Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
I got a self-propelled boom-box.
Did you get any new gear or music for the holidays?
I got a Rane ME60 1/3 octave graphic equalizer. This guilty pleasure puts tone controls back in my heretofore purist system. Now I can dial in my bass, presence, and sizzle and really scratch that itch! (To show I haven't abandoned high end minimalist aesthetics completely, my monoblocs accept both RCA and XLR inputs. So I have the option of switching the equalizer, which is coming in on XLRs, completely out of the circuit by selecting the RCAs, which are run in parallel straight from the preamp.)
I got new socks that'll keep my feet warm during extended listening sessions, and the "worst tie" to A-B test the loudness of new equipment (as long as it doesn't look like the tie, I can take it home). As a New Year's present, my lovely wife (have I told you lately that I love you?) is taking me to the nearest Borders for a classical music feeding frenzy. As a present to myself, I bought the Digital Recordings Audio-CD. This self-administered hearing test can determine if I am actually hearing what I think I'm hearing. It will also allow me to itemize the dues paid to Rock and Roll.
No gear, but I did receive some vinyl, including the Jimi Hendrix Experience box set and Metallica S&M on new vinyl. For used stuff, I also received a good pressing of King Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King, which is one of those landmark albums I can never seem to track down at the local vinyl venders. That was a pretty good haul, for me, and the packaging for the Hendrix box is fantastic.
I treated myself to some new power cables, nice fat black macho ones that seem to work. BUT . . . I also got the time to really sort out my three various systems to perform at their best, so far, which was probably better than any upgrade I can think of (well almost).
Money!!!! None of my family or friends is comfortable buying anything "audio." "Too complicated," they say. So I got two IOUs for some BDR cones, stipulating that I should order them myself. I took the money instead, I need a rack first.
A friend in Cleveland gave me a pair of Straight Wire, three meter, speaker cables. This after I wrote to them in my Christmas card, that I was satisfied with my system, yet would like to try some different speaker cables. Also, bought a new belt for my VPI Mk IV turntable. The belt sped up the rpm's, guess I need to look in to a VPI line conditioner, which I think allows one to control the pitch. Speaker cables sound better, cleaner, more detail. Plus being twice as long as my old cable, they've allowed greater separation, placement of my speakers, which I think is opening up my soundstage.