avanti1960

Responses from avanti1960

Which Harbeths?
congrats!  the C7s are incredible speakers.  they are also very rich and refined, which really is not a bad thing.  refined is not the absence of excitement and dynamics.  refined is walking the thin line between detail and forgiving so that even ... 
VTA adjustment on Technics 1200G
if cartridge is new it will most likely sound better after 30 to 100 hrs of use.first you should level the top of the headshell on the flat part using a small circular level.  make sure the platter is level ( remove mat first ) .replace mat.  now ... 
Which Harbeths?
I owned the C7ES3 and absolutely loved them- amazing midrange and a smooth rich overall tone with a perfect tweeter that added just the right amount of cymbal sparkle. The 30.2 are very good but can be overly smooth. The choice could come down to ... 
Preamp dilemma
The SLP 05 is an end game piece.  Hands down.   
Looking for integrated better than my Rogue Sphinx
@sunnyjim I have heard the Pharaoh and Sphinx many times and owned the Rogue Cronus Magnum II for over 3 years.  I also had the RP7 preamp and the Stereo 100 power amp.  The Cronus Magnum sounds so much better than the Pharaoh and Sphinx.  No comp... 
Cary Audio SLP-05 or Conrad Johnson ET7 S2
I had a Rogue Audio preamp with 3 levels of switchable gain 3, 12 and 16db.  this proved to be very useful too.   
Which amp would you choose and why - Pass Labs XA-25 or First Watt F8?
@ghdprentice i use the balanced out on my preamp because it goes through another set of tubes.  i  tested it with my previous amp and using balanced out sounded more spacious and 3 dimensional than using single ended out.   
REL vs JL AUDIO
Having owned both here are the pros and cons-JL Audio+Powerful, nice sounding bass with deep impact-Cabinet resonance colored the midrange of my monitors- a deal breaker-Difficult integration even with high level inputs and continuous phase contro... 
Cary Audio SLP-05 or Conrad Johnson ET7 S2
charles,gain is continuously variable- 0 to max on the dual front controls.  right now i have them set to half  
Cary Audio SLP-05 or Conrad Johnson ET7 S2
@langla   your decware amp appears to be an intrgrated amp and does not have high level preamp inputs.  if it did the gain issue would not be a problem with the cary because it has adjustable gain. you could consult with decware, i bet they could ... 
Which amp would you choose and why - Pass Labs XA-25 or First Watt F8?
@aberyclark i wished it did too but i was able to use the balanced outs on my preamp and balanced cables by using a neutrik xlr to rca adaptor at the amp.  sounds better than using rca to rca.   
Cary Audio SLP-05 or Conrad Johnson ET7 S2
never heard the CJ but have been enamored with my SLP 05 for almost a year.  the Cary is warm, smooth, ultra refined and detailed with great dynamics and a crazy deep and wide sound stage.  it has adjustable gain which comes in handy, a two box ey... 
Buying used: Parasound A21 or A21+ ?
i will be putting a silver a21+ up for sale soon. 
Pass XA 25 versus Parasound A21+ - anyone compare?
sounding even better after 8 days.... 
Which amp would you choose and why - Pass Labs XA-25 or First Watt F8?
i have an xa25 that is coming into its own after a week and there are moments of absolute brilliance.  power and drive with my 86db Harbeths is more than adequate.  Also running a Cary tube preamp.