ghdprentice

Responses from ghdprentice

A cartridge that mates well with the Sutherland Loco phono preamp?
Ok. They seem to advertise cartridge output independence and gain adjustability to not care about the cartridge. But it does sound like an unusual design.  
Anybody use a single ended component with one that is balanced?
@jji666   +1 Don’t add an adapter. If the amp is balanced it a;ready has one and is likely to be of higher quality. The manufacturer has a vested interest in making both inputs sound good.  
burn in - how important?
As far as I can remember burn in has been very obvious on all new stuff I have purchased, since I got high end gear… 40 years. Over the last few years I have (for various reasons) broke in about five new pieces of Audio Research Reference electron... 
Changes in DAC Presentation - Need Advice
Well, this is very odd. So, sounds to me like your logic is good. I would add some serious power conditioning. Power is really important. All the great audio components I have had have put a big emphasis on power. A. nmber of them have been two bo... 
A cartridge that mates well with the Sutherland Loco phono preamp?
I would think the question would be the sound of the arm / cartridge/ turntable. The function of the phono stage is to pass on as exactly as possible the sound it receives. As I upgraded my Phono stage a dozen times ($200 —-> $17,000) over the ... 
Changes in DAC Presentation - Need Advice
From your description, my first guess woukd be breakin. A number of components I have owned have gone through flip flops in sound quality between 100 and 200 hours of use. The second, and perhaps more likely is your Mac. I assume it is your strea... 
Phono stage shoot out: best mid priced unit?
If I was in the market I would look at a used Audio Research PH8 or PH7… or the best you can afford. I have had many ARC phono stages over the last 40 years as I was able to afford better and they got better. Phono stages and preamps are the first... 
Streaming music sounds better late at night. Is this just me?
I am retired… there are no diminution of stress on Sunday nights, and there have never been any mental state factors involved. I typically realize the sound is notably better… then start asking myself why… did I do something to the system… go thro... 
To extend Ethernet to remote location, are Powerline extenders or Mesh systems better?
Mine are something like this: NETGEAR Wi-Fi Range Extender AC1200.      
Looking for a Quality Desktop Solution
I use Totem Mite speakers and a small Matching sub on the floor. They are beautiful and sound terrific near field. Natural and detailed. You must be very careful in a desktop situation not to have a noisy system or harsh  speakers.      
To extend Ethernet to remote location, are Powerline extenders or Mesh systems better?
Easy. Get an extender. The cost around $60, the wall wart kind that has a single Ethernet port. They work amazingly well. Easy to set up. If you don’t have mesh, I wouldn’t recommend adding. It works fine for some people and is a nightmare for som... 
Streaming music sounds better late at night. Is this just me?
You can simply improve power. Direct lines, made of audiophile wire, you can go further on that… I think it was Stereophile last month about complete home power equipment replacement. On the digital end there is an Ethernet regenerated… and / or a... 
Pass Labs X260.8
My experience and from knowledgeable folks has always pointed to short as possible speaker cables and longer preamp - amp interconnects.   
How long do you or should you keep your gear.
@larry5729   i have repeatedly heard Magico speakers that sounded terrible. The speakers are spectacular in their ability to accurately articulate the input. The problem, especially with Boulder is incredibly accurate (like Mark Levinson) … stu... 
Anybody use a single ended component with one that is balanced?
In summary. Don’t worry about it. Go for the best components you can, and if you end up with a system in which all components support balances, then , if you have the money you can swap interconnects to balanced and see if you can hear a differenc...