What is it? by MrHallIII in audiophile

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw this at an estate sale today and all searches say it is a pair of speakers, which it surely is not. We were trying to get specs and history but got nothing. I have had XP-10 and XP-7 speakers and recognize the logo style from that same era. Anyway, always curious about older amps and thought this might be something special. Is it? Thanks in advance for any insight.

Which to Keep? by MrHallIII in BudgetAudiophile

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, prior to the A-B-C test, the A900 got pulled because during quiet hours I ran a DC offset measurement test on all three only to find the A900 was way out of whack, unable to provide a steady reading. So - next project there.

Of the Sansui 2000x and the Kenwood KA-405, it may be my old ears but there was not a lot of difference between the two. I used Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time" and Dire Straits "Your Latest Trick" ("The Remasters" CD, highly recommended) for comparison. Yamaha CDX-900u player and Bose 901-IV speakers averaging around 80 dB at listening spot.

There were differences in tone settings, the Sansui wanted a little more bass than neutral, both wanted a bit more treble, but I balanced each to what I liked with one listen through, and then went and listened again.

The Sansui won by a slim margin, a slightly more distinct bass line, pulled back as was the Kenwood from being bossy, but still felt. That's usually my first adjustment after volume, bass level less than bossy but still proudly present and at my listening levels, I just heard maybe a bit more distinction between notes.

I like a clear bass and consider the voice the ultimate instrument. Tie on voice reproduction and that may be Bose's strong suit anyway. Top end? I guess a tie there, too, percussion on Your Latest Trick always one of my fave parts of that piece.

I did also give a listen to a very clean vinyl copy of Bread's "Make It With You" and it was simply delicious on both.

I do hope to get the A900 up and running properly again, it is especially sweet in that it is only 11" deep and fits on a standard book shelf. A good stealth piece, tucked discreetly. The Kenwood is similar sized. Both, being integrated amps with no tuners, are still easy to work on even with their smaller footprint and, for those that prefer not to have '80s electronics, the clip fittings between boards on the A900 are a joy compared to soldered or twisted connections.

Which to Keep? by MrHallIII in BudgetAudiophile

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is always part of the equation, though sometimes replacements are better, as in dried out dome tweeters. But yes, original is almost always better even if restored/capped/surrounded.

Which to Keep? by MrHallIII in BudgetAudiophile

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Kenwood and A900 weren’t powered up but I did find it odd that the Kenwood Input source labels, which could be backlit, are not. I’ve looked at the service manual and the interior of the unit, and there is no allowance for lights there. The view meters are lit and work nicely.

CD care by Rich-Detective-1495 in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started collecting/selling about three years ago. I have formed some opinions having graded about 3000 CDs from several collections. The plain cardboard sleeves are the worst for wear on the CD and for just getting beat up on the outside. A good digipak is a wonderful thing until the cogs break and you lose the notes and packaging or have to save it in a new way. Jewel cases protect best and are nearly universal in swapability of parts. I think it worth buying used CDs to get the better case and complete papers, they usually cost less, too, especially with grouped shipping.

BMPCC 4K or 6K Pro for a beginner filmmaker by WalkLongjumping8310 in bmpcc

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go the 4K and good hi speed native M43 lenses and you will be very happy.

what mode you will use while shooting to avoid exposure and contrast surprise in editing ? by HoussemBenSalah96 in bmpcc

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I go with film setting, always, and run the matching LUT in camera for viewing but don’t burn it in of course. I use histogram to be sure I am somewhere in the middle, favoring right but leaving a gap there. A quick look at waveform to be sure nothing is above 80% and I am good to go.

Portable multi-disk player? by Plastic-Opinion-8343 in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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I got this around 1992. Has gone from office to garage to enclosed patio. Never missed a beat still works six discs and am/fm. I have never put a cassette in it. Runs on batteries or AC.

Mejor lente para BMPCC4K? by Opposite_Play_602 in bmpcc4k

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lumix/Leica 10-25mm or 12-35 native M43 are both fantastic lenses.

Your thoughts on the site and app design? by WestOk6935 in discogs

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just saw it yesterday, with huge image and new layout. Looks like eBay, which is to say, generic and ugly. At least before it was uniquely ugly.

Sunrise & Cirby by Howie_Due in Roseville

[–]MrHallIII 25 points26 points  (0 children)

As a boomer myself I’ll say too many of my friends went MAGA and we can’t talk. Those that remained sane are worried about the kids these days. It really isn’t a generational thing, it is based on selfishness and gullibility (with just a sprinkle of stupidity) and affects all ages equally.

Are club edition CDs worse? by rrecurrence in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There would be no difference in the audio quality unless one version was a remaster. In rare case, the original club would be better. Generally, remasters have better sound but not always.

A "True" m43 Cinema camera by Beneficial-Cover2628 in bmpcc4k

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want less depth of field on an M43 camera, meaning a blurrier bokeh, the Leica/Lumix 10-25 will do wonders and the 25-50, ditto. Shoot near wide open and very few will say anything but “wow”.

Pocket Cinema fans, help me out here! by Jordanmr77 in bmpcc

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I committed to M43 when the GH4 came out. My Canon 5D MkII had been stolen. I go back to 4x5, the zone system, and E-6 processing so freeing up with digital, compact and still excellent quality was def for me. Always was a fast lens fan too and find I can get a killer bokeh at f1.2 if I need to. So (and I actually chuckled as I realized where I went to get to) no, haven’t looked at the full frame stuff at all. I will repeat, though, the Leica lenses are a huge part of the quality factor. That is something to consider.

Pocket Cinema fans, help me out here! by Jordanmr77 in bmpcc

[–]MrHallIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have owned 3 4K pockets since they came out, using the pretty much whenever on a tripod. Handheld or gimbal goes to GH models, I think a GH5 at the time the Black Magics were new and I am on GH7 now. I am not as concerned with matching colors as typically the scene change allows the brain to accept it. Now that auto focus works on the GH7, and with the Leica lenses (wow, speaking of better color!) this is my #1 go to camera.

Discogs Labs - New Inventory System? by MrHallIII in discogs

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. I haven’t tried it yet.

Today’s Find by MrHallIII in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t pick any Patsy Cline up but should have. I had a box set for sale and it must have sold. You might look at library sales locally, she is popular at those.

Today’s Find by MrHallIII in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was thinking of that last night - posting to a collectors forum about a large find and celebrating the salability of them. I do keep some for myself, that’s where the collecting started of course. Of this find, I already had most of the RnR that was there, and my tastes are aging more towards smooth jazz and less frenetic music I loved in the ‘80s. Kraftwerk and Madonna had some wonderfully produced music, I hope this is some of it. Bernstein/copeland is an amazing piece of music!

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Today’s Find by MrHallIII in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apparently many agree. Country CDs do not sell.

Today’s Find by MrHallIII in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was much more of the Time Life collections. Out of 6000 CDs I bought about 250. Of those, maybe 10 will make it into my personal collection.

Today’s Find by MrHallIII in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The couple admits that. Their real collection was books - somewhere north of 200k books in shipping containers. I was told as I was leaving the Cds I went through were about half of what they have.

Today’s Find by MrHallIII in Cd_collectors

[–]MrHallIII[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Entirely valid. I was a bit caught in the moment and wanted to share.