audio-b-dog

Responses from audio-b-dog

Upgrade ....streamer or amp?
I was streaming through my computer into a Chord Qutest which I thought sounded good for about $2K. I tried it out against several Chinese DACs a little lower in price, and I thought the Chinese DACs sounded... too digital. Crispy critters. I upg... 
There is no substitute for cubic inch or in this case surface area
My listening room is 20'x15' with wooden floors (with an 8x12 carpet) and windows. What I don't want are woofers that are so powerful they rattle my windows and shake my floors, adding bass distortions. I have a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova ... 
Shakti Stone
I was given a Shakti Stone as a present from someone I helped to get hired for a job as a software engineer. I kept it for several years moving it here and there, trying to locate the power source on components so that I could put it on top. I hea... 
Have you reached your end point with this addictive hobby?
I could happily upgrade forever, but I have hit some big limitations, mostly in $$$. Upgrading my system would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. And I'm not simply spending my money. I have a wife who wants a new car but will most probably n... 
Need to learn about Audio Research
I've owned a PH-3 and PH-7 phono preamps. Both excellent for their time. I grew out of the PH-3 and looked in the used market for an upgrade and found a PH-7 in Canada. I didn't think there was anything new or used in its price range that was as g... 
The new dCS Varese DAC...it is so good that all others are now relegated to history??
rikkipuu struck a nerve with me and perhaps put his finger on what bothered me about the Varese review. It was given many more pages than any other review I can remember. So many pages for perhaps a handful of readers who could consider purchasing... 
Do I need upgraded power cables?
On what I call "fine" changes to your system, in which I include power cables and power conditioners, I don't recommend A/B ing. Have a friend change (or not change) the setup while you leave the room for a while, then walk back in and see if you ... 
The new dCS Varese DAC...it is so good that all others are now relegated to history??
I don't mind reviews from time to time about very expensive audio. I think it would be good, however, if the reviewer would at least nod to the readership that probably less than 1% of us will ever be able to afford this. Perhaps the reviewer coul... 
The new dCS Varese DAC...it is so good that all others are now relegated to history??
It is a judgement. When I go out and buy what I call expensive equipment, I judge myself. I don't have an audio budget, it all comes out of the common fund which includes wife, daughter, grandaughters. In the review, Michael Framer pronounced the ... 
The new dCS Varese DAC...it is so good that all others are now relegated to history??
$250,000. That's a quarter of a million! Should we only decide what to purchase with excess money in the audio world? Wait. Who am I talking to? Who is DCS talking to? If somebody wanted to show me their system and it had a $250,000 digital front ... 
Is there usually a dramatic difference between $5k and $10k cartridges ?
The big question is can you enjoy your $10K cartridge more than I enjoy my $2K cartridge? I ask because I have never enjoyed a system more than my $100 Sears Silvertone suitcase stereo when I was in college. It must have had a steel stylus. Smoke ... 
Turntables currently considered top of the range. Do you know what they are ?
jwei, I purchased a VPI Prime Signature 21 and am very happy with it. It’s about $9K with Fatboy Arm, decent isolation feet. Heavy platter and powerful motor. Standard VPI stuff. I don’t think I could justify spending more on a turntable. IMHO VPI... 
Thinking of changing things up. Need advice on DAC/Streamers
I purchased a Moon 280D DAC/streamer with a slick "Mind 2" user interface. It was the bottom of Moon's line at $4K. At the dealer I compared it to a Linn at more than twice the price and I could not hear the difference. Probably if I'd sat with th... 
When to change a cartridge?
Thank you. I'll look for it on Quobuz and/or Tidal. I'm testing them one against the other to see which one I want to keep.   
When to change a cartridge?
whart, 12,000 is a whole heaping lot of records! I can understand why you thinned them out.  I have about a tenth that many, and that's a lot. Like most people, I will go back to certain records many times before I play a more obscure record. Some...