helomech
Responses from helomech
Two preamps into one amp? It’s all good until the one time you forget to switch the input selector. | |
Low Cost Electronics There are some stupidly good low-cost components out there at the moment. I can’t speak to the ones you mentioned but I can attest to the Topping E70Velvet DAC, Topping A70Pro (as a line preamp) and Parasound Z-Phono XRM phono preamp. Both are com... | |
Have you reached your end point with this addictive hobby? Getting off the gear treadmill is mostly about finding the right synergy. Even six-figure systems can be surprisingly disappointing when the synergy is off. Conversely, a six hundred dollar system can sound great with the correct synergy. Some li... | |
Coda vs Parasound Finally, even though both the Parasound Halo JC 5 and Bryston 3B have higher wattage ratings than the No. 8 amplifier at 4 ohms, neither have the iron-fist control of the bottom end frequencies or the explosive macro-dynamics of the Coda Continuu... | |
And the biggest influence on sound quality is... The room+speakers, then everything else. You’d be surprised how good some “bad” recordings can sound with high-end speakers in a proper room. | |
Coda vs Parasound I haven’t owned the JC5 but have owned the original Parasound A21 and a Coda No.8 V1. Owned both simultaneously. In my system the A21 sounds considerably more “effortless,” with better bass. However, the Coda was a little more resolving and refine... | |
What are your top 3 favorite turntable companies (manufacturer) and why? SME—because they’re the best Brinkmann—close to the best Technics—best bang for the buck | |
a rant Regarding amps, I began buying them based on measured distortion profile rather than focusing on their topology. I.e., the amp’s primary distortion harmonic that would be most audible. I began noticing a pattern that my favorite amps have either s... | |
The Insane World of High End Audio! Is it All a Scam? I’ve said it elsewhere and say it again here: the weak link in 99% of audiophile systems (aside from room acoustics) is the speakers. Even if lamp cord is being employed as the speaker cable in an otherwise $50K system, it’s not likely to be the w... | |
One Sub or Two? I went from two REL 510s to a single Carbon Special and in my system it resulted in an upgrade. Perhaps I never had the 510s perfectly dialed in, but how much can one futz with placement and settings before calling it good? The Carbon Special imme... | |
Question for Atma-sphere, will expensive power cables improve your amplifiers? Use caution when shopping for “audiophile” cables and cords. Some of them are poorly designed and actually inferior to cheapo manufacturer-supplied cords/cables. | |
The DAC Scam - Almost everyone believes the hype I went from a Topping D90 to Pontus 12. There is a difference and it is worth the extra, IMO. Yes, for better or worse, Denafrips DACs sound very different from most Toppings. | |
Anyone knows reputable places in Europe and Canada to buy NOS tubes from? Years ago I bought Mullard tubes from these guys and had a good experience: https://www.watfordvalves.com/search.asp?search=Mullard&Submit=Search | |
The DAC Scam - Almost everyone believes the hype Actually, as true or false as it my be, none of what the gentlemen in video stated really makes a hill of beans difference to the average audiophile. This hobby is more about what captures your imagination, illusions, stirs ones emotion and pass... | |
Who has kids that are in a band or have been? I don’t have any kids in a band but I have had many friends and relatives that played in various bands over the years. Currently, some friends who are about 10 years my junior play in a local band as their “full-time” gig (I think the wives suppl... |