Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

The $178 price for the Emerson is not a very good deal.  Several 
places are dumping them and I have seen prices as low as $157 or 
$167 (I don't rememeber) here in NJ and the place that was selling
them is know for dealing.

If other places are dumping them for less than DAK, fine. The point is,
is the machine what I think it looks like, and, if it isn't, how good is
it?

Now, if I could find someplace that wants to dump CDs for 5 bucks or so...


				DR

I auditioned the Yamaha CD-X2 and it came out worst-of-those-tested
(which wasn't bad, but others sounded much better).  Be advised.
	
Does DAK have a money-back-postage-included gaurantee?

Their blurb says money-back guarantee (30 days)but doesn't say anything about 
postage so I would assume no.


					DR

The reputation I have heard from DAK is you get what you pay for. No more.
They make everything sound like a deal, which it isn't. If you can find the
off brands that they offer elsewhere, you can likely find a better price.
But then, I haven't therd of anyone ripped off by them either.

I've purchased several items from DAK - telephones, a "walkman" and a
video tuner.  In all cases I was completely satisfied with the value of
the products.  However, many items in the DAK catalog are not really
bargains, so you have to shop carefully.  They are very pleasant to deal
with, ship promptly and do have a 30-day no-hassle money-back guarantee,
but you do have to pay the postage.  The catalogs are fun to read, too.
				Steve

The Magnavox CD units are selling at Service Merchandise in Manchester
for $ 169.  For a no frills good sounding unit it's nice.  Now I hope
it keeps on working.

As much as I put down CDs, I bought a $169 Magnavox.  And it sounds about
as good/bad as my records.

The BIGGEST difference between CDs and LPs is that CDs cost twice as much!
Hell, I can pay for a Linn Sondek turntable with the money saved on my
next 100 albums!  So what if LPs wear out, its cheaper to just replace
them!  Also, I don't mind experimenting on a LP for $3-$7, whereas for
$14 I out to get some good music - which is usually not the case.

I'm investigating modifications for the Magnavox/Phillips 104 players.
Mission's 7000 is just a $500 modification!  Musical concepts does one
for $150, but I think something reasonable can be done for less.

For $169, It is a well built piece of electronics and I can't see paying
$500-$1000 more on a player when the Phillips is solid and easily modified.

"Audiophile" - definition:  One whose musical collection exceeds the value
	of his reproduction system.  Sure happens quickly with CD prices.

Mark

I will not buy many CDs.  Only when they are cheaper then the LPs.  This
is only the case for Japenese pressings and Telarc sales.

It may be cheaper to replace LPs, but not if they are no longer available.
I've got some records that are now a lost cause.  If they were CDs I could
still listen to them.  But now they are just gone, never to be replaced.

Sigh, 
     jlg

If those records were of such limited popularity that they won't be re-issued,
what makes you think that they would have ever appeared on CD in the first
place?  CBS and Polygram want to make the largest profitt they can.  They
want to sell everyone a Madonna album, and then the CD.   They don't want
the onesy-twosy business that loses money - they leave that to small
independants like Rounder Records, Verve', Chess, Evergreen etc.  Three
cheers for Windham Hill for making it with "unmarketable" music.

If you want your LPs to last, spend the $7 for the LP + $2 for a casette
tape, and pocket the $5 that the CD would have additionally cost.  Yes,
tapes don't last forever, neither do CDs.

I object far less to digital sound than to the greedy conspiricy of CBS,
Sony, and the compact disc consortium.  Eventually the only music left from
CBS and Polygram will be pop music carefully engineered to formulae developed
from market analysis.  It is that way now in films.  Most movie goers are
12-20 years old, so if a producer wants to make money on a film, he designs
it to appeal to that age group.

Mark

re:.10

I think you're taking a rather simplistic view of things. First of all, the
majority of CD's produced today are classical, not pop/rock. Secondly, there
are very few CD pressing plants in existance (I don't recall the exact number,
but it's on the order of a half-dozen) and it's more economical for them to
give priority to those recordings that need the highest number of copies made.
When enough plants are in operation, we'll be seeing more smaller-run CD's,
as well as lower prices. Six months ago, the average going price on CD's was
$16-20; now it seems to be $12-15. Maybe six months from now it'll be $9-12
(by which time LP's will be the same).
	As for "unmarketable" music on CD, I've seen an increasing number of
blues recordings being issued from major labels. I've also seen more big-band
and modern jazz (you think that Chet Atkins CD's are ever going to be BILLBOARD
Top 40?), as well as pop music with a rather limited appeal (Sally Oldfield
isn't exactly going to give Madonna sleepless nights).
	If there were as many CD pressing plants as LP pressing plants, you
can be damn sure that there *would* be CD's of the rather obscure music.

And music doesn't have to be obscure to be long out of print. How many Monkees
albums have you seen in the stores lately? I wish I had CD's of those.

--- jerry

I take a very simplistic view of things.  I haven't bought a record for the
last 15 years that didn't have some pops, clicks or noise somewhere.  I have
bought very few cassettes that didn't have hiss or were low fi or mid fi
instead of hi fi.  None of my CDs have this problem.

j

re: 12
amen brother!

The reason there are lots of classical, Jazz, and Blues CDs is the same reason
that movies are made for 14 year olds.  That is the market.  Young kids don't
own CD players, 20-60 year olds do and they like jazz and blues from the
60's and 70's and all classical music.

The big record companies don't care about quality, only profit.  They press
the most popular CDs first.  Records have very few defects when they are
made with a minimum of care.  While there are more record plants than CD
plants, they cut pressing time to a bare minimum and use the thinnest sliver
of recycled vinal they can get away with.

I heard that no more CD plants are being built.  The guy at the compact disk
store in Harvard square told me that until they work out a faster, cheeper
process, noone wnats to build a plant using current technology.  They are
content to limit supply and charge outrageous prices.

I am absolutely pleased with the record quality of most imports, especially
Japenese pressings.  They take as much care as they do for making cars. 
I suppose the same analogy can be made for US pressings.  Some domestic
pressings of twenty years ago demonstrated the same quality.  Tapes don't
have to sound bad either - Mobile Fidelety and others make good ones.

Some day soon record companies will make two masters, one for CD and then
a compressed one for LP and tape.  The compressed versions will better suit
radio stations that only want a 20db dynamic range that gives them better
power and larger audiences/commercial revenues.  Also compressed LPs sound
"better" on close and play systems, dance floors, and supermarkets.

I wouldn't object to CD prices if they were in line with LP prices, or if
record companies were making any effort to reduce them.  As it is now they
are enjoying limited supply the same way the car industry has - with large
profits.

Mark

I think part of the reason for the more diverse (eclectic?) range of music
available on CD's is that their manufacturing plants are located, in general,
outside of the U.S.A.  If you have ever had the chance to visit a European
or Japanese record store, you will see that there is hope for the those of us 
with non-teenage tastes.

Of course, by the time imported LP's get here, their prices tend toward
those of CD's.  And the selection here is dismal.  More than once have I
found a jazz album I had been long looking for in the first European record 
store I came to on vacation.

__Rich

re:.14

Wait a minute! First [.10] you tell us

> CBS and Polygram want to make the largest profitt they can.  They
> want to sell everyone a Madonna album, and then the CD....
> Eventually the only music left from
> CBS and Polygram will be pop music carefully engineered to formulae developed
> from market analysis.

And then you tell us

> The reason there are lots of classical, Jazz, and Blues CDs is the same reason
> that movies are made for 14 year olds.  That is the market.  Young kids don't
> own CD players, 20-60 year olds do and they like jazz and blues from the
> 60's and 70's and all classical music.

Something slightly contradictory there.

> I heard that no more CD plants are being built.  The guy at the compact disk
> store in Harvard square told me that until they work out a faster, cheeper
> process, noone wnats to build a plant using current technology.  They are
> content to limit supply and charge outrageous prices.

It's amazing what people in stores will tell you. Why just a year ago, a guy
who ran a video store told me that Beta would be dead before the year was out.

> I am absolutely pleased with the record quality of most imports, especially
> Japenese pressings.  They take as much care as they do for making cars.

And how many Japanese import LP's can you find for less than the price of a CD?

> I wouldn't object to CD prices if they were in line with LP prices, or if
> record companies were making any effort to reduce them.  As it is now they
> are enjoying limited supply the same way the car industry has - with large
> profits.

As I said before, 6 months ago, one had to search high and low (and then end
up mail-ordering) to find a CD for less than $15.99. Now, one can fairly
routinely find them for $12.99. That's not an effort to reduce prices?

--- jerry

Telarc disks seem to be cheaper than records.

I have some fairly obscure stuff on disk like:

Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli (these aren't hifi! copies of originals)
Some Claude Bolling, Suite for Jazz Piano and {Cello,Flute,Violin}

Also there are lots of good clean recordings that I want on CD that are also
available on noisy American records.

Many of the people in stores do not know what they are talking about whether
it is video, audio, furniture or auto parts, etc.

I have both CD and good record playing equipment.  I have VHS and my next
machine will be super beta.  (I will keep my VHS stuff!)

It boils down to personal taste.  In situations like cd vs record and VHS
vs Beta, if there are significant advantages to each and I care enough about
it (and can afford it) I'll have both.  Where I don't care, I don't buy.
I don't have a $3500 car system.

I guess that I am getting tired of following notes files that spend a lot
of time in shouting matches.... VHS vs. Beta etc.  I'd rather learn something.  

J

I agree with 170.17 remarks. People seem to be using the notes files for
information. That is the impression that I have got. People should get
opinions, then decide what they want or like the best.

I can't see why everybody is getting upset about the very thing that pays
our salaries and enables us all to have the comparative luxury of shelling
out $13-16 for a CD - the market. I am sure that I am not the only person
in the world that knows that at the moment the demand for CDs greatly
outstrips the supply. Therefore you are going to have the types of situations
that everybody is ranting and raving about - expensive CDs and the companies
issuing them with an emphasis on those things that will sell - Madonna in
pop music and the umpteenth version of Beethoven's Fifth in classical. From
everything I've read given time supply will catch up with demand, more CD
manufacturing facilities will be built, prices will come down (I've heard
1990 thrown around for parity between vinyl and CD prices) and probably
more esoteric things will be available. Until then, I think we'll have to
hold our collective water. I don't like the situation any more than anyone
else (I voiced a desire a few responses back for a $5 CD) but I just don't
see it changing immediately (on the other hand CD players were $1000 a couple
of years ago).

I also agree wholeheartedly with .-1 that this file would be better used for
exchange of information and that outright spleen venting should be kept to
a minumum. (I wonder how many angry reponses that's going to spawn :-))

				Dick Rosenberg

In a recent issue of Digital Audio (which for some reason I can't find on
my desk), there was a substantial article on the technology involved in
pressing CDs, including details of two new methods which show promise of
being faster and cheaper than the current injection-molding method.  There
was indeed a quote from someone with the CBS/Sony plant to the effect that
it would be foolish to invest in a new injection-molding plant at this time
without seeing if these new methods would prove themselves.  Nonetheless,
there are over a dozen plants world-wide, and most plan to significantly
increase their capacity over the next year.  If I can locate my issue of
DA, I'll post the details.
						Steve

Sigh - all I had to do was look.  The issue is Digital Audio, August 1985.
The article starts on page 86 and is titled "The 'Gutenberg Solution' to
CD Making".  It describes two new methods of CD manufacture.

The first is called the ComDisc process and is a Photo-Thermographic
Transfer method.  It is "essentially an embossing process in which the
digital information is imprinted on rolls of clear mylar three discs
wide.  A proprietary master is used, made from the normal CD glass master.
After embossing, the mylar is rolled up to protect the naked pits from
dust contamination - a primar cause of disc defects.  To complete the discs,
the embossed rolls are vacuum aluminized, a protective coating is applied,
the mylar is laminated to plastic, and the ribbon of discs is labeled.
A cutter than chops the discs from the ribbon (like cookies out of dough),
the center hole is punched and the disc is ready for testing and packaging."

The other process is from a firm called DocData.  "A supply reel holding
extruded polycarbonate, co-wound with aluminized mylar, feeds an embossing
system with 20 masters on a drum.  The polycarbonate is chemically treated
to soften the surface for embossing.  Following embossing, adhesive bonds
the aluminized mylar to the imprinted polycarbonate in a gaseous environment,
trapping gas in the 0.3-micron-deep pits.  Disc labeling, cutting and center
hole punching complete the process.  The finished disc is different from
a standard CD, which has shallower pits (0.1 micron deep) coated with aluminum.
It's the gas trapped in the deeper pits of DocData's discs that allow
standard CD players to read the information correctly."

The quotes about the industry I mentioned are in an interview with Peter
Jensen, president of American Compact Disc Company.  Some quotes:

	"I believe these new methods will leapfrog the existing injection
	molding plantsm and their high rate of production will end the
	shortfall within one year."

	"With this new technology in the winds, it's very risky to expand
	plants which may be outdated very soon. ... There is still skepticism
	within the industry regarding ComDisc and DocData, but much less
	than six months ago.  Virtually all the companies that said they
	were going to build U.S. CD plants have dropped their plans.
	Others are still designing injection molding plants, but I don't
	think they'll ever be built."

	"Processes that can make a CD every second ought to be able to
	make them for less money.  In the long run, we expect that CDs
	will cost the same as a black vinyl LP. ... Right now it costs
	the record companies $2.50 for each CD at the factory door, vs.
	about 60 cents for a vinyl LP."

There are lots of other interesting items in this article, plus another
article in the July issue.
					Steve

You can get David Munrow gothic-period stuff on CD.  Is that obscure
enough?   If you go by the selection at Strawberries, you could get
the impression that there isn't a lot of choice for those who already
have a copy of "The Four Seasons", but a look in the magazines will
prove otherwise.

I hear you can sometimes find Grammophone at a store in Milford, NH.
Little Professor?

RE: Just the facts ma'am

OK, I promise to be good.  It is just every once in a while I get really
pissed off after reading the SUBJECTIVE comments about how wonderfull
CDs are and how much better they are than the LP which is destined to join
the dodo bird.

I wanted to provide some contrast to this CD admiration society and provide
information on the ecconomic and sonic superiority of LPs.  I did not stress
the latter because it is much more of a rat hole than the subjects I did
address.

CDs do have their advantages, but cost is not one of them.  What affronts
sensibility the most is the repurchase of recordings in CD format at twice
the price.  This is exactly what record companies want.  They first did it
with new digital recordings of classical standards, and now they are doing
it again with CDs - next they will have you buy the DAT.  Would people buy
the same lo-fi video casette in beta and VHS and laserdisk?

The price reduction on players is phenomanal, but my attitude on CDs won't
change until I see them in the $3 cut-out bin.

Mark

  
  Okay.. relax everyone, now you can get that great LP fidelity from..
  you guessed it.. your CD player!!!    :-)

Newsgroups: net.audio
Path: decwrl!decvax!bellcore!petrus!sabre!zeta!epsilon!gamma!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!drutx!grl
Subject: Revolutionary new CD enhancer
Posted: 30 Aug 85 21:06:50 GMT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
 
 
 
 
		    NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
		    ------------------------
 
	    The LIRPA CD Enhancer/LP Record Simulator:
	    ==========================================
 
A revolutionary new device for all those who believe that CD players
produce "mid-fi" results, and that analog recordings (LPs) are superior
to CDs.
 
 
PURPOSE:
~~~~~~~~
 
	This device allows you to taylor the signal produced by the
	Compact Disk medium to more closely resemble that of LP records.
	It can be placed between the Compact Disk player and your
	receiver, in a tape monitor loop or external processing loop, or
	between the preamp and power amplifier of your stereo system.
 
 
STANDARD FEATURES:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
    o	HARMONIC DISTORTION GENERATOR:  Adjustible from 0% to 100% THD
	(total harmonic distortion).  This allows you to increase the total
	harmonic distortion of the Compact Disk from 0.01% to levels found
	on typical LPs played with "top-of-the-line" stereo cartridges
	(commonly 1% THD +).  An additional benefit is found in that this
	control also contributes to that ultra-sonic information above
	22kHz which was lost in the digital process.
 
    o	SEPARATION-REDUCTION CONTROL:  Permits variable blending of left and
	right channels over a range from 90dB separation (found on Compact
	Disks) to full blending (monophonic sound).  Adjustment of about
	30dB separation is recommended to simulate the typical "state-of-
	the-art" stereo cartridge.
 
    o	DYNAMIC RANGE COMPRESSOR:  Now you don't have to worry whether your
	power amplifier or your speakers are "Digital-Ready".  This knob
	allows you to reduce the dynamic range of the Compact Disk from
	90dB to as low as 45dB.  This is a definite "must" for those who
	prefer the TELARC 1812 LP to the TELARC 1812 CD (suggested adjustment
	for this recording:  65dB).
 
    o	SUB-SONIC DOPPLER DISTORTION GENERATOR:  Superimposes sub-sonic
	information on top of the "music" from the Compact Disk (variable
	in the 4Hz to 8Hz bandwidth from "slight warpage" to "fully warped").
	This re-creates that breath-taking (and amplifier power-robbing)
	doppler distortion created by those subtle warps found only on
	analog records but missing from all known Compact Disks.
 
    o	SURFACE NOISE GENERATOR:  Creates that "sea shore" sound so familiar
	with LPs, especially between tracks.  Allows you to know whether
	there is more music to come or if the CD has come to the end.
 
    o	RANDOM POP GENERATOR:  You could never tell where that next "pop"
	was going to come from when playing your favorite LPs, despite
	meticulous cleaning on your part.  As the Compact Disk does not
	contain this useful "pop" information, this switch can be turned
	on to produce that familiar noise while listening to your CDs.
	The variable adjustment allows simulation ranging from "virgin
	vinyl" to that wonderful noise found only on your favorite, well-
	played LPs.
 
    o	PREDICTABLE POP GENERATOR:  This can be set at 33 1/3, 45 or 78
	to generate repetitive pops, simulating scratches on an LP at the
	various standard speeds.
 
    o	WOW, FLUTTER & RUMBLE GENERATOR:  Everyone knows that there is no
	measurable Wow, Flutter, or Rumble on a Compact Disk, and what a
	bummer to not get something like that after paying $16.95 for a
	CD!  Now you can return to the sounds of yesterday with a simple
	adjustment of this knob -- GET WHAT YOU PAYED FOR AND BE ABLE TO
	MEASURE IT TOO!
 
 
OPTIONAL ACCESSORY PACKAGE:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
    o	MOVING COIL CARTRIDGE SIMULATOR:  Introduces a 6dB peak at 19kHz,
	simulating those energetic resonances at very high frequencies
	typical of MC cartridges.  This causes the music to sound bright,
	with added "definition and detail".
 
    o	"KA-CHUNK" SIMULATOR:  Adds an assortment of interesting sounds
	to the information contained on the Compact Disk, including
	"familiar sounds of dust covers closing", "needle hitting the
	groove", and "end of record 'thunk'".
 
    o	ACOUSTIC FEEDBACK LOOP PROCESSOR:  Allows your speakers to howl
	when the volume is turned up.  Especially good for simulating
	the effects of a turntable mounted on top of a speaker cabinet.
 
    o	DIRT BALL SIMULATOR:  Muddles the music from the CD to mimic
	the sound of a dirt clot clinging to the diamond during the
	playing of an LP.
 
    o	MANUAL RECORD PLAYER SIMULATOR/END OF CD ALARM:  This useful
	accessory emits an audible alarm at the end of the playing of
	a Compact Disk.  The alarm sound resembles this:  "kathwoosh,
	kathwoosh, kathwoosh,".  It is programmable for the usual
	33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM.
 
    o	FLOOR VIBRATION SENSING UNIT:  It is very difficult to get a
	Compact Disk to skip, but with this deluxe addition to your
	Lirpa Enhancer you can actually sense when people walk by your
	CD player.  Features a sensitive accelerometer which can be
	mounted to the floor with a few simple household tools.  Movement
	of the floor near the sensing unit causes a small electrical
	signal to be transmitted to the motorized unit (included) which
	mounts to the CD player directly.  The motorized unit can then
	shake the @#$%& out of your CD player until it causes the CD
	to skip, simulating some of the finest analog equipment available.
 
 
PRICE INFORMATION:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
    o	100% Solid State Model:
	-----------------------
 
		STANDARD PACKAGE:	$ 2499.95	(U. S.)
 
		ACCESSORY PACKAGE:	$ 1499.95
 
 
    o	Vacuum Tube Model:
	------------------
 
		STANDARD PACKAGE:	$ 6499.99
 
		ACCESSORY PACKAGE:	$ 4499.99
 
...............................................................................

Re.24: 
	Good stuff!

RE .24
I'll wait until the mono model with the slushy electrolytic capacitors
comes out.  And when will there be an automotive model?  Does this all
come in a fine furniture cabinet?  For extra money, can it simulate that
excellent quality television sound of a 3" speaker?  I am anxiously
awaiting new features! ;-)

The latest ad from Service merchandise has the D5 down to 218.87, and the
Sony CDP-30 for 199.92.

If you belong to Comp-u-store, you can get the D5 plus battery pack/carrying
case plus Sony MDR-M55 headphones for $199.

						-- Nina

re.-1  are you sure they haven't miss advertised?  $299 would be more 
in line with other current prices.  On the other hand, maybe Sony is 
trying to clear D5 stock before the new Panasonic Techniques portable 
hits the streets.  The latest Service Merchandise catalog indicates the 
Techniques portable should be available on September 15.

re.-2 Service merchandise also has the Magnavox CD player on sale for 
$169.

/ralph/

Sony has said it will be releasing a new line of portable CD players this
fall, but as is usual for Sony, they haven't given any details.  Perhaps
this explains the recent sales on D-5s, perhaps due to lowered prices from
Sony.  Given Sony's price structure, I can't see how retailers could
offer the recent deals at the older wholesale prices.
				Steve

Compustore on-line lists the following prices on Sony CD players as of
9 September (delivered, in Mass.):

	CDP70B		230.53
	D5S		286.07
	D5		209.00

	
Does anybody know what a CDP70B is?  How about a D5S?

					- Will

The CDP-70B is a black CDP-70.  Here are some relevant features as listed
in the September issue of Digital Audio (which, by the way, has specifications
for just about every CD player on the market):
	# of programmable selections: 16
	Maximum search time: 4 seconds (same as D-5, fast, but CDP-102
			     and cousins are less than 1 second!)
	Audible fast search: yes
	Indexing: none
	Remote control: optional
	Price (list): $350 ($400 w/remote)

The listing does not describe a D-5S, though that may be some package.
Interestingly, the only feature difference between the CDP-70 and the 7F
is that the 7F is a top-load (like a D-5).  The 7F comes with a remote
and lists for $50 less than the 70.
					Steve

    Although this is an inappropriate notes file for this discussion,
    I'll offer this question because it was raised by 170.8.
    
    As a recent convert to NOTES, I have been reading the CD file
    sequentially.  The earliest notes (circa. 1983) are full of flaming
    about the detriments of CD technology, including several by KAEPPLEIN.
    Now I notice that he has broken down (for whatever reason) and bought
    a $169 Magnavox and still remains unimpressed.
    
    It is evident that KAEPPLEIN knows his stuff and I'm not knocking
    that.  But isn't buying  the cheapest CD player and finding fault
    with it the same as buying the cheapest record changer/cartridge
    and finding fault with the vinyl medium?  I know CD players are
    supposed to have similar characteristics, but I would hardly expect
    the technology in the stated Magnavox to be comparable with a top-of-
    the-line Anything.

    The thing about digital audio is that it concentrates the analog
    degradation of the signal in a very small subset of the player
    electronics.  The Magnavox player uses an *excellent* choice of
    analog components.  It may not have the cosmetics, but it works
    as well as any player when playing discs.

    The best components as far as solid state goes don't have to be
    insanely expensive - even the Mark Levinson audio gear uses the
    same types of transistors other people use - but they select these
    parts during incoming inspection much more carefully.

    However, I'm not in agreement about the faults of CD as a medium.
    The bad sound of a lot of CD's is a problem of GIGO, not digital
    audio.

    One problem with having a truly great audio system is that it reveals
    'every wheeze and fart' on your recordings, so it then takes a great
    recording to not show such faults... at least that's what I've found.

    - Jim

    Please read note 413.3.   This may give you a clue as to why Mark
    picked up a Magnavox.  It is primarily in the potential of the unit
    to an audio amateur.
    
    
    Please also be aware that much of the position Mark (and I among
    others) took regarding CD was in response to the Len Feldman crowd
    who insisted that when CD was born, it was perfect and vinyl was dead.
    
    I think we know now that 1) it is not yet perfect, 2) is pretty
    damn good (especially compaired dollar for dollar to phono equipment)
    and 3) vinyl did not die (although the big labels are still hoping).
    
    Walt 

    Yeah, I did flame a lot.  But now with the medication, I've gotten
    much better :-).  I was just starting to hear how much better the
    good equipment sounds and was pissed off at hype and lies.
    
    Seriously, though, I'm reasonably satisfied with my modified Magnavox.
    I find it good enough that the (very few) good CDs sound nice, but
    highlight harshness on most -- indicating the need for better
    mastering.
    
    I like the convenience of CD (playing time and track selection without
    getting up), but not the price.  Ticks and pops really don't bother
    me at all, and my LPs don't wear out.
    
    Mark
    
    PS Anybody seen the new Stereo Review?  Good picture of Julian Hirsh
    with his fingers in his ears.  Probably listening to a review unit.