helomech
Responses from helomech
| Starting my showroom again You’ll need a large capital budget, which, if you already possess, might be better invested in some ETFs and rare metals. | |
| Why isn’t more detail always better? IME, more detail is almost always better, as long as it’s accompanied by a good bass foundation and low distortion. The problem with many speakers and components is they produce the detail but not without distortion, especially IMD. When you fina... | |
| Streamers and software Save money and get a WiiM Ultra. It is all the streamer anyone ever needs and its OS is better than BluOs and Eversolo’s. | |
| Bluesound Node Icon I don’t have the Icon but have the standard N130 Node. Idk what happened to the BluOS software in recent months but some functions, like pulling up my Favorites through Qobuz, have become incredibly slow. I now favor the WiiM Ultra in almost every... | |
| what dacs are fast, lively, energetic? Chord DACs are a little lean IME, and as “fast” as they come. A very good DAC that does it all, that just happens to be affordable is the Topping E70 Velvet. I would pit it against any DAC at any price. The nice feature of the E70V is it is sort... | |
| Retirement integrated amp for a “fiscal conservative” The Denon PMA A110 is an excellent integrated that punches way above its price class, and in my system sounds nearly indistinguishable from the $9K Luxman 507Z. It even has a lower noise floor than the Luxman and very similar in tactile build qua... | |
| Other High End Audio Forums Just don’t dare judge/criticize any Audio Note products or disagree with Steve on the Hoffman forum. The rules there don’t apply to the “host.” | |
| Integrated Amplifier Recommendations Needed I am a big fan of some Denon models, such as the PMA A110. Not so much of the new Yamaha. In A/B comparisons with my speakers (Stirling Broadcast 88s/ Borresen X3s/ Philharmonic BMR Towers) the PMA A110 and Yamaha 2100 are not vastly different.... | |
| A list of efficient speakers at ~$5K a pair. My thinking is that Sensitivity + Impedance + Phase angle = Efficiency. My understanding of these factors are not complete. This is correct. However, there do exist some high sensitivity speakers that have rather tough impedance phase angle... | |
| A list of efficient speakers at ~$5K a pair. Why 92dB? You’re better off choosing a speaker by how it sounds in your room rather than any spec. IME, most speakers with over 90dB sensitivity have significant drawbacks in other areas, such as low maximum output or very truncated bass extens... | |
| Other High End Audio Forums What’s Best Forum is good. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/ | |
| Integrated Amplifier Recommendations Needed Around $2K on the used market, the Denon PMA A110 and Yamaha A-S2100 are hard to beat. IME, both are competitive with integrateds in the $6K-$8K range from other brands. As an example, both have a lower noise floor than the Luxman 507z. The Yamaha... | |
| Speakers for low-level listening Borresen speakers are designed to compensate for our ear’s lack of sensitivity at lower volumes. They measure poorly by textbook standards but they sound dynamic and satisfying at the loudness levels most listeners prefer. The primary complaint ... | |
| 2-way design vs. 3-way design means ? The problem with questions like these is that not all 2-ways and 3-ways are created equal. There are high end 2 and 2.5-way speakers that can do everything better than 3-ways employing lower quality parts and materials. Some 2-ways like the afore... | |
| Seeking speakers under $3K for 10x12 ft room and driven by 20wpc tube amp Used or closeout Spendor A4s. Sound phenomenal with tubes. |