desktopguy
Responses from desktopguy
| What exactly is critical listening? Who does it? RE: "So, my question is why is this a superior mode of listening, what makes it inherently superior? And why is consciousness of sound quality or qualities necessarily a critical mode of listening?" I don’t think either kind of listening, critica... | |
| Chair This suggestion may not be workable in a living room setup, but here goes anyway. I worked for >30 years in a home office (freelance medical writer, often 10-12 hr days). In the first year my back began to fall apart ... the trash office chair... | |
| What exactly is critical listening? Who does it? OP, only you can decide if you want to do critical listening--if so, when and why. I’ve done a lot of it, specifically: When I’m writing a review of a headphone, amp or DAC (to post on an audio board ... not a professional reviewer) When I’m ... | |
| Electronic cross-over on pre-amp out, to split signal to subwoofer and bookshelf speakers I, too, can wholeheartedly recommend electronic crossovers made by Marchand Electronics. I use the XM66 2-way crossover: it has variable (user setable) crossover frequency; 24 dB/octable slopes; is single-ended; had a pot for each of the 2 outputs... | |
| Advice on a good Digital Coax Cable to run between my Transport and DAC? +1 for @likecap -- the DR-510 is easily the best digital coax cable I've tried (of 4 or 5). The price has gone up since I got mine, but I'd buy it again in a second. The sound is lush but resolving: https://www.thecableco.com/dr-510-db-510-digita... | |
| Interim SS Amp - Likely Candidates? I never managed to hear the bel canto 500Ms (not for lack of trying on the sparse used market)--but I did find a cherry pair of 600Ms. The main difference between them is that the 500Ms feature an older class D amp module, ICEPower vs the 600Ms us... | |
| Bass management--high/low pass filtering This very issue -- how to apportion audio frequencies above the desired cut-off point to the mains, and leave the rest to the subs -- defined my "sub journey" for years until I finally put some time & $$ into a solution: It’s an electronic cr... | |
| Does your DAC sound better through the S/PDIF or I2S inputs than through USB? I started using SPDIF converters about 14 years ago, first with optical cables, then with digital coax. Digital coax sounded significantly better than optical or USB straight in from the delta-sigma DACs I had at that time. Six DACs later I'm sti... | |
| GaN FET Amps vs. Traditional Class D Amps I have yet to hear any GaN Fet amp design, so can’t comment on the sound of those. My comments have more to do with my class D journey--how I proceeded amidst the pro- and con- hype. First: I know my own sonic tastes and preferences very well. I ... | |
| New split AC System impact on sound. @thecarpathian, I'm in Goshen, NY, about 50 miles NE of there. Why do you ask? | |
| New split AC System impact on sound. I live in the humid Northeast (Hudson Valley of NY State, ~60 miles NE of NYC). Just as COVID hit us I tossed the air conditioners and installed split systems throughout our fairly large and intricate house (~3,400 sq. ft). That meant 2 compressor... | |
| How long should high quality speakers last? I'm rocking a 35+ year old pair of KEF 103.2s (butyl surrounds). The previous owner replaced several of the caps in the crossover because they were leaking. So far, so good (they sound fantastic). | |
| Bookshelf speaker pairing with subwoofer HAH! (wait--I thought it was three times a day) | |
| Bookshelf speaker pairing with subwoofer @tony1954 you may not have a lot of experience w/bookshelf speakers, but you sure nailed it by getting the ATC SCM19s. | |
| Movie/film suggestions. So many I could suggest. Will limit to just 3: IT FOLLOWS: Not a big budget & no big names (though Maika Monroe has come on strong in subsequent films) -- but a brilliant & deeply observant SciFi concept here https://www.imdb.com/title/t... |