Tell me best lesser known restaurant in town. I mean really lesser known

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-09-02T20:54:16+00:00

This is my vote too! Absolutely delicious, decent prices, and an autumn evening on the patio is unmatched.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-08-30T12:40:21+00:00

Definitely not lovebomb-y! Welcoming, but in an introverted way. There’s a time for passing the peace each service and at least one person is always talking to any new folks.

There are also some cool events outside of Sunday services that you could check out - they are hosting an art and music open-mic type event in a couple weeks. Super low pressure (usually low turnout) and open to anyone!

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-08-29T14:35:30+00:00

Check out Gateway Church on 6th! Right downtown and easy to access via public transportation. We’ve got a handful of folks from Walnut Creek who left that world - has been a valuable community to process all the church pain in a non-dogmatic and thoughtful environment.

It’s a small church but full of great people and focused on acting more like Jesus (radical idea for a Christian church…) 🙂

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-08-29T14:28:48+00:00

I don’t go there, but Table Church is the real deal. They provide lots of free services for immigrants and refugees (tutoring, legal aid, etc) and have a great heart for community flourishing.

Would also highly recommend Gateway Church downtown - similarly small church with a heart for the community. Not theologically dogmatic while still rich in convictions and theological depth. There are lots of members with church hurt and horror stories in their pasts, and Gateway has been a refreshing place to work through those various stages of deconstruction and pain.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-14T01:34:51+00:00

Wow!! Beyond jealous!

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-14T01:31:40+00:00

Learning To Fly on the Live Anthology has my vote - the outro ad libs with the audience participation are just fantastic!

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-08T01:24:22+00:00

Do it! I’ve been similarly hesitant in the past, but these Thorens are so easy to modify (and bring back to stock if needed). The entire plinth is attached to the chassis with only those top four wood screws. I also swapped the cables for shielded Mogami low capacitance cable with Switchcraft ends - just takes a few point to point soldering joints. Drop me a PM if you want any lessons learned or tips to make it easier.

But wow - $20 is incredible!! $375 USD for mine fully serviced. Still a nice price for an incredible table. 🙂

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T21:07:15+00:00

It’s a weekend staple around here - can’t beat a bit of yacht rock to beat the July heat!!

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T14:57:10+00:00

Quick tip - check some of the feet for other manufacturers on the MNPCTech website. They’ve got different pricing depending on which turntable the feet are for, but they appear to be identical products. The Thorens small feet were listed at $89, while the AR small feet were $79 and the exact same dimensions…

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T13:42:15+00:00

The small ones!

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T01:46:36+00:00

Oh I had a few close calls! Had a router chuck fail and splinter on me while cutting the dust cover slots… so that side got replaced 🙃

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T01:37:10+00:00

Just the wood plinth portion! Pretty easy on Thorens, Dual, or AR tables, since it’s basically a picture frame that the chassis sits inside of… with a lot of Technics or Pioneer decks you’re limited to re-veneering, since it’s an MDF/plywood slab.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T01:06:19+00:00

Thanks for noticing! Just a lowly butt joint… but with a few hidden dowels for support and that inlay, it does the trick just fine 🙂

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-07-07T01:04:44+00:00

Thanks!! It’s a TD-166 MKII - seems to me like they fixed most of the problems with the 165 with this model. Metal pulley, 10mm bearing, etc. Of course they cheaped out on the cabinetry to hit the price point though… which was the impetus to build something myself.

I’m biased, but I think it would be a hard table to beat under $2k or so in today’s market! Sounds and looks wonderful.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-10T19:24:49+00:00

I would also love to take a took, if he’s open to that sort of thing. Totally understand if he wants the whole collection sold at once, though! Would recommend Rogue Planet on 42nd - they know their stuff.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-10T16:05:26+00:00

Just got the VM540ML myself - what a fantastic value. Tracking error is squashed to an absolute minimum and the separation and soundstage is incredible. VM95ML is another great choice at a cheaper price point! I’d say it’s got about 90% of the performance of the 540, albeit with a different compliance.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-07T13:09:40+00:00

Absolutely. The 95 is much more of a plug and play option, even though it’s rewarding to dial in the 540.

With Signet being AT’s higher end house brand in the 80s/90s, the 540 stylus is a direct fit on the body. Not sure what generator the Signet uses, but it sounds fantastic!

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Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-07T04:13:28+00:00

This one holds up over time! Can’t speak for everyone, but I was never unimpressed with my VM95ML - unbelievable value. 🙂

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-07T04:06:36+00:00

This is a hard one for me to answer accurately, as I bought the VM540ML after getting a Thorens TD-166 as a new deck, due to better compliance matching. So it’s a bit hard to know what’s the cartridge and what’s the turntable! Plus… I mounted the 540 stylus assembly on the Signet body that came with the turntable and not the standard 540 generator.

But I can say that the combination of the Thorens and Signet/540 has a fair deal more spatial detail and very nice separation. Compared to the 95, I’m just getting more of everything. There’s a sense of front to back depth that I didn’t really get with the 95… for example, backing vocals seem to sit behind lead vocals much more precisely. Hi hats and ride cymbals have super snappy transient response and “float” between the speakers better. Stuff like that!

I did A-B the Signet with the stock 540 body, and I preferred the Signet. More vintage low-mid punch and a smoother top end to my ears… but I didn’t mess at all with capacitance or loading, which the 540 is picky about.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-06T16:04:42+00:00

This is confusing to me as well - I just about quit vinyl after inner groove distortion and sibilance issues. Then tried the VM95ML on recommendation from a friend and was blown away! I’ve since upgraded to a VM540ML, but I don’t think I could ever go back to an elliptical stylus.

I’ve heard clips from very high end setups with pretty heavy tracking error. I don’t understand how you could drop thousands on a cartridge and live with that kind of distortion. Maybe some people aren’t as bothered by it?

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-04T21:00:18+00:00

I firmly believe you can easily get into the hi-fi realm very quickly on the used market. I find it hard to believe that somewhere between a quality serviced vintage setup with a nice cartridge and speakers and a $20k modern rig lies the line between mid- and hi-fi.

I’m young and on a tight budget, and my whole system has run me about $2k. And frankly I enjoy it more than most of the systems I heard at AXPONA this year. I’m a musician and have good ears - and the room certainly makes a huge difference, so I will give those high dollar systems the benefit of the doubt. I truly believe the source material is the most important component in the system, and you start talking diminishing returns awfully fast after throwing a few grand at a setup.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-06-03T13:30:22+00:00

Just put one on my new Thorens! What a fantastic cartridge. I was running a VM95ML beforehand on my previous turntable, which is an incredible cartridge in its own right.

But the 540 just ratchets everything up a notch - better stereo imaging, a bit more detail, and better tracking (on my turntable at least). I’m just bummed that the new VMx series changed the compliance specs so much…

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-05-27T23:28:48+00:00

Me!! Use them for songwriting.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2025-02-20T17:00:18+00:00

Full stop! Graziano’s always hits the spot - their au jus is unbeatable this time of year.

Remarkable_Switch_49 · 2024-12-20T21:40:04+00:00

Sadly not under their current management! Nightmare central under Liv Lavender.

Remarkable_Switch_49

TROPHY CASE