charles7
Responses from charles7
| Can recommend some non-fatigue SMALL bookshelf for near-field listening? The Focal Aria 906 dimensions are 153/8 x 87/8 x 11" (390x225x280mm). I use them for moderate-low to low volume - very good sound. | |
| burn in - how important? Not burn-in but warm-up. In reply to an email, Nelson Pass said his First Watt F8 reaches thermal equilibrium after an hour. He also said you can leave it on all the time if the waste of electricity is not a problem for you. | |
| Nietzsche and Runaway Audio Consumption When the Paris Commune was put down [in 1871] with the slaughter of 20,000 working people, Nietzsche wrote: "Hope is possible again! Our German mission isn’t over yet! I’m in better spirit tha ever, for not yet everything has capitulated to Franco... | |
| Advice for Amp to Drive Klipsch Forte IVs The Forte IV are specified at 99 dB sensitivity. A First Watt F8 would likely drive them well - it has no problem with my Focal Aria 906's spec'd at 89.5 dB. Plus a SS or tube preamp. | |
| Line Stage Preamps that blew you away $2500 Edition @fuzztone "Used Sanders line stage." Do you mean Mike Sanders' Quicksilver products? | |
| Recommend an Entry Level Turntable (And maybe an integrated Amp) Yes, the Yamaha integrated amps are good and almost complete for your needs. For example, the A-S501, which lacks only Bluetooth. The A-S501 delivers fine clarity, with perhaps a slight bit of warmth. Since the Yamaha has digital inputs, I chose ... | |
| A decent integrated amp under 2K ... "Look at ...Quicksilver Integrated." +1 It doesn't get very hot -- I can place my hand on it with no problem. The design uses a good number of tubes, but not the huge ones, and it drives each tube well within its parameters, which means long life... | |
| New pre-amp purchase advice The Emotiva Basx PT1, released a few months ago as the successor to the PT-100, has a phono input with a switch for MM or MC among its inputs. I have not heard it. Made in U.S. and sold direct from factory. List US$399. | |
| Tube Preamps that work well with SS amps? "I want to hear about those specific instances of tube preamp + SS amp = soggy sound" Yes, of course. If you put the tube amp on the bottom, under the mayonnaise, the sound will be very soggy. If you put the SS amp on the bottom, it is hardly sog... | |
| Tube Vs. SS Preamps "... the supposed advantages of tubes vs solid state audio. Among several listed reasons for tube gear "sounding" better was that tubes emphasize even order harmonics, whereas solid state emphasizes odd order harmonics" Nelson Pass on two of his ... | |
| Tube integrated amp recommendations The Quicksilver Integrated tube amplifier keeps me happy. Its rated 20 watts are plenty for Focal Aria 906s which are rated at 89.5 dB. Currently $2500. Designer-builder Mike Sanders chose eight 6BQ5 and two 12DW7. I think one reason for so many t... | |
| Ready For Digital Source...Computer? I send a digital stream over wi-fi to a DAC. The quality of the DAC is what counts. Some streams are directly off the Web, so their encoding can make a difference. Other streams are .flac or other files on the PC hard drive, sent out by wi-fi; M... | |
| Audiophile virtues High fidelity systems, like wines, cameras and lenses, and wrist watches, "enjoy" decreasing returns to price. Double the price, and the discernible quality goes up 50 percent. Double the price again, and the discernible quality goes up 10 percent... | |
| Looking for a SS integrated Amplifier recommendation going into a new system Another tube suggestion, Mike Sanders' Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier. It is rated at 20W and drives Focal Aria 906s, rated 89.5 dB, just fine. The Quicksilver replaced a Yamaha A-S501. My music sources and room source are close to yours. | |
| Tube Power vs Solid State Power It isn't true that 20 watts are 20 watts. One may be 40 volts at 0.5 amp, the other 10 volts at 2 amps. But does it matter to the sound? And does the answer to that question depend on the speaker (setting aside cone versus electrostatic design)? |