calvinandhobbes

Responses from calvinandhobbes

Which speaker among Dali, Dynaudio and Acoustic Energy should I choose?
These were my listening notes on the Dynaudio Excite X34 when I was speaker shopping last year: Dynaudio X34 Excite: ($1995): Looser especially in the low end than the Monitor Audio Silver 300 and the Audio Physic Sparta. Plays rhythms much more ... 
NORDOST vs CARDAS USB cables
@andy2 The difference between USB cables is surprisingly evident even with pretty modest systems such as my own. Last fall, I was loaned some USB cables and got some cheaper USB cables for comparison as I have been in the process of building a dig... 
TONE
My impression is that I can only judge the "rightness" of tone when I hear it. As others have said, some recordings will never sound real on any system. Every so often everything aligns and I hear something reproduced that sounds incredibly real t... 
Sound quality of the Audioquest Dragonfly Red via a good streamer
@soix I did a quick listen to the Dragonfly Red with and without the Jitterbug. My perceptions are that the sound is better with the Jitterbug in. I'm sure many other factors affect the sound that comes out including the quality of the data stream... 
Amazon HD Lower Price
Unfortunately, Amazon HD sounds terrible. 
Denafrips Ares II
+1 to the Pontus II being a big step up from the Ares II. 
dcs bartok vs DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR-PLUS
My suggestion may be to look for a used Terminator Plus. Try it in your system. Compare it to the dcs Bartok at the dealer if you can.If you don't like it, you should be able to sell it for exactly what you paid for it.  That was my thinking in re... 
dcs bartok vs DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR-PLUS
+1 to what @whipsaw said. I've had a Denafrips Pontus II for about 6 weeks. I just listened to a Chord Hugo TT / MScaler combination at a dealer this past weekend as a friend was auditioning amplifiers. The  Chord Hugo TT / MScaler sounded surpri... 
A21SE vs Supernait 3 vs Eci 6 mkII
The A21se sounded better to me than the Supernait 3 with a "faster", more articulate reproduction of music as well as a fuller, more upfront sound. The one area in which I thought the Supernait did better was the ability to play louder or provide ... 
What’s a mistake you made by being impulsive?
@nmmusicman My thoughts exactly about Krell amps in general, which was a bit of a surprise the first time I heard a Krell amp given all of the positive press that they get. I guess how each of us listen is different. 
CD vs FLAC stored on flash drive vs streaming
That's generally what I've heard. My assumption is that the digital file via a CD player or via a flash drive has a shorter signal path to traverse and thus less chance to pick up analog noise along the way compared to the longer signal path that ... 
Wilson Audio Tunetot Loudspeakers Reviewed !
Listening to Wilsons is something I would highly suggest doing before deciding they are the right speaker for you. To me, Wilsons sound great on the usual audiophile measures, but don't sound musical or engaging to me. But, your listening preferen... 
Anyone own/listened to Paradigm Prestige 95s?
I’ve heard them at a dealer with a Parasound Halo Hint 6 integrated amp as well as a Cambridge Azur integrated amp. What I liked about the Prestige 95 was the warm sound and broad soundstage. However, they sounded "slow" and lacking pace to me whe... 
Is $2,844 too much to pay for a fuse?
@oregonpapa The line between "need" and "want" can get blurred more easily the more disposable money someone has.  😄  
Holographic Soundstage ?
Also know that that holographic sound quality is partly due to what's coming out of your source components.I didn't find the Chord Qutest to be particularly holographic in sound. A Denafrips Pontus II made a big difference for me in changing how m...