helomech

Responses from helomech

Work out music
Five Finger Death Punch   
Fed Ex makes good
Count yourself very fortunate. You must have caught the claims processor on a good day.   
Need New amp or integrated...have some options
I’ve owned quite a few integrateds within your budget. The standouts are Yamaha’s MOSFET powered series (A-S2100 or 2200), the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2, and the Axxess Forté1 (within your budget used). Most others were good to mediocre but did ... 
Integrated amp under $5k
The Axxess Forté series of integrateds are the best implementation of Class D I have encountered, both integrateds and separates. I suspect that’s because their distortion profile is 2nd order dominant, with all higher orders being inaudible. They... 
Integrated all in one for a second system
The Axxess Forté 1 or Forté 2 are excellent choices for this. The DAC in these units easily competes with <$2K stand-alone DACs.   
Recommendations for a new subwoofer?
And no do not get a REL. They work but they're grossly priced for the performance you get   That’s the complete opposite of my experience.    
Recommendations for a new subwoofer?
Might be able to pick up a used S/510 within your budget. You’d be hard pressed to find a better sub at that size and price.     
B&W 802D1 - How can I tame the brightness?
802 D1s need thoughtful placement to perform best. They are not bright and fatiguing in a non-reflective room with the right width and toe angle (zero or near zero).  Placed in a small room with straight, on-axis toe and they can certainly sound ... 
Need Recommendation for Coffee Shop
Yamaha HS8 Actives — done.   
!!!OK OK - I'm Big Enough To Admit I Was DEAD WRONG!!! Class D Doesn't Always Suck!!!
Yeah it seems Class D has finally come of age in recent years. I hadn’t encountered a Class D amp that I could live with long term (and I tried many) until recently with the Axxess Forté1 integrated. It finally dethroned my Yamaha integrateds. I a... 
Next step in a turntable upgrade path
Look for a pre-owned Technics SL1210 or SL1200GR.  They are good enough to accommodate $2K+ cartridges.   
Conflicted with Preamps
FWIW, I have owned both the Quad Artera Pre and the Mac C49. The C49 is better—more dynamic and refined. The C49’s onboard DAC is pretty good as you noted. However, as for pure transparency, I actually prefer the Topping A70Pro to the C49 for prea... 
??? What Is Your Favorite Speaker Finish ???
My favorite wood finish is probably eucalyptus though I don’t currently own any speakers of that finish.   
ATC SCM150 Amp and Preamp recommendations
Please don’t forget you need to spend at least the cost of your speakers on ICs and speaker cables to get the full potential out of you system. Lol! 😂 😂 😂 😂 🤣🤦🏼‍♂️    
ATC SCM150 Amp and Preamp recommendations
You’re headed in the right direction if you found the Luxman was too bright. The Luxmans and other Japanese integrateds tend to share that character of an elevated upper midrange. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, it just requires the right s...