helomech

Responses from helomech

Constant noisy tubes maybe go solid state?
Try the Mullard 12AT7s from Upscale Audio, the gold pin versions. Otherwise call Vintage Tube Services, just be prepared to wait a good couple weeks to receive your tubes.  
Planar speaker characteristics
Get a pair of .7s — more balanced tonally and not as fragile. The downside to maggies is a lack of midbass punch/slam, however, the .7s suffer this much less than the other models for whatever reason, probably because they don’t have any crossover... 
Thoughts on the most difficult instruments for speakers to reproduce?
Most piano recordings are terrible, unfortunately. 
Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96
I haven't compared them back-to-back but I find their tonality and response rather similar (O/93 and SHL5+). Based on your recent O/96 assessment, I doubt you'd like the Harbeth sound better. With exception of the P3ESRs, the Harbeths I've heard s... 
What's your favorite boutique speaker maker
Spatial is the best I've heard thus far in terms of value, outside of DIY.  
Parasound Halo Integrated vs Yamaha AS2100
You guys don’t know your audio ,the Newer 2100 series Mosfets amps are for sure warmer then the parasound halo integrated and more naturalI actually agree with you (at least the 1100 vs Halo integrated) but my experience was that the Yamahas are n... 
Poor Fritz
Fritz and Clayton Shaw are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet in the industry. 
Poor Fritz
Haven't had the pleasure of hearing his speakers but I can vouch that he's a great guy. I called him with a question and we spoke for hours about all things hi-fi. He struck me as a true artisan.  
Amp placement when switching from separates to integrated
Speaker cables need be kept short, even more so than interconnects. To experience this for yourself, buy some zip cord at the local hardware store. Try 8’ runs vs 16’ or more.  
Amp placement when switching from separates to integrated
A rack between the speakers isn’t too detrimental as long as it’s placed a good couple feet behind the plane of the baffles and an open-shelf design. If the integrated or other gear have large faceplates, sticking a few of those felt furniture fee... 
Lemons are an actual thing in high-end audio
There is no reason for why lemons cannot exist in audio. They’re out there and I’ve had similar experiences to the OP’s. These days I rarely buy a product with no option for return or exchange.  
laid back stereo power amp
A little known secret is Maggies require far less power when they're high-passed with an active 4th-order filter. This allows you to use almost any amp you desire over 40 WPC or so. An Active high-pass like the Marchand XM66 is much easier on the ... 
laid back stereo power amp
1.7s have a laid back voicing if positioned correctly. 
...bookshelf speakers that sound good at low volume...
Normally I suggest high sensitivity speakers with big paper cone woofers for these situations, but in your case the problem could very well be the Monoprice amp. 35 watts/ch would normally be enough power for JBLs in a room that size, but that’s i... 
Purifi Based Amps - Any Opinions?
It's a wonder why REL uses class AB for their subs when Class D produces the superior bass...