drbond

Responses from drbond

Phono preamp hum
I’ve had a bad tube behave like that in the past…I replaced the tube, and never heard it again.  
Recommendations for MM Phono ~ Tube or Solid State
For MM use with a SUT, I would consider the EM/IA LR phono corrector and the Ypsilon VPS100.  
Wanna take it to the next level? Buy MORE speakers!
No, you have a fever, and the only prescription is MORE COW BELL!  
Truly Stunning Vinyl Album
Depending on your favorite genre, I can also aver that the Analog Sounds label, Analogue Productions albums, are always very well produced and engineered.    
Need Opinions for Different Cable Manufacturers/Cable Designs
Just about every cable will sound differently in each system.  In some systems, cable A may sound better than cable B, but in another system, cable B works better than cable A.  Trial is the only way to tell.  Personally, I found that the cheapest... 
SME Model 20/12 versus TechDas AirForce V or Suggestions for a 2 tonearm TT
Never heard either one, but I can vouch for using two tonearms. As for isolation, get a minus K platform: costs 2-4k.  
Isolation systems
The only time I've really heard a difference with footers, isolation, etc, is with a turntable.  In that case, get a minus K platform for your turntable.  Otherwise, for other components, based on my experience, any auditory improvement will proba... 
Subwoofer Advice
@navyachts    FWIW, here's a link to my experience with ML subwoofers:   https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/subwoofers-and-electrostatic-speakers  
Do high dollar mono blocks truly improve the Sound Quality over the mid tier amps
Yes. A more expensive amplifier usually sounds better.  I went through a long series of upgrades of everything, and I can vouch that every component got better…of course, I upgraded with thought, as there are some very expensive components that ma... 
Esoteric K01X SACD player TRAY! error message
@jafant  The Esoteric K-01X has been performing flawlessly since I purchased it, and got the TRAY error to fix itself by pushing the ON button and the OPEN button at the same time, and holding it for about ten seconds, which allowed the system to... 
Is the "tray error" issue on an Esoteric X-03 CD player worth fixing?
See this thread:   https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/esoteric-k01x-sacd-player-tray-error-message  
Comparison of sonic qualities of some tonearms
I just was able to directly compare two different tonearms again, and, again, I am impressed by the difference a tonearm can make!  This time I was able to compare a Schroder CB and a Kuzma 4 point on the same turntable with the same cartridge, an... 
Well Recorded Classical Symphonic Recordings
What format? Tons of great recordings on CD, so many that it’s impossible to even give a top twenty list… …but on LP, the only real great recording that I’ve heard is the Japanese pressing Master Recording 45 of Beethoven’s 5th symphony, conduct... 
Sviatoslav Richter. Greatest pianist of the last century?
Yeah, each pianist has his/her strengths and weaknesses. One performer could maybe excel at interpretations of one composer, but no more. Comparing Richter and Horowitz is like comparing apples and oranges: Richter was an enemy of the Soviet state... 
Looking for a CD / SACD player. Also, tell me about Esoteric
I have the Esoteric K-01X.  I directly compared it to the top of the line Marantz, and the dCS SACD player, which I think was the Puccini, or Rossini.  The Marantz and the dCS were awful by comparison, although I don’t remember exactly in which wa...