Haha, yeah Star-of-Bethlehem came already planted in our last house. I thinned it out a bit, but it did have some tendencies toward world domination. It was pretty well thwarted by placement next to ostrich ferns and really massive old peonies, but if there had been a garden on the other side of that fence instead of concrete they would have had a hell of time controlling it.

Brecks is part of the "Direct Gardening Association" which are notoriously bad. Once you are on one mailing list, you will get a ton of spam. All of them have poor customer service, terrible shipping issues, and bad quality bulbs. They have rotten BBB and Garden Watchdog ratings, so you don't have to take my word for it:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1787862/anyone-order-from-breck-s-bulbs-before

https://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/183/

https://www.bbb.org/us/in/guilford/profile/catalog-shopping/brecks-0292-90020657/customer-reviews

I’m hopeful they will keep making them. But hard to say - it’s part of the reason I switched to a solid state amp (but I do miss the sound of tubes). https://guitar.com/features/interviews/exclusive-western-electric-confirms-plans-tube-georgia-factory-crisis/

I have a McIntosh C50 driving an MC402 hooked up to B&W 702 S2 signatures with an SVS PB3000 for bass.

I love McIntosh gear, it's the best stereo I've had.

🤤

After they recap it and buy new tubes every decade or two. Tube amps are BIFL in the same way a Rolex is BIFL. They aren't inherently reliable, in fact they are less reliable than many cheaper options, but due to their value people will keep servicing them.

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What about the tubes? I’ve read it’s harder and harder to find replacements.

Have you considered upgrading the air purification of your HVAC system? It might be worthwhile and more cost effective in the long run than trying to do individual rooms one at a time.

I have awesome memories of digging through piles of transistors in old audiophile stores.

I feel like the law of supply and demand means there will always be tubes available … for a certain price.

I've landed some of my biggest catches on my grandfather's old heavers and pier rods. His Penn Senators and Mitchell clickers still run like new. I wish he knew how much I like them.

I feel like I should dress nicer to browse that website

You’re kids suck. I can’t wait for my dad to croak so I can inherit all his cool shit

I'm kinda with you that Op should look for a a more practical gift. To spell it out more it's getting more and more difficult for younger generations to move out and get a place of their own, so with heirloom furniture the OP is either keeping the furniture till his kids make their way out of shitty apartment rentals to have the space to use a nice rocking chair, or the kids are stuck with guilt every move they make to make room for this chair that isn't just a chair it's an emotional attachment.

For that price it had better outlive my grandkids

it also has Celsius

No, I don't think so. They were being manufactured by a company called Sound Values, mid 90s. I think the owners' names were John & Joy Peterson. Great company.

It takes the line level signal from a pre-amp and amplified it to play through speakers. Prior to the 60s, you needed an amp, pre-amp, and speakers to play music. Today all of that fits in a small bluetooth speaker.

That’s awesome. Are they still around?

Be not afraid! Dive in!

It is a speaker amplifier. In the world of traditional stereo setups, most people connect speakers to a receiver, which is essentially a pre-amp and amp combo. The pre-amp let’s you select source and set volume, and the amp takes that information and amplifies the signal to play through the speakers. In this case the amp is not built in to a receiver but is a separate item (as pictured)

I ALWAYS get holes in my smartwool socks. Stopped buying them. Now I own Darn Tough and they almost last too long. I have about 20 pairs now because I like when they come out with new designs and keep buying them. These socks won’t die and now I can barely close my sock drawer.

Pretty much anyone can hear the difference. It’s a completely different technology versus FET driven amps and has an inherently different sound. Whether or not the difference is worth the cost is up to the individual, but the difference is profound.

If you buy one, you won’t have any money left to buy another for the rest of your life.

Admittedly, this is top of the line, though.