Hi

As those who know me are aware ive been getting into classical music, i seem to be drawn to piano, viloin and big scale orcheatral stuff.

Anyways on the violin front i saw Hilary Hahn and Vadim Repin and loved the way that they attack the music, i saw Mutter and though it was boring and dull. Now i understand that Mutter is talented, its just that i dont like her style.

So my question is which players and particularly which albums/SACDs should i look for to get really dynamic and/or emotional viloin music

Thanks

Alan

I know some of you guys either work from home or otherwise don't work in an office too much (e.g., you're retired). But if you do, what is your office setup? Does anyone have a vinyl rig?

I'm just curious -- maybe someday I'll slowly set up a proper stereo system. I'd probably migrate most of the gear for it from my home system as I upgrade.

Mine is mostly for "background" music (yeah, I know). Of course, I wouldn't mind having time for serious listening at work, but it isn't in the cards (which I guess is a good thing these days). Here's my modest office setup:

Here are some pictures of my Garden(and my two gals(my very pregnant wife and my 2 year old daughter). We have a total of 37 Rows on about a half acre of our land. Corn, Beans, Squash, Okra, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Watermelon, Peppers, 4 different types of lettuce, Onions.
You also see my other two babies, my two tractors, a 1973 Farm-All 140 and a Massey Fergeson 240.

First let me point out that I am not anti-CD. I simply want to point out that I have found audible clipping on many and that it is perhaps a source of the CD harshness.

This relates to my point here in the "When Bad is Good" thread concerning hard clipping with digital formats:
http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=66833&an=0&page=1#Post66833

Here's an exchange that occurred a few days ago. I hope Axon doesn't mind my posting it here but the forum seems stuck on one topic right now and I thought this might get us out of the ditch for awhile. At least I hope this will not become a subject that can so easily be driven into the ditch.

The discussion went as follows.

From Axon to jj;

Saw "Crack the Skye" on vinyl at the local record shop.

I hear the word 'metal' and recoil a bit, but I like NIN and White Stripes, etc...

Como se Mastadon?

Hi, this is my first post...

Do integrated CD players use the I2S bus between the transport and DAC? If not, why not? What is the most common connection if not I2S?

Thanks, Ben

Cambridge, Ontario, May 1, 2009

Finally got around to activating my ability to download apps for the iPhone.

Shazam! is a free one that identifies tunes!

First tune I played for it was Bob Marley's "Lively Up Yourself, and it got it!

Then, I compared LP to CD, and it identified the LP version faster. Probably more like how Shazam! remembered it sounding.

Also, is Shazam! like Wham!, where I gotta use the exclamation point every time?

I also downloaded an SPL meter.

My wife and I listen to reggae at about 69 dB at one meter.