jafox

Responses from jafox

Best Phono Pre for Teres
Hello,You don't say what you are using now and what you would like to improve on. For 3-dimensionality and decays that just go on and on, I have found the Aesthetix Io to be unbeatable. This is especially true when you change the stock Sovtek 12AX... 
Tubes, Maggies, VTL - heaven. Confirmed
Angelsmtn: You make an excellent comment that we often don't know what we are missing. This is of course until we hear a product bring on a level of musicality and resolution we had not heard before in our system. This came for me when I got the W... 
Tubes, Maggies, VTL - heaven. Confirmed
It's great to hear you have found the musicality in the Magnepans that so many of their owners do not experience with solid state amps. I ran 3.5's with Wolcotts with great success. The 3-dimensionality of these speakers really comes out with tube... 
Best Pre and Floorstanders to Match with ARC VT130
Hello,I owned the VT130 for a few years and very much enjoyed the musicality of this amp....especially with KT88 tubes which brought on a greater warmth and bloom than 6550 tubes. But the KT88's were a bit unreliable causing resistors in the amp t... 
Can you ever go back and be happy?
Aroma:1) You wrote it yourself:"Albert, if my speculations regarding what happened with Magnepan or the pricing of the Dali's is incorrect, I would appreciate if you would share why you chose one speaker over the other." Yes, you did state that yo... 
Can you ever go back and be happy?
Aroma: Since I suggested people look into Albert's writings here to learn about his progress of the Dali vs. his long time Soundlabs, I feel obligated to respond to many of your points:1) The issue of why Albert changed from the Soundlabs: Rather ... 
Can you ever go back and be happy?
Brian: Oh yes I would love to come back there and to hear that setup. And I will bring the Versa TT and box of parts to get that up and running too. But I'd like to wait until I decide on the final outcome of the Aesthetix Io/Callisto vs. the Aria... 
Can you ever go back and be happy?
Wow, look at that array of Soundlabs. Whew, imagine the low-end extension and dynamics. Gorgeous. I'll take a set in maple. 
Can you ever go back and be happy?
Hello,As a previous owner of Magnepan 3.3 and 3.5 for 6 years, and now owning Soundlab A1's for 4 months, I can tell you that all planars speakers are not at all alike. Ribbon-based systems such as Magnepans and Apogee are very different altogethe... 
Nagra VPA or ARC VTM200
Hello,I too had a pair of ARC Classic 150s for a short period. I have since learned that the 150w of the CL150s is not at all the same as the 150w on my CAT JL-3 Signature amps. Whereas the CL150s peaked out easily with the Magnepan 3.5s, the JL-3... 
Tube rolling experience in Aesthetix Callisto Sig
Hi Ken, I was thinking exactly of these tubes to try in my DAC as it takes a pair of 5751 and also a pair of 7044. I have so much harmonic richness from the DAC but would like a more low end extension and maybe even a little more top-end presence.... 
Tube rolling experience in Aesthetix Callisto Sig
Artg: Your concerns on "legitimate" tubes has much merit. It would be easy for many people here to misrepresent the vintage or manufacturer of a tube. But this is the case for all such audio purchases here.I have had much success with 3 sellers of... 
Review: Aesthetix Callisto Signature Tube preamp
I did not mean to make JD cringe here. I do recall him telling me he was not at all impressed with the BAT 50SE. If it is anything like the 30SE, I understand why this is. But the 31SE has a very different sonic signature altogether. I heard the 3... 
Review: Aesthetix Callisto Signature Tube preamp
Guidocorona: Yes absolutely, keep this model as a serious contender. But just be prepared for the Callisto and Io units to take up a lot more space than your average preamp.There are some incredible preamps out there but there are several that I h... 
Bose 901
Dazzdax - I think your friend would be more accurately defined as a Boseaphile.