two ways. Andy was commenting on the drive home how much he likes the AN speakers. The midrange just floats before you like a hologram! ( all that oil?)
  One should also mention that kudos go to Dr.Cope for his typical effort at swapping in and out everything with little delay and no missfires. We all sat and drank beer while he worked up a good sweat. I vote that next time Dave get's to play !
  G.
  - Well, the one Andy and I were listening to was Mark Hardy's - Steve Culton 15:10:26 09/14/03 (3)
    It's a low voltage tube hybrid headphone/line amp, not from a kit, but from an article in the 11/02 issue of audioxpress. You can get all the parts from electronics suppliers, including the circuit board. Total cost is about $100. And, in the spirit of the $5 driver comment, it is the best $100 headphone amp I've ever heard.
    - Re: Well, the one Andy and I were listening to was Mark Hardy's - Andy N 17:23:22 09/15/03 (2)
      Yeah, the one that worked was not mine, alas. Mark Hardy's little hybrid unit uses tubes designed for automotive use - B+ in the 12 to 18 Volt range. Cool!
      Tom1356 and I tried to light the fuse on my 27-801A headphone amp, but it refused to go. Hum in one channel, and silence in the other. Indian Burial Ground indeed. Today I finished the dovetailing of the birds-eye maple chassis, so next time it will look and sound much better.
      I have a few photos from Saturday, but nowhere to host them....
      - Hey, Andy - Steve Culton 06:20:13 09/16/03 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Well, the one Andy and I were listening to was Mark Hardy's posted by Andy N on September 15, 2003 at 17:23:22:
        
        Two things: one, if you scroll up top there's a post from badman. He sez he'll host photos. sounds like he's hot to see 'em, so maybe that would give all of us a quick fix until Dave's most excellent report can be done.
        Two, what was the design you based your headphone amp on? Was it one of the ones posted on Headwize? (I've got the tube headphone amp bug now).
      - Re: Well, the one Andy and I were listening to was Mark Hardy's - DRCope 06:04:20 09/16/03 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Well, the one Andy and I were listening to was Mark Hardy's posted by Andy N on September 15, 2003 at 17:23:22:
        
        Andy,
        You can send 'em to me and I'll cobble together a meet report with pix on my site.
        Can't promise to have it up this week, (jammin' for a trip), but I'll take care of it, and it 'll go somewhere that won't wink out unexpectedly soon after it appears. (I'm happy to say Brad Brooks is my ISP and host.)
        
        Keep your ears and your mind open.

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