ralentor

I think you'll like them. I don't own the KSC75, but I do own the earlier KSC50, which are very similar. In fact, they share the same drivers. Be aware that these phones are very "open", meaning others will be able to hear what you're listening to quite clearly. And they are not all that durable, so I recommend keeping them in a small jewelry bag or even a plastic baggie to provide some protection from getting carried around. (I carry my Xtra, my portable headphone amp, and the E4c's in an old Case Logic portable CD player bag that I had lying around for my old Sony Discman that no longer works.) Koss provides a lifetime warranty on all their phones, so no need to worry if the KSC75's break.

QUOTE (paganoman @ May 26 2006, 02:01 PM) Ok so you recommend the Koss KSC75 clip-on phones? What are the ones you are using? Talk to me. It makes that big a difference, eh? Huge difference, actually. Like night-and-day difference. It's that dramatic. I can't even stand to listen to the stock earbuds that came with my Xtra now. I'm using the Shure E4c IEMs, and yes, they are expensive. But you can find them for much less than $300. In fact, at Todd the Vinyl Junkie's site (www.ttvj.com), you can get the following price by requesting an e-mail quote: Thanks for choosing Todd The Vinyl Junkie. On Fri May 26 14:17:04 MDT 2006 you requested our best price on the 'Shure E4c'. Our best price is: $189.00 The definitive site for headphone freaks is www.head-fi.org. But don't start hanging out there, or your wallet will be much thinner! There are great headphones in all price ranges, but I suggest you start on the inexpensive side, and that's why I recommended the Koss KSC75.

That's it! What is that? Dude...dude, dude, dude. You must ditch the buds that came with the Xtra and replace them with something that wil do justice to Rush's recordings. For a very inexpensive but major improvement, I recommend the Koss KSC75 clip-on phones. At only $11.75 at Amazon, you will be kicking yourself for not upgrading sooner.

I'm listening through Shure E4c in-ear monitors on my Zen Xtra, and it's definitely there. I suppose it could be an MP3 artifact, but I don't think so. This is most likely a "headphone only" sound.

QUOTE (paganoman @ May 26 2006, 08:02 AM) Ok ralentor. It took me a while, but I finally took a hard listen to Losing It to catch that keyboard switchover. Found out I didn't really need to listen very hard, just be aware of it. And then I realized that I sort of always was aware of it. You bring up something that's always been a strongpoint to me, and that is in the way they've traded off the melody from one instrument to another like that. It's been done in many other songs in the same manner it's been done here in Losing It. And when I've been lucky enought to catch it, it's always a highlight to me. A good standout example (for those who aren't getting it) can be found in Tom Sawyer when it's heading into the solo. Listen to the keyboard melody that begins at 1:33 then is accompanied by Alex at 1:52. Then Geddy takes the melody on base so Alex can play the solo. It all reconverges again at the end of the solo. For me, I like ralentor's more subtle and hidden find in Losing It. Listen around the other songs for more tradeoffs like that. They kick ass!!!!!! Excellent, dude. C'mon - I'm up for more!! Yes, that short keyboard melody in Losing It isn't very hard to hear, but it tends to be drowned out by the power chords and cymbal crashes to the point that it is overlooked by the casual listener. While I was listening for the melody trade-off you mentioned in Tom Sawyer, I discovered a high-pitched, discordant note behind Geddy's voice beginning at 1:22 (at the same time that Geddy sings "wide"), and ending a second later at 1:23 (just as Geddy finishes singing "wide"). Since it's off-key, I don't think it's an intentional sound. Maybe it's caused by feedback from his mic.

I think Neil may have used a guiro to make that scraping sound in Witch Hunt, as seen here. This is just an educated guess, of course. Maybe someone with more knowledge will enlighten us. And thanks for your compliments. It's nice to have found someone else who appreciates the little details in Rush songs, especially since my wife can't stand their music at all.

Ok, here's another one for you, paganoman, this time hidden in the background of Witch Hunt. At 2:04, right before Geddy sings the line Quiet in conscience, calm in their right, there is a brief percussive sound that is hard to describe, but it sounds sorta like a stick being dragged across a picket fence. I might've thought it was just an unintentional sound that somehow crept into the recording, but it happens again right after Neil hits the low toms twice at 2:12. Anybody know what this sound is?

Thanks for the kind words, paganoman. I'm glad you liked those two hidden gems. I'm always looking for little details buried in Rush songs, so I'll try to find some more for you. Since I got my Zen Xtra MP3 player and some Shure E4c in-ear monitors, I've rediscovered Rush in a big way and purchased several of the remasters including AFTK, Permanent Waves, MP, Signals, GUP, PoW, & Counterparts. I still need to grab remasters for FBN, CoS, 2112, Hemispheres, RTB, and TFE. I also don't have the remasters for Presto or HYF, but since those albums aren't my favorites and I already own the original CDs, I may not bother. I also picked up VT a few months ago, and while I love the music, the digital distortion made it unlistenable. I couldn't believe how bad it was, especially considering this was a Rush CD. Luckily, MitA sent me his remasters (the original remaster and his EQ'd remaster) which are both very clean. I prefer his EQ'd remaster as it reins in the bass a little, bringing out the subtle details of VT that can't be distinguished otherwise.

This may have already been mentioned, but just in case... There's a lot of little cool things played by Alex in the intro to The Camera Eye. Two of these that the casual listener might miss are: 1. At 1:00 (according to my MP3 player), Alex hits a note and then a quick, muted harmonic at 1:01 together with a light snare tap from Neil. This harmonic echoes for a few seconds and slowly fades into the gurgling keyboards. 2. Shortly after that at 1:07 through 1:08, Alex slides his pick gently down the guitar strings for a really cool background effect. This tends to be overshadowed by Neil's rolling snare here, so listen closely with headphones.