helomech
Responses from helomech
| Need a new Class AB SS integrated...$2-3k due to hurricane Yamaha A-S2100. I’ve owned Hegel, Parasound, Rogue, Cayin, Sony ES, other Yamahas, and various separates. I’ve heard nothing remotely near the price of a 2100 that performs better. It’s also superior to the newer 2200. My thoughts go out to you... | |
| Affordable SS that sound like Tubes I’ve owned some decent tube gear over the years (Cayin, Rogue, Allnic, Van Alstine) and some nearly high-end SS stuff (Coda, Pass, Mac etc.) I’ve also auditioned some of the very high-end brands. Admittedly, I don’t have much experience with low p... | |
| Who has the Sickness, the Phile or the Non-phile? There may be something to this theory. I was exposed to HiFi as a young child by my biological father and some family friends. But I didn’t have a serious interest in it until I was in my teens even though my mother and stepdad had zero interest. ... | |
| First Tube amp suggestions I second the rec for a pre-owned Cayin, specifically the A88T. They sound excellent, are bulletproof, and can run 6550s, KT88s, El34s and even KT120s. They are quieter than some tube amps costing many multiples more. Since the circuit is point-to-... | |
| What are the best GaN Amplifiers available today? @mbmi Firstly, I referred to GaN FETs as a flash-in-the-pan technology, not class D as a whole. Secondly, I didn’t claim all GaN amps will necessarily perform poorly, merely that I have considerable doubt that any of them are really noteworthy.... | |
| What are the best GaN Amplifiers available today? I tried the Peachtree GaN400 based on the glowing reviews and wasn’t at all impressed. It sounded like typical Class D sound—no balls in the lowest octaves, clear and articulate but also fatiguing. It was a surprisingly noisy amp as well. A local... | |
| Speaker that are 'KEEPERS" for the long haul!!! I have the modest Revel F208s. They have been more gratifying than the vast majority of speakers I’ve owned, and that’s a long list. They really do compete with speakers models twice their price, and even above in some cases. With equally competen... | |
| Parasound vs Coda @christianb5s4 The Coda has greater resolution, a wider soundstage, and better instrument separation. Also, it’s more refined and has greater decay as mentioned earlier. FWIW, the JC5 is merely an A21+ with a slightly altered bias and better q... | |
| Parasound vs Coda I have the Coda No.8 V1. It’s much better sounding than the Parasound amps I’ve tried. The Coda sounds similar to the Pass XA25 but with way more grunt. It’s also much quieter than any Parasound amp. I’ve ran my No.8 with the Topping A90D and Ma... | |
| How much hum is normal from a new tube amp Chances are a replacement of the same model will exhibit the same issue. | |
| Lounge Audio @nicktheknife, I can’t really say as I haven’t personally had much private correspondence with them. I believe I did send Decware a question about their ZTPRE preamp about a year ago and didn’t receive a response. Unanswered emails or very late r... | |
| What speaker could safely be ordered without hearing it first? I sold a pair of black MA Silver 8s to a guy in Chicago a few years ago. Maybe he is you?! I went from the MA Silver 8s to Harbeth C7ES3s and then to Spendor SP2/3R2s (now known as the Classic 2/3s). I kept the Spendors up until last year. Occasi... | |
| SET Lovers, what's the one solid state amp you love(d)? For relatively little more money than the Pass XA25, one can get a Coda No.8 which is a wholly superior amplifier in my system(s). It takes everything good about the XA25 up a notch or two. Its current output ability is incredible yet it also has ... | |
| Lounge Audio Unfortunately this is a common problem when a small “mom and pop” operation receives accolades from the likes of Stereophile. And of course, these guys aren’t shoring up their manpower in anticipation of a tidal wave of orders. The same thing happ... | |
| DAC Under $3000 I’ve had the Qutest for 4+ years and think it is super detailed and really special sounding with a huge soundstage and preciese pinpointing of instruments. I’m ready to replace it due to its age. But it’s so good it’s difficult to find anything u... |