bsal
Responses from bsal
| Brinkman Balance Comparisons In this league you should also consider the Shindo Garrard 301 set up (table, arm, & cart) for 20k. It uses an idler wheel, and sounds fundamentally different (and better) than any belt-driven table I've heard. That said, I have no experience ... | |
| Best player for Poorly Recorded redbook CDs? Most of my poorly recorded CDs are re-issues of recordings originally issued on vinyl and not remastered. No CD player in my experience makes these sound good. You might want to consider a turntable if you listen to lots of music recorded before t... | |
| Recommended Hi end dealer I highly recommend Don Better at Don Better Audio in Cleveland. Professional jazz/classical guitarist, and one of the nicest, most honest, sincere people I've met. Doesn't carry VS but has Verity, Devore, and some others plus outstanding electroni... | |
| TRL Marantz Sa-14 I've had my modded SA-11 for 4 days now. It's a beautifully built player -- that's for sure. I've got about 75 hours on it. So far I'm very, very pleased. Certinaly a steal for the $$$. I suppose the only players I'd consider "trading up" for are ... | |
| Need help deciding on player for upgrade I've owned the AA and heard the Wadia. IMHO, the AA is warmer, lusher and more forgiving. The Wadia is faster, more detailed, with tighter bass. Both are very fine and right up near the top of the heap. I'd audition before purchase, however, b/c t... | |
| Absolute Best CD Players Out There Under $12k ? I'd add the new dcs one box player to that list. It's $14k new, but at this level it's probably worth a listen. | |
| VAC Ren II, VAC Phi, or ARC Ref 3? I had a VAC Ren II (but not the sigature version). Superb piece. Does everything well. Perhaps just the tiniest little bit warm and veiled when compared with the Aesthetix Janus I replaced it with, but also a bit more holographic. I could happily ... | |
| Linn Unidisk or Musical Fidelity kW SACD or ??? Thanks for the comparison. BTW, are you running the Ayre balanaced through a fully balanced system? That would make a difference. Ayre gear performs best balanced. Also, it occurs to me that at this price level you may want to consider the EMM gea... | |
| Linn Unidisk or Musical Fidelity kW SACD or ??? Also check out Ayre's new Cx5e Universal Player just reviewed in Stereophile. Ayre makes excellent products across the board and has first rate customer service. They also stand behind and their support their gear (and customers) with upgrades to ... | |
| What's after Supratek I had the VAC Renaissance w/phono. Great amp, especially for the $$$. Smooth and liquid with lots of detail and VAC has top notch customer service. I replaced it with an Aesthetix Janus, however, because I wanted more flexibility in the phono stag... | |
| Help Should I make this move? Sammie, Do you already have a analogue rig? If not put your money there before upgrading your digital source. I had a AA Cap II and sold it after buying a $2100 VPI Scout/JMW 9/Dynavector 20x combo. The AA is certainly a great CD player, but it ca... | |
| How does good analog differ from good digital I'll probably catch some flack for this in this forum, but I think you're cheating yourself and your system if your primary source isn't a turntable. In my view, the only reason to even have a CD player in a high-end system is for music you can't ... | |
| AA capitole mk2 VS. Wadia 861 I have owned a Wadia 301 and Audio Aero Cap MkII. Admittedly, the 861 will be a better player than the 301, but to the extent they share the same sonic signature, I prefered the Cap.The Wadia was fast, articulate and transparent. Its problem is up... | |
| Best Sounding LPs Many thanks to all who replied. My shopping list is long! | |
| Reconciling analog and digital playback Another option is to send your 9000ES to Modwright for its "Absolute Truth" tube mods, which run about $1300. I have not heard these but people speak very highly them. If you want to another unit consider the Ayre CX-7 or Audio Aero Prima -- both ... |