Visit to the Temple

So - I made a mistake recently. I went to a local audio store called Deja Vu in McLean, VA. This store is a real surprise. It has tubes - amps, preamps, cd players - lots and lots of tubes. Audio Note stuff, their home grown stuff, Manley stuff, Jolida stuff, the list just goes on.

So - Mistake 2. I ask to listen to some of their gear. The young gent - Nick takes me to the Audio Note room. I ask to listen to a 300B (mistake 3). He puts on my favorite CD and I listen - OH MY GOD - is it amazing. He smiles.

Mistake 4 (He tells me what I'm listening to). 10K Audio Note speakers, a 10K Single Ended Amp, a 30K preamp, a 5K CD player... Well out of my price range.

Nick smiles again - He grabs the Vinyl edition of the same CD. Mistake 5 - I laugh that he wants to play vinyl for me.

Mistake 6 - I listen. It sounds a little thinner but there's something intriguing, aluring, real - ah - now I know what dynamic means.

Mistake 7 - I mention this little story to my friend - he laughs at me - he gives me a record player.

Mistake 8 - I've now entered a new garden of unpicked fruit where the only price to admission is more money.....