Things can inspire, sooth, and move us so I hope you find some delights herein. But we all know it’s thoughts that count and actions count for even more. Be kind.
Here’s wishing you & yours a Joyous Holiday Season.
It’s Hard To Get A Handle On Modern Art 9 Ounce Cup ($16)
Art & humor—what more does your beverage need?
Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala by Einstürzende Neubauten ($31.44/LP)
Five on the Open-Ended Richter Scale from 1987 is the perfect dose of seismic Neubauten sound waves to smooth out your rough spots.
AudioQuest Binding Post Wrench ($17.95)
Got spades? Always get a good grip with the AQ Binding Post Wrench, an essential Barn tool.
Geography III: Poems by Elizabeth Bishop ($15.81/paperback)
Feed your brain, nourish your soul.
“The art of losing isn’t hard to master;/ so many things seem filled with the intent/to be lost that their loss is no disaster.” from One Art
An Entire HiFi for Digital & Analog Bliss ($19,657)
DeVore Fidelity O/baby speakers: $6695/pair w/stands
Aurorasound HFSA-01 Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier: ($3680) | Review
Wattson Emerson Analog Streaming DAC: $1750 | Review
Michell TechoDec Turntable: $2199 w/T2 Tonearm & cover
Denon DL-103 MC Cartridge: $349
AudioQuest Robin Hood ZERO speaker cables: $1,995/8ft pair
AudioQuest Black Beauty Interconnects: $795/1m RCA
AudioQuest Blizzard AC power cable: $895/2m
AudioQuest PowerQuest 707 Power Conditioner: $1,299.95
Gumby ($12.51)
The only true action hero—the dude can climb into books. Take that Marvel.
WEBO by Charles Gayle / Milford Graves / William Parker ($60)
Music for the brave in the land of the free (jazz) and your ass will follow.
For the first time, Charles Gayle, Milford Graves, & William Parker —three lions of the Black American jazz avant-garde— are finally heard together on record, presented here across three audiophile-quality LPs for two brutalizingly joyous hours of real ju-ju & musical mastery.
Fresmol Compressed Air Duster ($25.99)
A rechargeable air duster is among the greatest achievements of our lifetime. Rumor has it Socrates used one in Plato’s cave to blow away shadows of dust bunnies.
KEF LSX II LT: A Simple Complete Streaming HiFi ($899.99/pair)
Ethernet in, music out. Simple. And they come in colors.
Auto-da-fé by Elias Canetti ($33.98 hardcover)
I’m with Iris. Among the most intense, terrifying, and twisted books I’ve read.
“Understanding, as we understand it, is misunderstanding.”
Drake’s Grey Lambswool 6 Button Cable Knit Cardigan ($755) Uniqlo Gray Lamswool Cardigan ($49.90)
Everyone needs at least one cardigan.
Gold Tone AC-1: Acoustic Composite 5-String Openback Banjo ($269.99)
Make music not comments. Little known fact—a banjo will make you smile when you play it even if you don’t know how to play it.
HoloAudio Red DDC & Network Streamer ($798)
The HoloAudio Red may be all the streamer you’ll ever need. Review forthcoming.
Antique Odd Fellows Wire Mesh Masks (varies)
Do you enjoy weird? The plain old and odd? Secret handshakes? Well The Odd Fellows are for you, an organization that first showed up in England in the 18th century while the American Odd Fellows is believed to have started with Washington Lodge No 1 in Baltimore at the Seven Stars Tavern on April 26, 1819. Charlie Chaplin, Wyatt Earp, and Charles Lindbergh were all Odd Fellows. These painted wire mesh masks are believed to have been used in the order’s initiation ceremonies but their oddness and visual appeal transcend.
Descending Moonshine Dervishes (vinyl) by Terry Riley ($22)
A limited edition 2024 repress. Originally recorded live in Berlin in 1975, Terry Riley is a one-man meditative-state-inducing band. Get yours on vinyl while supplies last!
Pike Brothers 1937 Roamer Vest in French Asphalt (€169.00* Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs)
Everyone needs at least one vest. I’m partial to classic workwear style, something Germany’s Pike Brothers have the hang of.
Untitled (from the series GLASS) by Daisuke Yokota, UV ink on museum glass (2019) (price on request)
Art is an investment in being present. Japanese photographer Daisuke Yokota never fails to keep me in his moment(s).
Roon makes streaming meaningful.
Cyclic Sighing (free)
Related to circular breathing, a technique used by musicians and monks, cyclic sighing is a method of easing anxiety backed by real science. And it’s free & easy! From the linked Stanford School of Medicine article about a 2023 study by David Spiegel, MD, the Jack, Lulu, and Sam Willson Professor in Medicine and associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who co-led the study with Stanford Medicine neurobiologist Andrew Huberman, PhD, and Melis Yilmaz Balban, PhD, former Stanford Medicine senior research scientist:
The instructions are simple: Breathe in through your nose. When you’ve comfortably filled your lungs, take a second, deeper sip of air to expand your lungs as much as possible. Then, very slowly, exhale through your mouth until all the air is gone.
After one or two of these deep sighs, you may already feel calmer, but to get the full effect, Spiegel recommends repeating these deep sighs for about five minutes. Exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, he said, which slows down heart rate and has an overall soothing effect on the body.
Figure of a Parrot Sculpture ($395)
Art comes in all shapes and sizes. This lovely bonded bronze parrot is modeled after a real bronze original from late 18th century India in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
OFFI & Co. Authentic Mag Table in Birch ($299)
You had me at bent birch ply. Designer Eric Pfeiffer has his hand in a number of pieces produced by OFFI and you’ll find a number of them, including this table, scattered around the Barn. Form and fun!
Today! by Skip James (Bluesville Series 180g LP) ($24)
Craft Recordings did this stone cold classic proud, cut from the original master tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. You want this on your hifi, you need this on your hifi.
Toolmak 61pcs Ratcheting Screwdriver Set ($24.79)
I resisted. For years I resisted buying a set thinking it akin to cheating. I was wrong. This Toolmak set sees near daily use in Barn.
Birkenstock Boston Soft Footbed in Mink ($160)
When I’m not wearing work boots, I slip my feet into a pair of these classic comfy couches for the soul.
Twittering Machines “Mistake” Mug ($15.99)
Make a statement with your mug. Guaranteed to keep the liquid of your choice wet and the more you drink the more air the TM “Mistake” mug holds! Like magic.
(the joke here is the original quote reads, “Without music, life would be a mistake” which is by German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche so I substituted “HiFi” for “life”. Thus Friedrich Lavorgna)
Nancy & Lee by Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood ($28.66/LP)
A perfect dose of trip-pop from 1968.
Kamikaze ’89 [Blu-ray] ($34.99)
Wolf Gremm’s prognosticating masterpiece from 1982 staring Rainer Werner Fassbinder as a leopard skin suit sporting detective. Genius. With a tasty soundtrack from Tangerine Dream’s Edward Froese.
Sennelier French Artists’ Watercolor Set – Half Pan Metal Case, Set of 12 ($69.93)
Make art not war. And you don’t have to be an artist to make art.
Post O’Alls Engineers’ Jacket: Herringbone Denim Black (¥50,000)
Speaking of classic workwear, some of my favorite takes come out of Japan like this lovely Engineer’s jacket from Post O’Alls.
Billie Eilish Green Photo Spiral Notebook ($20)
8.5″ x 11″ spiral bound notebook with 50 pages to keep track of your favorite albums.
Aurorasound VIDA Prima Phono Stage ($1290) | Review
The Aurorasound VIDA Prima may be the only phono stage you’ll ever need.
You Are My Sunshine Crank Music Box ($14.05)
What better way to drive the blues away than cranking out “You Are My Sunshine” whenever the feeling moves ya?
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CharityWatch serves only the interests of the donating public—donors just like you. CharityWatch’s ratings do not merely repeat what a charity reports about itself in its “impact” reports or tax filings using simplistic or automated formulas. We dive deep into charity audited financial statements, tax filings, state solicitation filings, and other information so we can let you know how efficiently a charity will use your donations to fund the programs you want to support. CharityWatch exposes nonprofit abuses and advocates for your interests as a donor.
