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Thanksgiving Yard Sale - EMT 997 Banana arm
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Black Friday Yard Sale - Ortofon RMG309i and 8N TSW 1000 Phono cable
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... more Yard Sale - Thomas Mayer line stage and LCR Phono preamps and PSUs
Selling these fine pieces of bespoke, hand made gears... with spare tubes... 220V only.
Slagle's TVCs, Western Electric 437A and Cunningham CX-310 tubes, all silver internal wiring...
Why selling? Not currently using and feeling guilty to do so...
Downsizing my audio collection, folks... everything's OK;-)
If interested, please contact me at stefanocello-AT-gmail-DOT-com
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... they won't leave...
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Dementia & Music
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Negative Capability - Marianne Faithfull's last effort
I cannot miss any of Mrs. Faithful's discs... it's an obsession: when I listen to her gravel, yet smooth voice, I melt...and no! I'm not reminding the Irina Palm's character... she's such a Lady...
As a plus, inside the elegant fold-out cover, there is a pix of a Studer's master tape recorder... after my Man-part melted on Music, my Audiophile-heart was bleeding on how pure analog sounds.
Lovely disc, folks...
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... as crow flies...
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NovoTono - Overlays (2018)
I already knew Adalberto and Andrea Ferrari's skill and good musical taste as I attended to at least a couple of previous concerts, always at local Conservatory of music auditorium...
These brothers and musical companions move themselves in a grey, yet colorful realm territory of no-label music... the best, in my humble opinion.
Not classical, yet in written notation, no jazz per-se, as not improvised, yet sometimes reminding Jimmy Giuffre's clarinet-based trios from the early '60s...
The music flows, easy to the ears, like a lyrical Anthony Braxton... ears-friendly BUT not already heard...
The recording I made with my trusty Neumann USM-69 and Sound Devices 722 at 24bit/192Khz is a document...
The disk Adalberto so kindly gave to me after the concert, is such a poetic production, a duo project titled "Overlays": two bass and contra-alto clarinets, soprano sax, clarinet duos of seldom heard beauty... math and lyrical intervowing dialogue, never boring...
Andrea and Adalberto Ferrari's composed really beautiful themes, with a single piece by beloved Roscoe Mitchell of AEoC-fame and Ornette Coleman.
I really enjoyed both the concert AND greatly grooved on NovoTono's disk... beautiful, angular music is superbly served by Stefano Amerio's recording at ArteSuono in Cavalicco, Udine...
Not an ECM's production, BUT... Stefano's skill undoubtedly serves every musician at his best and every musician giving his best, as well.
I strongly suggest everyone into nice, adventurous, original music to take a chance and get this very disk.
You won't regret.
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Test pressings
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Ella & Marilyn
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Bad pop music is everywhere...
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Ortofon 100th Anniversary book
Happy Birthday, Ortofon!
The remarkable history of a company
This book reveals the remarkable history of a company that for 100 years has always been in the business of acoustics. Indeed, for that timespan, Denmark itself, has been recognised as the land of acoustics, with many companies designing innovative products. The country retains that reputation today.
Ortofon has played a significant role in creating a rich heritage for Danish acoustics. We believe that enviable legacy is best protected and continued by the development of exciting new products and keeping Ortofon viable for the future. As you will discover in the book, the list of Ortofon’s famous and groundbreaking products is a long one.
Music historian Kevin Howlett has written this history of 100 years of Ortofon based on a firm foundation of exhaustive research in various archives and in-depth interviews with past and present employees from the 1970s until now. We are indebted to all the many friends and colleagues who gave so generously of their time to contribute to this book.
A must-have for the analog lover and collector.
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Happy birthday, Tom Waits!
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Christmas' time yard-sale - Altec 803A 15" N.O.S. in original box... perfect
... another nugget from my collection which I'll gladly let it go to another happy awe oe collector.
A minty, shiny pair of 1959 vintage Altec 803A 15" woofers... the lightest paper cone woofers Altec ever made... even better than famed, sought-after 416A...
Speedy as light tight low-end and extreme resolution.
One of the VERY best woofers EVER produced, cost-no-object.
One of the VERY best woofers EVER produced, cost-no-object.
Not just a boom-boom woofer, but a precision instrument better suited to an exclusive system than P.A. use.
Happy Christmas everyone!
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Susumu Sakuma-san passed away today, Dec. 14th, 2018
Sad news, folks...

He was a sensei-san, a master in tubes and tube amps art... a true eccentric, not copy-catting, he was among the very first to conceive and build triode amps preamplified by another triode (300B/300B, for example) and a user of large industrial monsters, like WE 212, 100TH, 845 and 211.
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His several books published in Japan for Seibundo Shinkosha represent a veritable goldmine.
I was honored to visit his Concord Cafe in Tateyama-shi, back in September 2009, spending a couple of quiet relaxed hours listening to music, chatting, taking pictures and soaking in the humble, serene atmosphere of this place... half a pub, a simple restaurant and half an audio museum and workshop, where the soldering-iron fumes were happily mixed with fried potatoes and eggs aroma.
I express deepest condolences to his lovely wife and family and all Japanese pals who loose a true hero, a good, humble, wise man.
R.I.P. Sakuma-san.
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Xmas?!?
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More Christmas' sale: Hiraga Classe A 20W power amp(s) - on consignment
Selling on behalf of a (late) pal family, one pair (2) original, stock, unmodified, pristinely kept Hiraga 20W power amps.
Two available. Both truly perfect, ready to sing.
Not a scratch or a dent, gorgeously sounding, they were my own before I gave to my friend who used them lovingly while I got the 30W Le Classè A for my multiamped system.
Please note: 220V only.
If interested, please drop a line to yours truly at stefanocello-AT-gmail-DOT-com.
Cheap!
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Merry Christmas
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R.I.P. for Bladine Verlet
Sad news from France... a beloved artist I followed for many, many years reportedly passed away in Paris yesterday.
After Gustav Leonhardt passing away, another magnificent harpsichordist...
Her several recordings on Philips and Astree brought happiness to the world and yours truly with a music of ultra-terrestrial beauty and perfection, played on awesome historic instruments kept alive and preserved from dust and museums vaults.
This cover gives to me goose-bumps... bon voyage, Blandine...
R.I.P.
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Happy New Ear
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