I’m outta here!

It’s F@#KING HOT!!!!! I love Texas, but it’s been 100+ degrees now for a couple of months. Zero rainfall. Nada. My garden is burnt to a golden crisp. I need a break, my kids are about to kill each other. So, it’s time for the annual road trip to Colorado! The shop will be closed Friday, July 22 through Tuesday, August 2. My cell might work if I’m unlucky. Seriously, it’s cool to email me or send a text but the ringer will be off, as will the frontal lobe of my brain. I will check it now and then. I promise.

This is a picture of where I’ll be. Don’t be a hater..

Sangre de Cristo Mountains-2

proof that anyone can DJ.

These cats are cooler than most DJ’s who now use a computer. That’s just LAZY! The whole point is to sound good and get people dancing. The 12 inch 45 was always a sure fire way to wake up a dance floor. Why? Bigger and deeper bass! Now it’s usually terrible MP3’s being manipulated with fake records so the “DJ” can scratch. Maybe if these hipsters hauled some records around, they wouldn’t look so emaciated.

The cheap seats aren’t so bad..

Now in the shop are the ridiculously inexpensive Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 ($349) & 10.3 ($649) loudspeakers. Wharfedale makes every single part in-house. These remind me of the Acoustic Energy Evo1 speakers about 10 years ago. Just a solid value speaker that sounds great. If you’re on a budget, but still want the magic, the Diamond series are hard to beat.
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Time for a rebuild!

163193_thumb_d6bd1614898f6a2e98671ac0572d3909Every so often someone walks in with an original Rega Planar 2 looking to unload it. I love these old tables because of the nice wood surround on the plinth and the fact that they can be rebuilt to current spec. I just got one in with the original S shaped arm that Rega used before developing their cast arms we all know and love.

I’m going to gut it and start over. New arm, 24v motor upgrade, TTPSU power supply, hub / inner platter, white belt, felt mat and TLC.

Here’s your chance to own a one of a kind classic Rega table that is up to spec and basically brand new.

Price? $1095 with the RB251 arm or $1245 with the RB301 arm.

The painful, agonizing wait is over!!

The Rega Brio-R’s finally showed up today!!!!! A whole gaggle of ’em. I tore into the first one I could get my hands on and placed it next to it’s soul mate, the DAC. Such a sweet couple they make! Rega RS-5’s on the speaker end and Saturn acting as transport. I fired it all up with the new Sergent Garcia CD, Una y otra vez. Yup. The new Brio-R has BIG huevos. It has authori-tay! the 50 watts on board are more than enough for any speaker I can think of. I had it at about 10 o’clock and it was house party loud on the RS-5’s. Basically, it’s a Brio3 on a Viagra / steroid cocktail. I can only imagine what this thing will sound like after a few months of break in.

I’ll have a couple left in Black after everyone picks up their pre ordered amps. The first shipment was small, but more are on a boat from the UK. Call me and claim one before you have to wait a few weeks…

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New Rega RP3 Turntable! Available August 1st

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Rega RP3 turntable.

The RP3 has been designed and engineered to achieve outstanding performance way beyond the expectations of a product at this price point. Excellent build quality, reliability and ease of use combine to make a product which, if used correctly, will offer a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Omitting unnecessary gimmicks allows us to concentrate the manufacturing costs on the high quality parts necessary to reproduce records accurately. The RP3 is fitted with a brand new hand assembled RB303 tonearm, precision main bearing and a low vibration low noise 24v motor assembly which is individually hand tuned to its circuit to further reduce vibration.

DB Technology (Double Brace Technology)

“Mass absorbs energy – lost energy equals lost music”! Rega has pioneered the use of lightweight rigid plinths. Clever use of lightweight particulate core with a highly rigid phenolic resin skin became the foundations of the high level of performance achieved by the now iconic Planar turntable range. The RP3 takes this design philosophy to the next level. A super lightweight plinth combined with a phenolic resin double brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing) forms a structurally sound “stressed beam” assembly. This rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances which will add unnatural distortions to the music. Equally, heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy such as motor or bearing noise directly into the rotating record. The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows double thickness phenolic resin in these key areas while providing further weight reduction to the plinth which directly addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.

RB303 Tonearm – Making the best better

Designed using the latest 3D CAD & CAM technology the new RB303 is the culmination of more than 30 years of tonearm design experience. Due to advances in technology we have been able to fine tune the iconic RB300 tonearm design. Featuring a brand new tube with increased rigidity to the bearing housing, arm carrier and headshell coupled with intelligent redistribution of mass ensure this arm will exhibit fewer points of possible resonance. Extreme stability with almost friction free movement from the high precision bearing assemblies guarantee to gather more information from your vinyl than ever before. – Rega Website

Well…. I’m excited!! Looks like a great excuse to upgrade! Bring your old turntable in for a trade in!!