aball

Responses from aball

What are the effects of cable ties?
Indeed, most cables are shielded these days so there is no worry. Twisting them won't help if they are well shielded to begin with. Check to see with your cable manufacturer if you aren't sure about their shield quality.Now if they aren't shielded... 
System Synergy Theory
From a technical standpoint, the former is definitely true and is so for any piece of equipment in a series chain. This is also why there are so many proponents for "source first" system installations because they feel signal quality goes irrevoca... 
Accidental improvement in performance...cheap
That is great! I love stories like this. A friend of mine has a nice older system with some Energy Conoisseur C8 speakers. We were listening to it one day and there were some rather obivous bass modes rearing their heads up. Laying on the floor we... 
SS Pre-Amp / Tube Amp
This is what I do with my system - although I ended up resorting to horizontal biamplification to get the most of it. So Duke is right on - if your speakers are efficienct enough, there is no problem. But as I find out with my JM Lab Electra 926s,... 
Question, why do some amps double power from...
What you refer to is called "power supply droop" and is mostly due to the limited size of the power transformer. It takes a large transformer to be able to maintain a high enough regulation factor to handle a full doubling into 4 ohms - and a larg... 
Local audio dealer absolutely essential
Bravo! We are in the same boat.Arthur 
Music for toddlers and parents?
Check out Bruce Haack's work. I find it very interesting for children's music.Arthur 
Macintosh vs Pass labs
If you want a McIntosh amp, by all means get one and try it. That way you can make your own decision. You can always resell at no loss if you make a wise purchase. Personally, I feel the latest McIntosh amps have superlative microdynamic detail an... 
Suggestion on interconnects
MIT cables have given me more clarity and space than any others - especially with tube gear. I very highly recommend you try some MIT AVT1 cables. Great value, well made, and sound fantastic. See my system page for more info.Arthur 
Thiel 3.6, what will drive them best?
"Cheap" means $10,000 for some people and $1,000 for others.Also, how loudly do you like to listen? Do you value lots of bass? How large is your room? What is your preamp? Choosing the right amplifier for you and your system will depend on these a... 
For people with experience with Class-A amps
Larryi's comments are correct. If your amp is true Class A all the way, it will be hottest at idle. I think your amp is in fact AB.I have specialized in thermal design for some time now. A two degree difference is insignificant and may not even be... 
The CD you most listened to back in 2007 ?
Probably a tie between The Faint - Danse Macabre and Fischerspooner - Odyssey. 
Naim Nait 2 vs. Rega Mira 3
That is the problem with demos. If you find the 5i and Mira 3 to be hifi, then you need to look for something totally different. You might like a McIntosh MA6400. They can be hard to find but it sounds to me like the perfect candidate for you. It ... 
Entry levels ICs for Classe gear
Great choice of gear and the DALIs would be a perfect match IMO. I spent a lot of time listening to some Euphonia MS4 the other day and they were outstanding with all amps we tried. Not to mention they look beautiful. Anyway, with this gear, I wou... 
Naim Nait 2 vs. Rega Mira 3
I think it simply isn't what you're used to. Give yourself and your stereo some time to get to know each other before making snap judgements. The Naim and the Rega are very different amplifiers so you need to reacquainte yourself with your new sou...