Recent Activity

The only requirements are Toslink inputs and only need two channels. Will be using with a Samsung...

I just listened to Paul McGowan explain that turning SS equipment on and off degrades the capacit...

Preparing to ship via FedEx an Esoteric K-03 from MO to Toronto.  Factory triple-boxed, and at ro...

I purchased the sevens and a pb 2000 pro subwoofer for my pc. I just wanted to do a review and sa...

I ordered a Topping D90iii Discrete to hopefully replace my 4-5 yo Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 ~20...

I've been repairing/restoring/rehabilitating a great 30-year old pair of speakers and I have some...

Hi, Folks - On a whim I purchased a like new 1983 Sonographe SG-3 turntable because I previously...

The addition of both the AQ tornado HC and Source power cords to my dac and amp proved a bit of a...

My OKTAN6 system based on my six-way horn loudspeakers, with custom field coil compression and mi...

• Is it not " How System Curious Are You? " in place of  " How competitive are you ... (pindac)
• @kennyc  i sometimes wonder just how my system ranks with other systems, although... (rvpiano)
• What matters to me is whether I'm moved by my system. I’ve had friends with far m... (stuartk)
• Mihorn has shown my case. Here is the direct transfer: https://youtu.be/CoOp12ay... (toddalin)
• I did not realize that I was supposed to build a system that competed with other. ... (milpai)
• If you think about it, if one were to use AI, they could do a digital rendition of... (toddalin)
• I don't know how or why my system got so darned competitive; I'd like to think tha... (immatthewj)
• My take is that I think it’s almost impossible not to wonder how your system comp... (kennyc)
• I'm kind of anti-competitive.  I see speakers or gear on Stereophile and think "W... (erik_squires)
• I don’t care what others think of mine. There’s  likes are no business of mine.  (triton20trx)
• @cleeds That’s because you don’t know how to use it. It will tell you if a syste... (toddalin)
• I don't see how any reasonable evaluation via youtube is possible.  First, it take... (larryi)
• toddalin ... a good YouTube video can go a long way, and while you’ll never port... (cleeds)
• @mwinkc I only know people with the best ears. They come listen and they won't lea... (bjesien)
• "The only bragging rights would be for "how much was spent" which is at least obje... (toddalin)
• IMO, I was not in competition, but rather trying to learn what is this high end au... (joeycastillo)
• I could more think more deeply about my competitive nature and how it relates to a... (ohlala)
• In those sort of crazy car stereo competitions, there was a criteria and a fixed g... (larryi)
• Not sure if "competitive" is the correct term here. I think a better question wou... (carlso63)
• Do you try to rank your system with others’?    NO Or are you content with enjoyin... (westcoastaudiophile)
• I like my system. No interest in comparisons. (tomcarr)
• Always room to improve no pun intended @asvjerry  (gano)

• @daveyf seeing how the moderation is here, I may just prefer WBF. I can't stand li... (gano)
• @carlsbad2  "they choose who they let in". No, they choose who they want to favor ... (daveyf)
• @unclewilbur you are so kind! @theophile I am trying to stoop to your level, but ... (gano)

• Also, to add to @kennyc 's question, how are you planning to connect the Samsung T... (jeffbij)
• What’s your budget? Just to be clear, you want a “receiver” that has AM/FM Radio ... (kennyc)

• Well, you finally described the sonic differences between the tubes.  That’s what ... (soix)
• Hey soix, I truly don't get what you don't get. Call it a draw between the two li... (teajay)
• In what ways do they part ways?  That’s really what I was asking. You seem hesitan... (soix)
• Hey soix, Both preamps have none existent noise floors, offer excellent overall d... (teajay)
• Therefore, the difference between the two line-stages is which tubes they use. Wh... (soix)

• and for sure I acknowledge that people who grew up around guns feel differently, I... (gano)
• @nonoise right, I would just repeat myself. But I would like to point out you star... (gano)
• @gano Same here re: agree to disagree.  Guns have been in movies since the beginn... (nonoise)
• @nonoise agree to disagree. I would not point a functioning gun at a person. Point... (gano)
• @gano Baldwin wasn't playing with the gun. He was holding it like he was supposed ... (nonoise)
• @nonoise Baldwin pulled the trigger. HE killed a person. The End.  Everything els... (gano)
• Like @immatthewj, I’m a liberal progressive who was raised in a home with firearms... (nonoise)
• the game began @immatthewj , they are removing comments that mention removing comm... (gano)
•  In other words, I think that the snowflakes report and the mods delete I argue... (gano)
• @gano , first off, there are a couple of members I am trying not to interact on th... (immatthewj)
• 3 of my comments were just removed.  One of them was I will watch the Elephant ... (gano)

• McCormack recommends leaving it on all the time.  I did this and my amp lasted 30 ... (soix)
• I put my integrated amp into standby when done listening.  My DAC doesn’t have a s... (audphile1)
• I do not subscribe to that philosophy.    Many devices today have a standby or rem... (oddiofyl)
• Turn them off.  Heat and cost matter.   The exception to this is some Class D, li... (erik_squires)

• I think you’re going to like ATC. One other speaker that I can think of that does ... (audphile1)
• Thanks audphile1, There is a Dealer 10 min off of my commute in Saratoga. I will s... (chippieboy)
• Moving from panel speaker to box, prepare to have your soundstage shrunken in widt... (jhnnrrs)
• The LFT-8B should fit the bill! https://www.eminent-tech.com/main.html (yogiboy)
• Since you like panels, look at these https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbecib-m... (tablejockey)
• @jsalerno277 +1. IMHO your streamer, DAC, and phono pre could all be significantly... (soix)
• I do not believe the Logan’s are your weakest link.  I believe the weakest link is... (jsalerno277)

• Take a look at the Kirmuss Adrenaline cables and reviews https://kirmussaudio.com... (audiophil1959)
• Would highly recommend duelund cables;   very comparable to my Cardas reflections... (glenmschneider)
• I have borrowed a number of sub-$1,500 speaker cables from The Cable Company in re... (robhny)
• I would check out the reconditioned Cerious Tech Matrix line. (sidog1460)
• +1 Silversmith Audio's FIDELIUM speaker cable - many reported as sonic bargain  (kennyc)
• Triode Wire Labs.  Under budget if you need 6 feet or less, $49 over budget if you... (mdalton)
• https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/thiel-owners-2 (pindac)
• It would be helpful if you define the improvements you are looking for.  However, ... (jsalerno277)
• Given your system, I would think you would want cables that are on the natural mus... (ghdprentice)
• @mike_in_nc +1, very short speaker cables is best! Mike (ditusa)
• If you locate the monoblocks next to the speakers and use very short cables, the i... (mike_in_nc)
• Forgot to mention Silversmith Fedelium cables. A bit over your budget but outstand... (soix)

• Thanks, Mulveling.  Similar to Stereo5's reply, this does have Esoteric's triple b... (mbump)
• That is easily within Ground’s abilities to ship reliably. Especially triple boxed... (mulveling)
• Triple box it and put it on a pallet (68pete)
• When i bought my Esoteric UX3 from Ralph at SpearIt Sound,  i received it in the t... (stereo5)
• Ground should be fine as long as it’s insured. (hk_fan)

• @hifidream    Do you know of a published manufacturer frequency response ( ex. -xd... (m-db)
• @dbastin Haha. Yes I guess you could count them that way. I certainly don’t lack a... (hifidream)

• Depends on music, mood and environment (sleeping spouse, guests, etc.) (deecee)

• Not counting cables, mostly new but B-stock. Current components were put together ... (deecee)
• To my own amazement, 95% new.  Including some dealer demos sent back to MFG for re... (coppy777)

• Just keep it on 24/7 and play music thru it as much as you can. It’s going to be f... (audphile1)
• Ya, I have the volume up 90% on my phone. This setup is only for breaking in the a... (dman777)
• If you are using Bluetooth then the volume on your phone needs to be raised.  it’s... (audphile1)
• I am using balanced inputs from the Eversolo to the Moon Audio amp. Would that mea... (dman777)
• @dman777 matter of sensitivity and gain matching. Don’t worry about it for now. Br... (audphile1)
• So, you are using your DAC straight into the amp... that is the issue. It is the i... (ghdprentice)
• So far I have about 10 hours on it. I am starting to hear the beauty come out of i... (dman777)

• I have Klipsch the sevens and a pb 2000 pro sub for my pc. Fantastic and then some... (jarablue)

• I'm certainly not the first to say this, and surely won't be the last, but the str... (sns)
• Thanks @sns  I do realize there’s a lot of irrelevant tasks in the mac mini that ... (audphile1)
• I purchased both the SonicTransporter and Roon Nucleus, but returned the ST7. I fo... (ecat026)
• @audphile1 Roon Core is where vast majority of processing goes on, the relatively ... (sns)
• Get a Roon Nucleus Plus revision A on Ebay or USAM around $600.00. Upgrade the pow... (audiovicker)
• Mac fanboy, have all their products. However, for music, I do not use any Mac gear... (mswale)
•   sns 3,887 posts 06-30-2025 at 09:41am  Adding a quality Endpoint to a sto... (audphile1)

• Anyone hear LAIV’s offering yet? (f1a)
• So far I am satisfied with Class D Audio’s mono blocks. Gonna say it takes around ... (hbarrel)
• Not ClassD bust I do have GaN amplifiers from AGD and Gold Note. Have also had the... (foggyus91)
• Anyone have experience with the latest ClassD Audio GaN 6. It may be below everyon... (jkenton)

• By the way, to anyone's knowledge, has Dan d'Agostino ever publicly commented on t... (devinplombier)
• also, @bulldogger purchased, I quote, "a used Krell KSA-i400 from High Performance... (devinplombier)
• @bulldogger  Thank you for the reassuring update.  I read your post with interest ... (jwei)
• @devinplombier Just got off the phone with Steve. Steve has the Krell servers. Web... (bulldogger)

• In regards to Isobar surge protectors, I stand corrected... but!! It seems that th... (erik_squires)
• Premium Safety Features Automatic shutoff permanently cuts power to outlets if p... (jea48)
• OP:   Let me geek a little more on Tripp Lite.  I have 3-4 of the Isobar surge pr... (erik_squires)

• I did have problems with the "card" that accepted the internet input on my DirectS... (yesiam_a_pirate)
• I have lots of PS gear now, and have had various PS gear for 35 years...never a si... (jl35)
• The Directstream DAC's are built to last.  We upgrade them currently and are hard ... (jk_richards)
• I have a PS Audio Stellar Gold Preamp, a pair of M700 Monoblock amps, and a Direct... (kmcong)
• Whomever informed you there is a 20 year usable life is misinformed.   I have a va... (jsalerno277)
• The only issue I’ve had with my BHK preamp is having to replace the tubes at about... (pollockg)
• They have a great service department if needed....   Good company, good stuff (stringreen)
• No, this is not a question for my GP! (jpwarren58)
• I have a broken down Sprout. Any suggestions? (jpwarren58)
• Perhaps the "20-year" clock is when PS thinks it needs to be serviced and recapped... (bipod72)
• PS Audio did have some build issues in the past when their gear was assembled in C... (hifiman5)
• Have alot of ps audio equipment including fr30.talked with cris and paul took the ... (mark200mph)

• I take the old arm board to a plastic fabricator in town and have a new one cut, i... (viridian)
• Here ya go! https://www.etsy.com/listing/769507640/kenwood-kd-500-kd-550-tone-arm... (yogiboy)

• I retired from UPS. Back in the day if they saw you mishandling a package you woul... (thankful)

• Thanks, Paul McGowen then, that makes sense, not Paul Gowan. Dionne Warwick rescin... (viridian)
• Paul McGowan , president and one of the original founders of PS audio  (oddiofyl)
• I'll bite, who is Paul Gowen? Thank you. (viridian)
• Devil's Advocate here: I can see why one might turn off comments after reading rel... (ecat026)
• He constantly railed against cancel culture....oh the irony, the Godzilla of iron... (hilde45)
• @audioman58  https://youtube.com/shorts/1z2B9FI9qPY?feature=shared this is a shor... (gkelly)
• You only have to click on his user name to see that carlos269 registered in 2000. (viridian)
• @carlos269 -- Carlos, I don't know how long you have been an Audiogon member, but ... (allenf1963)
• Back when Chuck aka MCarbon posted here frequently, i called him out as “ a low sa... (tomic601)
• oddiofyl ... these guys are not professional reviewers , they are the Kardas... (cleeds)
• It's left up to me to decide what reviews are valid or just entertainment. Comment... (gdaddy1)
• OCD Mikey. Has the best tips on Mary Jane  quality , his word is the final word n... (audioman58)
• Business are not countries; they are not prevented from blocking anybody they want... (larsman)
• I have had some  comments removed from certain audiophile You Tube sites.  (jasonbourne71)
• Is anyone surprised that youtube is just a commercial that you volunteer to watch?... (mswale)
• @tablejockey Some one must be buying because he is opening a B&M Store in Tenn... (foggyus91)
• He constantly railed against cancel culture....oh the irony, the Godzilla of irony... (jpwarren58)
• here you go on you tube https://www.youtube.com/@MillercarbonsTheAudioFiles @Mil... (yags1)
• @hilde45 exactly. MC claimed to know a lot, maybe he did, but he went out of his w... (kerrybh)
• IMO, anyone with "influencer" in their job title isn't getting any views or listen... (roadcykler)
• Miller Carbon was on this site and posted prolifically. He seemed to know a lot, ... (hilde45)
• Can those "influencers" you guys are talking about please post a list of user name... (rsf507)

• tweak1   So glad the RAL umbilical is also such an improvement for you.  Still goi... (lcherepkai)
• I upgraded a Perpetual Tech setup I had some years ago with the Revelation cro'd s... (sns)
• I also have a RAL DC cable from my HD Plex LPS to my Legacy Audio Wavelet II. It r... (fthompson251)
• I have completed a set of RAL umbilical cords recently, and offer: 1. The cables ... (westborn)

• I have always lived in small towns.  Like, thats John because he is driving "A".  ... (guscreek)
• Can't a person wish against bad things in the abstract and not be censored?  So... (immatthewj)
• @devinplombier - I thought it was Rupert Murdoch and his son who enable FN to be w... (larsman)
• if we avoided these sort of arguments, maybe we would be left with more civil dis... (devinplombier)
• This will help. Time well spent: https://www.dignity.us (waytoomuchstuff)
• It seems that when it gets nasty here, a lot of people resort to standard argument... (kerrybh)
• benjamminva ... the best way to weed out those that do not conduct themselves ... (cleeds)
• Money breeds entitlement for most. Plus advertising/marketing preaches buy the bes... (jpwarren58)
• Even in a post pointing out that this has devolved from a respectful audio chat si... (benjamminva)
• Over the decades of joining and leaving forums like this, I've found that there ar... (bipod72)
• I haven’t dealt with a brick and mortar audio store in decades. I decided 3 decade... (rbstehno)
• @benjamminva i try to be mindful when people call me for items.  A lot of guys don... (calvinj)
• I find the best way to weed out those that do not conduct themselves with respect ... (benjamminva)
• On the contrary I have found this to be around a thoughtful and reflective thread.... (bruce19)

• My phone number is on my website. (bpwalsh)
• I go all over. Just got back from doing setups in Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Cin... (bpwalsh)
• Hi, Brian - Thank you for jumping in here. I'm about a half hour South of Green B... (rbschauman)
• Hi, Mike sent a link to this thread. I'm actually in the Madison area today doing... (bpwalsh)
• Thank you, Karl! Ultra Fidelis did cross my mind, and Jon is a Vandersteen dealer ... (rbschauman)
• Thank you, Mike! A bit of a commute but not out of reach. Exactly the help I'm lo... (rbschauman)
• If you are near Milwaukee, the crew at Ultra Fidelis can help you.  Jon is a great... (karl_desch)
• Brian Walsh, who lives north of Chicago, is a well respected turntable set-up guy.... (mikelavigne)

• Well I don’t think you can have too much of a good thing with Veritas cables.  The... (tksteingraber)
• I have a Mirus ethernet, Nexum digital cable, 2 Praesto PCs,  Argentum X balance I... (kclone)

• Hi Thanks for the responce. Yes, my description is vague but maybe somehow I'll ge... (bzawa)
• I did! There was lots of music that sounded like that on New Sounds! (jasonbourne71)

• +1 @gdaddy1  When your system throws great images, no point is not watching them ... (milpai)
• Eyes opened (reading) for a while before going into sleep mode... (lanx0003)
• Closed.  Every time. Easier to lose the speakers and become immersed in the sounds... (tomcarr)

• Thanks, all — very helpful! -H (hsimon46)

• @v-fi  This is a somewhat frustrating response. So you don’t know how or why ther... (mgrif104)
• Another vote for Roon. Some people claim they hear a downgrade in quality when usi... (v-fi)

• @johnnotkathi thank you so much for the response and help. Unfortunately I had alr... (alexandersturm10)

• @audphile1 So true. The transient speed along with full micro detail capture is qu... (sagur80)
• My experience with AQ Thunder and Tornado mimics yours.  The Hurricane is better b... (audphile1)

• @mahler123 SACDs seem around 25% higher on Amazon That's why I mainly buy from... (richardbrand)
• I am not sure about the price equivalency comment…SACDs seem around 25% higher on ... (mahler123)

• Congrats on the new system. Enjoy it while you can.  (spenav)
• Congratulations.. now time to enjoy it. as others have said, run the ARC before yo... (joeycastillo)

• @mahgister, what I am hearing from you, while listening to Scriabin played by Rich... (audio-b-dog)
• Horowitz is able to play everything more than well.... But Scriabin music ask for ... (mahgister)
• @maghister, I applaud you for writing about music. So few poems attempt to. I'm g... (audio-b-dog)
• To my fellow poets, @mahgister and @audio-b-dog , thanks for your contributions!  ... (stuartk)

• @wsrrsw  - Excellent numbers.  Now just watch it during the day. :)  (erik_squires)
• This is with the stereo playing a bit louder than normal (wsrrsw)
• @bigtwin  Have you finished your basement project?  Can you share what it is tha... (goodlistening64)
• Big twin, if you come across loose electrical connections, it’s important not to j... (oldelectricalinspector)
• Once again Erik has nailed it!   Well said rich (oldelectricalinspector)
• @atmasphere I'm curious if you think the reason the "commercial AC power conditio... (palasr)

• I would expect a Linn Dealer or any Dealer that is Vending TT's is grounded with a... (pindac)
• I heard a 50th anniversary LP12 several times at a local Linn dealer in Ann Arbor,... (smatsui)
• @newton_john I'm not at liberty to discuss cost. The design I have referenced is ... (pindac)
• @pindac Thank you. That’s good new for anyone looking to buy a Keel. Fortunately... (newton_john)

• Angels & Airwaves-"I-Empire" UK, 2LP, 45RPM, Deluxe/Limited Edition, Black/Bl... (mofimadness)
• S.M.V.-"Thunder" UK, 2LP, Limited Edition (Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor... (mofimadness)

• I ended up trying  Use Musicnomad Equipment Care, The Piano One with... (rayray57)
• @vitussl101 If you look at the finish for KEF speakers they are high gloss hard fi... (rayray57)
• I'm not sure what you mean by 'piano finish'.  Ask Kef what they recommend. I can ... (vitussl101)

• avanti1960, Old thread. Happy to address.  Today, I have underneath my amp(s) 6-... (ozzy)
• @ozzy  There is no good reason to use any kind of maple or other block under your... (avanti1960)

• On my 2nd Ekornes stressless. 1st one lasted about 15 years and would still be per... (sokogear)
• Ekornes Stressless recliner and ottoman… there’s a reason why they are relatively ... (coppy777)

•  isten to as much gear as necessary; only you know that.  Trust what you like and ... (vitussl101)

• @paulietunes  If you feel confident with adjusting the height of the Pillar for th... (pindac)

• @77jovian  “I like the Treos, but I have really fond memories of Thiel 2 2's that... (beetlemania)

• I assume the implication is that proprietary designs can overcome whatever limitat... (v-fi)
• @hgeifman good info. I agree particularly with your emphasis on the analog part. I... (kraftwerkturbo)

• whenever i get a bad Vinyl pressing, i just trade it back at a local Vinyl store (joeycastillo)
• I concur with your digitally sourced pressings paragraph. I don’t seek them out b... (mikelavigne)
• @mikelavigne, I concur with your digitally sourced pressings paragraph. I don't se... (vuch)
• I wish you could have thrown them my way. Especially now we have found out just ... (mikelavigne)
• @jsd52756 “Not quite lathe chips, but that turntable (Garrard Zero 100) was deplor... (mylogic)
• @mikelavigne  the first thing i did was to pull out all the digitally sourced pr... (richardbrand)
• Yeah, I hate that. I typically listen to it for a while to set if it grows in me a... (medium_grade)

• The use of AI for such Basic Info is ridiculous as a practice. Three Searches usi... (pindac)
• reading your posts and dilemmas, I can only say (not without sarcasm) that I don’t... (gano)

• @Icherepkai    Can't thank you enough! https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/r... (tweak1)
• OH MY. First notes are  FIM Super Sounds  kettle drum Fanfare for the common man. ... (tweak1)

• I've heard the Helene DAC in a really great system and it was excellent. Really op... (v-fi)

• I currently have a Marantz Cinema 40 driving my Kef meta r11's , kef meta r6 cente... (vardakannan)

• @jrareform You could think of it that way for sure. I can't imagine buying anythin... (v-fi)

• Great post and comments.  I also wondered about this too. Having access to a Grand... (joeycastillo)

• +1 on Mogami XLRs.  My suggestion would be to find a used (or new) SoundSmith MIMC... (karl_desch)
• Mogami noted above is fine. Many of our treasured records experience mogami right ... (tomic601)
• Not only is it affordable, but the Mogami like 2534 quad XLR cable (w/ Neutrik con... (lanx0003)
• I've checked on xlr cables like mogami and they are cheap enough, less than 100.00... (missioncoonery)
• I have used AntiCables interconnects for years, when I don’t want to make my own. ... (lewm)

• We have to keep in mind that the A in DAC stands for Analog, so in order for a DAC... (tonyrox)

• The following is from a review of a Cable in both Speaker and Interconnect I have ... (pindac)

• I know it can always sound better with a better component, but the incremental imp... (sokogear)
• I am happily at a place where I am satisfied with my components and vibration cont... (sokogear)

• I use the old SME/Sure headshell on my 3009 non-improved but was impressed (years ... (dekay)
• Most of us go on the assumption that any head shell with a bayonet mount will fit ... (lewm)

• What streaming service are you using, and have you gone into the menu to make sure... (jl35)
• You need a pre-amp, or a streamer with a built in pre-amp. This will provide the b... (mswale)

• Ok a little update on the GUSTARD X30. I don't think it's fully settled down just ... (nativebon)