gator2310

damn....been wanting to replace my ageing copy too Nice edition.

Since Covid and being retired and unable to go out anywhere significant - I bought a s/h PS3 and I agree with the general view about PC's. I was never really serious about gaming - and also I am a Mac guy who has refused to update machines since Apple became evil with the new un-moddable models - and while my trusty 2012 MBP and Imac will run some decent games - they arent really designed for it even running bootcamp and windows. On the other hand, my nephew games on a PC - it cost him about 2k to put together - my PS3 cost 150 bucks with controllers and the games less than 10 bucks each...which suits my retiree existence/budget in a Covid uncertainty.. I could say that playing on a controller is definitely a pain compared to a keyboard and mouse - but I'm viewing it as a new skill set. Graphics and loading times leave the macs for dead in both detail and speed of course. ...The only problem as I found out is that the DLC's for some games are no longer available for the platform...anywhere....

Hi I'll have Django please! Cheers Geoff

Me too - my custom made archtops both have flatter f/b's and wide too - but I do have big hands and use fingers a lot. But still prefer the curve on a tele. Nice guitar btw

Lee Konitz - did well to get to 92 - which makes one wonder how much longer he would have been around? Another great gone.

I think some of the older jazz stuff can be remastered to sound better in DSD but certainly not all of it - its more a question of how it was recorded. But I have a few recent ECM albums that sound brilliant in that format.

Wallace Roney - RIP. Only 59. I fear that the toll will be high - there's no parachute for many of these souls.

Welcome DT - love Horace and Andrew Cyrille! Yep good hang at Jazz currently spinning , also ECM currently spinning- especially as there's no gigs in Melbourne - or anywhere else!

absolutely top vintage rig for a song!

Just been A/B -ing the CA700 with the Sui 5900. I have had newer Rotels and Marantz's but never kept them - I like these two amps for now for different reasons - at least until I can get my hands on a bigger Sui without losing whats left of my Super! I just noticed a CA700 on eBay for 2K.....wow! Anyway I could go into detail about the music - but suffice to say it ranged from fairly spacious Jazz and acoustic stuff to some Bartok -all on Vinyl. The Sui has been sitting idle for a little bit so I took the top off and gave it a once over with DeOxit to quieten a couple of pots. Just brilliant - beautiful mids even as I cranked it , no harshness and a lovely no hype bass response. Monk playing Ellington- there was more clarity from the piano and snare as expected. I love this 'little' amp! Clarity and just a hint of rawness and drives a nice sonic image out of a pair of pernickety but unique sounding speakers.

I was late to the Sansui party but having a couple of musician friends who have Sansui rigs - it was one of their Sansui and Acoustic Research combos that got me into HiFi. If I had to define that quality - an AU719 powering a pair of AR3's - the first thing I noticed was how three dimensional, 60's jazz stuff sounded on vinyl. By that I mean that the middle and lower frequency response was more dynamic and detailed than I had experienced with almost any other setup. What really struck me was the richness and depth of the mid range - in this case the snare and toms, upper bass register and middle of the piano and the melody range of the horns all had a 'real' positioning and presence in the image. The other factor was the bass response - immediate - but with all of the sonic quality of the instrument , not just 'moving air'. By the time I decided to go down that road it was almost impossible to find a 719 or similar for under 1k and AR3's fetch silly money now. My own setup is far more modest - AU5900 into AR2a's but it still has some of that quality - in fact I'd argue the Sui /Ar2a combo has a different, even more detailed mid range response. The 5900 just doesnt have the bass power/punch of the bigger Sui amps or even my AU317- but its fine for my smallish room. Oh and I love the look of those mid 70's Sui's too!

This was on sale here earlier this month - may have been sold elsewhere. Outside the budget limits though.

I found my AU 5900 on here for about 500 about 3 years back. I was using a 217mk ii too which was a great little amp - but the 5900 was a definite upgrade - it had been well loved and refurbished. It easily drives a pair of stubborn AR2a's. It's on a par with my other Sui - an AU317 which I also do love and is currently on loan - but is more up front and sounds fresher and more lively , I guess because it has had a good makeover not so long ago. You do see the 3900's come up on sale - and the odd 4900. Last year a friend of mine found an AU 7700 for about 400 bucks on gumtree - they are out there but you have to be patient. The only other amp that I have that comes close when driving the AR's is a Yamaha CA 700 only because it has a very slightly punchier bass and a bit more power..but it doesnt serve the detail like the 5900 and its phono stages arent nearly as good. The Yamaha is a decent enough amp though and they come up occasionally for reasonable money - you can always add a phono stage if need be. The higher spec CA -800 and up are much rarer and priced to boot. Depending on your power requirements you could find an AU 555 for that money too. Not the gruntiest amp but with the right speakers they do sound sweet. Sorry cant think of a more modern alternative for getting the best out of vintage speakers in that price bracket. I did A/B a Marantz PM55 some years ago with my 317 but it didnt do it for me.

I'm glad somebody bought up the whole question of mastering in this discussion. The article could have mentioned that conversions and mastering of music originally issued on vinyl - in the production of CD's in their prime could be absolutely terrible. Like many people, I started replacing some of my tired vinyl with CD in the early 90's. Many very disappointing examples- too many to think of. It was clearly a mass produced badly conceived dash for cash in many cases. On the other hand stuff recorded and mastered for CD could be outstanding. Another factor that could be have been discussed was the change from analog to digital recording - which was hot on the heels of CD production. The utility and access of digital studios has resulted in a flood of easy made recordings some of which are atrocious - and some which are gorgeous. Professional recordings which can sound bad- and home style recordings which serve the music beautifully - its blown it wide open. Add to that the subjectivity of whether one actually likes the music or not - and the whole concept of SQ becomes fluid. If I have any critique of the ABC - its only the constant meddling with it to appease its critics. Shows that were highlights on the music calendar like "The Planet" have been replaced with forgettable talk shows. The confusion about political "balance" threatens to neuter investigative journalism and just serves to dumb down what is one of the few state broadcasters left in the world that actually produces meaningful current affairs, drama and commentary. If you think the ABC is irrelevant - I invite you to check what has happened to the BBC or NZBC. In bureaucratic moves to make the BBC more "relevant" its free to air content has been glutted with reality TV and talk shows - on my last visit there I could hardly believe it. . When the NZ government offloaded its responsibilities to broadcasting back in the early 90's - it started a rapid decline in quality across all channels. Nowadays NZ TV seems to be dominated by reruns and cheap reality TV.