helomech
Responses from helomech
| Not sure what to think or do... Some speakers don’t perform well with high power amplifiers, though I wouldn’t expect that to be the case with Elysians. Sometimes when I think something is amiss with my system or that it doesn’t sound good, I later realize I was just having ... | |
| Why Don't you hear more about Audio Physics Speakers?? They don’t have a wide distribution net in North America but they make some competent speakers. I owned the Avanti (current version) for a couple months. Overall, they were a good value at the price I paid for them pre-owned. The cabinet finis... | |
| Pure Class-A Amp under $2000 (USED) Most “class A” amps are not “pure class A” because they are extremely inefficient and get very hot, even with massive heatsinks. They are basically space heaters. Even amps like the Pass XA25 (50 watt class A envelope) are not pure Class A for... | |
| Pass Labs Speaker Choices I got good results with the Pass XA25 and Tekton Lore Ref BEs (about 89db free air sensitivity). Great amp but I wouldn’t recommend it for speakers any less efficient, unless one has a small near-field setup. Can’t comment on other Pass amps ... | |
| Are advances in technology making speakers better? In terms of active speakers, yes. In terms of passives? No. | |
| Rhodium...hmmm Rhodium is nothing more than a gimmick as it’s a poor conductor compared to more traditional options. If you want the same effect, save some money and connect your system using oxidized copper. | |
| Solid state to tube I would start with a Rogue Cronus Magnum 3. It’s not the quietest of amps but it does all the things that tubes are known to do well. It may fall short of some other tube and SS amps in one area or another but it’s pretty darn good as a complete p... | |
| Speaker upgrade @johnss You’re presuming the most expensive parts result in the best performance. This is often not the case. I’ve heard speakers that used iron-core inductors and electrolytic caps on the woofer section outperform speakers employing air-core in... | |
| Pass Then vs. Pass Now Thanks! I am leaning towards the XA30.8 for many of the reasons stated here. I think I needed to hear someone say that it is in another league above the Rogue sound that I have been listening to (and enjoying - that Sphinx punches way above its c... | |
| Speaker upgrade I completely understand. I was in the exact same boat. But before you can determine what is used, you have to understand what good parts are for a crossover first. I have owned the Aviors and have owned several pairs of Wilsons. They all use d... | |
| Tube preamp options I recently bought a new Bel Canto SEP2(upgraded to SEP1 parts) built by Ace Tomato Audio. It’s a strange arrangement in which Ace builds these older Bel Canto models under license from BC. They are built of all new/unused parts w/NOS tubes and Hov... | |
| Who has heard and can comment on any of these brands?? I had the Audio Physic Avantis for a time, the ones with the glass-coated cabinet panels. They were good in most ways but the cabinets were noisier than should be expected in $9K/pair speakers. They also seemed to have a null somewhere in the uppe... | |
| Thoughts about the "Cheapaudioman" on YouTube The problem is it’s obvious he started his channel prior to obtaining any relevant points of reference. His experience with even “mid-fi” gear was limited. He has since gained some experience with higher end components, but it’s too late to adopt ... | |
| What are/were the best sounding cheap components you have ever had? I have owned at least a hundred components. That possibly might account for why you haven’t heard anything that’s both great and cheap. I’ve only been back in this game for a decade or so and have easily gone through twice as many products. Des... | |
| Best vibration isolation for speakers on carpet? Good thing you didn’t go with the Gaias because they are a nightmare with carpet, especially thick carpet. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that when leveling spiked speakers, you often have to adjust the spikes by only small fractions... |