So.....What's Been Going On Around Here?

My main system is torn down at the moment, but big changes are afoot. I picked up an Almarro A205A Mk2 locally, and look forward to putting it to use. Other developments will come courtesy of the letters G, P, and A.

I’m on an incredible streak of luck with audio scores over the last three weeks, but nothing I’ve needed worse than other people with money to spare did. I’m dangerously close to being a dirty rotten flipper.

I had my Mercury 2000 mutual conductance tube tester fixed up and calibrated by Dan at vintagetubeelectronics.com, which is good, because I’ve been picking up organs like I’m a tissue bank courier, and my tube box runneth over.

Lastly, a quick moment of silence for my Tascam CD-RW4U, which I’ve owned longer than any other piece of gear. I think I cooked it, putting it in a cabinet with a Nak receiver that stays hot even in standby. “DISC ERROR” to you, too, ol’ pal.

How about you, David? Good to see you.
 
Hey David!

I've been distracted by other things, which might warrant a thread of their own. Haven't spun a record or fired up the system since... well, too long.
 
Well I am just getting around to putting my main system back together in my new dedicated listening room. Hope to have pics by the end of this weekend though it’s not fully furnished yet. Might have some cheeky speakers to put in there as well (I was/am really looking to hear from you on that separate thread as well).
how is your listening room coming along?
 
Working too much plus trying to plan family summer vacation and sell some property.

I am taking my wife to Brandi Carlile + Secret Sisters for her birthday on Saturday, though, so I've got that going for me.
 
Nothing much new here; waiting for winter to end. 😐

I did manage to add a new-to-me Wyred4Sound Recovery, which made a positive difference to the digital side of the system.
 
When we became empty nesters a year or two ago, I took over my son's bedroom as my work room and audio lounge. But a few weeks ago his girlfriend moved in with us, into that same room. She will only be with us until their wedding in July, but I had to quickly stuff several large speakers, and a couple audio stacks, into my bedroom closet. This also put the "main" system back into the living room. So now the JM Reynaud stand-mounts are out there, driven by a Schiit and Elan front end. I also integrated a sub, for the first time ever. Those JM Reynauds are amazing to me, simply the best sound I've ever heard in my own living room.
 
Hey there a David @TubeHiFiNut ! I’m trying to winnow down my system to the bare essentials getting ready for real retirement in about nine months, sooner if possible. I actually found a moving magnet cartridge I like, for the money, a Nagaoka MP-110. Go figure. The Denon DL103 in some fashion will revisit at some point long term.

Hope all is well sir!!
 
I should mention (in finest Redboy fashion) that I have some parts winging their way towards me to build a 1626 Darling amp. Also, I'm seeing if I have everything I need to build an SE 12B4 amplifier a la Gaby Levinson for yet more shits & giggles.

However...

I don't have the time to start assembly at this particular juncture.

(ooh, references to umpteen amp projects, ellipses, and italics all in one post - I'm channelling Nate and Mark, apparently)
 
Well, that’s pretty lazy. You take off for six months, don’t post in the interim, and then you show up and want us to do all the work? I figure you owe us at least a few paragraphs about what you have been doing. :)

Just getting used to what I hope retirement (end of this year) feels like. ;)
 
I've been horribly complacent in the audio sense. Everything works and I enjoy it. Working on way too many career-related projects to even get to much real listening, sadly. I'll surface again before long.
 
Working too much plus trying to plan family summer vacation and sell some property.

I am taking my wife to Brandi Carlile + Secret Sisters for her birthday on Saturday, though, so I've got that going for me.
Follow-up. Both the Secret Sisters and Brandi Carlile were amazing, and the Seattle Symphony added a depth to the music that a live show might otherwise not have. As with Brandi’s 2011 show with the symphony, she opened with an amazing cover of “60 Years On” and got even better as the show went on and she worked through her catalog of the last 15 years.

A fantastic night of music featuring someone who was clearly having the time of her life.
 
I've been enjoying the company of some of y'all IRL. Have been getting a lot of encouragement from @gable to start my own DIY projects; a build of the LencoHeaven-favorite EAR 834 copy should commence shortly and parts for a Darling amp (i.e. a Sony TC-500a) were picked up this morning. On top of that, got to spend some time with @Tsingtao_1903, who has since been sending me fun toys that I'll be hooking up and doing some listening on.

Sadly, in the midst of this, my preferred system is not assembled. Day to day listening is carried out on a t-amp and some old Monitor Audio Silver 7's I picked up at a Salvation Army at the end of 2019. It's good enough for the day-to-day, just not at the same level as my Altec rig. That said, it's a lot more polite in terms of the floor space it requires.

As is the case with most, though, I'm working too much and wishing I was home listening more than I'd like.
 
I'm happy you're back, David. It's been a bit quiet around here and your enthusiasm has been missed.
 
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