desktopguy

Responses from desktopguy

Bookshelf Speakers that have to be up against the wall
In my home office's desktop audio system, I've had 4-5 pairs of speakers over the past 12-13 years (2 powered; 3 passive). All were located w/in ~1 foot of the front wall (actually an inset picture window covered with heavy blinds). The main thing... 
Broken hearted...magnepan and vandersteen
Richard Vandersteen has spent his whole professional life perfecting use of first-order crossovers to get exactly that unmistakeably musical voicing out of his designs. I had (still have/in storage) his flagship model from the 1980s, the Vanderste... 
Cconfused...
It’s an unfortunate fact that no audio system--regardless of size & price--can even come close to the power & scope of live music (or live in studio music). So those of use who love audio gear as a means of enjoying music are left with cho... 
$1300-1500 DAC
Second the MHDT Orchid. 2 months in w/my new one, it's a love affair... 
Worth pursuing analog sound from digital?
(forgot to say) Ladder DACs are hardly a "new thing." Theta Digital & a couple others did tremendous development/refinement of early R2R circuits in the '90s, and some of those DACs are still around, sounding amazing. But the mass market never... 
Worth pursuing analog sound from digital?
Longtime vinyl lover here--someone who successfully transitioned to digital-only in the desktop audio setting (including quality headphones--very revealing of digital). A few observations:1 - The trad way to get better sounding digital is to throw... 
Saxaphone vs. Trumpet...Which do you prefer?
These instruments are not that comparable physically or acoustically. In the hands of master players, each can sound sublime. I follow numerous jazz players on each instrument, past and present, including trumpet players such like Miles Davis, Lou... 
Why HiFi manufacturers don't make active crossovers anymore?
Very interesting thread. I'm relatively electronics-ignorant compared to many here--but still have a story to tell.I'm a longtime audiophile who, for reasons too complex to outline here, has been confined to desktop audio in home office for ~20 yr... 
Audioquest Dragon Powercord vs Hurricane
Duke Ellington famously said, "If it sounds good, it is good."To paraphrase, if you hear a difference between power cables, there is a difference. And if you prefer one over the other, the one you prefer is the better one.(I live by these simple r... 
Miracles in Audio, by luck, by good choices,by design or by tweaking...
I'm a big headphone guy these days. Until a couple years ago, I somehow hadn't heard the legendary Sennheiser HD650. Then a friend developed a comprehensive series of mods for this headphone. I purchased his next-to-last version of the mods (Jupit... 
(Brutally) Honest Audio Reviews
There really should be the audiophile equivalent of  an S&M site:You log in, pay the fee & list all your equipmentThen up pops a list of reviews for each itemThe reviews are savage, merciless. Basically everything you own & love is a P... 
Your favourite music movie?
2 by Alfred Hitchcock, with scores written by the great Bernard Hermann: VERTIGO & PSYCHO (it doesn't hurt that these are among the very best films I ever saw).More recently, 2 sci-fi films w/astounding, subtle, bleeding-edge soundtracks: ARRI... 
Thoughts on extending speaker life.
I have a pair of mid-80s vintage Vandersteen 4s stored in a closet since 1991 (no use since then). I just assumed the surrounds of midrange, woofer, & subs would be trashed. But I also don't know whether Vandersteen used butyl rubber surrounds... 
Perception
Time to ditch this "friend" and meet some new people.I mean, what's more important: your satisfaction with your carefully purchased & curated audio system? Or a long-time friend? 
I went from Class D to Luxman A/AB - And most of what you think is wrong
I have a pretty well reviewed by older class D amp, the Wyred4Sound ST-500. Bought it used in 2017 and have been every pleased with it. BTW, my only reason for going class D was my cramped desktop space that has zero room for a trad A/B amp. I act...