@mapman Well i left out a few speakers including Theil, Apogee..yes i have hit the high life - grateful. I don’t own the MBL but back when i had the right size room for them, Ispent some serious time w them in a dedicated room. The system Wadia spinner DAC, CJ GAT preamp, Musical Fidelity AMS-100 amp, Kubala cables, Elrod power…. pretty fine sonics. As you knows big image but less resolution than a point source. No free lunch.
Bad recordings and high end audio
Hello. Have decided that the kids are out of the house and I can dedicate some space and money to my long ignored hobby. What is different now is there are so few audio stores. I firmly believe in listening to products so thus I start this great new chapter of my life. The first 2 stores I went to the people were very patient with me and I listened to a ton of combinations. They asked me did I want to hear anything else and I said yes, ummm,.. how about Led Zeppelin? I received the same response from both stores which was “all Led Zeppelin recordings are horrible” except for this one version of Led Zeppelin 2…blah blah. So I said what happens if I am at home and i have a desire to play Led Zeppelin or another perceived poor recording? They did not have an answer for me nor did they play Led Zeppelin lol . I ended up ordering a pair of Magnepan 3.7i’s from a different store. 13 weeks until I get them, ouch. I am going to guess that people do listen to poor recordings on great systems because you just want to hear a particular album, right? Or am I missing something? Just looking for a bit of insight. Yes, I know they want it to sound the best so I will buy it but is that the only motivation. Or maybe they hate Led Zeppelin, lol.
Showing 18 responses by tomic601
…and part of my patronage to a particular artist and recording studio is near yearly sponsorship of the LP version of the album they put out. As a consequence, I am quite familiar w the high rez file, the half track 15 ips master and what comes off the LP ( from a super experienced LA based mastering engineer )…. they are night and day different… fun |
Protection copy of what master ? in the case of early Zep most likely the mastering for cutting a lacquer with the goal of being able to play on the average turntable of the day and maybe on a Delco AM/FM car radio of the day, low low bar for bass reproduction indeed. Anybody remember a Delco tweeter in the 70’s ? ah hem…. no. Not really practical to build much of a music collection w legit or bootleg copies of protection tapes, i have two half track machines, ask me how i know. |
yes ! call Alan at HiFi Buys in Atlanta. Good dudes for sure w great sounding rooms. Give him a call. This is our Lab helping audition amplifiers at his store…. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/3803#&gid=1&pid=6 |
Putting Paragon in the mix and well given that you need (3) inputs, you might want to consider a high power Integrated, looks like Paragon carries Mac and Audio Research. ARC isnt the best fit in your budget, speaker choice , local dealer. With the right Mac you might get a built in DAC. man does paragon ask a ton of coin for used ARC preamps…. You imo need audiophile inputs from the Michigan and surrounding states input. IF it were me, hold pat on maggie order but visit Chicago, and a few other places…. |
Funny and ultimately sad story from the mid eighties …. Super die hard Zep fan showed up at the store..wanted a system that could really rock. He left with a nice system with Hafler electronics and ADS 810 speakers. Returned it all the following week because his cherished Zeppelin didn’t sound “ right “ His reference was and remained the Kmart white plastic all in one GE sound system…. His roommate was in a band i mixed sound for…the GE system reigned supreme some four years later… |
There are lots of trustworthy Maggie dealers. The one I frequent carries 20 ish brands of speakers in 8 large showrooms. Ditto for electronics. Dominant in his large local market, a true music lover with > 20 k records and blessed with good musical sense - he has access to any brand. Is he my only dealer relationship? No. Like most things, a mix of dealer, used and direct is the right answer. The maggies require a strong well designed amplifier, suggest you get good advice on that. Without a general budget the conversation is limitless. Best to you on your renewed musical journey. Jim |