Can't break away from KC at the moment!

Tidal Masters:

Playing around with the ZROCK2 and the Torii Mk III today has been fun. I've listened to:

Antonio Carlos Jobim "Passarim" SHM-CD


The fantastic sounding new cd from Solid Records of the Duke Ellington release "My People" (this is a favorite recording of mine, I have mono and stereo LPs and two other cd releases, this one smokes them all).


Thelonious Monk "Live in Rotterdam 1967: the Lost Recordings" CD edition


Alto Saxophone – Phil Woods
Bass – Larry Gales
Drums – Ben Riley
Piano – Thelonious Monk
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Rouse, Johnny Griffin
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland
Trumpet – Clark Terry, Ray Copeland

Jackie McLean, "Consequence" Blue Note Connoisseur.



I'm not generally this pleased with a 24 bit McMaster mastered CD, but with the ZROCK2 its worst faults are of less consequence. Enjoying Harold Maeburn's work here. He played with a different style in some ways than his pianist stablemates. Lee and Jackie are having fun.

In the Cave undergoing Vinyl Therapy.  I'm on my second LP...have a dozen ebay purchases that arrived yesterday...

This time I'm listening to the Blu-Spec CD2. Miles Davis, "E.S.P." Some of my favorite music, period.

Mark, you would really find the ZROCK2 useful.

I have this chain of signal: balanced source into ZTPRE into ZBIT into ZROCK2 into amp. As you are doing single-ended I would do source into preamp into ZROCK2 into amp. You'd only need one more set of interconnects and a power cord.

Unfortunately there is only one source input on the ZROCK2. I don't think another can be added. I wanted a second output and was told that was not possible, darn it (I wanted to send one to the Torii and one to the Taboo).

Now an original 1955 Mono Copy of this LP...

I did put a ZBIT up for sale as I had two (I bought a second with two outputs so that I could feed both my Torii and Taboo) but ended up not selling it for several reasons. I did order a ZROCK and then canceled it, and then re-ordered exactly one month later. I got the Type II Jupiter caps and upgraded the RCA connections to the silver ones. (Excellent for use with our interconnects).

I had another Stradivarius Cremona interconnect to use as I bought Stradivarius Amati XLR to use with the ZBIT annd ZPRE, did not have to buy a new interconnect.

It's a fascinating component and really helps with cds that don't sound great.

Andrew Hill "Passing Ships" . . . last cd before I head off to have dinner with my Dad and my two brothers, honoring the fact that my Mom passed away three years ago today.

Donald Byrd "Byrd in Hand" Blue Note SHM-CD

Followed by

Chico Hamilton Quintet "Chico Hamilton Special"

Disc VII of Eddie Condon and Buddy Freeman "Complete Commodore and Decca Eddie Condon & Bud Freeman Sessions," Mosiac Records. This disc has my favorite Bing of all time.

Bob Dylan, "Tell Tale Signs" disc 1

The newly released mono SACD of Bob Dylan "Highway 61 Revisted"

Just as if everything was normal, I have been playing everything I can find on the net with War and Eric Burdon.

Torturing my children.

Actually, my jazz loving son (now 18) has developed a keen interest in early funk artists, recently.
I just wish I had more to play for him than Rick James, etc, leading us into disco.

Next is one I know no one here has heard.  A 2 LP Ltd. Ed. Vinyl set I picked up at the Fall One O'clock Lab Band Concert Tuesday night. This is the first time they put out their yearly album out on Vinyl in 30 years.  I have many of their yearly LPs from the 60's and 70's....Fantastic Big Band...

PS...OMG Red Vinyl!

On the ZROCK2 thread I gave my latest impressions; my wife has been home all week so I haven't had a lot of occasions to listen to the speakers and I haven't heard the ZROCK2 since Wednesday afternoon--it's been headphone listening or listening to my second system upstairs. I'm very happy with it and think you will be too.

I'm sure the gold connectors will be fine, I just really like the silver, they really seem to connect well with the interconnect cables, and as I have them now on the ZBOX (both that I have) and the Taboo MK IV I ordered them with the ZROCK2. I have ebony knobs on all these and LOVE the feel and look of the ebony knob. ON the ZROCK2 Steve arranged it so that the set screw holding the ebony knob in place is right at the halfway mark where the gain is null and right before the EQ begins so it's easy to see where you are in that spectrum.

I have my Taboo Mk IV and my ZBBOX and ZROCK2 side by side on a PS Audio PowerBase. All three components are on VooDoo Cable IsoPods. The ZROCK2 sits on a really cool and nice sounding myrtle wood stand I bought years ago (which seems "swamp wood," has an almost walnut patina that matches the Taboo base) and the ZBOX is on top of the ZROCK2 on IsoPods. This looks really nice to me--this ZBOX has two stepped attenuators and they line up perfectly with the volume knob and tube on the ZROCK2. All my Decware components are on a Mapleshade Audio Samson Rack Version 2, the ZTPRE on top, ZBOX and ZROCK2 and Taboo Mk IV in the middle, the Torii Mk III on the bottom, and these too are on PS Audio PowerBases and IsoPods. I think this looks really nice, and os does my wife. My PS Audio DSD and DMP and P10 and my Cambridge Audio CXU, Magnum Dynalab tuner, and my DVR and TV are all right next to the Decware components on a Mapleshade Audio Version 3 rack. I'm proud I've been able to assemble this system and I'm very happy with the sound. For me, with the balanced output of the DSD, my "Three Z Amigos," the ZTPRE, ZBOX and ZROCK2 have really elevated the sound to an Everest-like level.

One of these days I'll put the Rega RP3 back in place of the ZTPRE and the ZP3 where the Taboo Mk IV is and spin some records, but to be honest the digital sound is so so good that I haven't missed the vinyl playback.

I think you'll find that all your listening will benefit. You'll find a spot that brings the tonal balance into focus for all the "good" recordings and then can adjust from there for recordings that need a little more or even more of the EQ. It only took about 100 hours to seduce me and a few hours of fiddling to know that this is subtle and not-subtle way to dial in the system to be its best.

Good choice on the Type II caps--these just floored me in the Taboo Mk IV and then the ZTPRE, and they don't disappoint at all in the ZROCK2, they are so clear and yet musical.