Sorry, I don't want to get into sales or servicing at the meet. I will, however, bring a bunch of anti-slipping knobs for anyone that hasn't got one yet.

Rob

Greetings!

I have been putting off asking for one of those knobs because a) I am not having any trouble yet, and b) I intend to order new remotes and some other stuff from the store. I have been waiting for the remotes to come out. Would I be able to get the replacement knobs through SonicBlue, or should I ask now?

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (40GB Green)

We have a huge bag of replacement knobs - it seems the problem was far less widespread than feedback on the BBS suggested. If you want one at any point in the future just email us direct, we won't throw them away.

Rob

Hi All,

Just spoke with the owner of Boulevard and confirmed our party again.

Don't forget, it's 12:00 noon on the 3rd, and we've arranged for $11.00 each for lunch which will include your choice of sandwich, salad, soda, tax, and tip.

See y'all there!

- Jon

Save me a lunch; I'll probably be an hour late. Changing my flight to get in earlier would have cost me hundreds of dollars, and, while I'd love to be there on-time...

Speaking of S2000+empeg, does anyone have an e-mail address for Andy Wolfe?

(I would like to ask him if he's found a way to integrate the S2000's fingertip dash controls for the stereo with the empeg)

Anyone?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
MK2 #141, green, 12GB

The controls weren't integrated in his car, the logical way to do it would be to get a box that converted them to sony standard controls and use a sony->empeg converter...

http://s2000.byteserve.com.au/audioupgrade/pinky/pinkyspage.html

...is one, but it's made-to-order and a bit expensive.

Hugo

The countdown has begun...

5!!!

- Jon

Inevitably there will be a lot of stereo system install comparisons. So what I suggest is everyone should install several songs in common so that we have a basis for comparison if we want to show off our installations to each other.

If you have the IASCA CD, that's a good candidate to rip and put on your empegs. And YYZ from Moving Pictures, since it's picked up so many mentions on this board. :)

Any other suggestions?
Calvin

I'll keep my car out of this for now, since the empeg is hooked to a cheap 4 channel amp, and then to the factory speakers. It was better then using the tape adaptor for the trip, but right now I don't have the spare money I want to dump into the system.

I have a ten-song "demo" playlist already, which I've been adding/removing songs from for over a year, and I've settled on a list that I think really captures a nice range of sound. I've been thinking for a long time that it would be fun to us to all compare our favorite demo lists.

Interestingly, YYZ is not on the list. It's a fantastic song, but doesn't actually demo the system's range as well as some of the others. Tom Sawyer, on the other hand, is number one on the list.

Here's my current demo list:

1. Rush- Tom Sawyer (from "The Rush Remasters" version of Moving Pictures). This song just explodes all over the spectrum, it has fantastic punch and impact, and is produced very clean and smooth. A great all-around test song. Doug, of course, likes to surprise folks with it at maximum volume...



2. The Crystal Method- Cherry Twist (from Vegas). Some extremely clean low-frequency synth bass happens early in this song. Check to make sure the rear license plate doesn't rattle.



3. Genesis- I Can't Dance (from We Can't Dance). Incredibly clean production, the vocals are extremely dry and have a very in-your-face presence which shows how clearly the mids on your system reproduce voices.



4. The Pretenders- Dragway 42 (from Viva el Amor). The intro to this one just sounds FREAKIN' COOL when you crank it. Actually it has some neat positional information to test your stereo image. The instruments seem to dance around in the stereo field.



5. Steve Morse- Modoc (from High Tension Wires). This is a fantastic solo classical guitar piece. But with a twist. The guitar uses a hexaphonic pickup, allowing Steve to place each string on a separate track. The low strings are produced differently from the high strings, each string has a different EQ/Reverb/etc., and all the strings are panned differently. The stereo image from this piece is insane- each melody line seems to dance around you. And the separation between the various strings is so strong that you could swear it's at least two guitarists. (But it's not- it's just Steve. I've seen him play this piece live.)



6. Tori Amos- Riot Proof (from To Venus and Back). Another great song to crank, if you've got the subwoofers to handle it. An incredible array of sonic textures.



7. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones- Earth Jam (from Outbound). This track is well produced overall, but I include it in the list specifically to demo the sound of a very cleanly-recorded bass guitar. The bass sounds great in this particular mix.



8. Peter Gabriel- Red Rain (from So). A great all-around demo song, staring with a crisp, dry hi-hat line (played by Stewart Copeland, by the way) fading into an explosion of sound. Peter sure knows how to produce a song for maximum impact. Seems like it takes him about ten years to release an album, but each one is worth the wait.



9. The Crystal Method- Trip Like I Do (from Vegas). Okay, it's probably bad to have two demo pieces from the same album in the list. But man, this song's intro sounds so good when you crank it. There's something about the filter-sweep synth at the beginning that just gets me...



10. Trevor Rabin- The Cape (from Can't Look Away). An instrumental piece with some very high, crisp guitar sounds riding over a very deep analog synth bass. The synth bass gets so low in parts that you can almost count the pulses.

Anyone have their votes for their favorite demo songs?

___________
Tony Fabris

...it would be fun to us to all compare our favorite demo lists.

We have two songs in common on our demo lists, and come pretty close on a couple more.

I have "Tom Sawyer" and "Modoc" on my list. In addition I kept "YYZ", for the strong stereo imaging in the opening bars (with the triangle) and that rumbling sustained 'A' note near the end.

I also have a song from Crystal Method's 'Vegas' -- but the one I chose is "Busy Child", with those very heavy bass hits that rattle the whole car.

Did you ever consider that "Borealis" song I sent you, the one from Sheffield Labs? That's a good show piece if your stereo is really good on light, clear bright treble. That one is on my list.

The rest of my list is pretty divergent from yours and probably everybody else's too. :-)

I start out with Chopin's Opus 10 Etude in C-Major, an incredibly rich solo piano piece, followed by the Crystal Method piece and the "Borealis" piece mentioned above.

Next is a selection from Gustav Holst 'The Planets' -- "Mars, the Bringer of War" is good for demonstrating linearity throughout the spectral range. Other selections include three IASCA tracks, Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for pipe organ, a selection from Verdi's opera 'Rigoletto', and a performance of the final movement of Hummel's "Concerto for Trumpet". A few other odds and ends (including "Orinoco Flow" by enya) round out the list.

tanstaafl.



"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Did you ever consider that "Borealis" song I sent you, the one from Sheffield Labs? That's a good show piece if your stereo is really good on light, clear bright treble. That one is on my list.

I agree that it's a good piece for testing treble response. However, the piece itself doesn't (to me) have a lot of visceral impact from a musical standpoint. I was looking for pieces which impressed me musically as well as sonically.

___________
Tony Fabris

4 days!!!

- Jon

Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for pipe organ

A friend of mine blew up the Wharfedales in his home system trying to play a rendition of that on Lincoln Cathedral's organ.

"Ah yes," said Wharfedale when he rang them up, "we'll get the cone replaced. We don't usually get people with this problem at this time of year though."

"This time of year?"

"Yes, people usually blow them up on the last night of the Proms."

Peter

Reminds me of my standard (now) for testing systems... Telarc's rendition of the 1812 Overture. The one with the warning due to the bandwidth on the Canons.

The one that I ignored the warning the first time, on a pair of Bose (I was young) speakers.

That was an expensive mistake, with the speakers busting and the amp losing it's 'magic smoke' during the process.

But it's still a great track for listening to the dynamic range of a system. If you can play it accurately throughout, your system should be able to handle just about anything you throw at it....

I don't own an empeg, but if you don't mind burning a CD with your demo selection, then you'd be able to audition my system with your baseline. I've burned a couple of CDs, one with a range of instruments and the other one is a wide range of A capella (all voice) songs.

Calvin

3 days!!!

Here's the last posting of our current list. As always, please send additions/deletions to me quickly!

Beautiful day here in Northern Cal. Hope it lasts!

Jon Bauer (jbauer) (CA)
Tony Fabris (tfabris) (CA)
Loren Cox (loren) (CA)
Kelly (Loren Cox's girlfriend) (CA)
Scott (Loren Cox's installer friend) (CA)
Borislav Deianov (borislav) (CA)
Rob Voisey (rob) (empeg operations manager kahuna) (UK)
Hugo Fiennes (altman) (empeg founder, techie baby bell) (UK)
Claire (hugo's girlfriend) (UK)
Derek Balling (dredd) (CA)
Dan Wallach (dwallach) (TX)
Mike Comb (mcomb) (CA)
Eric Brown (esb) (CA)
Doug (Kevin Hester's friend) (CA)
Sean (drguz) (CA)
Ryan Hoagland (hoagy) (CA)
Brian Mihulka (bmihulka) (NE)
Calvin (eternalsun) (CA)
Aleksandr Milewski (n6mod) (CA)
Tim Esau (Rio Car product marketing) (WA)
Jon Agee (Rio marketing communications manager) (WA)
Andy Wolfe (CTO SonicBlue) (WA)
Glenn Beer (gbeer) (CA)
Donato Sinicco (ricin) (CA)
Donato's friend (CA)
Rob Vreeland (CruzThs) (CA)
CruzThs friend (CA)
bam (?)
Clarke Ferber (AZ)
Carl Aydelotte (TX)
Andy Brenner (CA)
Michael Grant (CA)
David Black (CA)
Geoff White (CA)
Steve Scherf (CA)
Mimi + Kimiko (Steve Scherf's wife and larva) (CA)
David Trounce (dtrounce) (CA)
John Lambon (UK)
Didier Malenfant (dids) (CA)
Ernest Pressley (ernestp) (CA)
Hussein Kanji (Hussein) (CA)
Malou Carreon (CA)
Tom Cramer (Drakino) (CO)
Josh (drakino's friend) (CA)
Ben Miller (CA)
Ben Miller's friend (CA)

Bruce Busby (Sonic Blue m&a dude) maybe (WA)
David Trounce (dtrounce) maybe (CA)
Michael Lohmeyer (drakoz) maybe (?)
Rex Oah (rex_oah) maybe (?)
Mike Higuera (MRHJr) maybe (?)
Alex Diaz maybe (CA)
Alan H. maybe (OH)

46 "yes's"
7 "maybe's"

- Jon

Telarc's rendition of the 1812 Overture.

Can you post an album ID # or ?? where I could try and find a copy of this CD?

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Telarc's rendition of the 1812 Overture.

Can you post an album ID # or ?? where I could try and find a copy of this CD?


It's CD-80041. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel.

It's got a little yellow cannon in the top left hand corner with CAUTION! DIGITAL CANNONS on it.

It's a good warning. I don't know if it's still in print or not, as my copy was pressed in 1979 (I didn't even remember CD's back then... )

AAAAAAAAAHHH!

Now I can't find MY copy of it. I've got the case in front of me, but it's empty!!!!

Damn. Now if there was only someway to archive all of these CD's onto a shared medium, with easy indexing and backup capabilities.........

(and if there was only some way to do it AFTER you've misplaced the #@$*(&@#(*$&(*&#$@(*&@# disk. )

I may have missed it, but I don't recall seeing details of Friday's pre-meet night out in SF. When and where, Jon?

Rob

PS Just got back from a pre-pre-meet with Zander - great filet mignon at Van's!

Hm. Well, due to the number of responses received, I decided not to have one and I have made other plans for Friday night...

Sorry, I didn't know that people were actually interested... Y'all can plan one without me... Sorry! :-(

- Jon

Hi All,

...in case anyone needs to reach me for any reason (got lost, need info, etc.)...

My cell phone is 415-846-9419.

I'll be at Boulevard early on Saturday morning. Maybe I'll get to meet some of you early...

By the way, we are gonna have a heck of a turn out! Just got a bunch of additions! We are probably over 50 people at this point!

- Thanx
- Jon

great filet mignon at Van's!

Hm. Where's "Van's"?

- Jon

Unless someone else bites, I know an excellent Korean barbeque place north of the Golden Gate park that is just fantastic. That is, if you're into large amounts of meat, steaming hot coal pits inches away from your plate, and tremendous amounts of food. ;)

Calvin

If someone sets up a place and time I will be there.

Brian

-See my empeg here-

I don't know if it's still in print or not, as my copy was pressed in 1979

Yes! It's available from Amazon.com at this URL for $15.49 plus shipping. Surprisingly, it is one of their top-sellers -- only 19,291 other titles have sold more!

Thanks for the information about the CD #.

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Can we have a time to meet and How do we know who is who should we wear name tags Like:

Hi I'm Ernest MKII Model #08000457

MkII Serial # 080000457

should we wear name tags Like: Hi I'm Ernest MKII Model #08000457

Naaahh.... a tag that just says #08000457 ought to be good enough.



tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"