dtorc
Responses from dtorc
| Removable headshells I use the head shells made by Pete Riggle of VTAF and Woody tonearm fame. The headshells are made of wood, and only 6 grams. He also provides a 5 gram brass weight for when it needs to be heavier. Also, I love the finger lift he designed. Real eas... | |
| Tube Sound With Equalization? I recommend, from personal ongoing experience, the Jolida Foz SSX soundstage expander. It does three things, and I found the sonic costs are not too great relative to the gifts. It has a tube buffer, and that allows you to tube roll to get the bes... | |
| Warm, flexible, cheap-ish cables? My two inexpensive, but very good cable companies are Signal Cable, and Pine Tree Audio. I just got three interconnects, a power cable, and high quality jumpers from Pine Tree, and they are all very good. At less than the cables they replaced, the... | |
| Adding a tube amp is a good idea? And I moved from the PS Audio hybrid BHK 250 to an all-tube Zesto Bia 120 ( now replaced by the even more powerful Bia 200). I liked the BHK 250 very much - it is obviously a very good amp. But the Zesto changed everything. Suddenly it felt like t... | |
| If you HAD to purchase a used (over 4 years old) DAC, what would it be? I would find a used Ayre QB-9, or QB-9 DSD, and then send it to Ayre to be updated to the QB-9 Twenty. I think it sounds wonderful in that new form, and both buying the used DAC, and then getting the upgrade would likely be under $3,000 total. | |
| Qualified service technicians disappearing! Recommendations wanted I suggest driving up to Boston, and bringing your amp to Goodwin’s High End in nearby Waltham. Working inside that store is Jim Fuller of Fuller Sound. He is excellent with all manner of electronics, and I’ve never waited very long. Worth the driv... | |
| Can we make major musical discoveries at age 50, 65, or 80? I think loving the music that formed us is natural, and probably healthy. But I am so excited to find new artists, and new genres. People around me, family and friends, are passing on - seemingly every month or so I lose another. I want to live w... | |
| Doozy of an amp question I own a Zesto Bia 120 amp, and it is my favorite in a long life of many power amps. I find it has a clarity balanced by a smidge of warmth that really works on the wide range of music I listen to daily. You may find a used Bia 120, which you c... | |
| A list of efficient speakers at ~$5K a pair. I got the Volti Razz in its "Decorator Series" guise. That saves you $2000 off the list for a finished pair (so, $5500 vs $7500). I got then painted at a furniture refinishing place, and they did a great jo. You could do it yourself. It comes in p... | |
| Downsizing from tower to bookshelf I want to recommend a speaker I haven’t heard myself, but I use the company’s products, and like them. Plus they get great reviews. The speaker is the PS Audio Aspen FR 5. Apparently they are warm, rich and have surprisingly powerful bass. The... | |
| Do you have a perfect digital marriage? Well, if not perfect, I would say it is wonderfully engaging, and I look forward to discovering music through it daily. I hardly ever think about the equipment, which I love. Small Green Computer SonicTransporter i5/Sonore Optical Rendu/Ayre Q... | |
| Tonearm paralysis by analysis The Pete Riggle Woody SPU tonearm is higher mass, 12.5”, and very adjustable in almost all parameters. I use mine with a few Ortofon SPU cartridges, and love the results. It takes any SME type headshell. It costs around $2000 usd. | |
| Phono stage for second system Just in case you want really cheap and very good, I recently got an Andover Sound Spinstage Phono preamp as a backup for my all-tube phono preamp. For $249 dollars. It is a moving magnet and moving coil preamp. In MM mode, it has so much more flex... | |
| Any regrets in selling gear? I have, on occasion, sold something that turned out to be more engaging than the thing that replaced it. It usually takes me a while before I notice whether I’m present with the music or drifting away, or wanting to read a magazine. I think my... | |
| Tube amp repairs in the Boston area? I live in the Boston area, and I have used Jim Fuller of Fuller Sound. He works in/with Goodwin's High End in Waltham. He is truly wonderful in terms of the range of equipment he can competently work on. The costs seem reasonable, too. Tech HIFi ... |