Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well!

I was just telling my Facebook pals about the weird Fall weather we have been having here in the Pacific Northwest.

For a while we were about 10F warmer than average, which made it really nice for getting out on the bicycle or motorcycle for Fall rides. 

Now in an immediate temperature shift we are about 20F below the average for this time of year. 

The official start of Winter, the Winter solstice, is still about 4 weeks out. But now we've got Winter-like temperatures for the remainder of Fall. There was frost covering my lawn this morning. Arrgh! 

Those cold temperatures make it rather chilly for getting out on 2 wheels at the current temperature. 

What do you do when the weather is below freezing?

That's hi-fi weather! 

I had a great time visiting with Alden yesterday, who hired me out of graduate school to work in the Environmental Engineering Branch of the Walla Walla District of the USACE. We were working on cleaning up the notoriously contaminated Hanford Site located a couple of hours away. 

Walla Walla, the town so nice they named it twice. I have very fond memories of Walla Walla, its friendly residents, and delightful small town atmosphere. 

30 years ago Walla Walla was a quaint little village with a storied history of agriculture that had generations of families doing wheat and onion farming. A quintessential little farming community that was a delight to be living in. 

Today Walla Walla is known as the prime vineyard region of Washington State, resplendent with many boutique wineries and a fine food culture. How times change! 

Alden organized a 30 year reunion party for the EEB this Summer, and it was the first time in 30 years that a number of us had a chance to reconnect. It was a blast!

While Alden and I were visiting at the 30 year reunion we found out we have a couple of hobbies in common: riding motorbikes and hi-fi. That's Alden front-row right in the photo above, with the dopey looking guy standing to his right being yours truly. 

Of course finding out we had the hi-fi hobby in common meant we needed to do a hi-fi fun & games visit.

Yesterday Alden was able to come by for a visit and we had a grand time catching up, listening to music, and playing hi-fi games.

Alden brought a variety of LPs and CDs along for us to listen to, which I always appreciate, as I love listening to albums I haven't heard yet, or heard in a long time.

On the "Hello, goodbye" Audio Note (UK) front, I had mentioned to Alden it would be a last chance for him to listen to the Mighty Meishu 300B integrated amplifier (review HERE), as it would be heading off to its new home next week.

Sigh. It's always a sad day to say "goodbye" to such a fine amplifier. I sure do appreciate Peter Qvortrup allowing me write a series of articles about his Audio Note (UK) creations for all of you, they really are something special. 

For our listening session we listened to both the formidable Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player (review HERE) as a digital source, and the equally formidable Io I moving-coil cartridge & AN-S4 step-up transformer as an analog source (review HERE). 

Along with the full suite of Audio Note (UK) silver interconnect and loudspeaker cables connecting them all together, this system was spectacular on my big Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers. 

Peter had described to me how one of his goals in audio was to develop complete audio systems that were accurate in timbre & tonality, delivered an authoritative presentation of the music, and preserved the authenticity of the original recording styles. 

Peter's audio creations do that in spades, and both Alden and I were quite mesmerized by the performance of the Audio Note (UK) components. 

Alden mentioned to me a USACE colonel had just retired, and she was looking to get vacuum tube integrated amplifier as the basis for a new audio system. Did I have any recommendations?

Boy do I! One of the things about Audio Note (UK) audio systems, is they are the easiest recommendation ever for someone wanting to assemble a new system, as you can get a source-to-speakers system in one-stop-shopping, and you know it is going to sound great on any kind of music you want to listen to. 

After Alden left, it dawned on me that I should have mentioned that the colonel was welcome to stop by for a visit to get a feel for what the Audio Note (UK) kit can do.

So, Alden, if you happen to read this, please extend an open invitation to the colonel for a visit. 

On the "Hello" Audio Note (UK) front, I mentioned to Alden that we should get together again when the Audio Note (UK) Tomei 211 SET integrated arrives in a month or so for another listening session. Perhaps the colonel would like to join us to experience that Audio Note (UK) magic?

While I was visiting with Alden, I got a text from Doc Leo.

The Good Doctor finally got a weekend off from the surgery, and was wondering if there was anything going on. 

I suggested a session of hi-fi fun & games for tomorrow. Leo's always enjoyed listening to the Meishu, so one last listen before it departs seemed in order.

In fact Leo's favorite demo room at the Pacific Audio Fest both this year and last year was the Audio Note (UK) room featuring the Meishu and other delicacies.  

I was particularly impressed with the AN-E/LX Hemp Speakers with dedicated stands in combination with the Meishu. 

So one last listening session tomorrow with the Meishu seemed in order. More hi-fi fun & games!

Leo's also got a pair of Westminsters, so being able to hear fine audio kit on a familiar pair of West's is always a treat (and temptation).  

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Friends Doc Leo and Santos stopped by on Sunday for some hi-fi fun & games, and to give the Meishu a proper send-off on its journey to a new home.

It's always a treat to have a little wine tasting event along with a little hi-fi listening, with Leo and Santos bringing along some very tasty wines for us to enjoy while we listened. 

From left to right in the photo above is a Gordon Brothers 1998 Tradition that Santos brought along, a Woodward Canyon 2016 Artist Series #25 Cabernet Sauvignon courtesy of Leo, a Mark Ryan 2021 Board Track Racer 'The Shift' Syrah / Mourvèdre / Grenache blend & Dumas Station 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon contributed by yours truly, and the Cayuse Vineyards 2013 Flying Pig from Leo. 

All of these delectable wines were from the Walla Walla Valley, except for Gordon Brothers 1998 Tradition, which was from Pasco, WA, in the Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area. If you are into wines, check these out, they are something special.  

The twenty-five year old Gordon Brothers 1998 Tradition and the Cayuse Vineyards 2013 Flying Pig were amazing. Alas, we only managed to explore those two grand wines, so we've got more tasting to do at our next listening session!

To make sure we had enough to eat during our wine tasting I laid out a nice selection of charcuterie to include a selection of cheeses, baked Mediterranean style crackers, truffle salami, grapes, chocolate, pizza, and other goodies. 

For listening, the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x (digital source), Io I MC cartridge & AN-S4 silver SUT (analog source), Meishu 300B SET integrated amp, AN-V silver interconnects, and AN-SPe silver speaker cables, were a real treat to listen to on my big Duelund-ized Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers. 

We did the usual thing and listened to all kinds of jazz, blues, classical, and I even snuck in some 78 transfers. 

Leo spotted my copy of the 1967 USSR recording of Georges Bizet, Rodion Shchedrin, The Strings' Group Of The USSR Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducting the Carmen-Suite (HERE on Discogs), which quickly became the star of our listening session. 

Peter Qvortrup recommended to me this hard to find LP on the Мелодия ‎label (C 01659 - 60), and it is a truly spectacular performance with superb sound quality.

I noticed there's a few copies available on Discogs, so if you interested in this LP act quickly, as they won't be available for long.

We listened to this magnificent LP all the way through with only a few sips of choice beverages to interrupt our listening reverie.  

Some albums just demand one's attention, and this is one of them!

After hearing Rozhdestvensky conducting the Carmen-Suite, Doc Leo (above right) inquired about the pricing of duplicating the Audio Note (UK) Io I MC cartridge & AN-S4 silver SUT, Meishu 300B SET integrated amp, AN-V silver interconnects, and AN-SPe silver speaker cables combination for his own pair of Westminsters.  

I suspect Leo will be a happy new Audio Note (UK) customer in the not too distant future! 

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It certainly was a nice week of visiting with friends, listening to good music, and playing hi-fi games. 

We all whispered a fond adieu to the Mighty Meishu, as it starts its journey to its new home. 

Ok, that's all for now. Wishing you all a great weekend!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!