Just arrived.

That's a bit of a trick statement. I thought the Braun L200s would be identical to the Minimus 7 sized ADS L200s I had in 2009, because they have essentially the same drivers. However, the tweeter mounting plate on the ADS is a landscape oriented rectangle, allowing it to be located closer to the woofer than is the case with the square plate Braun. The Braun cabinet is bigger, one size up, and has slightly deeper bass. I've always raved about the clarity and neutrality of Braun/ADS speakers, and these are no exception.

Just arrived. Hitachi HA-6800 integrated amp.

Seventy watts per channel of vintage mos-fet* musicality. A good description and review from Gramophone begins halfway down this page.

*metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor

Just arrived. Sherwood S-8800 FM receiver

This is a fantastic receiver. It's rated at 50 watts/channel, and at 46, is the oldest solid state piece (I think) I've had. It sounds very, very good. All the inputs sound great, clear and quiet, including the FM only tuner. I find it cool looking, and like it as much without the wood sleeve. The metal shielding is heavy duty, and the perforated metal cage around the output transistors and heatsinks is very funky. It's driving the JBL L40s as I write, and the sound is luscious.

A huge slab of japanese beef.

This is the Pioneer A-9, the top of the line integrated amplifier from Pioneers early eighties 'Communication Series'. The name refers to the block diagram graphics that are the dominant design feature. The look wasn't a hit with consumers, and a year after being introduced, Pioneer, were producing more conventional looking front panels again, like the A-70 that I loved. I didn't like the look of the Communication series when it was introduced, but it's grown on me over 30 years. I find it quite striking now. It's massively (over)built and sounds great. Read more here. I have 2 matching tuners, one missing the front panel cover, that I haven't checked out yet.

I'm back!

After 2 weeks without posting, I'm going to have a bunch of things to tell you about soon. I just walked in the door with the new Seventies Stereo Corporate Mainframe! I've finally gone Intel. It's a Mac Pro quad core Xenon 3gHz monster with 10 gigabytes of ram! I finally upgraded because I have to run software that won't run on a G5, like Adobe CS5. I expect an audio improvement as well. I'll fill you in soon on the comings and goings of speakers, and will have a stunning integrated amp to show you soon. Have a great weekend.

Just arrived. Paisley Research 500s.

These look like Paisleys I had before, but with Seas tweeters (as in the Mission 770s below), and bextrene Audax woofers. They are incredibly well made, and very solid at 50 pounds each. They sound great, and I'll be comparing them with the new Missions all weekend.

Friday Update. Just arrived. Mission 770s in tiger ebony.

  Wow, these are beautiful. They're original 770s, in great shape. I was (mis?)informed that only 200 pairs were made in this stunning finish, but I've heard of too many for that to ring true to me. This is the second pair I've seen this month. True or not, they're gorgeous, and sound great as I write, hooked up to the Pioneer SX-1010.

   The planter on the left in the second picture is the beginning of the Seventies Stereo Corporate vegetable garden. Peas, beans, lettuce and herbs have been planted in the cabinets of a pair of vintage Grafdale white van specials (that the original owner paid $750 for!). The front baffles took one light stomp to come right out, revealing pathetic cabinet construction. But I'm not reviewing the speakers (though I did hear them, and they do live up to their reputation!), I'm planting in them, and I think the 'professional' carpeting will hold them together for one growing season. More pictures as the garden grows, but don't worry, this won't turn into a gardening blog.

  I did get another new pair of speakers today, but I'll tell you about them tomorrow. Hints: designed and built in Canada...same tweeters as these Mission 770s...beautiful walnut cabinets with all edges rounded. I've had them before, but not with original drivers, don't know the model (UPDATE: now I do!), but know they sound great.