fzxguy

Responses from fzxguy

Should I upgrade my pre-amp?
Keep in mind you will need a pre-with a phono stage, a common and good ARC unit is the SP9 (Mk II, or III) preferably. It is a tube hybrid. (in ARC "land" the SP prefix denotes the presence of a phono stage.) There are a variety of other tube unit... 
tube pre for bryston
I have a 4B-ST and have used an Audio Research SP9 MkII happily for a couple of years. Though its not the end all, it was a good place to start and readily available, reliable, and affordable. The ARC offers many of the tube virtues but is still q... 
Choice of Wire for Dedicated Line
What ever kind of wire you get it should be shielded... the shielding is what will protect it from the RF. You can get regular household wire 12-2 w/ground for example in a metal shielded version.A couple of other ideas (assuming you are not going... 
Review: Bryston 4B-ST Amplifier
The 20 year warranty is irrelevant!!!Yes, it is always mentioned because it is unusual, but who would want to listen to poor sound for 20 years? Not I.On its merits, the 4B-ST is a powerful SS amp that is very neutral yet smooth, and takes control... 
Need Help on Dedicated Electrical Lines
I agree with Timo and most of the above. Very important, and not often mentioned, use shielded wire! Even common electrical wire comes in shielded versions, that will make a big difference with RF interference. Good Luck. 
Tonearm/cartridge sugestions for an Oracle Delphi?
I have a Delphi MkII/III with a Sumiko FT-4 Arm. The MMT was their entry level arm (about $300) and they sold tons of them, The FT-4 was $550. At the time Sumiko also sold the SME 309 for $950 and the SME IV for $1500. (To give you a frame of refe... 
Linn Ikemi CD Player vs. Other Lower Cost Options
I agree with Soix, it is a matter of taste, and how the sound from the CDP is treated by the downstream components. I had an original Rega Planet, and upgraded to an ARC CD-2. (a Class A CDP and recognized as one of the best out at that time.) Tho... 
What type of solder do you use and why?
Cardas makes a "quadelectric" solder for audiophile use. 
cd storage horizontal or vertical?
There should be no reason (mechanically or sonically) to store them one way or the other. Well, One reason..... You can read them more easily if they are horizontal. The highest density, most convenient, inobtrusive storage is in a drawer, vertica... 
Maggie 20.1 contender for best speaker?
Johnathan Valin (now w/TAS) reviewed the 20.1 in FI vol 3 #12 (December 98). As I recall that issue featured a variety of similarly priced speakers. 
Who out there knows about Audio Research Pre's???
Do a Mfg. search on AudioGon to get a list of all the models and dates made. Subscribe if you want pricing. It will give you a sense of how their products evolved. 
LISTENER Magazine...What Do You Think?
I only read one issue, the one I got as a freebie so I would subscribe. Though I found it an interesting and worthy magazine I felt the crass humor and liberal profanity seemed like the grain, etch, and glare that a cheap solid state amp imparts t... 
Has anyone had trouble with stereophile magazine?
E-mail John Gourlay (Gourlayj@primediacmmg.com) and complain. I missed 2 out of 3 issues due (I think) to the lables falling off. Yeah, they'll cheerfully extend your subscription, but you want mags NOW not in the future. Anyway, Gourlay actually ... 
What is the best amp setup for Magnepan 3.6 ?
What kind of music do you listen to? At what volume?? What qualities or musical characteristics do you like to hear??? What do you value most in musical presentation??The answer to those questions will dictate which direction to go. Maggies need l... 
Dedicated AC lines???
Depending on the length of your run, I would buy an audiophile "in-the-wall" cable.If you have a long run, (mine was 100') that will be cost prohibitive. Use a metal Shielded cable to avoid RFI or run the wires in metal conduit, and use the heavie...