gregm

Responses from gregm

Original Valab(modified) vs MHDT Orchid
Nearly: I listened to the Orchid, but not your Valab. The sound was euphonic,, fluid, pleasant, "musical". However I happen to have a different R2R (MSB) and there is no comparison, not even on a different level, considering the amount of detail, ... 
Help - Opinions - Amp for Sonas Faber Olympica III Speakers
If you want to go with NAD, I'd seriously consider the purifi equipped model instead (C something).Other low-cost alternatives are ATC's amps, and mid-range musical fidelity models.Of course, the Pass labs mentioned above are excellent IMO (but mo... 
will changing to solid-state make the bass in my wilson sophias better at low volume?
Presumably you have optimised speaker placement -- if not, you could be losing some bass energy due to placement.Sophias output a reasonable amount of (upper) bass.Otherwise, missing bass at low amplitude also means your (all of our) ears are less... 
Neil Young calls out Tidal
We are aware that MQA, or "master quality", is a brand name, not a description --- right?:) 
Blasphemy! I want an 1/3 octave EQ
The only good (analog) equaliser I've experienced is from FM Acoustics, they call it a "harmonic lineariser", and empirically, it does not seem to degrade the original signal. However, it only offers a few corner frequencies and is very expensive.... 
Does Age Matter?
I am 60 and I prefer top-end analogue to top-end digital, CD format coming last.HOWEVER, I listen to digital mostly (laziness) 
D'Agostino Progression pre-amp vs Audio Research Ref6SE
As it happens, I did, recently. Empirically, I preferred the Progressionon all counts -- transients & dynamics, details, sense of phase correctness...They drove a 10kHz input impedance power amp and we played classical music, orchestral & ... 
Historic recordings- best audio on reissues
Take a look at Pristine Classical (dot com). They offer excellent remasterings of historical recordings 
is Hi-Res all that?
@chcook: Thanks, interesting and thorough test!While I'm not disputing what you heard (I myself have had similar experiences: try Pink Floyd Pulse, for example), OTOH, I have found that apples to apples, higher rez is better, BUT conditions appl... 
Best integrated for my needs????
@ratbasrd I listen to mostly Jazz & Classical at modest volumes w/ periodic need to turn it up to rock out a bit. I thoroughly recommend the MF Nuvista series 6000 (or (8000); it sounds good, it's reasonably priced. and has dynamics and soni... 
Do you, or did you, have Audiophile buddies that you shared music, gear, times with?
I am fortunate to have several audiophile friends. With one or two we get together 1-2 a month and talk about things, listen to music comparing notes on various performances of classical pieces -- but mostly about everything else under the sun. On... 
What is Floyd Toole saying about extra amplifier power and headroom?
As mentioned above, the compression you hear is more likely to come from the 7 drivers rather than the amp. The obvious way to find out is by trying a higher spec’d amp on your speakers -- if the compression is gone, go for a more powerful amp. Th... 
What does ‘balance preamp’ mean?
No, a real balanced circuit is one where the positive (+), the negative (-) have distinct circuits, and negative is distinct from earth.So there is a higher manufacturing cost. There is also noise cancellation -- i.e. any noise common in both circ... 
Seeking advice what to upgrade
SQ wise, the weakest devices in your system are the Klipsch & the DAC. As mentioned above, teh Klipsch may be fatiguing despite the mods which should make them more palatable.*So, I would go for the DAC first (a benchmark or an Ideon, or simil... 
Cartridge forgiving of "non-audiophile" recordings and pressings
I agree that the better the rig the better the sound. In that light, MMs with excellent tracking will do the job well within your budget, such as the Dynavector above, a Shure V15, an AT, an Ortofon 2M black or Cadenza bronze / black, or the recom...