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Yikes! More letters!
Hi Steve,
What a web site! wow - i am floored. that said, (i could on and on!), do you know
anything about a british integrated tube amp called the athena? i just heard about one
that is available and am trying to get more info on it. please email me at ralfoto@aol.com if you can help.
all the best...keep glowing!
robert lyons
Steve sez: Any know about this amp? Please help.
Thanks for a great site. I visit almost
daily...
Jim, and I do enjoy the music!!!!
Steve!
Love your site!
I have to tell ya, I got a chance to hear the Churchills a few weeks back. My brother
and I wandered into our favorite audio dealer, the regular Thursday night routine, and
there, in the 'dream room' they stood. Absolutely awe inspiring to look at, and then
Ralphy got 'em running. He was in the process of bi-amping them when we arrived. EAD
Player, SimAudio Celeste Pre, Celeste up high, Bryston down low, cable by kimber. Wow!
These were a pair that were traveling with the Tannoy Rep, so I'm assuming they were
well broken in. We just sat there and reveled in the music while Ralphy went through a
selection of his favorites. I'm only a rookie when it comes to this stuff, but it was
amazing to hear what the realm of possibility is. Never before have I experienced that
kind of emotion from a reproduction system. One of those magical moments that I'll
remember for quite some time.
I was buzzing for days!
Had to share :)
Mike
Steve sez: Dude, hope that was a legal buzz? :-{)
Hi Steve!
Just wanted to say that your webpage is a wonderful resource for every music
connoisseur (especially those, who have to struggle with the machinery for properly
reproducing it ;) ).
Greetings from Vienna, Austria
Odo
Steve sez: Vienna? Someone from Vienna loves my website.
WOW! A huge and most humble thanks.
I've just joined the net and after reading Ken Kessler's piece in HFN
& RR,I thought I'd visit your site. At last, a decent combination of good graphics and
proper information that I can read without teeny-teeny eyes; thanks!
...I share your enthusiasm for Voyd by the way - though the turntables in "Table
Lust" are awe-inspiring in looks, size and (no doubt) price.
Simon Linton
Thank You very much for an incredible site.
I've been enjoying
all the interesting stuff You've got here. It's good to see that someone really cares about
music and what it takes to enjoy such a thing...
Best regards, Svein Otterlei, NORWAY.
Steve,
Found you site after the KK article in HFNRR. Love it. Here are my three most effective
upgrades to my Linn LP12, EAR, etc system. They each cost 150 quid.
1. Got an electrician to put in a new fuse box and dedicated separate spur -
amazing.
2. Bought reissues of every Hendrix album on Vinyl.
3. Bought a 20 year old Revox A77. Not an upgrade - just love those big wheels
going round!
Cheers. Dave.
Steve sez: Rock on dude!
Hi Steve,
I love your website. And I appreciate your candid opinions. I wonder where near the San
Francisco bay area I'd have to go to listen to the Loth-X or other Lowther speaker.
Kurt
Steve sez: Kurt, a most humble thanks. As for the awesome Loth
speakers, they have no USA distribution yet :-{( . Will see them again
during the upcoming audio show so let's hope they get a distributor soon. Great
speakers these Loth-X.
Hello Steve,
I've enjoyed your fine site, (and sense of humor), for some time! It is a source of
interesting information, and also sort of an oasis in midst of humdrum, nonaudio
activities. I just wanted to thank you for your efforts, and encourage you to keep up the
good work. Take care and good luck with your music!
Best Regards,
Robert Thompson
Steve,
After reading your report on the 300Bs I thought I would
throw my 2 cents in the pot.
I have listened to most of the tubes in your report
and have found the KR VV32 just kills them all, including the JJ & WE. This is in an
amp that is set up for that tube. The JJ & WE sound muted or muffled compared to the
KR tube. Nothing, but nothing touches this thing and I and all of the people that have
listened to the system think its not even close. Keep up the great web page
Hi Steve,
First and foremost I've gotta say that U have the best music and audio gear site on the
web... The Tube Lust page is just too mouthwatering, I can't even try to imagine how these
babies sound like! I'm a classic Valvaholic! By the way, u have the best "vinyl"
links I've seen in a single site.. VINYL RULES!!!...
Anyways, u'r website is truly a rare find, content and pics are to die for! I agree on
most of the stuff u say about music and audio, u'r open-mindedness and non-elitist,
non-stuffy attitude is a breath of fresh air. Although sometimes I cringe on the cheesy
way u talk about "counterculture" stuff and muzak; when it gets trite and
contrived it becomes humorous (u try too hard... hehehe... great vinyl links tho).
Don't get me wrong, I can dig stuff from Olivier Messiaen to Guided by Voices (lo-fi or
low-budget!?), or from John Coltrane to Buddy Holly; no pigeonholing here. And truly say
that I enjoy the music....
Best Wishes,
Derick
Steve,
...I also wanted to let you know that the Enjoy the Music web site was very informative
and I had a great time just reading and lusting over all the nice turntables. Thanks for
your time.
Ann Sullivan
Steven,
Congratulations for your page! As a collector of old
turntables, I've never seen such an interesting site. Thank you for your work. I have a
request for help, though. You are extremely knowledgeable, so maybe you could know this
large 'Acoustical' 3100 turntable I have in my collection since years. It's a mystery:
nobody knows it. It's a professional thing coming, apparently, from the '60s, it is belt
driven with a strobe and pitch control. Any idea would be appreciated.....
Thanks,
Stefano stefpas@tin.it
Steve sez: Dunno this turntable. Anyone know? Please e-mail this groovy
dude.
Dear Sir,
I was reading your web page about the Technics SB-LX10 and the SB-LX30 speakers. Well I
have the Technics SB-ST450 3 way speakers (10 in woofer, 4 in midrange, 2 in tweeter). And
a while ago I replaced all of the manufactures wires with Monster Cable 14 gauge copper
wire. And what a difference! The bass is tight, the treble is clean, and the imaging is
superb. I am totally amazed of how they sound. They sound like new speakers. Thank you for
the advise.
David Clark
Hi Steve,
I just started checking some of the audiophile & music
sites & kept running across posts of yours. Seemed to often make good sense & I
especially liked the inclusion of the music you were listening to. I enjoyed seeing your
home page & the description of the Gainesville record stores. Just thought I'd give
you the feedback. Me, I've been listening today to Flood: They Might Be Giants, The Domino
Club: The Men They Couldn't Hang, & now Songs For Drella: Lou Reed & John Cale
again. See ya 'round.
Craig Stephens
Steven,
Tanks again for the bodacious Eyetalyan and Pap amp pictures. Please keep up the great
work! I still can't figure out how you get 100 watts out of 4 EL-34's, but, hey, that's
the snot-heads for you. And where did those yewgly knobs come from on the Italian amp.
Pee-yew!
Travis Franklin
Steven,
I truly enjoyed your Milan show report and the link to TNT's show round-up. Your work
continues to amaze me. Enjoythemusic is the best audio site on the Internet, in my
opinion. If you decide to turn it into a paysite, I'm there.
Rgds,
Jim Saxon
Steve,
Best work on the HIFI net...
Uitz Patrick
Steve,
I like your site. I especially like the scanned graphics. Great work on the logos! The
RCA Victor explanation of stereo is priceless.
Great job!
Daniel Graham
Steve,
Just wanted to drop you a quick message and thank you for the Western Electric 300B
stickers... Thanks again for the stickers! :-)
Mark
Hi Steve,
Nice web site! I just read your 300B review and found it very interesting, and very
timely.... Thanks for doing the 300B tube comparison and any tips you can offer!
Jeff
Hi Steve,
I appreciate very much for your taking time connecting me to your article, this second
one works. Many thanks. I was able to buy the Tesla 300B locally from Ned Carlson for only
$99 but I decided to wait for your 300B shoot-out to see if the Testa 300B perform well. I
also heard some nice words about the JJ 300B before. Though you did conduct direct
comparison between these two (this is exactly what I've been waiting for), your results
does provide a clue for me. Since JJ is a former Tesla plant, I'd say both should stand
similar in terms of sonic quality and build quality. Best wishes to you and your wonderful
website.
Best regards,
Ta-Chen
Was enjoying your site a bunch until I noted the Real
Player icon w/John Lee Hooker's name on it. Way cool
- I got John Lee comin' out of the computer and Muddy on the CD player.
May your home always be heated by the warm glow!
On the CD Player: Muddy Waters - Live (At Mr. Kelley's)
Greg
Hi Steve, found your web site today and it is great!...
Regards,
Scott C.
Yes, the cheap tweak site sounds great, count me in. Ads R OK too. I always enjoy your
site the end. I appreciate your hard work and envy your abilities. Keep it up (that's what
she said).
Travis Franklin
Howdy. Went through some of you pages. I like the casual mater of fact non uppity
tone... I will probably pop for the cable cookbook too. Thanks.
Tom
Hi!
The speaker-lust page is a great idea. May I suggest to add my favorite the Italian
"Sonus Faber Guarneri" to this site? I love this speaker and it is IMHO one of
the most beautiful speakers around. You will find pictures and
information at http://www.datateam.hu/pages/sf/
Have a nice day
Martin
Your cable kicks ass! I received it today, I'm sure it will continue to
improve once it's burned in. Thank you very much.
dawerner [dawerner@mci2000.com]
Hello there, the Tubelust is really a great site! I browse it from time to time... Keep
the site up! Cheers!
Jo
Thank you for part one of the 300B shoot out. We would like to share some of
our experiences with 300B's.
Since a week now we are playing our Meishu (single 6SN7 model, lots of Black
Gates etc) with JJ 300B's in stead of the original AN Chinese ones. The difference is
astounding. Where we had serious trouble with standing waves (we thought), moving around
the speakers and furniture become part of our daily routines. Now with the JJ's this is
over; bass depth has increased substantial without the flabbiness. Bass is tight and
precise. We guess the thick-glass JJ's have far less microphonics than the AN's.
With the AN's, the speakers needed a toe-in of about 45 degrees, now we can
do with aprox 20 degrees. Width and depth of the sound image is much more realistic now.
The overall result is that we now can play for hours and hours at a realistic volume level
(sorry neighbors!) without fatigue.
The rest of the system is a CEC TL5100, AN DAC 2 with Black Gates and
separate power supplies (tubes!) for digital and analogue sides (digital side is under
power 24 hours a day, analogue is switchable) and speakers are AN/J-SP.
We ordered the JJ's from Robert Losconi ( www.losconi-tubes.com/losconi ) in Vienna,
Austria for $70 a piece in a matched pair. Delivery was within 4 days and OK. The price
tag deference between a pair of JJ's and WE's buys you about 25 to 30 CDs....
Another good example of affordable improvement is the puck we use in the
CEC. Out of the box the CEC comes with a heavy steel puck with a 2" diameter. When we
changed this for the 'ceramic' puck CEC offers, it was as if someone opened the curtains
in front of the stage. This ceramic puck, in fact the 'ceramics' is Coran, that kitchen
sink stuff, cover the top of the CD completely. This has the effect that the laser beam
can not exit from the CD from the top anymore. Compare this to a mirror which has some
holes in the silvery layer on the back. Apply a coat of dark paint on it and voila, a new
image in the mirror!. Another effect is the flywheel/gyroscope effect which makes the
rpm's more stable and thus a more stable stage image.
Next we will experiment with a new puck which will encapsulate the CD at the
edge as well. This requires a puck slightly bigger than a CD with an indent the size of a
CD. Doing so, we theorize, will also eliminate the loss of light (energy) from the edge of
the CD. No more green stuff at the edges or etching the edges. We keep you posted on this
one.
Thank you again for the review, and keep up the good work. We like it!
Henk Boot and Marja Vanderloo
Steve,
This is the best site I've read in quite a while. Your thoughts and comments seem to be
supplementing my own belief. You've givin me the excitement in audio I haven't felt in a
decade. I thought I was the only nut LOVING tubes and vinyl. I can't afford tubes (except
for the preamp section in my Luxman) but you don't see any vulgar CD's in my collection.
The only CD's I have are Microsoft labeled. I have spent the major part of the day
"enjoying" the Enjoy the Music philosophy and believe me I did while reading.
Taj Mahal and never sounded this good.
Love your section on Tubes, Ferraris and Turntables. Now when will a I see a compliment
to them: Women!! I like the exotic kind black, Italian, Brazilian... You get the main
idea!!...
By the way, this amazes me. How does a pure "Californian American full of
adrenaline" subscribes to F1 instead of CART, I do not comprehend. All the glory to
you my friend. By the way, as a French Canadian I root for Villeneuve. I Love Ferrari
since I can remember and I am still a fan of the machine but Shuey has a black cloud over
his head (probably over aggressiveness, remember the incident with Damon) and cannot in
any measure be a present fan of the man.
Also, after reading much of your work why do you use i instead of I. Is it fashion,
style or ease of typing? It's difficult (not accustomed) to read. Oh I know; it's the
Shakespeare (Jacques-Pierre) in you!! You're forgiven!
Best wishes,
Robin Girard
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High-Performance Audio Reviews
