[SpeakerBox]

I love coffee so much.

Couldn't have said it better!

 

[SpeakerBox]

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I bought a copy of the Thomas Beecham Messiah (highlights) from 1959. It’s the first stereo studio recording, so the sound is perfect. It’s also a really interesting insight into a cultural moment - the 1950s - when it was fashionable to perform baroque music like Bach and Handel as though it were Wagner or Mahler or Brahms - huge, lush orchestral forces, modern rather than period instruments, and enormous Wagner tenors like Jon Vickers rather than a lyric or countertenor. The Karajan Mass in B Minor is a similar kind of thing.

It’s like a decadent dessert, very fun to listen to and sonically resplendent. And because it’s less than half the usual running time, and omits the more boring parts, much more fun to listen to.

Tomorrow's coffee will be 1.1, perhaps even 1.2, on the EK, up from 0.8. I am expecting new coffee from Square Mile sometime in the afternoon, but I can stop by Verve if absolutely necessary. I'm getting extraction times of around 42 seconds on the BDB, with allowance for the usual pre-infusion.

 

[Operaphile-]

I bought a copy of the Thomas Beecham Messiah (highlights) from 1959. It’s the first stereo studio recording, so the sound is perfect. It’s also a really interesting insight into a cultural moment - the 1950s - when it was fashionable to perform baroque music like Bach and Handel as though it were Wagner or Mahler or Brahms - huge, lush orchestral forces, modern rather than period instruments, and enormous Wagner tenors like Jon Vickers rather than a lyric or countertenor. The Karajan Mass in B Minor is a similar kind of thing.

It’s like a decadent dessert, very fun to listen to and sonically resplendent. And because it’s less than half the usual running time, and omits the more boring parts, much more fun to listen to.

Tomorrow's coffee will be 1.1, perhaps even 1.2, on the EK, up from 0.8. I am expecting new coffee from Square Mile sometime in the afternoon, but I can stop by Verve if absolutely necessary. I'm getting extraction times of around 42 seconds on the BDB, with allowance for the usual pre-infusion.

Wait, is this espresso you’re talking about? You don’t find 42 seconds too long? That’s about double my sweet spot. Of course it depends on this like humidity and barometric pressure in addition to the beans/grind, but I don’t think I’ve ever had my target time that high. I’d expect it to be bitter.

 

[audio philestine]

I have a co-worker who has a 5 minute drive into work, while I have a 50+ minute drive in, so he likes to tease me whenever there is snow or inclement weather on the way. Don't ask me why, he's just like that, or maybe I'm fun to pick on, whatever...

Well, he's off to Hawaii for two weeks and has been teasing me with beautiful travel shots of Hawaii, .... while we got dumped on by 21" of snow over two nights earlier this week. I think my whinging was perfectly timed, as he decided an apology gift was in order... just as he was visiting the Kona coffee plantations.

I still hate the snow, but at least I'll be able to enjoy a nice warm cup of coffee while hating the snow, when he arrives apology in hand

Nice to see Bosie making recommendations again.... I'm off to hunt down a Karajan mass in B minor. I don't know how, but I got in the habit of listening to the Bach's mass on the drive in about this time of year. I think Classical Classroom turned me on to it first, and then I discovered I had it on one of the box sets that I had bought after Baldr's recommendation (I think it was the Jochum one). I threw it on in the car, and it made for a nice drive, capped off by a beautiful sunrise behind a church on a local hill just as the sanctus was hitting stride. That was enough to move even a phillistine such as myself

I miss the recommendations. I hope Baldr is feeling better soon, and can help us discover some nice bluegrass to listen to on our multi-bit DAC's.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

The Karajan Mass was described to me once as the corpse of Romanticism — at a hateful wake. It's a real trip. Also really getting into Bizet's symphony in C.

 

[JamminVMI]

I bought a copy of the Thomas Beecham Messiah (highlights) from 1959. It’s the first stereo studio recording, so the sound is perfect. It’s also a really interesting insight into a cultural moment - the 1950s - when it was fashionable to perform baroque music like Bach and Handel as though it were Wagner or Mahler or Brahms - huge..

The Beecham is indeed the product of another era, I’d go so far as to call it extravagant... But the recording and remastering are truly wonderful. I also have the 1954 Scherchen/LSO recording As well, and it’s as lavishly orchestrated as the Beecham. Recommended.

My preference is for Suzuki and the Bach Collegium for Messiah.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Another 1950s revision - grosse fugue for orchestra - from another great 50s conductor

 

[FLTWS]

One of my favorites, coupled with "Eroica" on the CD I have had for years.

 

[Derrick Swart]

Picked up 8 pounds of blue mountain. Thx for american thanksgiving in Canada it was on sale to begin with, combined with another 40% off. About 25$ a pound cad. It can be 90$ lb reg so rarely buy.

sounds like an order from Breaking Bad

 

[ScubaMan2017]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_amplifier

...yep, I read that Wiki entry. I still don't really understand the difference between the Magni 3+ and Magni 3 Heresy. The most I can figure out is that the Magni 3+ has more circuitry than the Heresy. The differences are too vague for me -- so my original Magni 3 stays where it is. {{{mind you, I picked up a classic stack... Bifrost-MB + Asgard 2 pairing... the matt black is quite striking... and the Asgard's plenty powerful enough for me to drive my HD650 clones & Sony MDR 7510 cans}}}.

 

[Gazny]

...yep, I read that Wiki entry. I still don't really understand the difference between the Magni 3+ and Magni 3 Heresy. The most I can figure out is that the Magni 3+ has more circuitry than the Heresy. The differences are too vague for me -- so my original Magni 3 stays where it is. {{{mind you, I picked up a classic stack... Bifrost-MB + Asgard 2 pairing... the matt black is quite striking... and the Asgard's plenty powerful enough for me to drive my HD650 clones & Sony MDR 7510 cans}}}.

The Asgard 2 says it has lower power than the Magni 3, but I feel like it in fact it has way more or maybe that is the Class A coming into the sound signiture. I too love it with my 650 clones, my favorite pairing is with the Grando sr60e

 

[ScubaMan2017]

The Asgard 2 says it has lower power than the Magni 3, but I feel like it in fact it has way more or maybe that is the Class A coming into the sound signature. I too love it with my 650 clones, my favorite pairing is with the Grando sr60e

I'm confused by the amount of audio woo about class A and D headphone amplifiers. I stumbled across Nelson Pass and his low(er) voltage amplifiers. As I understand it, if I chose to stick my fingers into a fully-powered, case-less Asgard 2, I'm in for a trip to the hospital (and glod help me if I try the same stunt on a Valhalla2). That's Schiit's idea of class A amplifiers (and I'm very pleased with my recent classic-stack purchase... Class A does sound different than my awesome Magni [that's class D? Dunno]). Mr. Pass designed audio amplifiers powered by a laptop-style AC/DC power supply...

...and also...
https://diyaudiostore.com/products/amp-camp-amp-kit?variant=7072933085218

I'm not ready to try a kit like that. Yet...

 

[Ripper2860]

Magni is class AB. Schiit does not currently make a class D product and it is unlikely they will anytime soon.

 

[RickB]

Magni is class AB. Schiit does not currently make a class D product and it is unlikely they will anytime soon.

When you say stuff like that, you just motivate Jason...